4. Cass
four
Cass
“Looks like the two of you don’t need any practice after all.” Phoebe’s words replay in my mind. The harsh reminder that this is all an act has me struggling against Drake.
“Sit still and eat.” Drake scoops a forkful of fluffy scrambled eggs off his plate and proceeds to feed me. “Open.”
“Bossy,” I mumble as I open my mouth, letting him feed me. I should be embarrassed by his behavior, but as I glance around the table, I see the other guys doing the same with their women. All except Phoebe, since Lord is at the safehouse, I hope.
“Cass, let me introduce you to everyone.” Phoebe’s face lights up, and I can’t help but notice the women at the table look relieved.
Phoebe told me a little about her sisters last night.
“This is my sister Prue and her man, Ghost.” She points to the beautiful woman to her right and the guy sitting next to her.
“And over there,” she points to an equally beautiful woman across from her, “is my other sister, Piper, and next to her is Phantom. Everyone, this is my best friend, Cass.” She doesn’t elaborate on how we know each other, and no one asks.
No one even questions why I’m sitting on Drake’s lap, as if I belong there.
They just say hello to me and go back to their breakfast and conversation, including Drake and me every once in a while.
Never one to sit idle, I strike up a conversation with Drake. “So how did your mom come up with a name like that? It can’t be from the singer. Is it from the explorer Sir Francis Drake?” Why did I say it like that? Now he’s going to know I’m a bookworm, not the cool Siren he nicknamed me.
“I wish it were as awesome as being named after an explorer,” Drake laughs, easing my anxiety. “My mom loved watching soap operas back in the day. She was a big fan of General Hospital and of Rick Springfield’s character, Dr. Noah Drake. She named me Drake and Lord Noah after that character.”
“That’s kind of awesome.” I tease, stabbing a strawberry from my plate with my fork and bringing it to Drake’s lips as if it’s the most natural thing in the world for me to do.
“It could have been worse. My aunt who raised me and Hawk loved watching Days of Our Lives—we’re lucky she didn’t change our names to Stephano and DiMera. ”
“I don’t know. DiMera is kind of sexy.” Drake brushes a lock of my hair over my shoulder and kisses my bare shoulder, sending my heart racing. “But I prefer Cass.”
My face heats up, and I know I’m blushing.
I lower my gaze to his shirt and take a deep breath to slow my pulse, but I notice his AC/DC Back in Black T-shirt clinging to his muscular chest and arms. “You like classic rock bands too?” I shift my gaze to his face.
If he does, he’s my perfect match. Pushing that thought down, I remind myself this is just temporary—it doesn’t matter whether he’s perfect for me or not.
“Yup, same mom who loved Rick Springfield and the ’80s rock bands—hair bands and all.” His voice is softer now as he talks about his mother in the past tense.
“How did she die?” I run my hand over his chest, tracing the letters on his T-shirt to keep from wrapping my arms around him for comfort. “Your mom, how did she die?”
“About twenty years ago, I had just turned eighteen, and Lord was only eleven when she became pregnant. At thirty-eight, it was considered a geriatric pregnancy.” He tightens his arm around my waist. “There were complications during delivery, and both she and the baby died.”
Unsure how to console him, I rest my head against his chest. “I’m so sorry, Drake.” He wraps his other arm around me, holding me tighter as we both seek shelter from our past demons.
Why does this have to be temporary? Why can’t I have him forever?
I blink back my tears and push those dangerous thoughts from my mind. I’m doing this for Lord and Hawk. Drake is doing it to help his brother. Once we have the information we need, this will all be a memory.
“As bad as losing my mother and the baby was, Lord and I ran into Mr. and Mrs. Holt and the Steel Souls.” I feel him shrug against me, as if it’s no big deal, but his voice is strained. “I’m not sure what Lord and I would have done without the Holts and the Steel Souls.”
“The Holts sound like great people.” I glance up, needing to see his face.
“They are. I’ll have to introduce you someday.” His words hang heavy between us. This is only temporary—there’s no need for me to meet them. Instead of pointing that out, I nod.
Clearing his throat, he gently sets me in the chair beside him.
“I got the invitation from Mad Dog this morning—the party is tonight.” His jaw tightens as he glances away from me.
“Why don’t you and Phoebe spend some time together?
I’ve got a lot of things I need to do today.
” With that, he stands and walks away, never looking back.
The only consolation is that he stopped by the buffet table and grabbed two more of my homemade biscuits.
I guess what they say is true—the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Too bad I’ll be long gone by tomorrow to find out after we get the information at the party tonight.