Chapter 59
***Cash***
“Idon’t know how to tell them. It’s been so easy for me.
And knowing they’ve had to fight their way back from their injuries…
They live for the game and nearly lost it.
Meanwhile I couldn’t give a shit about it and never had to fight for anything.
It isn’t fair to them.” It felt good to get the weight of my reality off my chest. It didn’t solve the problem but I felt like I could breathe without the full weight of my guilt crushing me.
“I just feel like a piece of shit. If I could’ve taken the injuries for them, I fucking would have.
Happily. I played all last season while they suffered through being forced out. ”
Cassidy rested her head on my chest and stared up at the stars.
I’d parked us in the middle of the mud hole we’d created in Sam’s yard and we’d crawled into the bed of the truck to talk.
She raised her finger and traced another constellation she spotted.
“You didn’t cause their injuries, Cash. You couldn’t have changed anything.
And I know that things were probably tense with West and how angry he’s been but I don’t think either of them would be upset that you don’t want to play. They’d want you to be happy.”
“I’m not so sure. Football has been the thing that bound us together when it felt like nothing else did.”
“What about Savannah? From what I’ve heard you three came together to raise her pretty much.”
“She’s grown now. She isn’t exactly showing up every day with problems for us to help solve.” I sighed. “I fucking hate football, Cassidy, but I don’t want to hurt West or Hayes. I should’ve told them so long ago but I never knew how. Still don’t.”
She sat up and roughly patted my chest. “Come on. Let’s role play.”
My dick jumped to attention.
“Not like that, jackass.” She softened her words with a soft kiss.
Then she pulled my shirt over her head, leaving her in just her bra and panties, and jumped down from the truck.
She landed in several inches of mud and the look on her face was priceless and it seeped through the spaces between her bare toes.
“Oh, god. Bad idea. It’s squishier than I thought it would be. ”
I laughed hard enough for tears to leak from the corners of my eyes. “You’re such a city girl.”
“I’ve never tried to deny that!” She bent over and gave me a beautiful view of her ass in her black lace panties.
“Are you sure this isn’t a fun kind of role play?
You undressed. That’s a serious mixed message.
” Even though I was watching her I was still shocked when she stood up and sent a ball of mud flying at me.
It hit me square in the chest and splattered my face.
I tasted mud and glared at Cassidy. “You’re in so much trouble now, baby. ”
She backed away and held up her hands. “No, no. I was just getting your attention. We’re going to play this out. I’m going to be you and you’ll be West and Hayes. Okay?”
“Sure. Go on.” I yanked my shirt off and shoved my joggers down before jumping out of the truck. My boots cut through the mud easier than her bare feet and I saw the moment she realized it. Her eyes went wide and she shook her head as I stalked her. “Play your role, baby.”
“Cash!”
“Why are you screaming your own name?”
She squealed and tried running. “Cash! Stop it! I can’t be serious about this role playing if you’re chasing me!”
“Woman, you took your clothes off, bent that sexy ass over in front of my face, and mentioned role playing and you think I’m going to be able to think about my brothers right now?
Give it up.” I scooped up a pile of mud and laughed when she did the same.
“What are you going to do with that, Cassidy?”
“It’s self-defense!” She pouted. “I didn’t mean to distract you. You need to talk about everything.”
I snatched her to my chest with an arm around her waist and smiled down at her. “That’s going to be an issue tomorrow, too. Right now, I just want to be with you, doing something that doesn’t feel so heavy.”
She sighed dramatically and just when I thought she was going to insist we talk I felt the wet splat of mud smashing into my hair. Her giggle was sexy but the way she screamed when I did it back to her was even better because it reminded me of the sounds she made as she came.
“You are not getting hard right now!” She pushed me away and quickly grabbed more mud while shuffling away. “Tell your trouser snake that I’m not getting mud up my vag.”
“Is that how they dirty talk in LA?” I lowered my voice. “Yeah, baby, take this trouser snake up that dirty little vag. Yum.”
Her cheeks went red and she sucked in a deep breath before throwing both handfuls of mud at me.
With a loud cackle she made it to a part of the yard with less mud and took off running.
I got to see first hand just how fast she really was but I was motivated.
I tackled her, twisting so I landed on bottom, but then rolled us over so she was in the mud.
Rubbing it all over her while she cackled and struggled to fight me off was the most fun I could remember having in too long.
“Truce! Uncle! White flag!” She waited until I went still to slap a big clump of mud on my cheek. “Sucker!”
I let her slip out from under me just to watch her ass as she crawled through the mud. Grabbing her ankle before she got too far away, I yanked her back to me and slapped her ass. “Is that all you’ve got, Strawberry?”
That earned me a kick to the shoulder and then I really had to work to chase her down again.
She was covered in mud from head to toe, her white teeth and eyes the only things the color they were supposed to be.
We were both breathing hard, panting as we faced off, and I felt like I’d won the fucking lottery.
I’d just caught her and had her back pinned to my chest when I saw headlights pulling up the drive. I went still until the truck got closer and I realized it was West’s truck. “The cavalry has arrived. You’re finished now, woman.”
“How’d they know we were here?”
I pressed a muddy kiss to her shoulder. “I told them. I knew they’d want to be here instead of at whatever party’s happening tonight.”
She looked back at me over her shoulder with surprise all over her dirty face. “What?”
I held her tighter. “We’re all crazy about you, Cassidy. Playing in the mud with you is better than any party. Now run over and give West a big kiss hello.”
She jumped when I slapped her ass and flung more mud at me before taking off at a run for West and Hayes.
I watched as both of my brothers acted like they didn’t want to get muddy while opening their arms and moving towards Cassidy.
They looked as hungry as I felt and I knew that Cassidy was going to end up with mud in a few unsavory places before the night was over.
“Can you imagine the PR team seeing us now?” Cassidy laughed as she looked down at herself and then back up at where Hayes and West were looking at the mud she’d left behind.
“Fuck them and how we’re supposed to act or look. This is fucking better.” Hayes shrugged. “Now, come here. I need to inspect just where all you got mud.”