Chapter Three
Cassidy
Oh my goodness, this gorgeous, sweet man not only wants to spend the rest of the school day with my class but he’s also asked me on a date. When he walked into my class, it was love at first sight. I just knew the entire class could hear my heart pounding.
He was so genuine and simply outstanding with my students. With each question and interaction, I knew this would be a day they remember for a long time. His stories about animals he’s seen, people he’s rescued, and even fires that have occurred leave everyone enthralled.
When he takes my hand under the table and intertwines our fingers, I simply melt. He’s so gorgeous and has the most breathtaking smile. His soul is so kind, and I can’t help but wonder why he’s interested in me. He could have any woman he wanted.
How am I supposed to get through the rest of the day knowing I’m going to dinner with the handsome forest Ranger I’ve been crushing over?
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We sit next to each other at the diner in town, and as we eat, Draven looks at me with a shy smile on his face. “I want to know everything about you, Miss Danning.”
I giggle as I suddenly feel shy. “I’ve lived here all my life with my dad. I’ve always known I just wanted to live a simple life teaching children. Umm, my favorite color is purple, and my first name is Cassidy, but everyone calls me Cass. What about you?”
“Well, Cassidy, I have an older sister, but otherwise, it’s just me. I love being out in nature and knew I wanted to protect it early on. In general, I’m not a people person, but I find it easy to talk to you.” He lifts his hand and softly caresses my cheek. “So I have to ask, what made you decide to do a project involving your local Forest Ranger?”
I think about it momentarily before answering, “My dad.” I pause as my heart fills with sadness. “He, um, he died last year suddenly. He loved these mountains, and while I know quite a bit about them, I wanted to involve a professional.”
“You loved him a lot.”
I smile as he gently takes my hand in his. “I really did. We went on hikes every weekend together.”
“Oh, so then you must know a lot about the local terrain.”
“Yes, I do. For instance, the largest mountain is only about 400 feet lower than the highest peak in the Smokies.”
“Excellent, Miss Danning. That’s why it’s so hard for novice hikers. It’s hard for them to breathe. It quite literally takes their breath away. Just like sitting here with you does for me.” My face heats at his words, the fantasy of us making out in the woods playing out in my mind.
“You’re so incredible, Cassidy Danning. I’ve wanted to claim you as mine the minute our eyes met.” I smile shyly as he takes a deep breath, moving subtly closer to me.
“I felt it too, Draven.” My voice is almost a whisper as I ask, “Can I admit something to you?”
“Of course, beautiful.”
I immediately feel my cheeks getting hot. It can only mean one thing. I’m blushing. “So, um, I’ve had a crush on you ever since your first letter. It’s so silly.”
I glance up at his eyes, and when I see the soft look of happiness, I take a deep calming breath as I scoot closer to him. I can feel that he’s waiting for me to give him permission. I smile at him as I intertwine our fingers together.
Draven reaches up and cups my cheek in his hand. “It’s not silly at all.”
My heart is beating impossibly fast. I lay my free hand on his chest. His heart thumps as quickly as mine under my palm. He smells so good, like the forest and something spicy.
The grey of his irises is darker around his pupils now. The longer my eyes are captured by his, the more emotions I see playing there. Attraction. Interest. Curiosity. Want. I want as well. I want him.
He bends towards me, and the moment feels like it’s happening in slow motion. Then his lips are on mine… warm, soft lips that taste like mint. The kiss is gentle, feather-soft. It seems to go on and on as we taste each other, making me want more.
We pull away from each other, each wearing a smile. I don’t want this evening to end, and I hope he feels the same. “It’s, um, getting late. Would you like to come over to my house for a nightcap?”
“I’d like that.”
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My front door is barely closed before Draven captures my lips in a tender kiss. As I sigh in happiness and my mouth opens to grant him entrance, he presses in closer and deepens the kiss, claiming my mouth.
A streak of heat vibrates through my body, settling in my lower abdomen. Draven’s hands come around my waist, and he pulls me to his chest. I lift up on my toes, and my arms wrap around his neck, my fingers playing with his hair. Every nerve in my body is awake as my body leans into his hard one.
His tongue flits out, running along the seam of my lips, wet and hot. The heat seals our lips together, and he mutters what sounds like an approval, the sound vibrating deep in his throat. I answer him with a content sound that curls up from my belly.
Draven takes that as further permission, delving his tongue between my lips and into my mouth. My tongue greets his, playing at first, then dueling. I want to make him want me more than he’s ever wanted anyone. As he pulls me so close I can barely breathe, he breaks the kiss to ask against my lips, “Bedroom?”
“Straight back, the last door,” I moan as his mouth nips the tender skin behind my ear. Reaching under my backside, he lifts me, my legs immediately wrapping around his waist as my arms hold on tightly around his neck. We manage to make it to the bedroom, but the kiss is broken as we both stumble. Catching each other, we laugh as we fall onto the king-size bed in my room.
The mood turns serious once more when I realize the glint in his eyes holds an edginess to it, a desire that I’ve never before caused to spark in a man. It’s sexy as hell and makes me feel a hundred times sexier than I am. “Cassidy.” My name on his lips is somehow both a plea and a command.
He makes my name sound sensual, and my pussy becomes so wet. My pulse trips up. “Y-yes?”
He closes the distance between us, enveloping me in his arms and crushing me to his chest. The evidence of his arousal is pressing against my belly. Taking my lips in a quick, searing kiss, he speaks against my mouth so that our breath becomes entwined. “I want you, Cassidy. I know we just met, but this feeling, whatever this is I’ve only felt with you.”
“I want you too,” I speak the words at the same time that I reach between us and grip and massage his cock through the material of his jeans. A blaze of desire ignites between us, stronger than before.
He’s kissing me, his hands running over my back, my ass. They graze the soft, outer rounds of my breasts. I wrap one of my arms around his back as I tighten my grip on his cock.
I clear my throat nervously. “I’ve never just… on the first date.”
He smiles at me and nuzzles my cheek with his nose, “Me either, but what I felt, what I feel is different.” His blue eyes assess me again, approval is alive in them. “This is us.”