Chapter 9
Chapter
Nine
“Hey,aren’t you supposed to be going to rehearsal?” Gemma asked, looking up from the laptop on the counter as Cassie organized some messy fliers on the desk.
“Um, yeah.” Cassie looked out of the window. The sky was overcast, but there was no rain in the forecast. At least not until overnight, when she’d be safe in bed. “I guess.”
But she didn’t want to. Not after that kiss. It had been two days since she’d practically thrown herself at Presley Hartson, only for him to march her out of his house.
How embarrassing. She still hadn’t gotten over it. Hence why she was procrastinating when she should be driving to the studio.
“Is there something wrong?” Gemma asked, frowning.
“Why?” Cassie’s eyes met hers. Damn her friend and her perceptive ways.
“Because you’ve been quiet for a couple of days. I was wondering if your mom had called or something.”
Gemma knew that Cassie and her mom didn’t get along, and when they did talk, it always put her in a funk. Not that they spoke often, especially now that her mom didn’t get to bathe in the light of Cassie’s dancing on stage.
“I haven’t heard from her,” she admitted.
“I’m sorry. Is that what’s upsetting you?” Gemma’s voice was soft.
And damn it, maybe she needed to talk to somebody. “I kissed Presley Hartson,” she blurted out.
For a moment, Gemma said nothing. And then she started laughing. “What?”
“I said I kissed Presley. Delilah’s dad. You know him?”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought you said.” Gemma was grinning from ear to ear. “And of course I know him.” She closed her laptop, as though she wanted to give Cassie her full attention. “So…?”
“So what?”
“So when did you two kiss?”
“The other night. Remember when I told you I had to come back and find Lola? I dropped her off and…”
“Ohhhhh.” Gemma’s eyes sparkled. “I’m losing my touch. I should have known. I can’t believe you’ve been keeping this from me. So you two kissed and then…”
“And then?”
“Then what happened?” Gemma asked. “Don’t keep me hanging here.”
“Then he pulled back, looked white as a sheet, and I went home.” And she was still mortified at the memory.
“And that was it?” Her friend looked disappointed. “No touching. No hanky panky?”
Cassie shook her head. “No.” She frowned. “Well, he thanked me for finding Delilah’s toy. And then he told me to drive safely.”
“See! He cares.” Gemma lifted a brow. “He’s worried about your safety.”
“No. He’s being a dad. Telling people to drive safely is what dads do.”
Gemma looked like she was enjoying this way too much. Maybe Cassie shouldn’t have said anything. But who else could she talk to?
“Tell me this. Did you force him to kiss you?” Gemma asked.
Cassie frowned. “No. I wouldn’t do that. You know that.”
“So he did it of his own free will.” Gemma nodded.
“Yeah. I guess…”
“And did he enjoy it?” her friend continued.
“Um, I don’t know. I think so…”
Gemma cleared her throat, still smiling. “Do I need to tell you the facts of life? You can usually tell if a guy is enjoying a hot kiss…”
“He enjoyed it, okay?” Her cheeks were flaming with embarrassment. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”
“Pretty much,” Gemma admitted. “So how big is he? I’ve always wondered. I mean he’s a built guy…”
“Stop it.” Cassie grimaced.
“I can’t. Do you know how long it’s been since I had a first kiss with somebody? I need all the details. I’m starving for romance here.”
“There was no romance,” Cassie told her. “Just a kiss.” She took a breath. “Do you think I should say something to him?”
“Like what? Nice kiss, want to do it again?”
“No! I mean should I apologize?”
“For kissing him? No. There were two of you there. Last time I looked he’s got muscles growing on muscles, if he didn’t want you to kiss him he wouldn’t have let you. And anyway…”
“What?”
“I don’t know. Your version sounds a little one sided. He’s almost a foot taller than you, what were you doing, jumping like a kangaroo until your lips hit his?”
Cassie laughed, despite herself. “No. He leaned down.”
“Of his own free will…”
“Yes.” She let out a long breath, because Gemma was right. She hadn’t kissed him. They’d kissed each other. And she’d spent the entire night beating herself up over it. “But that still doesn’t help me with what to do next.”
“What do you want to do?” Gemma asked her.
Kiss him again. She blinked that thought out of her head, because no. Once kissed twice shy.
She would not embarrass herself again. “I’m going to be a grownup about it, I guess.” She sighed. “Do my best to avoid him.”
Gemma smiled. “Good luck with that.”
“I think I’m going to need it.” Because every time she closed her eyes all she could think about was that kiss. How good his lips felt against hers.
How he’d pressed her against the wall and taken everything she wanted to give. How it had felt like sex as he’d rolled his hips against hers. If only they’d been naked.
And it was weird, because as a dancer she’d been used to being lifted. But during rehearsals her partners would huff and puff and accuse her of putting on weight because she felt heavier than last time.
When Presley had lifted her, it was different. It felt like pure brute strength. The kind she didn’t think she’d like, but it had sent a shot of excitement through her that had lit her up from the inside.
She’d felt safe in his arms. Not like she was on the edge of falling, the way she always feared as a dancer. She felt womanly. Desired.
It had been a long time since she felt like anything but a failure.
But she’d see him soon. And she needed to be cool and collected then. Because as much as she enjoyed kissing him, making the band work was important. Not only because she’d finally started finding some friends, but because she sensed it was important to him, too.
“I just don’t know what to say to him,” she admitted to her friend.
“Do you need to say something? Can’t you pretend it didn’t happen?” Gemma asked her.
Cassie blinked. “I mean I could. But we have to sing together. And it’s going to be embarrassing.”
“Ah, just channel your inner Stevie. Pretend you’re singing to Lindsay tonight right after he bad mouthed you around town. You’re a big girl, you’ll be fine.” Gemma’s voice softened. “You’ve dealt with worse than this.”
Their eyes met and Cassie nodded. “You’re right. I’m building this into something it doesn’t need to be.”
“Exactly.” Gemma nodded. “Now go sing your heart out. Don’t let a little kiss ruin a good thing.”
The crack of thunder was loud enough to make the whole studio shake. They were packing up – thank God, and Marley looked over at Pres, his eyebrow raised.
“Already secured the site,” he told his brother, knowing exactly what he was thinking. He’d checked the forecast before he’d left the house and had seen that there was going to be rain over night. He’d covered everything up and made sure the part of the roof they were working on was watertight.
Sure, the rain had started earlier than predicted, but all was good.
Marley nodded, looking relieved.
“I hate it when you do that,” Alex muttered. He was putting his guitar into its case. An unlit cigarette already between his lips.
“Do what?” Marley frowned.
Alex looked up. “Have those conversations in your heads. It’s weird.”
“We don’t have conversations in our heads. I just talked out loud to him,” Pres pointed out.
“Yeah, but he didn’t say anything to you.”
There was another loud clash of thunder, and from the corner of his eye he saw Cassie jump. She wasn’t looking at him. She hadn’t looked at him all night, apart from when he’d asked her a direct question.
He couldn’t blame her. He’d been a douche the other night. And he hadn’t apologized to her, even though he should.
Another mess he’d gotten himself into. And one he’d need to sort out if he didn’t want to ruin the band and let his brother down.
“Damn, I love a storm. Dad used to tell us it was God playing the drums,” Marley said, hitting his stick on the skin of the snare. From the corner of his eye, Pres saw Cassie flinch again.
“Come on, let’s get out of here. I need a smoke.” Alex lifted his guitar case. Cassie was looking at her phone. She’d been quiet all night, apart from when they were singing. Their voices were working perfectly together now. They’d learned each other”s tempos and breathing, when to go high and when to go low.
They left the studio and Pres flicked the lights off, locking the door behind him. When they reached the lobby, the rain was pelting the glass door, running down in rivulets to the ground.
“Shit,” Cassie said under her breath.
“I’m gonna make a run for it,” Marley said. “Meeting somebody at the bar.” He winked at Cassie and lifted a hand at Alex and Pres before he pushed through the door and ran into the rain.
“You think your dad would be okay if I left my guitar here?” Alex asked, pulling his lighter out of his pocket.
“Sure. I’ll lock it up in the studio.” Pres took the case off him, and carried it back, unlocking the door and placing the guitar gently on the floor. He’d tell his dad it was Alex’s before he went home.
When he got back to the lobby, Alex had already left, though the air still held the stale smell of cigarettes. But Cassie was still there. Still looking at her phone.
“Everything okay?” he asked her.
She looked up, surprised. “Um, yeah. I just…” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “I think I’m going to wait here until the rain eases. It wasn’t supposed to start until later.”
He walked over to the glass doors, looking out at the metal gray sky. “It looks like it’s here to stay,” he said. “The weather gets like this sometimes. Mostly warm, but when it rains, it pours.”
She nodded. “I can wait.”
He lifted a brow. “I need to lock up.” And he didn’t want to leave her here alone. It felt weird. And wrong. “And I need to get home to Delilah.”
Cassie blinked. “Oh yes. Of course. Sorry. I’ll wait in the car.”
He didn’t get it. “Wait for what?”
Her eyes caught his.
“It doesn’t matter.” She shook her head. “Good night, Presley.”
There it was again. His full name. He still liked the way she said it, too much.
“Wait. I’ll walk you to your car.”
She swallowed and said nothing, but she nodded at least. He grabbed a spare umbrella from the stand. “Here,” he said, handing it to her. “It’s not gonna work great with the wind, but at least it’ll keep you from getting too wet.”
As soon as they stepped outside, the noise of the storm hit them. Wind whipped the rain against his face, and he automatically put his arm around her shoulder as she tried to keep the umbrella steady.
It was a long walk through the wet grass to the front of his parents’ house. There was a light shining from the basement windows – he figured his dad was watching TV in the den – but his mom’s car was gone, no doubt she’d left a little early to take Delilah home, before the storm hit.
And he was grateful for that. At least he knew his daughter was safe and warm.
Cassie’s car was parked next to his truck. He walked her to it, and she pulled out her key, opening the lock.
“Thank you.” She pulled the umbrella closed, handing it to him. It had done little to shelter her in the wind. Her hair was damp, her skin was, too. And her tank was sticking to her chest in a way that he really shouldn’t be looking at.
“No problem.”
He waited for her to climb into the car before he walked to his truck. He was as wet as she was, and once he was inside the dry cab he shook his hair and switched on the heater. Christ, what a night.
While he waited for her to leave first, he pressed the buttons on his radio, finding a rock station he liked. Then he pulled his seatbelt on and glanced over at her car.
She hadn’t moved.
Her seatbelt wasn’t on, either. She was staring right ahead, through the windshield, at the rain lashing against the glass. He frowned. There was no way he was leaving until she had.
While he waited, he tapped out a message to his mom.
On my way home in a few. Should be there in twenty. Everything okay? – Pres
Drive safely, honey. All good here. Delilah’s just getting into bed. – Mom
Okay then, that was one thing he didn’t have to worry about. The woman not moving in the car next to his though. That was something else altogether.
He sighed and opened his door, walking over to her car as the rain pelted him. She hadn’t noticed him approach because she was still sitting there, her hair dripping, her face unmoving.
Pres had to tap on her window with his knuckles to get her attention. And damn if she didn’t jump again. He felt like an ass, but he mimicked winding her window down, until she pressed on the button and the glass between them lowered.
“Is everything okay?” he asked her, wiping the rain from his face.
“What?” She blinked.
He leaned in, mostly because he was getting so wet it wasn’t funny. He could smell the rain on her. Mixed with something sweeter. Sexier.
“How long are you planning on sitting here?” he asked.
“I was just waiting for the rain to ease.”
“It’s not gonna happen. Not for an hour at least.” He ran his hands through his wet hair.
There was something strange about the way she was holding herself. She wouldn’t look at him. Wouldn’t move at all. “Cassie?”
“Yes?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said, her voice thin. “I’m fine. You can leave. I’ll be okay.”
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I’m not leaving you here.”
Finally she turned her head to look at him. But he didn’t expect to see the fear in her eyes. Jesus, she looked terrified.
“Please go,” she whispered.
Dammit. He pushed himself off the window and walked around her car, wrenching open the passenger door so he could sit down inside.
Silently, she wound the window up and looked at him.
“You want to talk about it?” he asked her.
“About what?” Her voice was thin.
“Why you won’t drive in the rain.”
She ran the tip of her tongue over her dry lip. “Not really.”
“Okay.” He pulled out his phone and tapped another message to his mom.
Been held up sorting something out. You okay to stay for another half hour? Sorry. – Pres
No problem. I was going to stay until the rain eased, anyway. Take your time. – Momx
He put his phone back in his pocket and turned to look at her profile. Her nose was straight, slightly upturned at the end. Her lips were as soft as he remembered. Slightly parted so she could breathe.
“Cassie,” he said. “Are you scared of the rain?”
She swallowed hard. “I thought we weren’t going to talk about this.”
Okay then. “What should we talk about?”
“How you’re going to get out of my car and drive home so I don’t feel bad about detaining you?”
“I’m not leaving until you do.”
For a moment she said nothing, before letting out a sigh. “Then I guess you’ll be here for a while.”
A smile was pulling at his lips. Damn this woman was stubborn. He kind of appreciated it though. Because he was stubborn, too.
“Let me drive you home.”
She inhaled sharply. “I’m not leaving my car here.”
“Okay. Then I’ll drive your car.”
“I need it for work tomorrow. It’s fine. Thank you, but I’ve got this.”
She so didn’t have it.
He ran the pad of his thumb along his jaw. He needed a shave. “Have you always been scared of it?”
“We’re not talking about this, remember?”
“You haven’t given me another subject to talk about.”
She let out a long breath and turned to look at him. “You missed a couple of notes on that last song.”
The abruptness of her subject change made him laugh. “So did you.”
“I was reacting to you,” she said.
“We sing pretty well together though, huh?” he asked her. Weird how he was enjoying sitting here with her, the drumbeat of the rain overhead punctuating their conversation.
“Yeah, we do.” She nodded. “Marley said we might have our first gig soon.”
“You feeling ready for it?” he asked her.
“Is anybody ever ready for it?” She tipped her head to the side. She really was pretty. “But yeah, I think it’ll be fine.”
“We need to be more than fine,” he said. “We need to be good. Great, even.”
Her eyes met his. “Then I think we’ll be great.”
“Yeah. I think we will.” He knew it. He’d never sounded so good as when he sang with her. The sweetness of her voice brought out the roughness in his. Their harmonies were already out of this world.
“Delilah will be worried about you,” Cassie said. “You should go.”
“She’s fine. My mom’s fine. Everybody’s fine… except you.”
“But I’m not your problem. Delilah is.”
“You’re my problem when you’re shaking with what looks like fear in my parents’ driveway,” he pointed out. “And you did a nice thing for me the other night. I’m not going to leave you now.”
“The kiss?” She looked surprised. And yeah, that made him smile again.
“Finding Delilah’s giraffe,” he corrected her, his lips still curled. “But yeah, the kiss was nice too.”
“I’m sorry about it,” she whispered. Her apology made him frown.
“Are you?”
“Aren’t you?” She looked up at him again.
He pushed his hair out of his face again. “Yes and no.”
“What does that mean?” she asked him, her brows knitted.
“It means yes, I’m sorry because I shouldn’t have kissed you like that. It was inappropriate, and I took advantage.” His voice was thick.
“You didn’t take advantage. I did.”
“I was the one grinding against you,” he pointed out.
Cassie blinked. “I was the one who wanted you to.”
And fuck if that didn’t make him want to do it all over again.
Pres let out a long breath. This conversation wasn’t going the way he’d meant for it to. It was supposed to divert her, but he was the one getting diverted. Wanting things he shouldn’t.
“It won’t happen again,” he promised her. “I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the band. It’s too important.” To Marley, and therefore to him.
She looked over at him. “I just don’t want this to be awkward.”
“It’s only awkward if we let it be.” He offered her a smile and miracle of miracles, she smiled back at him. If he was being truly honest, part of him hated that she took his rebuff so easily.
But they were grownups, and this was how being an adult was supposed to be. You talked things out; you worked through them.
“Then we won’t let it be.”
“Good.” He tipped his head to the side. “So, will you let me drive you home now? I’ll get your car back to your house and drop the keys through the door before the night is over.”
She was wavering again. He could tell that from the doubt clouding her eyes. She was somebody who hated being helped, that much was clear. Yeah, well, he hated it too.
But he’d learned to accept it.
“You’ll be doing me a favor,” he told her. “Because I’d like to get to bed this side of Christmas.”
That made her smile again, and it felt like he’d just won a damn Grammy. “Okay. But I’ll owe you.”
“No you won’t. I owe you for the giraffe. This is us getting even.”
She looked mollified at that. “Are you sure?”
“Yes I’m sure. Now I’m going to get out of this car and run around to your side. You scoot across to the passenger seat so you don’t have to go out in the rain.”
“Okay. Thank you.” And for once – thank the Lord – she did as she was told.