The Forgotten Night (3 page)

“Where is he?” she asked, needing no clarification. Andrew was the only reason Brian would seek her out.

“He’s outside with the rest of the guys, he’s starting to get—”

“All right, I’m coming,” she said then turned to her father. “Daddy—”

“Go, sweetheart. I’ll see you later at home. I assume you will be leaving after you help Andrew upstairs?”

Cassidy nodded then turned to follow Brian outside. Cassidy loved her father, she truly was daddy’s little girl. She was the only child in her family and her father spoiled her horribly.

“It’s only midnight, what were you guys doing?” Cassidy asked. Usually she wouldn’t help Andrew upstairs until the early hours of the morning.

“Just Kings, several rounds,” Brian said, sliding the kitchen door open to reveal the guys sitting around a table on the deck.

“But…how…”

“We didn’t play with beer, uh, we used vodka, and Drew just happened to draw the last King every round, among other things.”

“You know he can’t handle—”

“Cassie!” Andrew called from the table. “There you are!”

Cassidy shook her head then advanced toward him. “Come on, I have to get you upstairs.”

“Aw, no. Play with us. One round,” he slurred.

“You can’t even speak without slurring.”

“One round, then we can go,” he said, picking up a bottle off the table.

“Andrew Eugene Winbright, put the bottle down now!” she said sternly, and somewhat to her surprise, Andrew listened. “Good, now get up, I’m taking you upstairs.”

“Sorry, guys, the woman said no,” Andrew said, pushing his chair back.

The guys tried to hold in their laughter as Andrew stumbled to his feet.

“Come on, hot shot, let’s go,” Cassidy said, wrapping an arm around Andrew’s waist as he draped an arm around her shoulders. Slowly and rather clumsily, Cassidy helped Andrew into the kitchen and up the back stairs. “You know you can’t handle vodka, Andy.”

“It was not that much,” he said as she practically pulled him up each step.

“God, would it be too much to ask that maybe one of these years you wouldn’t get drunk?”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“Cassidy, Drew!” With an irritated sigh, Cassidy stopped and pushed Andrew toward the wall to rest.

“What do you want, Ashley?” she asked.

“It just looks like you could use some help. I can take one side—”

“I don’t need your help, Ashley,” Andrew said seriously.

“You’re drunk, Drew,” Ashley said with a laugh. “You don’t know what you want.”

“You’re just jealous, get a clue. I don’t want you. I don’t need you. You’ll never be who I want. You’ll never be as good as her,” Drew told her belligerently.

Ashley huffed in anger and stalked off.

“Come on, help me to my room,” Drew muttered.

Cassidy took her position once more, trying to figure out what he’d meant. They reached his door and Cassidy pushed it open and helped Andrew sit down on the small sofa that was situated to one side of the large room.

“Let’s get you out of this suit. Your parents will kill you if you ruin it.”

“It’s not like we don’t have money to buy another,” Andrew said as Cassidy helped him take off his jacket.

She walked across the room to his large walk-in closet, almost like the one in her room at home, only slightly smaller and not as many drawers and racks for shoes and other accessories. She took a hanger off the rack and hung the jacket up with his other nice suits.

Cassidy walked back out and found Andrew still sitting where she had left him. She sat down in front of him on the small coffee table situated in front of the couch and helped him take off his shoes. “Andy, can I ask you something?”

“Anything, Cassie,” he said and she noted he had stopped slurring.

“Why me? I mean, why do you only want me to help you?” she asked as she slipped the other shoe off and set them to the side.

Andrew paused then took Cassidy’s hands in his. “Do you know what I thought when I rescued you from the pool when we first met?”

Cassidy shook her head, wondering what that had to do with anything.

“I wondered how someone who stood three feet taller than the height of the water could be so stupid as to drown in the kiddy pool—”

“How is this relevant?” Cassie cried indignantly. “And I resent that! You know that Danny Watts punched me for stealing his ball—”

“Just let me finish,” he said, putting his hand up to her mouth to stop her from speaking. “But then when I pulled you out and looked into your eyes…I mean, after all the coughing…”

Cassidy pushed him lightly on the arm.

“Okay, okay.” He laughed slightly. “When I looked into your eyes, I knew. You had such an effect on me, Cassie. You still do. So you want to know the reason why I only want you to help me? It’s the same reason I come and visit you and Rach so often at NYU. I want to be close to you.” Cassidy tried to speak but Andrew cut her off. “No, I have to tell you this or I will never strum up enough courage—”

“I think you mean drum,” she said, her heart racing.

“I will never
drum
up enough courage. Cassie, ever since I first laid eyes on you, I knew I could never live without you in my life. I know it sounds crazy. I mean I was only twelve and you ten, but it was as true then as it is tonight. I love you, Cassie,” he said, looking down at her. “Are you going to say anything?”

“I—I love you too,” she said, and a smile crept on his face at her words. “And it doesn’t sound crazy, because I’ve known since that day too.”

Andrew cupped her face with his hands and wiped her sudden happy surge of tears away, then leaned forward. Cassidy’s breath caught in her throat when Andrew’s lips were inches from her own. Andrew smiled slightly then closed the space between them and kissed her.

Cassidy had thought a lot about what it would be like to kiss Andrew, and her fantasies were nowhere near as wonderful as the actual thing. Andrew captured her lips with his and bestowed soft tantalizing kisses that left Cassidy wanting more. She hadn’t realized there were so many different ways to kiss a person. She had never really kissed or been kissed by anyone, for that matter. She was always so focused on school and no one ever seemed as appealing as Andrew.

He moved his hands down to rest on her hips as she wrapped hers around his neck, playing with his hair. She wanted more, no, she demanded more. Cassidy opened her lips slightly, and Andrew followed suit. Andrew ran his tongue across her bottom lip, and she made a noise halfway between a moan and gasp. He smiled against her lips as he continued to trace her mouth. Cassidy moved her hands to grasp the front of his shirt and pulled him toward her. Andrew held her tighter and deepened the kiss.

Cassidy was the first one to pull away, her breathing was heavy and she could feel Andrew’s labored breaths tickling her face as he rested his forehead on hers. “Wow, that was—”

Andrew chuckled. “Yeah, it was.”

“You need to sleep, you’re still drunk,” Cassidy said softly.

“I’m not drunk, Cassie. You don’t realize the power your kiss has, the power your touch has over me.”

Cassidy smiled and pulled away from his grasp. She stood up and held out her hands to help Andrew up. “That still doesn’t change the fact that you need sleep. You will have a killer headache in the morning.”

Andrew placed his hands in hers and stood up with her help. He wrapped his arms around her waist. “You’re beautiful, Cassie. Did I tell you that tonight?”

She shook her head and started playing with his hair again.

“You keep doing that, and I’m going to lose any self-control that I might have right now,” Andrew threatened.

“Oh, really?” Cassidy brushed her lips across his.

Andrew could only make a neutral ‘mmm’ as he deepened their kiss. He ran his hands down her back and rested them on her hips. “I’m serious, Cassie,” Andrew murmured against her lips.

“You don’t see me complaining, do you?” she asked before he kissed her lips.

Andrew moved to kiss her jaw and down to her neck. Cassidy moaned and tilted her head back as he kissed her neck, moving back up to reclaim her lips. Cassidy slid her hands down his chest, and he tensed at her touch.

“You’re killing me, Cassie,” he said, resting his forehead on hers.

“Now I don’t want that.” She smiled coyly.

“What do you want?” he asked huskily as she continued to trace lines on his chest.

Cassidy looked up and noticed his deep blue eyes had turned a shade darker. “You,” she said softly, not even sure she said it herself, until Andrew’s lips crushed hers, showing her just how much he wanted her, needed her.

She grasped the front of his shirt as he continued to kiss her, running his hands up and down her sides. Slowly she pulled out his tucked-in white dress shirt. She started at the bottom and slowly worked her way up, unbuttoning as she went. Andrew removed his hands from her hips for only a moment while he shrugged his shirt off. Cassidy lifted his undershirt to feel his bare chest and Andrew complied, breaking the kiss to pull it off. After he had discarded it, he passionately kissed her. Cassidy let her hands roam his chest and stomach, satisfied in knowing her touch had such an effect on him.

Andrew again began to kiss her jaw and moved down her neck to her shoulders. He moved his hands to her back and found the zipper at the top of her dress. Slowly he drew the zipper down, brushing his fingertips down her back. Once she was completely unzipped, he pushed the dress down so it pooled at her feet in a puddle on the floor. She gasped as the air hit her naked skin.

“Now this just doesn’t seem fair, you still have your pants,” she said while Andrew raked his gaze over her body. She fought the urge to cover herself, but the appreciation in his eyes gave her courage.

“You’re completely right,” he said, capturing her lips as he fumbled with his belt.

Cassidy steadied his hands and slowly and rather tantalizingly undid his belt and unbuttoned his suit pants. Slowly she unzipped the pants and pushed them down so they, like her dress, fell to the floor around his legs. Cassidy broke from their kiss and looked down at Andrew.

“Like what you see?” Andrew asked with a smile on his face.

“Mmm, and you?”

“Baby, everything about you is perfect,” he said, scooping her up in his arms.

Andrew had taken her by surprise and Cassidy squealed. It took him three large steps to reach the bed and he successfully managed to place her there without any stumbling. She really thought he was sobering up. Maybe her touch really did have an effect on him.

Andrew positioned himself on top of her, straddling her for better leverage. He bent down and kissed her fiercely as Cassidy wrapped her arms around his neck. Slowly he moved down the line of her jaw and down her neck.

“I think it’s time we discard this,” he said, reaching behind her and unsnapping her bra. He threw it on the floor and gazed at her bare breasts. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“Like what you see?” she asked, her own lips curling into a smile.

Without saying anything further, Andrew bent down and kissed the valley between her breasts then moved to capture one in his mouth. Cassidy gasped at the sensation, something she could get used to. As he sucked and played with her nipple, he massaged the other with his free hand. Cassidy arched her back and moaned, gripping his shoulders tightly.

Andrew’s free hand moved to roam over her stomach, and Cassidy’s muscles tightened at his touch. He fingered the elastic of her panties and slowly pushed them down. Andrew looked up at her as he ran his hand up her leg. Cassidy gasped as his finger slid into her. Her eyes closed, and she arched into his touch.

“Andy.” It came out as barely a whisper but it obviously fueled him. He moved his hand in and out of her, one finger then two. She felt the sensations, the desires rising inside. “Andy!” she cried out as the wave came crashing down on her.

Andrew let her ride it out as he slowed his movements until she lay gasping underneath him. When she opened her eyes, he was smiling down at her.

“God Andy…”

“You like that, baby?” he asked, shedding his own boxers.

Cassidy looked down at him and the full realization of what they were about to do dawned on her.

“What’s wrong, Cassie?”

“Um, Andy…I—I haven’t…you are—”

“I’m your first?” he asked softly.

Cassidy nodded, closing her eyes in embarrassment.

“Hey, Cassie, don’t be embarrassed,” he said, caressing her cheek.

“How can I not? You have probably slept with loads of women,” she said, opening her eyes to look at him.

Andrew smiled down at her.

“Why are you smiling? There is nothing funny about this.”

“Yes, there is, just because you don’t know—”

“Know what?”

“Cassie, I haven’t been with anyone since the beginning of my senior year.”

“Of high school?”

“God no,” he said.

Cassidy pushed Andrew off her, but before she could get up he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Let me go,” she protested.

“Not until you hear me out.”

“Fine.”

“Senior year of college. I have been with some women, but that was because I thought what I felt for you was nothing but a stupid school-boy crush, that I would get over it if I found that special person, but I never did. I realized that the only person I would be happy with would be you, Cassie. I love you,” he said, looking her in the eyes.

“I love you too,” she admitted, placated by his sweet words.

Andrew bent down and grazed her lips with his. When they parted, Cassidy gasped.

“What is it now?” Andrew asked.

“Do you think they can hear us?” she asked, referring to the guests downstairs.

“No, we can’t hear them, can we?” he asked, absentmindedly, tracing circles on her stomach.

Cassidy closed her eyes at his touch and sighed in response.

Andrew smiled and positioned himself back over her. “Are you ready?” he asked as she opened her eyes.

She smiled up at him and nodded.

“Cassie, you know I would never hurt you, right?”

She nodded again. She knew what was coming; she wasn’t born yesterday. She knew it would hurt, but knew it would be worth all the pain.