3. Samuel Redley Kelleher
Out of any night, last night, I had chosen the furthest hotel from downtown Helena for our tryst.
The distance doesn’t bother me. In fact, it gives me time to mull over my night with Cass before I enter the twisted world once again. I don’t usually allow myself to think about the shit that’s happening in my personal life before an assignment, but I’ll always have time to think about Cass. She’s never a distraction.
She’s the reason I’m happy to be breathing.
I’m not one to fall for the sweet type, and Cass is anything but. I want stubborn, wicked, deep. She’s composed most of the time, but when she wants me—damn, she’s wild. First, her scent gives it away. Then, she turns into this spitfire that I have no hope of escaping from.
But what brings me to my knees is her gentle strength.
She has beautiful blue eyes, sharp, penetrating. But when they soften, you know she’s opened her heart to you unconditionally. And that’s when I love her best.
She props me up in a way that nobody else can—and she doesn’t even know it. It’s amazing to realize that Cass is almost seven years younger than me. It’s just in her—and it’s not just one thing that she does, or it may not even be a thing at all. It’s in her touch, her closeness, her presence.
Whatever my mood, I can simply be myself when I’m around her.
I’ve been with enough women to say for certain that nobody else can do what Cass does. On the other hand, I’ve been without a woman. And from that experience, I can declare that Cass is the one I need.
Tonight, though, I was reminded of another side of her—she doesn’t sit on the fence.
No, I wouldn’t . That was her response to my hypothetical question about her moving in with me, leaving us with no room for talks.
Damn, she’s a tough nut to crack!
And that makes her even more irresistible.
The truth is, my question to her wasn’t hypothetical.
I’ve jumped the gun and bought a tidy country house with twenty-acre land in East Helena. Needless to say, it’s away from any kind of body of water. I wanted her and me to go steady, and I couldn’t let the creek house get in the way of our relationship. And more importantly, I want to show her my commitment—that I want us to be more than just great sex.
Trysts.
I kept saying our nights together were trysts because I didn’t know what else to call them.
But hell, that’s not us!
That’s not how I see Cass.
I want her to be my partner in life and love.
I understand that she needs to put Grace first. I’m up for raising kids—I’m up for anything as long as she’s beside me. Tonight, her outright ‘no’ told me the road between who we are now and what I hope we can be, is a long hard one.
Is it the price of love?
No. If we ever get there, her love will be priceless.
It’s a price that a man has to pay to prove his worth.
Nothing is easy when it comes to Cass—and that’s how I like it.
If Cass isn’t the one, no other love is worth pursuing.
As the ‘Helena City Limits’ sign comes into view, my business partner and friend Mark Connor calls me.
“I’m almost there, buddy,” I answer.
“Easy, brother. I’m not trying to hurry you up.” Mark’s crisp low voice switches my brain to Red Mark mode. Just in time. “I wanna check that you’re okay. I know I’ve ruined your night.”
“Mark, I’m still alive.”
“We’ll recruit more men, so it’s not just us in the frontline. Or I can go solo every now and then, giving you a break.”
“We talked about that. And you know my answer.”
Not that I don’t trust him going in alone—he was a Green Beret, and he’s the most capable soldier I’ve ever known. But two is always better than one—if not critical.
“Well, we’ve got time to plan our future, brother,” I say. “For now, let’s find Chloe.”
Sam’s and Cass’ story continues in Her Unbreakable Protector (Book 1 in the Red Mark Protect & Rescue Series). Can these two wounded souls fight off vengeful thugs and protect each other’s hearts?