ChasingCassie (4 page)

“No, but it was your first, wasn’t it?”

“How do you know? I might have had hundreds. Had dozens of
lovers who have satisfied me in every way possible.”

He growled, jealousy surging through him. But he knew she
wasn’t telling the truth, knew there hadn’t been many men, knew there wouldn’t
be any more. Possessiveness held him in its grasp and he wasn’t tugging free.

“Technically, you may not have been a virgin, but in every
way that counts you were. I could see the truth in your eyes, a mix of
trepidation and intrigue, surprise and shyness. You’ve never experienced
anything like that before. Any lovers you had, of which I doubt there were
dozens, were hopeless cretins not worthy of you.”

“Oh, and you are?”

He gaped at her, astonished at the angry contempt evident in
the words she threw at him.

“Cassie—”

“Forget it. Look, what happened, it was nice and all that,
but it was a mistake, okay?”

He pulled up outside her house then grabbed her hand before
she could open the door and run off.

“It was not a mistake.”

“It was an easing of needs, something we both should have
resisted. You want Dusty.”

“Listen to me well, because I won’t say it again. I don’t
want Dusty. Do you really think tonight was about easing a hard-on? Do you
truly believe that I think and act with my cock?”

“Don’t most men?”

“No, they don’t. I don’t. And I certainly wouldn’t have made
love to you so vigorously or thoroughly if this was about scratching an itch.
This wasn’t just sex, not for me. I’ve been fooling myself, telling myself I
should desire Dusty. I’d told myself that for so long I’d come to believe it.
But I realize now that it wasn’t real.”

“What? You had an epiphany tonight? That’s a little bit
convenient don’t you think?”

“Not tonight. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I
just didn’t want to admit it to myself. I tried to force feelings for Dusty
that weren’t there. It wasn’t right, and it wasn’t real. Ask Dusty, she’ll tell
you she’s not interested in me.”

“So that’s why you’ve given up on her, because she doesn’t
desire you. You came after me because you knew I did.” Her voice was full of
accusation.

“No,” he bit out. He was explaining this badly. Maybe it was
time to stop talking.

“Does this feel like I want Dusty?”

Cupping her face, he pulled her toward him, taking her mouth
deeply. Grabbing her hand, he placed it over his erection. He nearly came then
and there as she caressed the hard length of his cock.

“I want you again. Once wasn’t enough. A lifetime could
never be enough. Touch me, please.”

He breathed out a sigh of relief as she shakily undid his
jeans, letting his shaft spring free. Kneeling on the seat, she turned toward
him and bent over, taking him into her mouth.

He moaned, instinctively thrusting his hips as she sucked him.
Her breasts, bared by the ripped t-shirt, taunted him. Unable to resist, he
cupped one, flicking her stiff nipple.

“Baby, that feels so good,” he groaned, his eyes drifting
shut as she cupped his balls with one hand, surrounding the base of his dick with
the other.

He rubbed his hand over her head.

“I’m not going to last long. I need you so much.”

Her movements quickened, it seemed she was determined to
push him over the edge. As the head of his cock hit the back of her throat she
swallowed and he nearly lost his mind.

“Cassie, pull back. I’m about to come.”

He tugged at her hair, giving her one final chance to
release him. The pleasure became impossible to hold back and he hit his peak,
falling over the edge into oblivion.

Shuddering, he came back to reality slowly. A lazy smile of
satisfaction crossed his face as he pulled her up into his arms and kissed her.

“God, baby. That was fantastic.”

She blushed and tried to get off his lap, but he held her
firm against his chest.

“Ask me inside,” he murmured.

She opened her mouth just as his phone went off. Her lips
slammed shut. He groaned as he pulled his cell from his pocket and saw who was
calling.

Cassie’s expression closed up. He glanced from her to his
phone. Finally he let out a frustrated noise and answered it.

“What?” he barked at Dusty before she could even speak.

“Okay, all right, I’ll be there soon.”

He hung up and looked at Cassie, who gazed back at him from
shielded eyes. He sighed at the wall she’d re-erected between them.

“Cassie—”

“That was Dusty, wasn’t it? You have to go.” Her voice was
even, no hint of emotion.

“I’ll be back.”

“Don’t bother, I know where I stand.”

He ran his hands through his hair before doing up his jeans
hurriedly. “Look, it’s not like that. It’s not a matter of choosing between the
two of you.”

“Isn’t it?”

He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. “This is pack
business, I have to go.”

“So go. I’m not stopping you.” She stared down at where his
hand held hers.

“Cassie.”

“Let me out. They need you, she needs you. I don’t.”

He had no choice but to go, he couldn’t let the pack down.
So he did, then left the car and followed her to her door. He would make sure
she was safe.

“Cassie.”

“Just go. You got what you were after. Now give me what I
want and leave me alone.”

* * * * *

Senses dulled, her head thumping, Cassie awoke with a
heartfelt moan of discontent. Sunlight, bright and cheerful, mocked her
miserable mood as she rolled over slowly. As consciousness pulled her into its
evil grip, she groaned in remembrance.

What the hell had she been thinking? Did she have no sense
of self-worth? She’d had sex with a man who lusted after another, who left her
bed to go to that other woman. To add insult to injury, his friends knew she
desired him, they’d
smelled
her arousal. By now they probably also knew
she’d given in to her urges and slept with him.

Cassie didn’t know what great sin she’d committed in another
life, but it must have been a doozy, because fate was a vindictive bitch and
she was sticking it to Cassie.

The way she’d behaved last night—that wasn’t her. She didn’t
run off in a temper. She didn’t have sex in the outdoors. She certainly didn’t
cry and yell and moan and beg.

Maybe she could lie here forever. Someday, someone would
find her mummified body. She could go down in Landon history, known forever as
the mummy girl.

Then again, maybe not, if the persistent knockers at her
front door didn’t go away.

“Go away.” She’d been trying for threatening. She managed
little more than a grumble.

“Cassie, open this door. Please.” Laney. Cassie grunted and
tugged the pillow over her head.

“Blaine, open the door before I break it down,” Dusty called
out.

Bloody werewolf would do it too.

Cassie grumbled under her breath but got up and moved to the
front door, tugging on an old, tattered dressing gown on her way.

“Blaine?” she queried, squinting as the bright sunlight
pierced her aching eyes.

“Am I close?” Dusty was alarmingly cheerful.

“No.”

“Hmm.” Dusty tapped her finger against her chin.

“What are you doing here?” Ridiculously she found herself
looking behind them, hoping to see Jay standing there. She shook her head in
self-disgust. She was acting like her mother—waiting, pining after a man.

“Can we come in?” Laney’s face was pale.

Cassie left the door open and turned away. “Not like you
couldn’t force your way in anyway.”

“Now that’s the attitude.”

“Dusty!” Cassie heard Laney scold the enforcer.

“Cassie, listen—”

She ignored Laney as she walked back to her bedroom and
hopped into bed.

“Look, I’m not in the mood for company today, okay? Do whatever
it is you came to do and then show yourselves out.” She needed to be alone, to
wallow in self-pity for a while.

“Oh goody, something around here has got to have your name
on it.” Dusty immediately left the bedroom and Cassie could hear her rummaging
around in the small living area. Nobody touched Cassie’s stuff. She’d had so
little growing up that she practically worshipped the few possessions she now
owned. But even the idea of Dusty pawing her way through her precious
belongings failed to penetrate the shield she’d erected around herself. She
felt nothing.

“Cassie, listen to me. I’m so sorry. I didn’t tell you that
stuff last night to hurt you. I told you, well, because I thought I was doing
the right thing. Jay told me it was stupid, and he’s right. He’s furious with
me—”

“Where is Jay?” Cassie interrupted her. He’d left messages
on her phone but she hadn’t bothered to listen to them. She’d unplugged the
phone after the third message. Still, part of her had been hoping he’d come
back.

“Well, he’d be here right now, but Cooper has him working on
the disturbance we had last night.”

“Right, pack business.” And pack came first.

“Someone set fires around the boundary of the estate.
Cassie, no one was laughing at you or ridiculing you, really we weren’t. We hadn’t
even spoken about it. Cassie, please.”

“Come on, Bernice, get your butt outta bed and stop moping
for Christ’s sake. The work at the store won’t get done by itself.” Obviously,
Dusty had failed in her mission to find Cassie’s real name. Cassie almost
smiled at thwarting the werewolf. She kept all her important documents in a
watertight container in the freezer. It felt nice to get something over on the
beautiful redhead.

Man, she hated Dusty right now, detested the fact that Jay
was attracted to her. That he’d left Cassie’s bed for this woman.

“I’m not coming into the shop today. Maybe next week, maybe.
Now go away, both of you.”

“Wow, way to live up to a stereotype, Bethany. I guess I was
right after all.”

“What?” Cassie turned over to look at the smug werewolf,
puzzled.

“Well, this may come as a shock, but I don’t really like
humans and I didn’t like you when I first met you.”

Cassie snorted. “Believe me, that comes as no shock.”

“I think you’re all lazy, stupid bastards with no morals,
ethics or loyalty.”

“Jeez, you gotta learn to speak your mind, Dusty,” Cassie
replied. The werewolf blithely ignored her as she searched around Cassie’s
room. Irritation stirred as she watched Dusty peer through her wardrobe.

“I mean, look at the way you treat your elderly, you
practically ignore them once you think they’ve become worthless because they
can no longer work. You give your children into the care of strangers while you
chase money so you can buy bigger TVs and cars. How can I respect any of you?”
By the end of her tirade she’d abandoned the wardrobe and moved to the drawers
beside Cassie’s bed.

“But then I started to get to know you. You work hard and
you seem loyal, as if you’ve got ethics. But now it turns out I was right,
wasn’t I? You’re moping around, feeling sorry for yourself. Sulking.”

“What right have you got to come in here and talk to me like
that?” Cassie sputtered. “Do you know how humiliating it is, knowing that
everyone could sense my arousal? That you all knew I was lusting after someone
who wanted someone else? Do you really think this is easy on me?”

Dusty peered down at her critically. “Actually, considering
you look as if you’ve developed more wrinkles around your eyes and you have a
big zit on your nose,” Cassie immediately slammed her hand over her nose,
glaring up at the gorgeous, zit-free, wrinkle-free bitch, “I’d have to say this
ain’t easy at all. So stop behaving like a twit and get over it.”

“I am
not
behaving like a twit.”

“Yeah? Coulda fooled me. No one was talking about you. Why is
this so hard for you to understand? Everyone gets aroused. Everyone gets the
hots for someone. The difference is that we can sense it. You think we haven’t
learned to tune that out? Only time I pay attention is when I want to get laid.
I certainly don’t have the time to go around yapping about everyone who gets a
hard-on for me. Shrug it off and get on with life.”

“Look, you don’t understand.” She doubted Dusty ever let
anything upset her.

“So tell me.”

“It’s embarrassing, all right? I don’t know how I can face
everyone knowing that they knew I…knowing that I slept with…” She trailed off,
unable to finish her thoughts.

“Knowing that you longed to fuck Jay and then you did?
What’s so embarrassing about that?”

“I told you that you wouldn’t understand.”

“I know you’re a private person, Cassie,” Laney interjected
gently. “I would never disrespect that. I would never talk about you behind
your back, nor let anyone else do so.” She sat on the side of the bed and took
Cassie’s free hand. “Please, Cassie. We’re friends, right? You’ve gotta trust
me.”

Cassie knew there was truth in what they were both saying.
But still, facing the others… She wished she were braver.

“How can I face Jay again after…after…?”

“After you shagged him senseless?” Dusty’s voice was as
snide as ever and Cassie glowered up at her. Dusty shrugged.

Cassie rolled her eyes. “You know, I really don’t know what
Jay sees in you.” She slammed her hand over her mouth, surprised that had
slipped out.

Dusty chuckled. “That’s it, Bev, say what you think.”

“You’re not angry about me sleeping with him?”

Dusty looked confused. “Why would I be?”

“You’re not attracted to him?” Cassie asked.

“Nah, not my type.”

Her response merely reinforced what Laney and Jay had said.
Dusty really wasn’t interested in him. Although that didn’t mean he wasn’t
interested in her. He’d told Cassie he wasn’t, but then he’d gone running the
minute the Dusty had called him.

“What will everyone think of me?”