“No, Squeaks. You’re perfect.”
I move off the bed so she can get up, go to the bathroom to change out of her pajamas, and brush her teeth.
While I wait for her, I kick myself. She’s going to think I changed my mind. I could no more change my mind than I could perform a heart transplant on myself.
Suddenly she’s the easy-going one, and I’m the one freaking out.
Did we switch brains when I hit my head?
Pull yourself together, man. She likes you. You love her. Just tell her what she needs to hear and set the groundwork. You know how to do that. It’s Cass, you know her.
“Thank you, Cass. For everything,” I say, taking her overnight bag from her once she’s packed everything up.
“What are you doing?”
I sling the strap over my shoulder. “Carrying your shit for you.”
She shakes her head. “You’re injured.”
“Just to my truck.”
“You shouldn’t drive yet.”
“Forget it, Squeaks. I’m fine,” I tell her.
“Make me forget it, then.”
Is this a challenge? Yep, there goes that sexy eyebrow. Shit. I’m toast.
I angle my face down and seal our lips together. She’s warm and soft and tastes like her mint toothpaste.
I hug her close to me and deepen the kiss, licking open her lips and backing her against the door. So much for taking it slow. She gasps as my tongue licks into her mouth, and she lets out a small, needy moan, her hands resting against my chest.
I don’t know how long we stand there kissing, but it’s not long enough.
We’re both breathless when I finally pull away.
The look on her face—flushed cheeks and hooded eyes—tells me I could drag her back to my bed right now, and she’d say yes.
But my brain is scrambled enough.
The drive home is comfortably quiet until I offer my half-baked thoughts. My temporary plan is to keep everything as uncomplicated as possible for my favorite family. They’re facing a lot right now, and they don’t need my horndog self fucking everything up.
“I was thinking…for now, we should keep this thing we have between us.”
I feel Cass’s eyes slide over to me from the passenger side.
“Oh.”
I reach over and squeeze her hand before letting go to downshift at a stoplight. “I like you so much, Cass. I don’t want other people to ruin it. I like our little bubble and want to keep it on the down low. Until I figure out how to tell Herc, your dad, and everyone else.”
She bites her bottom lip, nodding slowly, absorbing what I’m saying. “I understand,” she breathes.
Relief washes over me. “Good. I’m glad we talked about that.”
Immediately this idea feels wrong, and I want to kick my ass as I pop open the door to the truck when we arrive at Beta Beta Psi.
“Thank you again, Cass. For everything. I mean it.”