Chapter 5
Cassie didn’t understandhow a simple touch from him made her brain go haywire. The logical part of her said she needed to snap out of it. It wasn’t smart to allow a man to have so much control over her. Giving him so much power was dangerous to her heart.
But the logical part of her took a back seat whenever she was around him. She could still feel the way his fingers had brushed against the back of her hand.
It didn’t make sense. She’d been attracted to guys before, but it had never been like this. Never this intense. It was almost as if he’d put her under some sort of spell.
To make matters worse, flowers showed up for her not long after she got home from work. It was an arrangement of pink and white tulips. She’d taken one look at them and known they were from Jesse.
Nestled in between the delicate petals was a note. Cassie removed the folded paper from the tiny envelope.
Until Saturday.
Cassie hadn’t had a lot of time to process her feelings over the note and the flowers before Brie came home. She looked at the flowers, then at Cassie, and grinned. “He sent you flowers.”
Instead of responding, Cassie picked up the flowers and carried them into the kitchen. She removed them from the crystal vase they’d arrived in, changed the water out, and added the little packet of nutrients.
“Now you have to tell me everything,” Brie said.
“There’s not much to tell. We went to dinner, and he brought me home.”
“Dinner.”
After placing the flowers back in the vase, Cassie carried them into her bedroom.
Brie followed.
Cassie placed the arrangement on her dresser. She grazed her fingers along the top of the petals and was once against transported to the feel of him touching her.
“You really like him, don’t you?”
The sound of her friend’s voice pulled her out of the memory. “He wants to see me again on Saturday.”
“That’s great.”
Cassie shook her head and leaned back against the dresser to face her friend. “No. It’s not.”
Brie’s brow furrowed. “Why? Because his dad’s your boss?”
“Exactly. This is a disaster. Or, at the very least, a potential disaster.” Cassie threw herself on her bed and covered her face with her hands.
“You don’t know that. Maybe it’ll work out.”
Cassie peeked through her fingers and gave her friend a skeptical look.
Brie kicked her shoes off and climbed onto the bed next to Cassie. “I know you’ve had some…bad luck in the relationship department, but there are good guys out there. Maybe Jesse’s the one.”
“And what if he’s not, Brie? What if I continue seeing him and things go bad like they always do? At best, I have to face his dad every day. At worst, I’m out of a job.”
“You can’t be so negative.”
Cassie looked at her friend in disbelief.
“I know it’s a risk, but there are always risks in life. Sometimes you have to take a chance. The question is, is Jesse worth the risk?”
That was the million-dollar question.
Four days later, Cassie still didn’t have the answer. She’d tossed and turned in her bed Friday night, too anxious to sleep. When the sun began streaming through her bedroom window, she gave up the pretense of sleeping and headed into the bathroom to shower.
Three hours later, she was in the kitchen sipping coffee and eating a Poptart when Brie padded out of her room. Her friend had been out with Kaden the night before and hadn’t gotten home until almost one in the morning.
Brie took one look at Cassie dressed in her jeans and favorite forest green top and smiled. “What time’s Jesse supposed to pick you up again?”
“Nine.”
Walking over to the coffee machine, Brie popped a pod into the contraption and pressed start. “Have you heard from him since he sent the flowers?”
“No.” And for some reason, that disappointed her. She’d wanted to thank him for the flowers, but she’d quickly realized she didn’t have his number. Sure, she could get it. Human resources would have it on file, or she could ask Mr. Masters, but neither of those options felt right.
The machine finished brewing Brie’s coffee and she topped the mug off with a healthy amount of milk. “I’d ask why you didn’t call him, but I already know the answer.”
At eight fifty-six, there was a knock on their door. Butterflies began churning in Cassie’s stomach as she got up to answer it.
Jesse stood in the hallway dressed in dark blue jeans and a bluish-gray button-down shirt. The top few buttons were undone, and she could see a hint of his chest hair beneath. He looked better than she remembered.
His blue eyes drank her in, and she swayed toward him, her body wanting him to touch her again.
They were still staring at each other when Cassie felt Brie come up behind her. “Morning, Jesse.”
He tore his gaze from Cassie to glance at Brie. “Morning.”
“Did you want to come in?” Brie asked.
“Thanks for the offer, but we should be on our way.”
“Oh. Well, maybe next time.” Then Brie handed Cassie the purse she’d left on the kitchen table and hurried her out the door. “Have fun, you two.”
The door closed behind them, and Jesse chuckled.
Cassie grimaced. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine.” He placed a hand on her lower back as he’d done on their date Monday night and heat radiated along her spine and down to her lady parts.
She met his gaze. His eyes darkened, looking more like a stormy sea than a bright blue sky. The butterflies in her stomach began working overtime.
“If you keep looking at me like that, we won’t be going anywhere other than to my condo.”
Cassie leaned into him, thinking maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.
His forehead came down to meet hers and she closed her eyes, savoring the feel of him this close again. She was ready to say screw it and drag him back into her apartment when a door at the other end of the hall slammed shut. It was the dousing of cold water she needed to cool her libido.
She took a deep breath and straightened. “We should go.”
There was a long pause before Jesse reached for her hand and they began walking toward the elevator. She needed to get her head on straight and stop allowing him to muddle her brain. He was her boss’s son. She needed to remember that.
But that was difficult to do when all she wanted was to melt into him.
Tucked into the leather passenger seat of his mustang, Cassie watched out the window as they left the parking garage. “Are you going to tell me where you’re taking me?”
He glanced over at her before pulling out into traffic. “Worried?”
She shrugged. “Maybe a little.”
Jesse laughed. “I figured we’d start with something fun.”
“Such as?”
“You’ll see.”
Cassie snorted. “See. Secretive.”
He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I promise if you don’t like it, we can leave.”
Ten minutes later, they pulled into a parking garage at Crown Center. “We’re going shopping?”
Finding a spot, he turned off the engine and climbed out of the vehicle. Coming to her side of the car, he opened the door and helped her out. “Not exactly. But if you want to go shopping later, I’ll happily watch you model sexy dresses for me.”
She met his gaze, knowing he was serious.
Before she could respond, Jesse pressed his lips to hers for a soft kiss. “Don’t distract me.” Then he took her hand, and they were off.
As they made their way out of the garage, Cassie took a few moments to clear her head. He was mistaken about who was distracting who.
They ended up at the aquarium and she wondered if Brie had shared with Kaden how much Cassie loved the ocean. “How did you know this is one of my favorite places in the city?”
He smiled and kissed her temple. Brie had definitely spilled.
After getting their tickets, they began walking through the aquarium. He didn’t rush her, allowing her to take her time at each of the exhibits. And when they reached the ocean tunnel, she got lost in the experience. Sea creatures swam around them, making her feel as if she were really inside their world. One day, she wanted to learn to scuba dive so she could swim alongside them instead of watching behind glass.
Jesse moved behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and let her lean against his chest as she watched the creatures glide through the water.
Kids brushed past them as they made their way through the tunnel with their parents, but she was barely aware of them. Between the water surrounding them and Jesse’s heat against her back, she felt more relaxed than she had in a long time.
“Which one is your favorite?” Jesse asked.
“I love sharks.”
She felt him smile. “Not what I expected.”
“They’re so misunderstood. People have been made to fear them, but all they want is to live their lives like every other sea creature.”
They stood there for a long time, watching, before making their way out of the tunnel. She’d been through the exhibit more times than she could count, but this time it had been different. Jesse was with her. She wasn’t sure the aquarium would ever be the same again.
The sunlight blinded them when they exited the building over an hour later. Cassie shielded her eyes to give them time to adjust. It had grown considerably warmer since he’d picked her up that morning.
He led her away from the aquarium toward the stores and restaurants. “Do you like Mediterranean food?”
“Like hummus and gyros?”
The side of Jesse’s mouth quirked up in a half smile. “Yeah.”
A few minutes later, they were at a Mediterranean restaurant she’d never noticed before. It was small but not quite as tiny as the place he’d taken her to on Monday night.
Without asking her what she wanted, he placed their order.
* * *
One of Jesse’s favorite things to do was to try new restaurants. When he lived in Europe, it wasn’t the monuments that drew him in, it was the food. So much can be learned about a place through eating the food.
Jesse held out a chair for Cassie and waited for her to sit down before taking his own seat. “Have you been here before?”
“No. Have you?”
He smiled. “No.”
Cassie glanced up at the menu, then back at him. He was expecting her to question his ordering for both of them, but she didn’t. “How did you know I love the aquarium?”
“A little birdy might have told me.”
The woman behind the counter approached their table. She placed a bowl of hummus and some pita bread on the table, then left.
Jesse motioned for Cassie to help herself.
She tore off a piece of the bread and scooped up some hummus. Her gaze lifted to his as she took a bite, then lowered to the table. She was still looking down when the woman brought their salads.
When Cassie reached for her fork, Jesse covered her hand with his. “Are you upset I asked Kaden about you, or is something else bothering you?”
“Jesse, we shouldn’t be doing this. I shouldn’t be doing this.” Then her voice lowered to a whisper as if she didn’t want anyone to hear her confession. “But I can’t seem to say no.”
“I don’t want you to say no.”
Her fingers flexed in his hand. He held her gaze and knew her thoughts were going back to the last kiss they’d shared. He could have pushed things. Could have asked her if he could come in when he dropped her off at her apartment Monday night.
They were still locked in their own world when the woman brought the rest of their food. “Can I get you anything else?”
Jesse dropped Cassie’s hand. “No, I think we’re good for now.”
The woman nodded and went back behind the counter.
He picked up his fork and dug into his salad. “Eat your lunch. You may need your energy later.”
Cassie blushed as she picked up her fork and began eating her salad.
Several minutes passed and the pink was beginning to fade from her cheeks. He finished his salad and moved on to the lamb. The food was good, but it didn’t compare to what he’d had in Greece. Cassie had never traveled outside of the US, and he had a sudden desire to whisk her away on a private jet to see all his favorite places.
She caught him staring at her. “Do I have something on my chin?”
His lips curled up into a smile. “No. I was thinking I’d like to get you on a plane and take you to all my favorite places.”
“Oh.” She glanced out the window and her body went rigid.
Jesse followed her gaze, hoping to find what had caused her reaction, but he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. People were walking down the sidewalk, going in and out of shops, but there was nothing that stood out. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head and turned her attention back to her food. “Nothing.”
“Cassie.”
Her gaze met his. “My ex, Greg, is across the street with…”
“With?” he prompted when she didn’t continue.
“The woman I caught him in bed with.”
Kaden told him Cassie had some bad history with men and that, according to Brie, the last guy she’d dated was a douchebag. “How long were you together?”
“Three months.” She looked out the window again, and her eyes narrowed. Was she still hung up on the guy?
Jesse zeroed in on the couple in question. The guy was tall and lean, with dark hair and a beard that looked in need of a trim. A woman, almost a foot shorter than him, stood tucked into his side.
The sound of a fork scraping against a plate brought his attention back to Cassie. Her mouth was set in a thin line.
“Are you all right?”
“Fine.” Cassie stabbed a piece of chicken as though she wanted to kill it all over again. She was not fine.
“Cass?”
Cassie raised her gaze to his and blew out a breath. “Sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“I shouldn’t let them get to me. It was better I found out before I slept with him.”
Jesse took a few moments to process that information. “You two never had sex?” Luckily, there wasn’t anyone else sitting near them.
“No.” Cassie blew out a breath. “Best decision I ever made.”
They finished their meal and walked out into the shopping center. Jesse reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together as they passed by the various store fronts. When he saw a bakery up ahead, he steered them in that direction.
The place was packed. People were lined against the far wall, waiting for their turn.
Jesse walked to the rear of the line and positioned Cassie in front of him. He circled his arms around her waist and brushed his lips against her ear. “What looks good?”
Cassie gripped his arms as if she were afraid he’d pull away. She didn’t have to worry, though. He had no intention of running away from her.
“The salted caramel cupcake sounds good.”
“Hm. Do you like sweet and salty things?”
The question was meant to be suggestive, and he heard her breathing kick up a notch. “Yes.”
He kissed her ear and kept her close as they moved toward the front. When it was their turn, he ordered a salted caramel cupcake for her, along with a few others for them to try.
She didn’t say anything as they got their cupcakes and headed outside the building. There was a nice seating area with tables scattered around. They sat side by side at one of the tables and he pulled out the first cupcake, her salted caramel. He tore the paper away from one side and presented it to her.
Cassie reached to take it, but he pulled it back.
She met his gaze, a question in her eyes.
He brought it closer to her mouth, holding it there.
Understanding what he wanted, she opened her mouth and took a bite.
Icing coated her lips and she had a little on her nose. She reached for a napkin, but he was quicker. Jesse took a napkin and cleaned the icing from her face.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” If they’d been alone, he would’ve licked it off her. The napkin, however, would have to do for now. “Ready for another bite?”