29. Cassie
CASSIE
I lie awake in bed, unable to sleep, but I don’t try very hard because I know Tor is on his way. He texted me when he was getting ready to leave the football field.
I expect I’ll hear the key turn in the lock and noise when he comes in, so I nearly jump out of my skin when I haven’t heard any of that, but my bedroom door opens anyway.
A tall, shadowy figure steps inside, and I know it’s him, but my heart skitters anyway.
Grabbing my chest, I say, “Oh my god, you scared me.”
He closes the door behind him, coming over to his side of the bed. “You knew I was on the way.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t hear you come in. That was some ninja shit,” I say as he climbs on the bed next to me.
“I can be stealthy when I want to be,” he says, reaching over beneath the covers to grab me.
“I see that,” I murmur, but my attention has shifted as I wait for him to notice…
“Are you naked?”
I grin. “You told me to wear something cute.”
He grins back, pulling me close and leaning in to kiss my neck. “Mmm, and you listened. What a good girl.”
My smile widens. “Do I get a gold star?”
He grabs my ass, pulling me snugly against him. “You’ll get something, all right.”
I nuzzle into him, wrapping my arms around his middle. We don’t say anything for a long moment. We just hold each other and unwind from the taxing day.
After a minute, he shifts, but I’m not ready to let go, so I stay close with my face buried in his chest.
He kisses the crown of my head, and I smile against the white cotton of his T-shirt.
Eventually, he drops his arm and wraps it around me. “How was the rest of your night?”
“Long,” I murmur, pulling back to look up at him. “How about yours?”
“Same. Long and sad.”
I pull a supportive pout, then I cradle the side of his face, leaning in to kiss the sharp line of his jaw. “I’m sorry.”
His arm tightens around me. “You don’t have to apologize.”
“I know, I just meant…”
“I know.” His lips brush against mine. “It’s all right.”
I turned the light off when I climbed into bed, so the room is dark, but my phone must have gotten a notification because it lights up the whole room.
I roll over and reach for it, and Tor takes advantage of the view—and the displaced comforter—to run his hand over my breasts. He scoots closer, bending his head to kiss the one nearest him, and goose bumps skate down my arms as his lips brush my nipple.
But I’m quickly distracted by the social media notification on my phone.
I swipe it open, and my heart stalls at the sight of the picture Tor just posted—and tagged me in, apparently.
It’s us, just a moment ago, my arms wrapped around him, my face buried in his chest. He’s kissing the top of my head, and my back is bare enough that it’s pretty clear I’m naked, but nothing is showing, so it doesn’t bother me.
I didn’t realize he was taking a picture, but I couldn’t see any light with my eyes closed and the way he was holding me.
My gaze catches his caption, and my heart flutters, even if I know it may be a little performative. “My support,” it says, and he added a white heart emoji.
“Aww.” I look over at him with a soft smile. “That’s sweet.”
It’s the first picture he’s posted of us, so he’s also hard launching our relationship with it. No more whispers or rumors. He just announced to everyone that we’re together, and at a moment when everyone is paying the most attention.
He smirks, leaning in to kiss my mouth. “Is that better?”
“No,” I murmur against his lips. “I like the picture, and I do appreciate what you were trying to do, but I still think she’ll just see it as a challenge. It’ll make her want you more if she thinks she could steal you from me. I don’t think you realize how much we hate each other.”
Tor sighs.
“And I’m not saying I doubt you,” I specify, since he just explained how much he’s not interested in her earlier. “I just think there are things she could do to come between us.”
“Only if you let her. Personally, I will not be participating in any of her bullshit, so the only way she puts a wedge between us is if you let her get in your head. So don’t.”
“Well, I am very good at that, as you saw today,” I say dryly.
He cracks a smile, kissing the corner of my mouth. “I believe in you.”
I smile into his kisses. “I believe in you, too.”
He locks his arms around my waist, settling me against him. “We should get some sleep. I may or may not have a surprise date planned for you tomorrow.”
I gasp, looking up at him. “A surprise date? What is it?”
“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you,” he points out, smirking.
I am tired, but I definitely expected he would need a release after the day he’s had. Maybe he was trying when he kissed my breasts, and I killed the vibe with my jealousy.
“What are your turn-offs?” I ask him.
He cocks an eyebrow. “My turn-offs? I don’t know. Maybe a sexual partner who tries to be too dominant. A little initiative is fine, but I like to be the aggressor. If you get pushy with me, I’m gonna push back. What are yours?”
“Insecurity. But specifically, mine. I hate feeling like that. I don’t feel like myself, and I don’t feel… attractive.”
“You never need to feel that way,” he tells me, pulling me closer. “You should always feel confident in who you are and what you have.”
Since he’s saying that, I decide to just ask directly. “Did I turn you off tonight?”
“What?” He scowls at me. “Of course not. When?”
“Just a minute ago, you were kissing me and touching me, and then… let’s go to bed.”
“Oh.” His expression clears, and he shakes his head. “No, of course you didn’t. I don’t think you’re capable of turning me off. I wasn’t touching you to start anything. I was just touching you to touch you. If you want me to start something…”
Relief rolls over me. “No, I’m… I like that. Just touching to touch me.”
He adjusts his hold on me, bringing his hand up to cover my breast. “I like touching you, even if I’m not planning to take it anywhere.”
I smile. “I’m good with that.”
“You better be,” he teases, giving my tit a possessive squeeze. “All of this is mine, and I’ll touch it whenever I want to.”
Heat moves into my lower belly at his words. “Oh… I like that a lot.”
“Yeah?” He smiles, nuzzling against my neck, kissing it.
My heart starts to race.
He squeezes again, running his thumb over my nipple. “Damn,” he murmurs.
“Hmm?”
“I really did have the best intentions.” As he says it, his hand slides down my stomach, and my pussy throbs. A moment later, he’s spreading me open, and I sigh with relief when he sinks a finger into me.
My head falls back against the pillow. His thumb finds my clit, and my pussy squeezes around his finger.
His intentions feel pretty damn good to me.
___
“Wake up, sleepyhead.”
I take a deep breath in as the sound of Tor’s voice pulls me from sleep. The bedroom is bright, and he’s standing beside my bed in a dark blue Henley tee and a pair of white shorts.
I roll a bit, stretching my arms overhead. “What time is it?”
“Almost nine,” he answers. “I thought you might want to shower before we go, so I can’t let you sleep any longer.”
“Is our mystery date on a stringent schedule?”
“It is.”
“What should I wear?”
“Whatever you want. Something comfortable. Good walking shoes.”
“Ooh.” I smile, liking this surprise element. I’ve never been on a surprise date before, and frankly, I wouldn’t have thought I’d like one, but if there’s one person whose plans I trust implicitly, it’s Tor’s.
I have to drag myself out of bed. He fucked me twice last night, so it’s his own fault I’m dragging.
Though, on reflection, maybe that’s why he was trying to just go to sleep before I overthought it. Maybe it’s my fault I’m tired.
Anyway, the shower cures me of my sleepiness.
I make quick work of putting on some light makeup, and I towel dry my hair.
But then I have second thoughts about wet hair on a date, so I decide to blow it dry, then I decide to curl it.
As I’m pulling on a pretty floral wrap skirt, I peek out of the bathroom and call out, “Am I doing okay on time?”
“Yeah, but brush your teeth if you haven’t already. I need to get your toiletries together.”
“My toiletries?” I frown, walking out of the bathroom and down the hall to peek into my bedroom. “Is this an overnight date?”
“It is.”
My jaw drops when I see the purple suitcase he bought me lying open on the bed, and Tor putting my pajamas inside.
“If there’s anything you want to take, bring it in here,” he tells me.
Wide-eyed, I ask, “How long will we be gone? I didn’t prepare for this.”
“Just overnight. We fly back tomorrow.”
“We fly back?” I demand, my eyes opening even wider. “We’re flying somewhere?”
Tor smirks. “Just go get your pretty little ass ready.”
“Oh my gosh,” I say, grinning helplessly. “You can’t just whisk me off to places.”
“Sure, I can,” he answers.
“Oh no, I have to open tomorrow,” I realize, my face falling.
“Nope,” he says, not even looking back as he puts a pair of socks into the suitcase. “I already talked to Shaley about covering for you.”
“What? When?”
“When you guys went to the salon,” he says, turning to look back at me.
I’m shocked. She didn’t say anything to me, but I guess he must have told her it was a surprise.
“I like that,” he says, his gaze hitting my skirt.
I do a little spin for him. Well, for me. He probably doesn’t care, but my skirt is layered and flowy, and it flies out a little when I spin, so I love it.
Tor smirks. “Yeah, I like that a lot.”
I flash him a smile. “I’m glad you approve.”
“I’ll approve even more if you don’t make us miss our flight.”
I grin, hurrying back to the bathroom so I can finish getting dressed—and packed, apparently.
Now that I know we are on a real schedule and I have some idea of what we’re doing, I gather my things, but I’ve also only been on a plane once when I was very little, so I don’t know exactly how to prepare for this.
Tor comes in after he finishes packing my suitcase and helps me.