Chapter 13
Penelope
I hear Lily’s excited voice downstairs, and I know Cas has arrived to pick me up. My stomach twists. I glance at Grace, who helped me dress, again, and catch her rolling her eyes.
“I think my mother’s more excited about this than the two of you,” she mutters.
I laugh, though it does nothing to calm the nerves coiling in my chest. What if I’m not ready? Just a week ago I still flinched when he moved too quickly.
I bite my lip and twist my fingers together, staring at my reflection.
Grace chose a dark blue dress with long sleeves that hug my curves and fall just above my knees.
She swore it made my eyes and hair “pop,” then insisted I wear her cowgirl boots beneath it.
My eyes do look brighter, thanks to the makeup she brushed on earlier.
“Stop worrying, Penny. Why are you so nervous?” Grace comes up behind me, resting her hands on my shoulders.
I meet her gaze in the mirror, my voice trembling. “What if I’m not ready? Or… what if Mark hurt me so much I can never be whole again?”
Grace’s reflection softens. “Cas is my brother, and trust me, I want to throttle him most days. But he’s also one of the best men I know.”
I manage a small smile, and she squeezes my shoulders. “You’ve been through hell, Penny. And yeah, Mark left scars, but don’t let him win twice. Don’t let him take this too.”
Tears prick my eyes. “What if I can’t give Cas what he deserves?”
“You don’t need to give him perfect. You just need to give him you. That’s enough.” Grace’s smirk returns, sharp and fierce. “Besides, if Cas ever hurts you, I’ll make sure he regrets it every day of his life.”
That pulls a laugh out of me, breaking the tension.
She hands me a tissue, dabbing at my eyes and fixing my makeup. Then, with a grin, she smacks my ass playfully. “Now go get your life back, you strong, beautiful woman.”
I take a deep breath and head for the stairs, heart pounding.
At the bottom step, I lift my eyes, and freeze. Cas is there, piercing eyes locked on me, his smile melting every ounce of fear.
He takes my hand, twirls me, and whistles low. When I’m facing him again, he leans close, his cologne wrapping around me as he whispers, “You take my breath away.”
Chills race down my spine, my face burning. His smirk turns wicked, dimples flashing. He knows exactly what he’s doing.
“You clean up well too,” I manage, though my voice wavers.
His grin widens into a panty-melting smile. I drink him in, blue button-up shirt that makes his eyes brighter, dark jeans, cowboy boots, his Stetson tipped low. My mouth goes dry.
“Shall we?” He offers his hand, and I follow him outside.
Lily and Josh wait on the porch. Lily beams as she hugs me. “Have fun! And you” she points at Cas, “treat her like the princess she is.”
“I’ll take care of her,” Cas promises, and somehow those words lift my heart higher.
We drive through the woods, the setting sun throwing streaks of gold between the trees.
When the forest breaks open, my breath catches.
Strings of twinkle lights glimmer between branches, leading to a rustic restaurant right on the lake’s edge.
The water mirrors the orange-pink sky, as if the world itself is lit for us.
Cas cuts the engine but doesn’t move. His hand finds mine, warm and steady, his gaze never leaving me. Butterflies scatter wildly in my stomach. “Ready?” he asks.
I nod, heart racing, as he gets out and opens my door for me, holding it wide with that quiet patience that makes me melt. I step out, brushing my skirt against the seat as I move, and start to walk toward the restaurant.
“Wait!” I freeze, breath catching.
“Just… stay right there for a second.”
I glance at him, curiosity sparking through the nerves twisting in my stomach. His eyes sweep over me slowly, deliberately, from the crown of my head to the tips of my boots. Heat smolders in his gaze, making my skin prickle wherever it lands. He takes out his phone.
“You mind if I take your picture?”
I just shake my head no, and he lifts his phone, snapping a quick shot before tucking it back into his pocket.
Then he walks over to me, the gravel crunching softly under his boots.
A faint breeze ruffles my hair, carrying the scent of him, cologne and sun-warmed skin, that makes my stomach flutter.
“You like this,” he murmurs, voice low, thick with want. “Under the orange sky, the setting sun hitting your hair, your smile… and those eyes. Never seen anything like it.”
My throat tightens, pulse hammering in my ears.
He steps even closer, each movement measured, until his face is inches from mine, close enough that his warmth wraps around me.
His hand finds mine, thumb brushing over my knuckles, sending a thrill straight to my chest. His eyes never leave mine, burning bright beneath the fading sunset.
“Now I can look at you whenever I want” he says, a wicked grin tugging at his lips.
◆◆◆
The waitress leads us through the restaurant and out onto the deck, where one small table waits, draped in candles, fairy lights strung above, the lake glittering all around.
“This is beautiful,” I whisper, turning to him.
“You’re ten times more beautiful, Sunset.”
I blush as he pulls out my chair.
We order steak and fries, red wine to share. The sky fades from fiery red to deep blue, then finally velvet night scattered with stars. The waves lap softly against the shore, music humming in the background. I feel like I’ve stepped into one of my childhood fairytales and smile.
Cas doesn’t take his eyes off me. “I could spend the rest of my life chasing that smile.”
I feel myself blush. “Don’t you think this is just… magical?” I ask, glancing at the view.
“Yeah,” he says simply. “But not as magical as you in this light.”
I duck my head, hiding my grin.
We talk, about childhood games, about dreams. Cas tells me hilarious stories of growing up with four brothers and a baby sister. I laugh harder than I have in years. At some point, his hand finds mine across the table, warm and strong.
“Tell me about your mom,” he asks quietly. “What was she like?”
The question knocks the air from me. No one asks that. People usually stop at She died, toss out an “I’m sorry,” and move on. Or worse, Mark telling me I should be over it by now.
But Cas… Cas wants to know her. Wants to know me.
So I tell him, how she’d wake us by blasting the radio and dancing into our rooms, how she sang off-key in the car and didn’t care who heard, how she played board games like her life depended on it.
How she cheered football louder than the whole neighborhood, inviting everyone over for barbecue and games in the garden.
And then I tell him about the hole she left behind. My father’s absence. My sister’s slow unraveling.
Through it all, Cas holds my hand, steady and sure. My chest aches, but also warms.
“I wish I could have met her,” he says at last.
Tears prick my eyes. He understands. He sees me. “She would have loved this night. And she would have loved you.”
He bows his head and presses a soft kiss to my hand. Silence wraps around us, saying more than words ever could.
We share tiramisu, the sweetness lingering on my tongue. Cas watches me closely, his gaze burning hotter than the candles flickering between us.
When a smudge of cocoa dusts the corner of my mouth, his thumb brushes against my lip, slow, deliberate. My breath catches, my body going rigid at the intimate touch.
Instead of wiping it away, he holds my eyes as he brings that thumb to his mouth. His tongue flicks out, tasting the cocoa… tasting me.
My pulse slams. Heat floods every inch of me as his lips close around his finger, sucking it clean with a low, satisfied hum.
I can’t move. I can’t breathe. Watching him do it, so casually, like it’s the most natural thing in the world, undoes me completely.
He leans back in his chair, dimples flashing, I’m molten. His eyes never leave mine, dark and hungry, like he knows exactly what he’s doing to me.
I grab my wine glass just to have something to hold, but my hands tremble as I lift it to my lips. The wine is cool, but I’m burning. Cas knows it too, his smirk says he’s enjoying every second of my unraveling.
When he finally reaches across the table to lace his fingers through mine, my heart skips. The world around us disappears. It’s just his hand, his heat, his eyes that promise so much more.
Later, we walk the lakeshore. Stars glimmer through rust-colored leaves, wind lifting my hair.
“Cold?” he asks when I shiver.
“A little.”
“Come here.”
He pulls me against his chest. His body is warm, solid, steady, the safest place I’ve ever been. Music drifts from the restaurant, and he starts to sway us, slow, like we’re the only two people in the world.
His thumb grazes my lip, and my pulse hammers.
Take your power back. Live your life.
I’m braver than I thought. I rise on my toes and press a soft kiss to his lips. Just a peck, sweet, testing.
But Cas doesn’t let it stay that way.
A low growl vibrates in his chest as he catches my mouth fully, deepening the kiss. His lips crash against mine, hungry, urgent, tasting me like fine wine he’s craved for too long.
His tongue teases, coaxing mine into a slow, sensual dance. My knees weaken, my body melting against him as the world falls away. His hand slides to the back of my neck, holding me in place, while the other anchors at my waist, pulling me closer still.
The taste of him, warm, wine-sweet, dizzying, steals every thought. I moan softly into his mouth, and he groans in response, the sound raw and guttural.
Cas walks me backward until my spine hits a tree trunk. His mouth leaves mine to trail along my jaw, then down the sensitive skin of my throat. My breasts ache, my pulse hammering everywhere his lips touch. I moan again.
When he returns to my mouth, the kiss is slower, sweeter, but no less intense.
“Sunset,” he murmurs against my lips, laughing breathlessly. “Make that noise again and I’ll embarrass myself like a fifteen-year-old.”
We both laugh. His hat lies somewhere in the grass, forgotten.
“I could kiss you all night,” he whispers, brushing his lips over mine again, softer this time. “But I want to take this slow. You make me feel things I’ve never felt before.”
His vulnerability softens everything inside me.
“I’ve never felt like this either,” I whisper back.
And when he smiles, dimples flashing, eyes shining, I know I’m already falling.