Longing for You (Touched by Magic Book 1) (25 page)

“Cassie, I don’t care about any other woman but you.”

“I heard it gets lonely out there, even for people in committed relationships. Temptation arises, and—”

He silenced her with another kiss and wedged himself between her legs. When he felt her relax, he eased back on his knees. “I don’t care if some woman lays down in front of me and spreads her legs. It won’t affect me.” He grabbed underneath her knees and bent them toward her waist. “These are the only legs I want to be between.”
 

He lowered his chest to hers and rocked his hips. One slow, steady thrust sent his cock deep. Her mouth parted, then she released the sexiest moan he’d ever heard.

Sinking deeper inside, he filled her completely and swept over her lips again. “No one else can make me feel what you do. I wouldn’t risk losing you for a moment of pleasure with someone else. Not even for a night. Not even if I knew I could get away with it.”

Her breathing increased as she wiggled her hips beneath him. “How can you be sure you’ll always feel that way?”

“Because”—he withdrew slowly then drove back inside, repeating the motion until a steady rhythm formed—“I’ve never wanted anyone but you. I swear, I never will.”

She rolled her body with his. Each time he plunged inside her, she bucked against him. Her nails scraped across his ass. Then she gripped it. The tighter she squeezed, the harder he thrust.

Her hips gyrated with his. She was panting, moaning, and whispering his name. As much as he wanted to kiss her, he wanted to hear her voice more. He focused on the sound and quickened his pace.

His original plan to conquer her was over. The victory lay beneath him, but he was far from collecting his prize. Her heart would be the ultimate one. If he wanted her forever, owning it would be the only way.

He had to remind her of why she should say yes. Every thrust he gave her was meant to do just that, but not because he wanted her hanging in a web of desire only he could unweave. She had to see that no one else would worship her the way he did.

Whatever she decided, he would have to accept, but he’d fight for his chance to convince her until the end. Five rounds of mind-blowing sex should be sufficient enough. And if not, there was always the chance she could change her mind before he left.

He’d hold on to that thought, regardless of what the odds told him.

* * *

Time was the enemy. Theo realized that fact the minute he woke this morning and found Cassie in his arms. He knew this moment would come, the one where he had to release her. He couldn’t keep her locked up in his room all day and night no matter how tempting the thought might be. At least the separation was temporary. Come evening, they’d be together again.

The glass cooled his skin as he pressed his forehead to the window and stared toward the street. Cassie was opening the back door of a cab. He didn’t miss the way she peeked over her shoulder and smiled toward the hotel before she ducked inside and closed it.

He savored his last glance.

The time they’d spent together was burned into his mind, never to be removed. Watching her walk out the door was the hardest thing he’d done in a while. Probably harder than the day he left Savannah. Consequently, he let her go back then too. Yet this time, things were different.

For the first time in his life, he was getting everything he wanted. He and Cassie may not have made it official yet, but he knew it wouldn’t be long. She liked the idea of them, even said as much when he asked if she did.
 

As the taxi disappeared up the street, he gazed over the city. The sun began descending into the horizon. It cast its rich red and orange hues around the last of the storm clouds drifting toward the ocean.

If the rain had left sooner, he would have taken Cassie back to the studio to get her car. As much as they drank last night, he was glad she’d left it there and asked him to walk. Had things turned out differently between them, she may have left for home and ended up in an accident. She could have been hurt. Or worse…

He gritted his teeth and faced his room but remained in front of the window. Losing Cassie was not an option. He refused to let anything take her away. Not death, not his uncertain future, not some asshole that thought she belonged to him.
 

The only thing capable of screwing this up was his failure to keep a promise, the one that brought them together from the start. He couldn’t let a simple conversation keep him from getting everything he’d longed for.
 

It was time for the final round of this game he was playing. All he had to do was allow the pieces to fall into place. That wouldn’t happen until a certain conversation occurred.

Luckily, he didn’t have far to go to make the verbal exchange. The hands on the clock were dwindling down, closing in on the hour of their date. Only it was more than a date. It was his chance at having the life he’d always wanted. He couldn’t fuck it up now.

It was time to find Jonah.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

“Damn it, Theo, I wish you would have come.”

Cassie grumbled the words under her breath as she stood outside her door, fumbling with the lock and key. There was too much to carry. She realized as much when she walked onto her porch. The items she’d grabbed at the grocery store were hard enough to lug inside. That didn’t include the item awaiting her arrival.

As helpful as it would be to have him there, it wasn’t the only reason she wished he’d come. She hated leaving him at the hotel. They could have hung out before they left to meet Ally and Jonah, but the last twenty-four hours convinced her it was best they didn’t. They had to separate until evening. If not, they’d end up right where they left off.

Tonight was about her friend, not her.

A minute later, the knob twisted enough that the door opened. Once she slid around it, she closed it with her foot. A few items fell to the ground with a
thud
. Luckily, there was nothing in her bags that would break, unlike the glass vase in her hands.

She stared at the arrangement as she proceeded to the living room. Pink petals and deep green leaves filled the vase, along with a tiny card. She itched to open it and see who had sent the camellias. It was nowhere near her birthday so it couldn’t be from her parents.

The coffee table came into view as she passed through the room. The bare top provided plenty of space to set the vase. The flowers would make a great centerpiece anyway. They were beautiful.

When they were in place, she tugged the envelope off its holder. Anticipation bubbled within as she loosened the flap and slid out the card. Black font spread across the paper, forming letters and words into a short message.

I want to be your permanent weekend guy.

No name accompanied the message. Neither did any initials. The florist might know who purchased them but it didn’t guarantee they’d give her the information. Besides, it was too late to call.

Perhaps Theo sent them…

She gazed at the clock and checked the time. It was nearing the two-hour mark since she’d left his hotel room. She doubted he had enough time to order them. Aside from an occasional bathroom break, they’d barely been apart since she walked into his room last night. Besides, she’d never given him her address.

It was possible that he followed her home, or he found her info somewhere online. As far as she knew, her personal information was unlisted. Of course, it wasn’t impossible to get—for a price. Would Theo go to the trouble?

Mike wouldn’t need to. He’d been to her house before. Not long after their first hookup, he joked about being her weekend fling. The things he said and did last weekend, as well as last night, were proof that he was thinking about something more. She’d been too caught up in thoughts of Theo to realize it then.
 

Though he’d never sent her flowers before, she’d never kept her distance from him the way she had the past week. Was he getting desperate for ways to communicate?

Easing onto the sofa, she shrugged her purse straps from her shoulder and leaned into the cushions. Whether Mike sent the flowers didn’t really matter. She had to speak with him. It was time to set him straight. No matter how unsure she was about Theo, she knew for certain the casual thing with Mike was over.

Texting him as much would be the easy way out, but she wasn’t a coward. He deserved to be told to his face. Anything else seemed cruel. She didn’t hate him. He just… He wasn’t Theo.

Brushing off the thoughts, she focused on her task. She wouldn’t tell him the news over a text, but she would set up a time for them to meet. The sooner they did, the better.

Hopefully, he wouldn’t make a scene. He wouldn’t if they were in public. They could meet somewhere downtown, even outside of Midnight Blues if they had to. She would be in the general vicinity when she met Ally anyway.

Opening her purse, she grabbed her phone and removed it. The light caught on something inside, drawing her attention to the camellia hair comb. She hadn’t worn it since the prior weekend when she first ran into Theo. The next day, she was questioning the legend behind it.

As she typed a message to Mike, she gawked at the comb and cursed herself. It only took a week to fail at her mission on debunking its legend. If anything, her reaction to Theo validated it. Was it possible he was her true half?

They were a lot alike…

After she finished typing Mike’s message, she read over it once more then tapped the send button. There was no turning back now, not that she wanted to. Mike was never meant to be the permanent man in her life. She knew that going into their agreement. Why he changed his mind, she didn’t know. Probably never would.

People changed. Certain things became less important. New goals were made. It was the evolution known as life. She and Mike were among billions of people doing the same thing. Living.

Theo was a different story. He was the same guy she knew since childhood, except the passionate side of him had fully emerged. Every minute they’d spent together convinced her as much. They weren’t just living. They were hanging on a moment that could lead to forever…

As good as it all seemed, she hadn’t forgotten why this all started. She and Theo were supposed to be working on Ally and Jonah’s relationship, not one of their own.

Still, Theo was hard to resist. The way he kissed her, touched her, and savored every part of her was more than anyone had. It awoke a desire inside her that she never knew existed.

“Holy shit… It’s true,” she whispered the words as reality slammed into her, but there was little time to consider what it all meant.

The doorbell chimed throughout the house.

She shoved her phone inside her purse, covering the comb, then proceeded to the front door. Just as she gripped the handle, a familiar knock resonated. The door swung wide, then Cori brushed past her. Her sister grumbled something under her breath about being inconsiderate, along with a few obscenities. Whatever had her in a tizzy was still unclear, but judging by the way she glared in Cassie’s direction, Cori was about to unleash a full-fledged rant.

“It sure is nice to know you’re
alive
. I guess it’s okay for you to treat me like I’m still five and demand I check in, but the moment it’s required of you, it’s a different set of rules.”

Cassie closed the door before joining her sister. “What in the world are you talking about, Cori?”

“Uh, last night. I saw the whole thing, Cass. Then you were gone. I couldn’t find you. I tried calling but got your voice mail. When all else failed I went searching. I’ve been all over this damn city looking for you at places I know you frequent. I’ve been worried sick.”

Once Cori paused for a breath, Cassie motioned for her to follow. As they entered the living room, she glanced at the camellias before she responded, “You should have tried Midnight Blues. You would have found me.”

“That’s what I’m talking about. I was there.”

“When?”

“
Last night
.”

Cassie stopped short of the coffee table and faced her sister. “You were at Midnight Blues last night?”

“Are you fucking hard of hearing? I said yes.” Cori rolled her eyes but continued. “I had enough time to get a drink before I spotted you and Theo McCabe on the dance floor. I didn’t know you were into him, sis.”

Neither had she until he came back to town.

“What makes you think I’m into him? We were dancing.”

Cori’s forehead wrinkled as her brows rose. “Cass, that wasn’t dancing. You and Theo were fucking with your clothes on.”

A wave of heat washed over Cassie, making her face sting. Cori didn’t just make an opinionated observation. Her sister called her out on the truth. She and Theo may not have had sex at that point, but she sure as hell had been thinking about it.

“I saw Mike approaching, but I didn’t have time to warn you. I don’t think I could have gotten your attention anyway.”

“So you saw the argument between Theo and Mike?”

“Yes. You rushed out before I could reach you. I did my best to track you down but gave up around three a.m. Where did you go?”

“To talk to Theo.” Cassie avoided her sister as she focused on the camellias. She touched the pink petals and thought about their meaning…longing. She was in such a state. The need to be near him again was overwhelming.

Cori served as a good distraction. She plopped down in the seat across from the sofa and continued her tirade. “Did you guys talk all night, because I’ve been by here three times this morning, and you haven’t been here.”

Damn it. She did not want to have this conversation with her sister. It was bad enough that Cori made snide remarks about Theo and Jonah earlier in the week. Now she’d witnessed the chemistry between Cassie and Theo.

She would ask more questions, ones Cassie didn’t know how to answer. She hadn’t given Theo an answer on how she wanted to proceed. There was no way she could explain it to her sister.

“Yes, Cori, we stayed up late talking. I told you we’ve been devising a plan to get Ally and Jonah together.”

“Yeah… So you said before. Does this mean you guys are just messing around while he’s in town or is this a two-for-one deal? Get your best friend the guy of her dreams, get your dream guy free.”