Page 69 of Most Likely to Fear Love

I caught her wrist, bringing her hand to my lips. “This was about you, darlin’. Don’t worry about me.”

She frowned, a stubborn set to her jaw that I hadn’t seen before. “But that’s not fair.”

“Believe me, I’m perfectly happy. And I’ve got more work to do. But you can kiss me before I get back to it.”

Cassidy leaned in and kissed me. It was soft at first, almost tentative, but quickly grew heated. I pushed her off my lap, steadying her as I got to my feet.

“Heeeey!”

“I know what you’re doing,” I chuckled. “Save it for later on tonight.”

CASSIDY

The hairbrush clattered into the sink for the third time, and I muttered a curse, fishing it out again. My fingers just wouldn’t cooperate, still trembling from... everything. From this morning. From the way Harle had looked at me, the things he’d made me do while he watched. The memory alone had heat crawling up my neck and my pulse quickening.

I sighed, smoothing a few stray strands back before reaching for my makeup bag.

I wasn’t planning on doing much. Just a little mascara, some concealer to hide the blush that seemed to be a permanent fixture on my cheeks lately, and a swipe of lip balm.

After finishing up, I took a step back and looked myself over. The reflection that stared back at me didn’t look half bad.

I wore a denim skirt that was long enough that, if I had to bend over for any reason, no one could see that I wasn’t wearing underwear. I’d paired it with a black tank top and a cardigan. It wouldn’t matter how hot it got in the kitchen, there was no way I was taking this cardigan off. No way I would let everyone know there was no bra on underneath it.

“Okay, Cassidy,” I whispered to myself. “You’ve got this.”I slipped out of the bathroom and headed towards the kitchen.It was strange how different I felt in his space. There was something about him that made me feel safe, but also exposed, like he could see every part of me, even the parts I wasn’t ready to face.

Harle was sitting at the dining table, scrolling on his phone. He looked up when he heard me enter. “Come over here.”

My pulse leapt at the tone in his voice and I did as I was told. With his hands on my hips, he pulled me so that I was standing between his feet. Then he pushed my cardigan open and ran the tips of his fingers over my collar bones. Oh fuck, why did that have heat rushing to my core?

Trailing his fingers down, he lightly skimmed my breasts with just the tips of his fingers, before cupping them and rubbing at my nipples. His lips quirked when I gasped.

With his eyes locked on mine, his hands moved lower, over my stomach, my hips then around to my ass. From there, his palms skimmed the back of my thighs, down to my knees, then back up, pushing under my skirt and over my bare ass. My core throbbed and my breathing was ragged.

“You are a very good girl, aren’t you?”

The penny dropped. “You’re just…you’re just checking that I’m not wearing underwear?”

“Of course.” His voice was pure sin, even as his hands withdrew.

And here I was thinking we were about to fuck and being so turned on, I was melting.

He stood, towering over me. “You good to go?”

Well, two could play at that game. Straightening my shoulders and adjusting my cardigan, I said, “Sure.” Then, knowing he was watching me, I walked to the front door and bending over, slipped my sandals on. A quick glance over myshoulder had me stifling a laugh. He was doing his level best to look up my skirt and when he realized he couldn’t, his eyes met mine.

“Playing with fire there, aren’t you, darlin’?”

My only reply was a saucy smile as I pulled the front door open.

During the quiet drive, I watched fields blur past, my emotions swirling between anticipation and curiosity. Harle seemed at ease, steering with one hand while the other rested on the console, like this was routine for him.

After a few minutes, he spoke, his voice cutting through the silence. “You ever done anything like this before?”

I shook my head. “No. I mean, I’ve volunteered at some events back in college, but nothing like this.” I paused, chewing my lip. “What made you want to start coming here?”

He shrugged, his eyes on the road. “I’m, uh, I’m balancing the ledger, I guess you could say.”

My brain fired with a hundred questions. Balancing the ledger? Like he’d done something he needed to atone for? Was that what he meant? I opened my mouth to ask exactly that, but then I looked at his face. Guarded. Stony. Absolutely not inviting questions. Okay then.

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