Cash (Sexy Bastard #2) (17 page)

“You’re not going to make
this easy on me, are you?”

“Not a bit. I have your back. You
should know that, but lately you’ve been latched tighter than a
lightweight trapped against the ropes. What is going on?”

“I promise, it’s over. Can
we just forget it? It was a thing with my family, my Dad—he did
some bad shit.” I expect to have to explain more, but Ryder
cuts me off.

“Cash, we’re like brothers.
You don’t need to tell me anything you don’t want to say.
Just tell me this: do you need anything?”

“I’m
good.”

“If you do…”

“You’ll be the first person
I call.”

He offers me his hand and I take it.

“So about The Library cocktails,”
Ryder starts.

“Did I hear the word Library?”
Cassie asks, coming out of nowhere. She must have a sixth sense when
it comes to detecting business discussions.

“No,” Ryder gives me the
death stare. The one men share that says ‘you agree with what
I’m saying because otherwise I am fucked.’ I smile. This
I can play along with. It’s like we’ve fallen back into
friendlier times.

“Absolutely not,” I agree
with him. “We’d never do that on a day like today.”

“Good, because I would hate for
someone to break a certain rule and miss out on certain
privileges
.”

Yeah, man, I am going to be no help to
you on that front.

“We were actually just talking
about…” Ryder says looking at me for help.

“Knox,” I say the first
thing that comes to mind.

Cassie narrows her eyes and points her
finger at both of us. The girl’s too smart; she’s going
to see right through us both.

“This one time,” she says,
grabbing dessert from the counter. “But if I hear the name of
that bar again.” She draws her finger across her throat. Ryder
follows her out of the kitchen and I trail behind them. Cassie and
Ryder break off, heading for a more secluded spot of their own. I
stay close to the door watching Savannah chat with the girls. In the
evening air, their voices carry.

Shelby’s on a lounge chair, her
feet propped up in Ruby’s lap. Avery’s sitting on the
ground next to them, and Savannah is on her stomach on the next
lounge chair. Propped up on her elbows. From this angle, I have a
whole new appreciation for her ass. It’s perfectly framed in
her swimsuit.

“You can’t
keep holding out on us,” Shelby whines.

“Don’t tell me none of you
have ever tried Cash,” Savannah says.

“Honestly, it’d be like
dating a sibling,” Ruby says, wrinkling her nose. “He’s
one of the dime a dozen guys, right? I mean, every bar has a
manwhore.”

“Maybe that should be their next
bar name,” Avery pipes in.

“Details,” Shelby says.
“We’re living vicariously through you and your orgasms
with the sex maestro.”

“Sorry ladies,
I don’t kiss and tell.”

They’re laughing. If she was
nervous at the beginning of this party, Savannah finally seems to
have relaxed. She looks over her shoulder and meets my eye with a
smile. It may have taken a bit, but she’s finally realizing she
belongs here, too. This is home.

As if summoned by my thoughts, Savannah
breaks off from the group and comes to find me.

“Hey stranger,” she says,
walking straight past me back into the house. She pauses to give me a
hug and leans close to my ear. “I’m just going to
change.” Before I can demand more, she slips out of my hold,
throwing a come-and-get-me grin over her shoulder.

I knock on the door to the bathroom,
trying to be the gentleman my Mama raised me to be. Around Savannah,
it seems to be getting harder and harder.

“Just a second,” Savannah
calls through the door. I test the knob and find it unlocked. I’ve
been good up until this point. I shove the door open and close it
quickly behind me.

“I was wondering what took you so
long.”

“You just think you can keep me
running around?” I grin. She’s got half of her suit off,
just those little red bottoms left on, and she holds her t-shirt on
her finger and lets it drop to the floor.

“Maybe.”

“Hmm,” I say, moving to
stand behind her. My hands run over her ribs to cup her breasts. My
blood’s already beating down certain doors.

“People are downstairs,”
she reminds me as I kiss my way up her neck. She’s holding on
to me like I’m her life preserver. Sometimes, you have to just
drown.

“And there was a whole city at
the warehouse,” I say. “What’s your point?”

She tries to take control of the
situation again. I turn her around, trapping her between the sink and
my body. This way she can’t just use her hands on me as a
distraction. There’s no other place for her to look than
directly into the mirror. She tries to turn around.

“You need to learn to keep your
hands to yourself,” I say, giving her a warning smack on her
ass. She arches back against me, trying to distract me by using her
body. I comply for the moment, letting one hand trace small circles
around her breasts, plucking her nipple. She turns her head and
catches my ear, giving me a quick nip.

“I thought you liked my hands.”

All the better for me. While she’s
busy, I tug the ties of her bikini bottoms loose and the string slips
free.

She reaches behind to grab it. I grip
her wrists, wrapping the string around them. I tie it off.

“What the fuck?” she asks,
pulling playfully against the string. It’s loose enough that
she could slip free if she really wanted to. I want this tonight.

“We talked about you using
manners. If you ask nicely…” I trail my hand lazily down
her stomach and bury my fingers in her pussy. She’s soaking.
“Does this turn you on?” I run circles around her clit,
my thumb teasing that small bundle of nerves. She bites her lip to
keep from screaming.

“Yes.” Her eyes drift
close.

“No. Keep your eyes open,”
I say, pushing my fingers deeper into her. Her eyes find mine in the
mirror, her blue eyes clear.

“Please fuck me, Cash.”
There’s the girl I know.

“Not sure you deserve it,
ordering me around like that.” I bury my head in her neck and
suck. Her pulse flutters under my tongue, matching the pace of her
pussy as it clenches around my fingers.

I take my time looking Savannah over in
the mirror. Holding up my fingers, I show her how wet she is. Her
eyes darken.

She leans over, trying to brace herself
on something. Wrapping one arm around her front, I trace the other
down her back, stopping at the top of her fine, fuckable ass. I strum
her nipples. She keeps her eyes on mine as I trace a finger around
her asshole.

I rub her slit to gather her juices,
and then I press my finger into her and the tight ring of muscles
slowly accepts me. She bites her lip and I pull back.

“It’s
fine,” she says, breathless. Still, there’ll be
plenty of time for that later.

I slowly trail my hands up her sides
and palm both her breasts, rolling her nipples through my fingers.
Their dark, rosy tips turn rock hard under my attentions. Her breath
hitches, and I can feel her struggle against her bonds, her fingers
reaching for anything that might distract me.

Too bad. I have found something I like,
and I plan on enjoying it.

“Please,” she breathes.

“Please what?”

“Please fuck me.”

I take my cock out of my board shorts,
and nudge her legs apart with my feet. Thank God we had the condom
conversation earlier and got that all sorted out. I am not a bareback
type of guy, I always wrap my shit up tight. But with Savy, all I
want is to feel her delicious pussy with no barriers. She spreads
eagerly. In one smooth move I slide into her. A hand on her hip and
one on her neck, tangling in her curls, I thrust. There is nothing I
want more than to continue experimenting with Savannah.

“Fuck, you feel so good,” I
groan

She grinds back against me, not letting
her bonds get in the way of giving as much as she receives. I drink
in every moan that escapes her lips. This is fucking perfect. In the
mirror, I watch as her mind loses the fight and gives over to her
body. She doesn’t take her eyes off mine but it’s clear
I’m in charge now.

That’s my girl.

Upping the pace of my thrusts, I press
into her over and over, chasing the drug that she’s become.
It’s one that I’ll happily be addicted to. Her pussy
clenches like a silk noose around me, and I can feel it tighten one
last time as her orgasm rocks her body. Her eyes fixed on the mirror
watching exactly what I do to her. Not long after that, her pussy
milks me to one of the best orgasms I have ever had.

I untie the knot and ease Savannah’s
arms out from behind her back. I wrap my arms around her, burying my
face in her curls.

“You okay?” I ask.

“Hm-mmm,” she says, her
eyes closed. “Thank you.” I could get lost in this.
Mine
.
The thought comes out of nowhere, and I don’t know what to do
with it.

Cash

My time having Savannah all to myself
comes to an end all too quickly. It’s another work thing, and
this one couldn’t fit in my waistband. A trip—a quick
one, she promises—but it’s still taking her halfway
across the country.

It’s a surprise trip, something
to do with a promotion at work. It came out of nowhere. I know
because I was there when she got the call early one morning, and I
distracted her while she packed before driving her to the airport. I
tried to tell myself this was exactly what we needed to help slow
things down. Ease us out of this wild frenzy.

Doesn’t
matter if I can still feel her thighs squeeze my head while I lick
her to orgasm—we need a break.

I need time to think, but watching her
walk into the airport, head buried in her phone made me want to screw
being friends—even ones who fit together so well under the
sheets. She could meet someone in Los Angeles and the stars above
know she’s got some crazy five year personal plan. I was just
about ready to charge after her, when she turned at the last second
and flashed me a smile. It was worth the pissed off cop to see the
way she looked at me.

The bar is busy, but Katie is picking
things up like a natural. She’ll be more than capable of taking
over Altitude when we open The Library. Ryder and I are keeping our
understood peace treaty. There haven’t been any more almost
brawls. Jackson and Parker are taking this as the opportunity to
shove a few more details at us. Final plan sort of things. Liquor
orders. What the opening would be like. Guest lists. It goes on and
on and on. Jackson is becoming more of a workaholic than Savannah.

When this is over, we’ll all need
a long weekend by Jackson’s pool.

* * *

With Savannah out for the week, we’ve
started exchanging text messages. Pretty easy, nothing real
committal, just casual—at least, that’s what I tell
myself.

Me: How’s the weather?

Savannah: I think I like California—so
many shirtless men. So little time.

Me: Careful Savy, I don’t like
sharing.

Savannah: And what are you going to do
to me when I’m all the way out here?

Me: When you come home you’ll
find out.

Savannah: That a promise?

Me: Abso-fucking-lutely.

Savannah: And what if I decide to stay
out here with the surfers?

Me: I’ll fly out there and drag
you back.

I stop at that text. It’s meant
to be a joke, but the idea that Savannah is off finding other men
makes me want to get on a plane. What sort of business trip is this
if she has that much time to go to the beach and scope out hot guys?

Relax
I tell myself,
it’s
a joke.
I just happen to not find it very fucking funny.

The next night, I’m overseeing
Katie running the bar at Altitude when my phone goes off. I grab for
it.

Savannah: I’m coming back early.

Me: Surfers didn’t do it for you?

Savannah: I have a date with Mr.
Fuckable. It better be worth giving up my surfers.

I smile at the phone.

“Cash,” Katie yells, “You
mind mixing seven margaritas?” I get to action not giving our
‘date’ any more thought. Although I have to admit, I’m
suddenly looking forward to the weekend. Fuck this break. It’s
time to be balls deep in my girl.

My apartment has never been what I
would call spacious, but it works for me. Shuffling through more
bills, I come up with another post card from Knox—this time
Florida. We keep him updated on what we’re doing with his
money—not that much of it is his money at this point. The four
of us could buy him out, but he’s family, and opening a new
club wouldn’t be the same without him. He comes back every
other year and stays less than twelve hours before he’s on a
plane again. Whatever’s chasing him, we don’t ask. If it
ever follows him home, we’ll deal with it.

He’s our major investor and has
never made any pretenses about wanting to spend time tending the day
to day. He’s the silent partner, and for whatever reasons he
wants it to stay that way. We’ve all got secrets. If he doesn’t
push to find out mine, I’m okay letting him keep his.

I run a towel through my damp hair and
my phone goes off. I answer it without screening the call, hoping
it’s Savannah.

It’s my mother. “Cassius.”
My mother’s voice is all honey and Southern charm on the phone.
I tense. The last thing I need right now is my mother interfering
with her perceived problems.

“We’re having a family
dinner tomorrow night.” She says it like it’s a reminder.
Like I come every week. Not a demand.