Page 41 of Hounds Ascend
Cass’s hands begin at my stomach, scrubbing the mess from my delicate skin before he lathers them again and begins working his way up my front. I know I can’t handle any more of what had just happened tonight and when it doesn’t turn sexual so much as it is sensual, I relax and let him bathe almost every inch of me.
When he’s done, he bathes himself while I rinse off. He leads me out of the shower and wraps the towel around me while he rummages through the cabinet for another one. I dry off and a wicked look dances in my eyes.
“What are you scheming over there?” he asks with a smile.
“Wanna get me wet again?” I wiggle my brows at him, waiting for him to take the bait.
“Hmmm when you talk like that, I just might.”
“Then, catch me!” I exclaim and bolt into the bedroom.
Just as he comes through the opening, I fling open the glass door and dive into the pool that’s thirty feet outside of our door, Cass right behind me. I sink to the bottom, using my feet to propel me upward just as I hear Cass hit the water. The water is warm, making the air that much colder when my head pops up through the surface. Cass comes splashing through the surface seconds after me, his arms gripping my waist on the way up.
“It’s so much colder now that we’re in here,” I say, kicking to keep my head above water.
“It’s gonna be cold as fuck when we go back inside, you know that right?”
“I may or may not have not thought this through very well.” I shrug my shoulders and lunge at Cass, my hands on his shoulders pushing as hard as I can to get him to go under. I catch him off guard and his head disappears under the water easily.
With a satisfied “hmmph,” I swim a few feet away just as his head pops up.
“Oh, it’s on now!”
Cass darts toward me, diving under the water as he approaches. I swim as fast as I can to the other end, where it’s shallow and my feet can touch, but Cass is a little bit faster. His arms hook around my waist and jerk me under with him. I’m giggling underwater, trying to remember not to suck in air, only exhale. I’m running out of air quickly though, so I shoot to the surface again.
“Gotcha,” Cass whispers, his lips a hairsbreadth away from my ear.
My head rests on his shoulder and I inhale a long, deep breath and release it on a sigh.
“You do have me. In every way possible,” I whisper, staring at the star splattered sky.
The only indication he heard me speak is the squeeze he gives me.
“You ready to get out? We have a brand new bed that’s already learned my name and is calling for me.”
“It’s gonna be cold!” I shriek, rubbing my arms at the thought.
“Not if we run fast.”
I give him a side eyed glance before I swim toward the concrete steps that lead out of the pool with Cass hot on my heels. We both take off running for the double doors, somehow managing not to bust our asses. Cass grabs the towels from earlier and wraps one around me before he dries himself off. We curl up beneath the heavy, comfortable blanket, a tangled mess of arms and legs. We lie there facing one another until I bury my face into the center of his chest. I breathe in the scent of him mixed with saltwater from the pool, committing it to memory.
Tonight is the first night of many that I don’t want to forget in our new home. The new house that he had bought for me. For us. I sigh into him, and my entire body relaxes.
“What is it, baby?” he asks, stroking my back lightly with his fingertips.
“I’m just happy. I’m finally…happy,” I breathe.
***
When the sun breaks through the windows the next morning, I shield my still closed eyes from the bright rays. In my distorted state of half-awake and half asleep, I instinctively reach out and my hand lands on an empty bed. I sit upright, looking around the room. It takes me a second to remember where I am, and where Cass isn’t.
I rub my face, trying to wipe the sleep from my eyes and the fog from my brain. I grab the clothes that are waiting for me in the bathroom. While I’m in here, I brush my teeth and splash cool water on my face.Thatdefinitely helps wake me up a bit more. Once I feel human, I go in search of Cass throughout the house. It isn’t like there’s anything for him to do since none of our things are here. After coming up empty in the living room, I hear rustling in the kitchen.
Cass is standing at the stove with his back to me, cooking. He’s wearing his black HFFH cap turned backwards, a black, slim fitting t-shirt, and a pair of blue jeans that hug his large, toned thighs. There are grocery store bags strung out on the island and the smell of scrambled eggs has my stomach rumbling. I can hear the soft sound of music playing from his phone as he works his magic on the stovetop.
His hips sway back and forth, completely unaware that he’s not alone. I decide not to ruin the show I’m getting as I watch the way his hips move, and I imagine them moving just like thatwithout clothes and on top of me. I sneak up behind him, my arms sliding around his waist. Cass runs a hand over my arm and lifts my hand to his lips, placing a kiss there and continuing to sway with me.
“Good morning,” I whisper.
