Craving Cassie Ch. 01

What the hell was going on? Kevin wondered with a frown. First off, Cassie was here. Second, Jake was talking to somebody about a warrant. And now he was wondering if he should tell Cassie to get a restraining order?

Kevin let out a deep sigh and considered the possibility Cassie had gotten mixed up with the wrong sort of man again. Damn woman wouldn't know what was best for her if it jumped up and bit her on the nose.

He tried to push down the bitter taste that rose in his mouth, thinking about Cassie being with other guys. Why hadn't she been able to see that what she and Kevin had had was special?

***

Four years ago ...

"Tell me some more about yourself," Kevin encouraged. He and Heather's older sister had left the auction to grab some dinner in the hotel restaurant. He'd realized through all the small talk over lasagna and wine that this was a woman who could make mincemeat of him in a heartbeat.

Bold, independent, witty. Cassie Ross was more than he'd expected when he spotted the beautiful brunette across the room and jokingly asked Jake to hook them up. He'd only met Heather a couple of times, but she'd always been such a nice, quiet lady. He wondered how two sisters could be so different. Then again, maybe he just didn't know Heather very well at all.

Walking beside him, Cassie put her hands in the pockets of the jacket he'd let her borrow when they'd decided to take a short stroll through the hotel, and sent him a thoughtful look. "You're friends with Jake. I imagine you already know plenty about me."

"I know some," he admitted. "But not as much as I'd like to."

"I don't like talking about myself," she warned with a cutting glance, then sighed as if she realized she was being rude, and amended, "Since you obviously know more about me than I do about you, I think it's only fair I go first with the questions. Small talk is fun, but it doesn't really tell me anything about you."

"OK."

"You and Jake met in the Marines – you've known each other a long time," she said, having learned that much over their dinner. "So why is this the first I've ever heard of you?"

"Don't know," he shrugged. "Jake got out of the Marines, but I stayed, hoping to make a career of it. We kept in touch, but we never really got to see much of each other. I was supposed to be an usher at his wedding, but I couldn't get leave time. Otherwise, you and I probably would've met back then."

Kevin went on to explain how his father offered him a management position in one of his chain of sporting goods stores. Kevin chose to manage the store in this area because he liked the community and he knew Jake and another good friend both lived here.

"So you left the Marines to do that...?" Cassie prompted.

His smile faded. "My unit was on leave for the weekend. This drunk driver plowed into my car before I could react. Damn near killed me. I lost all feeling in my left leg, and the doctors weren't sure I'd ever walk again. I was approved for a disability discharge, so I took it."

She stopped and looked at him in something close to awe. Kevin had the feeling not much ever shocked her and was glad he'd managed it, as perverse a feeling as it was. She leaned against the railing in the upstairs lobby and looked him over head to toe. "I'm sorry, but you seem to be walking pretty good to me. I hope you sued your doctors."

He smiled. "What can I say? I love a challenge. Took me a quite while, a helluva lot of pain and therapy, but I can probably walk better today than I used to. It wasn't easy though, but once I decide I really want something I never give up. Truth is, in some ways, I suppose I ended up being one of the lucky ones. My old unit got called up for Baghdad last year. A few of them are dead now."

"Sorry to hear that." She nodded her head and looked thoughtful. "So now you're into extreme sports – rock climbing, that sort of thing? Are you crazy or did you decide you wouldn't mind dying after all?"

He leaned against the railing beside her and thought about the thrill, the fear, the joy he'd felt doing things he'd once never imagined he'd ever do. "When I was in the hospital and thought I'd never walk again, I told myself that if I ever could, I'd never stop living. You should try it sometime. You might even like it."

She scoffed. "Me? No way. The closest I get to active sports is watching the Cubs play on TV every year. Occasionally I'll venture out to a stadium for a local game, but that's it."

"The Cubs? Get outta here. You like the Cubs? They're my favorite team in the whole world."

"I love the Cubs." She made a face as she added, "I'm pissed Kerry had a bad year, but we saw some good stuff from Sosa and Prior last year. They'll pull it together though. You watch and see."

"My God, woman. I love you. Let's get married."

She chuckled at that and regarded him with her sauciest grin and an arched eyebrow. "You know," she said, stepping close and brushing against him, "why are we wasting time talking when there are much more pleasurable activities we could be doing?"

"Such as?"

In a move designed to seduce, Cassie slid her arms around his waist and licked her tongue against his lips. "Such as this," she said catching his lips and kissing the hell out of him. Long, slow, and easy. Then, "Take me to bed, Kevin," she whispered. "We can talk ... later."

Oh yeah, he was in trouble with this one, Kevin could tell. He'd only known the woman a few hours, and already he was hard as a rock, thinking about taking her to bed, and joking about marriage. He might have been less picky about his bed partners when he was younger, but these days, he didn't go to bed with a woman just because she was willing. He had to know and like her first. He really didn't know Cassie Ross worth a damn, but he could honestly say he liked her already. Maybe even more than like, if it was possible. He supposed he had just enough Italian in him on his mama's side to believe in love at first sight. He made a strangled sound in his throat when he felt her hand drift over his crotch and search out his cock beneath his trousers.

"Please?" she breathed, kissing him again.

How they made it in one piece to the hotel room he ended up renting, Kevin would never understand. This woman was irresistible, he thought, irresistible, plain and simple. As they struggled to get into the hotel room without loosing bodily contact – his hands in her hair, her lips nibbling at his mouth, his fingers trying their best to rid her of her dress while she tore at his shirt – Kevin thought of a whole slew of words to describe the effect Cassie Ross had on him. He couldn't remember ever feeling this attracted to any woman in such a short time. It was a little scary, but also exciting and ... hot.

He shut the door behind them then he felt her hand, her fingers easing down the zipper of his tuxedo pants with great care until she held him literally in the palm of her hand. He almost came then and there, especially when she began gently sliding her hand up and down his cock. Kevin grabbed her and spun until her back was against the wall. He got the vague feeling Cassie was trying to drive him out of his mind with lust – some kind of control issue, probably. Well, he was only too happy to return the favor.

Cassie seemed to hold her breath when he moved his lips from her neck to her mouth, thrusting his tongue inside at the same instant he pushed her panties down and slid his fingers inside her awaiting warmth. She was already wet and ready for him.

"I want—" he tried to say the words, to tell her he wanted to take it slow but he didn't think he could, not this time. She reached for him, pulled his head down to hers. Her mouth on his prevented the thought from forming into words, so he did the only thing he could at that moment. Grabbing her buttocks, he lifted her up and replaced his fingers with his cock. Then he was thrusting inside her with long, urgent strokes as she wrapped her legs around his hips and threw her head back, gasping for air and groaning out words like, "Yes!" and "Oh, that feels so good, don't stop!"

When it was over, they were both sweaty, gasping for breath, and grinning like fools. They rested against the wall, their bodies momentarily limp and sated. Kevin realized he was still wearing his pants and Cassie was fully dressed aside from the panties that were dangling from her foot. Well, he supposed you could say she was half dressed, with her dress pushed up around her waist and pulled dangerously low around her breasts.

"What are you grinning about, huh?" she asked, then nipped his bottom lip with her teeth.

"Why don't I explain it to you – in bed," he suggested, lifting her under her knees and carrying her toward the bed. He paused, a thought occurring to him, and he said a bit concerned, "I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen tonight. I didn't use anything. Are you protected?"

With her arms wrapped around his shoulders, she arched an eyebrow and smiled at him. "Well, now's a fine time to ask, don't you think?" But then she nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck, kissed him so that he was sure he might have a hickey tomorrow morning, and said in a soothing voice, "Don't worry. I'm on the pill. Guess this must be your lucky night."

***

Kevin came back to the present when he realized Jake was asking him something about police, and did he know anyone on the force?

He shook himself. "I don't really know any cops that well. Why?"

Tossing the cordless phone aside, Jake explained what had happened Friday night. He ended with a description of the messages Pete had left on Cassie's answering machine.

Kevin swore. "Have they picked the guy up yet?"

"Not according to the officer I just talked to. To make matters worse, they won't assign any officers to watch over Cassie because he hasn't laid a finger on her. She doesn't even seem to be eligible for a restraining order at this point. I just need to go talk to a lawyer tomorrow morning," Jake said, running a hand through his hair. He glanced up toward the doorway and froze. "Hey, honey."

Heather was leaning against the door jamb, looking worried as she twisted a kitchen towel between her hands. She'd obviously overheard that last part too. "I just came to tell you breakfast is on the table."

With a sigh, Jake walked over and kissed her on the cheek. "We'll take care of this, don't worry. Right now, let's just eat and enjoy our family, OK?"

Kevin thought about leaving then – it would probably have been the polite thing to do. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was now preoccupied with worry about Cassie. He felt a bit sorry he'd misjudged her situation, and even sorrier because he knew she had to be going through a rough time right now.

He hadn't seen her in over a year, maybe even longer. Even then, it had been mostly a "Hey, how are you? Well great. See ya later," kind of situation. He'd run into her at a bar, where she'd been hanging all over some guy. Of course, he'd been on a date himself at the time, so he could hardly judge her for it.

Maybe it was arrogant of him, but he was pretty sure he knew Cassie better than just about anyone. Kevin realized she had some serious hang-ups when it came to relationships. She'd told him on their second date she didn't want anything serious, she didn't plan on ever getting married, and she liked living alone just fine, thank you very much. She didn't seem to like needing or being needed by anyone, and the first sign of commitment usually sent her running.

He took a deep breath and walked into the dining area. Cassie was sitting cross-legged on the floor, playing some silly patty-cake type game with little Faith, smiling and laughing. You could hardly tell she was under a tremendous amount of stress, Kevin thought to himself. She looked, in short, absolutely fantastic. Then again, she usually did. Cassie went to great lengths to hide what she was feeling from the world.

She glanced up and saw him. She didn't flinch. She didn't look away. She just forced a smile and said, "Hello."

"Hey Cassie."

Something about the look in her eyes reminded him of their first night together, when she'd woken him up sometime around midnight. She'd been getting dressed, searching for her clothes scattered across the hotel room floor, in the dark. "Whatsa matter?" he'd mumbled sleepily, stretching beneath the sheets. He'd startled her enough for her guard to be down when she looked at him. That look had been a mixed pot of scared, and vulnerable and panicked. Then she'd pushed her tumbled hair away from her face and said, sort of awkwardly, "I'm not the type of woman who usually sleeps with a guy on the first date, you know. I'm not –" She hadn't finished the comment, just picked up her bra and stuffed it into her purse as she turned away from him. He'd managed to get her back into bed, and she'd still been there for breakfast the next morning.

Kevin often wondered if he hadn't woken up then, if she'd have left without a word. He also wondered if he hadn't pursued her after that, if she'd have sought him out instead. He always figured the answer to both questions was no. She'd always made it clear she didn't want a "serious" relationship with anyone, least of all him.

They hadn't lasted together long enough for him to figure out why she felt that way. Sometimes, though, he couldn't help but wondering about it. He'd run through every clichéd scenario in his mind – she'd been abused as a child and had a hard time getting close to men as a result; she'd been involved in a bad relationship and didn't want to get hurt again; she had sexual issues that prevented her from getting emotionally involved. Whatever it was, he wasn't sure he'd ever know the truth. Maybe he didn't want to know.

As quickly as it had come, that look of fear and vulnerability vanished from her eyes, now veiled by her usual meet-the-world-head-on look. "How you been doing, hot stuff?" Cassie asked him as she picked up her niece, playfully tilted the little girl upside down, and headed for the table.

"Can't complain," he returned, smiling at the picture she and Faith made together. "How's the floral business these days?"

"Flourishing, thank God." She nodded to the chair beside the one she was claiming and said, "Have a seat. I promised your little girlfriend here we'd sit beside you, so don't get any ideas. Consider me the chaperon, if you must. You try to sneak so much as one little kiss from her, and I'll pound that face of yours into oblivion, mister."

"Ah, Faith, somethin' tells me your aunt is gonna drive all your future boyfriends crazy," he played along, addressing the little girl who was now sitting on Cassie's lap, giggling at him. "She'll probably follow you on every date, armed with a handgun and ready to use it at a moment's notice."

Heather laughed, and added, "She'll probably be accompanied by Jake, who will not only be armed but who will have probably bugged the poor boy's car."

"Huh? What's a date?" Faith asked in her sweet little three-year-old voice, and they all cracked up.

The playful banter continued as they all dug into the meal Heather had prepared. Kevin noticed Cassie didn't directly address him again, but neither did she seem as nervous around him as he'd expected she might be. No one brought up the subject of why she was staying with Jake and Heather until Cassie, having pushed her plate away and lifting Faith off her lap, said, "Well, folks, I need to be going. I want to run by the hospital and visit Andi, then I need to get home and do some cleaning."

Heather argued, "Wait, I'll go with you. Just give me a little while to clean up."

"Don't worry about it, sis. You need to stay here with your family. Besides, Andi's parents are still at the hospital, so I won't be there alone. I'll be fine, really."

"OK ... what time will you be back tonight?" Heather pressed.

Cassie paused, glancing at her sister carefully, and then said, "I think I'm gonna stay at home tonight."

Before his wife could argue, Jake said, "I don't think that's a good idea. Pete's still on the loose, Cassie. I don't want you taking any chances."

"I appreciate that, but I can take care of myself." She leaned over and kissed Faith on the top of her head. "You be good, sweet girl. I'll see the rest of you later."

Heather was visibly upset that her big sister was being so stubborn about the issue but too refined to cause a scene in front of company. Jake excused himself to walk Cassie out to her car, presumably to try and change her mind. He came back a few minutes later, looking none too happy.

Seeing his face, Heather stood up. "This whole situation is awful," she mumbled, and began cleaning away their mess. Faith, oblivious to the tension, started begging to go swimming, and Kevin suggested, "Why don't you take her, Jake, and I'll help Heather clean up. We'll meet you guys in a few minutes."

"I won't argue, I hate cleaning up. Come on, sweet pea, let's go get you ready for the lake," Jake said, lifting his daughter and retreating to the other room.

Kevin saw how tense Heather was and wished he could do something to help. He wished Cassie wasn't so pig-headed and realized how worried her family was about her.

"Tell me about your sister," he urged, seeing this as a great opportunity to learn more about the woman who'd haunted his fantasies for the past few years. "Have you two always been close?"

"Yeah." Heather smiled. "She's wonderful. She's always taken care of me. Probably more than she should have had to, but I love her dearly for it."

He scratched his chin and tried to seem casual as he mentioned, "Yeah, Jake said you lost your mom when you were young. That must have been tough on both of you."

"Well, it was on me for sure, but I sometimes wonder if it wasn't harder for Cassie. She suddenly had to go from being just my big sister to being my mom too. Did you know she worked two jobs after school to help my dad pay for my college? She could've gone herself, but she was more worried about me going." Heather sighed, looking reflective and a bit sad. "You know, even before our mom got sick, there were problems. Our parents fought a lot. I'm sure Cassie doesn't realize I remember that, but I do. I don't remember why they fought or anything, but I remember the yelling. Cassie probably knows, though. She was old enough to understand more than I did."

"That's tough," he said. "I'm sorry."

He glanced out the window. Cassie was a strong woman – she'd been conditioned to be – but was she strong enough to deal with this current situation alone? Maybe. The point was, she shouldn't have to, he decided.

"So, does your sister still live out near Crestfield Park?" he asked casually.

"Yeah, why?"

"Just wondering ..."

Just wondering how I'm gonna help Cassie through this, whether she likes it or not, he added to himself.

***

Four years ago ...

"You know," Cassie commented as she licked her fingers clean of barbecue sauce, "you're not a half bad cook. These wings are excellent."

"My mama taught me how to cook before I could walk, darlin', so I'll take that as a compliment," he shared, and she smiled at him.

"You know, that cute little accent of yours comes and goes, hot shot. Are you really from the south somewhere, or is it just an act to attract the ladies?" she teased.

"Texas born and bred," he swore with an impish grin, dimples and all. "Thing is, you learn pretty quick to lose the twang when you get thrown in a unit with a bunch of guys from New York and L.A. Otherwise, your life becomes a living hell of hillbilly taunts and incest jokes."

"I thought hillbillies were from Kentucky and cowboys were from Texas," she pointed out. "Cowboys are much sexier, in my opinion."

"I like the way you think," he said with a charming wink.