22. Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Two
M arcus
I watched as Cassie ate dinner with relish. Thankfully, our impromptu kitchen sex hadn’t ruined dinner. I kept my gaze on her and thought out about dessert. Maybe I’d spread her on the table, scoop ice cream onto her breasts, stomach, and pussy, then lick it off as it melted.
My cock jumped. Not yet. I relaxed back in my chair and cradled my wine glass in my hand.
“Another great meal.” Cassie set her fork down and wiped her lips with a napkin.
I inclined my head and stared at her. Right now, she showed me yet a different side of herself.
Cassie was relaxed and open, compared to the sexy wildcat earlier and compared to yesterday’s uptight, closed woman.
She had a way of putting on different faces, some of them filled with fear and anxiety.
I would get to the bottom of that.
“Today is the first time you’ve let your control slip,” I commented. We had control issues in common, but why did she feel the need to maintain such restraint?
The smile on her face faded. Damn, maybe I shouldn’t have asked, but we needed to get this out in the open. She pushed her chair back, and… Maybe I’d lost any ground I’d made by bringing this up.
I blew out a breath. “Cassie?”
She stood, but before she could take a step, I was in front of her. I grabbed her arms, and she pulled away.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
Her voice was strong. That was a good thing. I wasn’t going to let her hide, not yet.
“What has you so afraid of losing control?”
“I could ask you the same thing!” She crossed her arms over her chest and gave me a mutinous stare. She hadn’t answered my question but posed one of her own. With a gentle touch, I guided her into the family room and to the sofa.
I put my arm along the back as we sat. Close, but not too close. I wanted her smile back, and maybe I could do that with my honesty. “I’ve lost control with you. We’re all afraid of something.” I tilted my head.
“Right.” The word was hard, but her shoulders sagged just a bit.
“Some may not admit it. I will. For me, it’s spiders. I hate the things. I have this place debugged, so to speak, every month.” I ran my fingers over her neck.
She shivered before a giggle escaped her lips, and her shoulders shifted before she relaxed.
Good. I didn’t want her feeling defensive, but I wanted to find out what was going on inside that mind of hers. There was something in the way she watched me that told me she wasn’t going to answer my questions.
This conversation would go nowhere right now. Not until I could get her to let her guard down…
A thought popped into my brain.
“I’m going to clean up the dishes. Why don’t you go into the library?” She always had her nose in a book when she ate lunch in the break room. Maybe that would help her relax.
“Library?” Her eyes narrowed. “You have a library and didn’t tell me?”
“I forgot, and I didn’t think we’d have a lot of time for reading.”
I took her hand, led her down the hall, and opened the door to the library. I was proud of this room. Floor-to-ceiling bookcases, all full of books, everything from fiction to non-fiction, including history tomes, biographies, and lots of books about sex. Reading helped me relax.
Maybe it would help her do the same. “Have fun.”
I left her standing inside the room with her mouth agape.
Whistling, I strode down the hall to the dining room.