At the Stars(54)

I put one hand to my chest and one to his. Both our hearts are racing like crazy. I’m so glad it’s not just me.

“Of course I’m sure. I even have the receipt.” When things get awkward, crack a lame joke, right?

Jake rises up to meet me, one hand tugging at my hair. He kisses me hard, sweeping his tongue into my mouth. His hips throw off so much heat when they press between my legs, thrusting and grinding like he wants to be sure I know exactly what he’s bringing to the table.

“I want you so fucking much, Cassie. I want you to be sure.” His words rumble in my ear, and wrap around me.

I wish he meant that growly, possessive tone the way he sounds like he does. “I want you, too. I’m sure. I’m ready.”

He breaks away, nodding his forehead against mine. “Good. Good.” Our panting breath and the scrape of fabric punctuate the darkness. The crinkle of the condom wrapper as it drops to the floor.

He lays back on the bed, sliding his hands over my back. Watery bits of sunlight peek through the curtains, giving us a better hint of each other. The sun coming up means I’m going to be late for work. I don’t care.

“I love touching you.” He grins that grin that would probably make me drop my underwear to the floor if I hadn’t just taken them off. He kisses me again, and I melt into him.

“I love touching you, too.” I think, in fact, I’m starting to love Jake. Period. As our naked bodies slide together on the bed, and those blue eyes of his look into mine, this all feels like so much more than what I know deep down it really is.

It’s okay, though. I’ll love this now, for whatever it is. I’ll say goodbye to Jake when I have to. I’ve gotten over worse than heartbreak.

When his arms wrap around me, I sigh. Right now, at this moment, I know I’ve met the gold standard. The way one stroke of his fingers makes my body hum, the way my skin against his is the only place I want to be... this is what I’ll always look for. That alone has made this moment worth the broken engine and every bad or good thing that came after.

He takes my hand, threading our fingers together over his head. “Come here. Let me make you feel good.”

So I do. And when he pushes inside me, I’m ready to fly.



Jake

“Wow, what’s all this?” Cassie’s arms come around my chest while I push eggs around a skillet. The stove in my kitchen is old, and the burners are all wonky and crooked, but I manage to make a thing or two when the urge hits. Which it did, and I kind of like the idea of cooking for her. It’s even nicer doing it while she’s all wrapped around me.

It does funny things, having her hold me this way. Her presence almost makes this place feel like home.

“Breakfast for dinner. Best meal ever. Make fun, and you’re out on your ass.” I say it like I don’t give a shit, but it really would suck if she turned her nose up at this meal. This was my favorite thing when my mom was alive, and it still is.

“Mmm. Smells amazing. I brought bread, too. Delia gave me some leftovers from the end of the festival.” She stands on her toes and nuzzles the back of my neck, draining the tension out of my body.

It’s surreal having her here, not just in my house but having her here this way. Like we’re playing at something more. It’s completely new, and it scares me shitless that already her skin against mine feels like something I’ve had in my life forever.

“So did she say anything? Delia?” The past two nights of the Founders’ Day festival I’ve gone with Cassie back to her hotel room. Falling asleep too exhausted from the day hasn’t stopped us from fooling around in the morning, making us late both yesterday and today.

I tried not to keep her from being on time, but it’s not like I could rush. Not with Cassie.

Cassie’s grabbed a knife from the block I got at the thrift store, slicing up still-fresh wheat bread nearby on the counter. I don’t know if she even realizes the way she smiles gently while she works. It’s nice.

“She didn’t say anything, but I got one of those ‘I know what you’ve been up to’ smiles from her, so I figure she didn’t buy my story about lost keys yesterday morning. Today I didn’t bother making something up.”

She looks great here, standing in my house. Like she belongs. That idea is dangerous.

Every couple of slices she stops to rub her hand, so I pull the eggs off the burner and slide over to take the knife from her. “Let me take a look at this.”

Before Cassie has a chance to answer I’m sliding my fingers up her palm, over her wrist. Rubbing circles over the tight places in her arm. Okay, so it’s nice to have a reason to hold her hand. I skipped over all this shit when I was younger. I didn’t date much. The simple stuff like touching her face and seeing her smile, it’s all I want to do now that I’m not trying to stop it.