Craving Cassie Ch. 03

"Nice? I can be nice," she said thoughtfully, sliding down the bed until she was facing him. "Just how nice do I have to be? As nice as this ...?" she asked and slid her bare leg over his. Then she ran one hand beneath the bed sheets until she found his cock, already hard and throbbing, and stroked it with her hand.

By the time he left her place the next morning, she felt better about his leaving, although she still wasn't happy about it. Mostly because he'd waited until the day before he was due to leave to even mention it to her. He had to have known about it for at least a week. Why couldn't he have told her then, she wondered.

The first week he was gone wasn't that bad, she had to admit later. She kept busy at work and kept her mind off him by spending her evenings with Andi or Heather's family. The second week was much harder, largely because she had yet to hear from him. She'd thought he would at least call once in a while to check on her. Geez.

When Kevin finally called Tuesday of that second week, it was to inform her he'd be gone a few more days longer than he'd thought. He didn't say why he hadn't called more often, and she didn't ask. She suspected this was his way of telling her he was getting tired of their relationship, just as she'd figured he would from the beginning. Eventually he'd start taking longer and more frequent trips again, and one day she'd wake up and realize she hadn't heard from him in months. That he wasn't going to call her again because it was over.

Okay. So what if he didn't call? she told herself. She'd just start calling him instead. She'd spent the past few months feeling guilty as hell because Andi was going through relationship hell while Cassie was happier than she could ever remember. She'd held back – a leopard couldn't just change her spots overnight, after all. But now that she knew for certain what she wanted, she was willing to stand her ground and fight for it, she decided. Kevin shouldn't have to do all the work anyway. She vowed to start pulling her fair share of the weight in this relationship when he came back. Maybe even tell him how she felt about him, finally.

When Tess invited Cassie for a night out on the town, she agreed to go. Better that than sit around being lonely and dwelling on negative thoughts. Tess was a few years younger than Cassie and wanted to hit all of the clubs even if it took all night to do it. Cassie realized how old she was getting – in her mid thirties now, steadily creeping older, and struggling to stay conscious after one a.m. Stubborn as always, she still tried hard to fit in with the younger crowd but just wasn't feeling it. A few times, guys hit on her, and she did a little harmless flirting with them, if only to soothe her ego. But she was never once tempted to take any of the guys up on their offers. They just all seemed to pale in comparison to Kevin. She'd had that problem the last time too, which is why she'd virtually stopped dating, period, until he'd re-entered her life.

Maybe it really was time she settled down. She was getting too damn old for this crap she decided the next day after waking up and feeling every one of her years.

That was the condition Kevin found her in a few hours later when he unexpectedly showed up on her doorstep. "Geez, babe, you look like hell," was his first comment.

"Don't talk to me," she snapped. She turned and headed for her kitchen, leaving him to choose whether to follow or not. He did, and he watched her fish out a bottle of pain killers and wash two down with some water. Finally, she said, "I didn't know you'd be back today."

"Yeah, well, I got back early. Silly me, I thought you might be glad to see me," he said.

She couldn't lie. "Guess I have mixed feelings about that, to be honest."

"Apparently," he scoffed. "Where were you last night? I tried calling a number of times – until three o'clock, actually."

She took a seat at her dining table and told him the truth. "I went clubbing with Tess."

"Just Tess?"

Was he accusing her of something? She instantly got defensive, then reminded herself she would have probably reacted the same if she were in his shoes. "Yes, just Tess. Before you ask, no, I did not bring home any guys nor did I sleep with anyone at all while you were gone."

"I wasn't thinking that."

"Yes, you were," she argued, seeing it in his eyes.

"I wasn't." He sighed, crossed his arms, and leaned against the wall. "So why are you having mixed feelings about seeing me?"

Once upon a time, she might have tried to play it cool, act like she hadn't been bothered by his absence. She was different now, though, so she admitted, "Because I can't help but wonder if you left to signal to me that you wanted some space. Because you didn't call me every damn day like I hoped you would. Because I missed you and didn't want to. A lot of reasons."

"Oh," was his only response.

"Yeah, I know. Pretty pathetic." When he didn't argue, Cassie lifted her eyes to see that he was watching her with a serious, thoughtful expression on his familiar, handsome face. "What?" she demanded.

"What are you doing tonight?"

She blinked. "Probably nothing. Why?"

"Good," he said and straightened. "Would you please have dinner with me around seven?"

"Yeah, sure."

Kevin finally smiled. "Great. Do me a favor and wear something nice and sexy."

"You do me a favor and wear something nice and sexy," she returned haughtily, wondering where they were going that didn't allow her usual jeans and t-shirt. He leaned down and brushed a kiss across her forehead.

"Hope you feel better. I'll go so you can rest up," he said. "Oh, and by the way ... just so we're clear, the reason I left wasn't to signal to you that I wanted some space. Far from it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she wondered out loud, fishing for clues.

"You'll find out – tonight."

"You and your surprises," she muttered as he left.

After a shower and some coffee, Cassie felt in better spirits now that Kevin was home again and they had plans for the evening. She grabbed her purse and headed to the mall, where she got her hair done, and she even splurged on a new dress since she didn't have many to begin with. By the time Kevin was due to arrive at seven, she was dressed to kill. She just hoped he didn't show up in jeans, planning to take her to the local steakhouse.

He showed up wearing a tuxedo, which threw her for a loop. "Oh, god, I'm underdressed, aren't I?" she said drolly in greeting.

He smiled. "You've got to be kidding. You look fantastic, Cassie."

"In this old thing?" she flattened her hands over the fabric of her new dress. "If I'd known we were going to a wedding, I would have made more of an effort," she joked.

Smiling, Kevin reached for her hand, raised it and kissed the back of it. "You look absolutely gorgeous, and you know it."

She couldn't help but smile at her own reaction. She twined her arms around his neck and greeted him properly – the way she should have that morning, in fact. Kevin broke the kiss and said, "No more of that or we'll be late for our dinner reservations."

Cassie was so busy telling Kevin about Faith's latest shenanigans that she didn't realize what their destination was until he pulled his truck into the parking lot of the hotel. The same hotel where she'd met him; the same hotel where they'd spent their first night together.

She started to get nervous. "Okay, what's going on?"

"I thought it would be nice to come back here," he said simply, and got out of the car.

Cassie took a deep breath and followed him out. She was quiet until they were seated at a table in the hotel's plush restaurant. Kevin was making small talk, telling her about his white water rafting trip, but she barely heard a word he said. She couldn't help but wonder if he was thinking of doing something crazy tonight.

Like proposing to her or something...

She laughed nervously at the thought. Now she was the one being crazy. Why on earth would Kevin propose to her? It wasn't like she'd given him any reason to expect that's what she wanted. Quite the opposite, in fact.

She shook herself of the thought. He was just being his usual romantic self, trying to treat her to a night out to celebrate his homecoming. That's all. She should relax and enjoy it, she told herself.

"They're not having one of those bachelor auctions again tonight, are they?" she enquired casually, glancing around at a few other couples dressed similarly to them.

"Why? Thinking about bidding on a new model?" Kevin said with a smile.

She sent him a straight look. "Don't be ridiculous. I just don't want other women thinking you're up for grabs. It's hard to win a good catfight dressed like this, and I might not do a good enough job of scratching their eyes out."

He blinked in surprise, and Cassie felt her cheeks heat in surprise herself. There, she thought. That was close enough to telling him how she felt, wasn't it?

She cleared her throat and added, "Not that I've ever been in a catfight or anything ..."

"Sure," was his only comment, followed by a barely muffled chuckle.

The food was delicious. The company was even better. Cassie found herself relaxing up until dessert arrived and Kevin started acting funny. Sort of fidgety. Nervous? Her thoughts went back to the idea that he was going to propose. Surely he wouldn't ...

Marriage was such a big step. They should live together first. That's what she'd tell him, and that would be a huge compromise for her. Surely he would appreciate that.

He poured her a fresh glass of champagne and smiled at her. She lifted it, took a long swallow, and then sat it back on the table. "OK, Kevin, spit it out."

His eyes widened. "Spit what out?"

"Whatever it is you're so worried about asking," she said pointedly. "First, I want to say something though."

"Okay."

"If you brought me here tonight with some crazy notion that ... well, that you were thinking of –" she lifted her glass again, took a brief sip, and said, "Oh hell. Just ask. Go ahead. I'm ready."

He was half smiling, looking a little dazed as he tried to make sense of her words. Clearing his throat, he reached for her hand across the table, looked deep into her eyes, and said, "Cassie, sweetheart, the reason I brought you here tonight is to ask you—"

When he hesitated, she squeezed his hand and prompted, tensely, "Ask me...?"

He took a deep breath. "Cassandra Elizabeth Ross ...?"

Oh god, oh god, oh god.

He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Will you do me the honor of going home with me to meet my family?"

"What?"

Cassie swore she almost fainted then. Not just from the shock of his question but from the relief that it hadn't been the one she'd been expecting. She took a deep breath herself, steadied her nerves, and repeated, "Meet your family?"

He just nodded, watching her reaction closely, seriously.

She laughed and felt tears – wonderfully happy, relieved tears – blur her vision. "Well, I've always wanted to visit Texas."

"Really?"

She nodded, and said, "I love you, you idiot. Of course I want to see where you came from."

Kevin laughed in relief and couldn't restrain himself from jumping out of his seat and pulling her into his arms for a happy hug. He kissed Cassie fiercely, then told the hovering waiter, "Check please, and hurry, will ya?"

He glanced down at her and smiled. "So, you love me, huh?"

"Don't get cocky," she warned with a playful glare. "I can always change my mind."

He just laughed at that. "No you won't," he argued. "I won't let you."

*** Epilogue

God, he was tired.

Kevin took a seat and blew out a tired huff of breath. Cassie was relentless. She couldn't get enough. He felt like he'd created a monster, and he didn't know how to switch her off now. He couldn't believe he actually felt that way, but he did.

"Come on, you slouch," she yelled from where she was waiting on him to continue. A second later, she dropped down beside him, still a bundle of energy. "Whatsa matter? Tired, cowboy?"

He smiled at his wife of a year and pulled her close. He snatched a quick kiss, then said with what he hoped was a charming smile, "Can't we go back to the lodge now? Back to our nice, warm room with an even nicer bed where we can do some really nice things to each other?"

"Sure," she agreed. "When we get finished with this course, we will."

She poked him with the end of her ski pole and taunted, "If we race, we'll get done even faster. Bet I can beat ya!" she taunted, then hopped back to her ski-clad feet to begin shuffling to the top of the mountain.

Kevin chuckled as he followed, thinking of the irony of it all. It had taken a lot of convincing to get Cassie to participate in any of his sports, but once she had, she'd taken to them all like a duck to water. When he'd told her they could spend their first anniversary anywhere she wanted, he'd been expecting and hoping she'd choose Paris, maybe Italy, maybe a cruise to the Bahamas. She'd floored him when she'd picked this famous ski resort in Colorado instead.

"I want you to teach me how to snowboard," had been her explanation as she'd jumped into his lap and twined her arms around his neck to convince him it was a good idea.

Kevin thought back to the past year and a half. Taking Cassie home to meet his family had been the best decision he'd ever made. She'd loved them almost as much as they'd all loved her. He'd bided his time, waited for just the right moment, and asked her to marry him not long after they returned home from that trip. She hadn't even hesitated to say yes then. They'd had their fair share of arguments since, but oh, how he enjoyed the making up part of those fights.

He hadn't quite convinced Cassie that they were ready for children yet – for some reason, the thought of having a baby scared the living daylights out of her and she adamantly refused to even consider the idea.

Kevin wasn't worried about it though. He'd changed her mind about marriage. He'd eventually change her mind about kids too ...