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I roll my head over my shoulders with a deep inhale, shoving the guilt away. I can’t change the past, and dwelling on it keeps it alive.
For tonight, I’m at a standstill with my brother, but the girl—the woman of my obsession…
The knob to her room clicks as I turn it. She sits cross-legged at the foot of the bed wearing an oversized t-shirt that I thought I lost years ago. I’m learning most of the clothes I thought I lost were actually stolen.
Blond strands a shade darker than her usual color hang over her shoulders, damp from a shower. Her head rests in her hands, not lifting though I know she heard me come in.
I toe off my Ferragamo sneakers, then dig my fingers into the hem of my t-shirt, pulling it over my head. I toss it and my jeans over the bench at the foot of her bed like I’ve done every night for weeks, refusing to sleep anywhere but here since the first time I had her. She made a few weak attempts at first to deny me, but they never worked.
The bed dips with my weight as I crawl behind her. I brush her damp tresses aside and pull the collar of the shirt away to give me room to skim my lips over her shoulder. Her head tilts giving me better access. The scent of orange blossoms and pomegranate clings to her soft skin, and my dick twitches with how sweet she smells.
Reaching around, I wrap my fingers around her hands and lower them to her lap. My fingers cup her jaw, turning her face toward me. Pink spreads across her freckled nose and cheeks. Her pretty complexion always gives her away. It’s endearing and adorable, and something I hope never changes.
I stroke a thumb over the flushed flesh with a grin. “What’s this about?”
“Jagger saw us,” she whispers as if someone might hear, then her lashes close. “He saw me climbing you like a tree.”
“So?”
“Hesawus, Graham.”
“And I repeat:so?” With quick maneuvering, I pull her back, then climb over her body. “I told you he knew.”
“Him knowing andseeingaren’t the same thing. He even said he didn’t know about…” She gestures between us with her finger as her cheeks turn another shade brighter.
“Why does it bother you? I know you don’t still believe I’m simply making a statement with you.”
“No, but… I…” Her bottom lip tucks between her teeth, saying more than words ever could.
She’s still hesitant about us—wary about me. I’ve made my intentions clear so many times, and I’ve given her time. I realize it hasn’t been that long, but I thought we’d be past it more than this by now.
My patience is getting thinner and thinner with each passing day. It’s made worse knowing how she feels. Casey has never hid her feelings, especially her affections, well. At least, not from me. She adored me as a child, looked at me like a savior as a teenager, and now… Now she stares at me with devotion and worship. As if her next breath is dependent on mine.
I know because I feel the same. She the air I breathe, the blood pumping in my veins—the reason my heart beats.
Yet, she’s still denying herself what she wants.
I roll to the side of her and prop myself on my elbow. “What are you afraid of, Casey?” I ask, pushing my frustration aside as I remember she’s not me. She doesn’t take what she wants, consequences be damned. She cares what people think, even if only because she’s terrified of being rejected or letting someone down.
Those blue eyes lock with mine, confirming what I know. “Everything.”
My heart stutters, the anger fading into nothingness as I stare into those fathomless depths filled with unshed tears. The need to slam my lips to hers burns. The desire to kiss away her fears and her torment consumes me. But I control myself. We need to talk this out, not brush it under the rug with sex. “People will always have opinions about what they don’t understand, baby. They don’t need to understand or accept us because they don’t matter. They’ve never seen anything like you and me, and they never will. Let them live their black-and-white lives. The only thing that matters is us.”
“Dad,” she whispers.
Is it wrong that I wish Krista would’ve taken him out?
Okay.Okay!I don’t really wish that. He’s not a bad guy. I don’t even hate him. Besides, losing a parent isn’t something I’d wish on anyone. Especially Casey.
Butgoddamn,the man has become a pain in my fucking ass.
“He’ll get over it and get used to it.”
“But what if he doesn’t?” Her lips quiver as she plays out the worst scenarios in her head. “What if he’s so disappointed andangry that I lose him? He’s all that I have.”
“You have me,” I bark, then immediately regret it. My lids drop, squeezing tightly as I blow out a breath. I push away the blow to my ego and heart. Swallow the hurt, knowing she doesn’t mean it how it sounds. The backs of my knuckles graze her cheeks and trail a path to her collarbone. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. But, Case, you know you have so many more people that love you, right?” I press my fingers against her lips when she starts to argue. “I know what you meant, and my point remains. You have your grandparents, Henry and his girlfriend, Lily, Jagger, Dad…me.But, baby, even if he gets upset, hewillget over it, and you won’t lose himbecausehe’s your dad. Besides, didn’t you forgive him for sneaking around with your best friend?”
“Of course,” she huffs. “I just want him happy. He’s sacrificed so much because of me. If Lily makes him happy…” She shrugs and pulls her lip between her teeth.
