Chapter 40
Cassie is already cross-legged on the floor, waiting, when I drop down across from her, deck in hand. My eyes sweep up once, then back down, eager to have her naked beneath me, cause we both know that’s how this will end.
I talk while shuffling the deck. “Five card draw. Whoever loses the hand takes something off. Socks count as two separate items.”
She looks down at her T-shirt, athletic shorts, and socks, and then at what I’m wearing.
“Do you have a belt on?”
I lift my shirt to reveal the leather belt at my waist.
“Take it off. Then we’re even.”
Making a show of it, I raise onto my knees and unbuckle the belt, slowly sliding it through each loop and drop it on the floor. “We’re still not even.” Cassie tilts her head in confusion. “Are you wearing a bra?”
With pursed lips, Cassie reaches beneath the back of her shirt, then up one sleeve and then the other. Dangling a lacy black bra from one finger, she leans forward and drops it into my lap. I swear this woman is trying to kill me.
“Happy?” she asks.
“Very. I’ll be happier when you’re naked. Now, let’s play.”
Cassie picks up her cards while a mask of total blankness slots into place on her face. This woman. I look at my own hand. It’s decent enough.
“How many?” I ask.
“Two.” Cassie discards two cards and I give her two more. I discard one and grab a new one. I’m left with two pairs.
When Cassie shows me her hand, I groan. Her three of a kind beats my two pair. She lays the rest of her cards down. Three sevens. With a flourish she gestures to my feet.
“That calls for a sock.”
Instead, with slow movements, I reach behind my head and peel off my shirt, dropping it to the floor beside me.
Cassie’s eyes roam up and down my torso as she swallows. “You’re playing dirty.”
“You started it.”
The next hand I deal, I watch her face for any crack in that composure and find none. This time all she asks for is one card. I swap out two of mine and have to fight to keep a straight face. Full house.
“Let’s see ’em.”
Cassie flips her cards. A pair of jacks. I lay mine down and watch her jaw drop, a cute little divot appearing between her brows.
“Are you cheating?”
“How would I cheat? Strip,” I say with a flick of my hand.
Her eyes hold mine while she reaches up to remove the hair tie from her hair and I tsk.
“Nope. Doesn’t count.”
She lifts her chin in a challenge. “Two can play this game.”
Hands drifting to the hem of her shirt, she lifts it to reveal smooth skin and those tits that I love to have in my mouth. Her nipples are all tight, hardened to little buds. I feel myself start to thicken at the sight of her.
“You’re enjoying watching me suffer,” I say through a clenched jaw. My eyes lift to the ceiling and I pray for patience.
“Immensely,” she agrees.
On the third hand, I beat her fair and square and she loses a sock, adding it to our growing pile of clothes.
I deal again, and this time Cassie smiles when she glances at her cards.
She must have a really good hand, or she’s fucking with me.
I glance at the shitty cards I’m holding and fold.
I’m holding on by a very frayed thread at this point, so I stand, unbutton my jeans and let them fall to the ground, kicking them to the side, leaving me in nothing but socks and boxer briefs, tented from my erection.
We need to speed this game along. “Okay, you win. C’mere, baby.
” I haul her to her feet and take her face in both hands, kissing her slowly, the way I’ve wanted to since she raked those chips across the table tonight.
When she opens her mouth for me, I pull her closer, tangling my tongue with her, coaxing a whimper from Cassie.
I love how responsive she is to me, taking my lips with fervor.
“I want you,” I say against her mouth.
“Then take me,” she whispers, pressing one last sweet kiss to my lips before turning on her heel, a soft smile thrown over her shoulder as she heads to the bedroom.
Reaching down, I palm myself through my underwear to try and ease the ache and follow the last few articles of clothing Cassie leaves on her way.
Standing at the foot of my bed, my gaze latches onto hers as I lower my underwear.
Taking my cock in hand, I give it one good stroke and almost laugh when Cassie wets her lips like she can’t wait to have me in her mouth.
She glides a hand down her stomach until she’s teasing her clit, eyelids fluttering shut.
Seeing her like this, legs spread just for me is damn near my undoing.
I think she’s trying to kill me, though. The finger that was rubbing her clit a second ago moves lower, disappearing into her slick heat. She removes it, and with hooded lids, sucks it into her mouth. Fuck me.
I climb onto the bed, positioning myself for her to ride me, but I’m surprised when she turns, putting her head near my feet then rolls onto me, glistening pussy right near my lips. Alrighty, don’t mind if I do. I lick her once before diving my tongue into her, fucking her with my mouth.
“Yes. Fuck yes,” she cries out.
One of her hands wraps around the base of my cock and she takes me deep.
So goddamn deep. I dig my fingers into her thighs when she focuses on just the tip, stroking my length just the way I like it.
Wrapping my lips around her clit, I suck hard, and she moans, causing my hips to buck, my dick hitting the back of her throat.
She works me, tongue swirling around each metal barbell, the sexiest slurping sounds coming from her mouth.
Thank fuck my girl loves sucking dick ’cause I, for one, love eating her out.
Dragging a finger through her wetness, I make my way to the sensitive flesh between her pussy and asshole, inching slowly up until I’m massaging that tight hole. Cassie’s mouth stills, but when I latch onto that sensitive bud again, she pushes herself against my face, greedy for more.
If I died right now, I’d go a happy man, nose buried in the intoxicating scent of her.
There’s not a doubt in my mind that Cassie was created just for me.
I keep my pace, licking with the flat of my tongue all while still massaging her puckered hole, listening as her moans grow more and more desperate.
A blaze of heat runs up my spine right as my balls tighten. I spill into her mouth, groaning so hard against her pussy, her thighs tremble and she’s soaking my face with her orgasm. I don’t stop my assault until I’ve wrung every bit of pleasure from her and she goes limp, rolling off of me.
We’re both breathless, panting for a moment in the silence of my bedroom.
Lying here next to Cassie, I know it’s probably not the right time, but is there really a right time to reveal your heart?
In my opinion, sooner is always better than later.
My words come tumbling out and I don’t even try to stop them.
I want her to know how I feel. No, I need her to know how I feel like I need my next breath.
“I love you so much, angel.”
Cassie sucks in a breath and slowly sits up. “What?”
“I said, I love you.” I swallow, nerves ratcheting up. “More than anything.”
Her nose scrunches and her eyes start to water but she remains silent.
Why isn’t she saying anything? Did I just fuck up?
“I know saying that right after I ate you out isn’t my most romantic idea, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I’ve already held things too close to the chest for too long.”
Scooting so my back is against the headboard, I search her eyes for anything to reveal how she’s feeling.
“I’m gonna need you to say something, baby.”
Cassie pulls herself up, moving across the bed to straddle me.
“Say it again,” she whispers, so low I barely hear her.
“I’m so in love with you, Cassandra James. I love you so much it hurts. A good hurt that I never want to go away.”
Her lips are on mine before I’ve finished, swallowing up my words with a kiss and all I can think is this is my future.
She is my future, my life, my everything.
Together we’ll meet our future children and I’ll bear witness to the passing years as we grow old and gray together.
I will love her with all that’s left of my beating heart as long as she’ll let me and beyond that. Until we’re dust in the earth.
She breaks the kiss, and with her lips still brushing mine she says the words I’ve been longing to hear. “I love you too, William Davis. I think I loved you the minute you started whispering poems to that night sky the night we met, when you promised the river would change my life.
“And did it?” I rasp.
She nods as a single tear tracks down her face. “It brought me to you, my best friend, the love of my life.”
Lifting her hips, Cassie takes my cock in her hand and positions it at her entrance, lowering to take the full length of me.
I’ve been inside of her countless times by now, but with those three little words spoken out loud, everything about this feels different.
I roll us so she’s beneath me and she wraps her legs around my waist, using her heels to push me deeper.
I move in and out of her, our gazes locked, and the love I see behind those beautiful eyes is something I feel, bone deep.
Cassie meets my thrusts with the softest little mewls and I know what we’re doing goes far beyond sex right now.
She’s sealing her life to mine and mine to hers.
I come on a low groan just as Cassie’s pussy starts to flutter and tighten around my cock.
I swallow her cries of pleasure with my mouth, kissing her as her body quakes until she goes still beneath me.
“Move in with me, angel.”
Tucking her lip between her teeth, Cassie smiles and nods. “Okay.”
“Yeah?”
“I love you, Liam,” she says in response.
The words are like music, a melody only we can hear. “I promise to love you to the ends of the earth.”