Chapter Six Evan
The second I see Dylan's name on my phone screen, my gut clenches.
Not just guilt, because I've already done the damage and crossed every line I swore I wouldn't cross that's kept my friendship with Dylan intact.
It felt more like dread.
I know this thing between me and Cass is not casual. It never was. Not for me.
The phone buzzes again in my hand, insistent and demanding. For a second, I consider letting it go to voicemail, except Dylan isn't the type to give up easily. He'll just keep calling until I answer.
I answer on the third ring, trying to swallow the guilt that tastes like ash in my mouth.
"Dylan," I say, trying to sound normal. Trying to sound like a man who hasn't spent the last two days buried inside his best friend's little sister.
"Hey, man." Dylan's voice crackles through the line, all easygoing charm and familiar warmth. The same voice that's been part of my life since we were seventeen and stupid, thinking we could conquer the world. "Hope you're not going stir-crazy up there with my sister."
Stir-crazy is the last thing I am. If anything, I've never felt more settled. More alive.
"Been fine," I manage.
"You settling in for the summer? Getting ready for fire season?"
I glance toward the kitchen, where the sound of running water and soft humming drifts toward me. Cassidy's in there, making a smoothie with ingredients she insisted we needed from our last trip to town. Her hips sway to whatever pop song is playing from her phone.
"I'm ready," I say.
"Well, change of plans. I'm coming up early. Tomorrow, probably."
My blood turns to ice. "Tomorrow?"
The word comes out sharper than I intended, and I have to clear my throat and force myself to sound casual. We were supposed to have another week. Time to figure out what this thing between us is, and time to prepare for the inevitable conversation with her brother.
Time I'm apparently not going to get.
"Yeah, figured we could get a jump on the Cedar Valley job. Supplies came in early, and the weather's looking good for the next few days."
The Cedar Valley job. Right. The cabin restoration project that's been Dylan's pet project for months. The one he roped me into and the one that'll keep him here for the better part of the summer. The one that'll make it impossible to hide what's happening between me and Cassidy.
My jaw tics. "You, uh… you know Cass is still here, right?"
He laughs, and the sound makes my stomach drop. "Of course, although she must be due to leave soon. I’m hoping to catch her before she does. And thanks Evan. I know she can be a pain, but I knew she would be in safe hands with you.”
I manage a low chuckle, but my chest is tight, like someone's wrapped a band around my ribs and keeps pulling it tighter. "She, uh… she's been doing great."
Great. What a fucking understatement. She's been incredible. Life-changing. The kind of woman who makes a man reconsider everything he thought he knew about himself.
"Good," he says easily, and I can hear the genuine relief in his voice. "She needed the break from men. Her ex was a tool."
"Yeah," I mutter, thinking about the stories she's told me. The man was an idiot, but his loss is my gain.
If I get to keep her, which is looking less likely by the second.
"She'll be gone soon, anyway. Back to city life and hopefully no risk of her charming the flannel off some poor mountain man."
I force a laugh, but my throat burns. "Right."
If only he knew.
If only he knew that she's already charmed more than just my flannel off. That she's gotten under my skin, into my blood, into places I thought were permanently sealed off. That the idea of her leaving makes me want to punch holes in walls.
"Listen, I should probably get going," Dylan continues, oblivious to my internal crisis. "Long drive tomorrow. Tell Cass I'll see her soon, yeah?"
"Yeah. I'll tell her."
"And Evan? Thanks again for looking after her. I know she can be a handful."
A handful. If he only knew what his sister had been handling.
"No problem," I lie.
I hang up and turn to find Cassidy leaning against the doorway, sipping her smoothie with a knowing look. She's changed into one of my old band t-shirts and a pair of cut-off denim shorts and there are marks on her neck that I put there with my mouth.
"So," she says, taking another slow sip, "the brother returns."
"Tomorrow."
She nods, processing this information with more calm than I feel. "And here I thought we had more time to be reckless."
"We don't have time," I bite out. “He’s going to know as soon as he looks at me.”
Her smile slips, and I immediately want to take the words back.
"Is that regret I hear, Evan?"
I scrub a hand over my face, trying to find words that won't make this worse. "No. Fuck. Not regret. Just…"
"Just what?"
I look at her standing there, hair wild from my hands, cheeks flushed from our shower, bare legs that I've had wrapped around my waist more times than I can count in the last few days, and I want her. Still.
It's just Dylan’s voice is in my head now. The man who trusts me. Who sent his sister here thinking she'd be safe, thinking I'd take care of her without taking advantage.
That's the problem.
***
We head into town later because we're low on coffee and I need fresh air. Space to think.
She tags along, riding shotgun with one foot on the dash, humming to some indie pop band. I have to force myself to keep my eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.
"You're being weird," she says without preamble.
"I'm not being weird."
"You're brooding again. And not the sexy kind of brooding. The 'I'm having second thoughts' kind."
I pull into the parking lot of Murphy's General Store, the only place in town that carries decent coffee. "I'm not having second thoughts."
"Then what?"
I turn off the engine and look at her. "Your brother's my best friend, Cass."
"I know."
"He trusts me."
"I know that too."
"And when he finds out it will ruin everything."
"If he finds out," she corrects. "And even if he does, that's not your decision to make. It's mine."
At the general store, she disappears into the snack aisle while I grab supplies, her words echoing in my head. Maybe she's right. Maybe I'm overthinking this.
I'm halfway to the register when I hear it.
A low, flirty laugh.
Hers.
Then a male voice. "You new in town, sweetheart?"
Every muscle in my body goes rigid. I turn and see him, a younger guy, maybe mid-twenties. Probably one of the summer workers from the ski resort, the type who thinks charm and a pretty face are enough to get whatever they want.
He's standing too close to her, one hand braced against the shelf above her head, boxing her in.
Cassidy's smile falters when she sees me. Like she was waiting for me to notice.
I don't say a word.
I just walk up, set the coffee on the counter with more force than necessary, and wrap a firm arm around her waist, pulling her against my side.
The contact is possessive. Territorial. A clear message that she's taken.
The guy blinks, finally noticing my size, the way I'm looking at him like I'm deciding which bones to break first. "Oh, sorry, man. Didn't realize."
"You realize now," I say, deadpan.
He scurries off like the coward he is.
Cassidy arches a brow, but there's a flicker of heat in her eyes that makes my blood run hot. "Jealous?"
"No," I lie. “And I don’t like the games Cassidy.”
"You sure?" she asks. "Because I kind of liked it."
"Liked what?"
“Watching you claim me like I’m yours.”
I lean down, brushing my lips against her ear, breathing in the scent that's been driving me crazy for days.
"You are," I murmur, the words coming from somewhere deep and primal.
She exhales sharply, her body going pliant against mine.
Just like that, I forget why I ever thought we could stop.