Caught Up Page 11

  He grabbed a chair, spun it around, and straddled it. Yeah, that helped a lot. “Okay,” she said, attempting to shake off the distraction that was Jase. “Forget the competition for a minute. I don’t know how to take this any further without knowing why you two refuse to lease.”

  Jase angled his chin atop his hands. “I told you there were things going on in this county I don’t want you involved in.”

  “Such as?” Throw me a bone, Jase…

  “If I don’t want you involved, I’m not going to tell you.”

  Arrrghhhh!

  She couldn’t help the disappointed sigh. “I really need something here…”

  He reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “What do you need?”

  Despite the very pleasant shiver his touch caused, she snapped. “Damn it, don’t you understand that this is my job?” And there’s a lot more riding on this lease than you’ll ever know.

  As if he’d heard her unvoiced fear, Jase got real serious, real fast. “Give me the paperwork. I told you I’d read it.”

  Cassie let out a long breath. “Thank you.” Baby steps, Cass. Baby steps. At least he had the lease in his hand. This was progress.

  “It’s going to take me a while to read this. Will you sit with me outside so I can watch the gumbo?”

  “I’m not eating with you,” she said, standing.

  “Yeah, you are.”

  She held her tongue and followed him to the door of his camper. When he swung it open, the intoxicating aroma of shrimp, crawfish, and okra bubbling in the hanging Dutch oven above the fire pit made her stomach growl.

  “Sure you’re not eating with me?”

  She glared in response and plopped onto one of the low-slung chairs. In contrast, he sat quietly, and after a few minutes began working his bottom lip between his teeth as he squinted in the gloom. Though nothing about Jason Lucas could be described as adorable, the expression on his face as he studied the lease might come close. She’d finally caged the wild beast, if only for a moment. With as little movement as possible, she watched the remaining daylight turn to dusk and the fireflies begin twinkling among the trees lining the river.

  Could she really bring herself to have a fling as Kyle suggested? A full-out, no-strings-attached, it’s-just-about-the-chemistry fling? She studied Jase out of the corner of her eye. When his tattooed bicep flexed as he turned a stapled page, she thought maybe she could.

  He caught her staring and winked.

  Yeah, she definitely could. After the preview he’d provided last night? She’d regret it for the rest of her life if she didn’t take advantage of the opportunity. Once in a lifetime, as they say. And she knew all too well how quickly life could wither, threatening to disappear. As for the bad boy thing… Well, there was no one badder, and as she thought about their meeting, about the fight at the rigs, about the incident with Heath at Roma’s, she realized she just might be dealing with that rare and elusive creature: the bad boy with a heart of gold.

  And the lease? It would either happen or it wouldn’t. His intentions toward her obviously had nothing to do with it. And maybe he was right. Maybe she didn’t just want this. Maybe she did need this.

  Completely trashing the resolution not to distract her landowner, she stretched in the plastic chair, hands above her head, legs extended. The provocative move had an instantaneous effect. Jase tossed the papers onto the iron table, stood, and grabbed her arms before she could bring them down. Leaning over her chair, he planted a knee between her legs. The heated, head-to-toe look made her squirm again. And it wasn’t an uncomfortable squirm, more like a shoddy attempt at creating friction to ease that age-old ache between her legs.

  “Shouldn’t have done that,” he said in a husky voice, his lips a breath away.

  “Why’s that?” she whispered.

  “Because I’m not done with those papers.” He wet his lips, and she was sure her heart stopped. “Now I’m gonna have to taste this mouth before I finish.”

  He did more than taste. He threaded his fingers through her hair and kissed her with a slow burn that left her body quivering and her head spinning. As if that wasn’t a thorough enough exhibition of sexual prowess, he let his mouth linger for a few heart-stopping moments before licking up her lips, as if he hadn’t quite had enough.

  And she’d thought herself the seducer.

  Jase scooped her up and settled her on his lap when he returned to his own seat. “In case I have questions,” he said as she molded her body to his.

  A laptop lease review. This was a first. Cassie smiled a naughty smile and slid her leg up his thigh. He hissed softly, but his eyes never left the paper. He wouldn’t be able to read much longer, and while his concentration was admirable, the proximity of his body made it difficult to appreciate much else. Cassie’s hand slid down his chest, light and teasing, but with enough pressure that she noted the contours of his pecs and abs. His skin felt hard and smooth beneath his shirt. Despite the finely sculpted muscles beneath her fingers, Jase’s body didn’t scream, “I work out!” But he definitely worked, and it showed. She found the cleft at his side, and with a light finger, followed its arc toward his belt.

  He didn’t say a word, nor did his eyes leave the lease. He simply placed his hand atop hers, laced their fingers, and guided them both between his legs. Oh, God. Jase was…well endowed. It shocked her, even after the hints she’d received. His enviable girth made something inside her contract, and she wondered how tight he’d feel seated inside her. She imagined him sliding inside her and shuddered. He felt it and squeezed her hand tighter. It was both seductive and reassuring, and the whole thing was making her horny as hell.

  When he lifted his hand to flip a page, she continued on her own, exploring the territory below his belt, just…mesmerized. “Can you still see?” she whispered at his throat.

  “If you keep distracting me, you’re going to find yourself on your back in front of that fire.”

  Sounded good to her. She let him go and drew her hand to his face. Curling into him, she nuzzled into his neck and placed her leg between his once again. She’d left him throbbing there; she’d felt it, just as he must feel her quickening breath on his skin and the little jolts of electricity wherever her fingers roamed.

  “Are you trying to test my ability to process information?” he whispered, hoarse and low.

  “I like touching you.”

  “Finally admit it?”

  “Yes,” she whispered. Any louder and she might chicken out.

  “Good. I plan on doing something about that in just a few minutes.”

  She heard that promise in the depths of her swirling belly, in her heavy, tingling breasts, and without overthinking it, she leaned into his collarbone and licked his skin, up to his ear, just like she’d wanted to that night at the drill site.

  “Girl.” He shuddered out. “I’m about to sign this thing without even finishing it.”

  She went still. “Jase.”

  “What, baby?” he asked, straining his eyes in the near dark.

  “Look at me.”

  “Hold on.”

  She took his face in both hands and ripped his attention from the lease. “I know you don’t care about this lease, though I still haven’t figured out why. But I want you to know I’m not doing this so you’ll sign it.” She nodded at the paper. “You could throw that in the fire and I’d still want my hands on you. And yours on me.”

  His gaze traveled to her mouth and back up again.

  “We can still have our fling, even if—”

  “Our fling?” Setting the papers aside, he shifted her hips so she perched on his knee. “So we’re really doing this?”

  She swallowed and her heart began to pound. This was—

  A high, sweet voice rang out across the fire. “They told me, but I didn’t believe it.”

  Cassie’s head snapped up, and her eyes confirmed that pixies’ faces match their voices. Yes, pixies speak in tinkling tones to complement
their glowing skin, pert noses, sleek bobs, and compact bodies. While that might impress some, Jase—

  —nearly dumped her to the ground he stood so fast. “Is Cody okay?”

  Who the hell is Cody?

  “He’s fine. Great. In fact—”

  “Then what are you doing here?”

  “I’m here for you.” Silly. She didn’t say that, but it was there, and Jase made an irritated sound as Marian’s very own sprite worked her way around the fire ring. Cassie began to step away, but Jase sat, jerking her into the depths of his lap.

  “You’re Reid’s ex.” Daphne’s smile revealed tiny, perfect teeth. “He pointed you out to me the other night.”

  Jase’s arm slid around Cassie’s waist, possessive in its intent, and she realized she’d been clenching her jaw tight enough to chip a tooth.

  “I didn’t know you were thinking of moving on so fast,” Daphne said to Jase.

  He laughed one of those laughs with no smile behind it. “Moving on?”

  Daphne frowned. Backlit against the fire, she seemed to glow. “You don’t walk away from what we have.” Of course she glowed, and of course she’d say something all…ethereal-sounding, if somewhat generic.

  “I’m guessing you heard some rumors,” Jase said. How had Daphne not heard rumors? The entire Eagle Ford had probably heard rumors. Daphne’s face fell, and Jase squeezed Cassie’s side as he spoke to his ex. “So now you know. We done here?”

  “I’m here because I forgive you. I do. For everything.” Daphne’s too-luminous-to-be-human eyes met Cassie’s. “Even this.”

  It wasn’t the psycho ex-girlfriend performance she’d expected. But then, Cassie had never encountered such a creature, so what did she know? She did know an odd feeling was beginning to rise from her belly.

  “Forgive me?” Jase snorted then caught himself before asking in all seriousness, “Are you high?”

  Daphne shook her head. “I’ve made my mistakes, too, but I’m willing to put it behind us. We—”

  “We? We’re done, Daphne.” Jase stared straight ahead now, unwilling to meet the woman’s beautiful, pitiful smile. And Cassie didn’t blame him. It was surreal, and Daphne’s calm made Cassie highly uncomfortable. She’d gone from shocked to angry to empathetic to suspicious all in under a minute and a half while Daphne remained the poster child for composure.

  “But we were meant to be together,” Daphne whispered. It was straight out of Fairy Tale 101 again, and when Daphne knelt in front of them, Cassie shrunk into Jase’s embrace, wary. “And I’m willing to do what I have to for our future.” The woman placed her hand on Jase’s arm. “For our family.”

  Whoa.

  Jase jumped up, and Cassie would have spilled from his lap—again—expect for his tight arm around her waist this time. “Our family? Are you serious, Daphne?” He stared at the woman for a long time before shaking his head. “How is he?” he asked, his voice softening.

  Cassie’s feet scrabbled for purchase, and her brain struggled to follow suit. A family? Jase had a family?

  “Oh, he’s good.” Daphne smiled. But that smile didn’t quite reach her eyes this time. “Well, as good as he can be without a daddy.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Jase said, his voice a low rumble. “Except for the daddy part.”

  Cassie’s heart thudded in her chest. He just denied his own flesh and blood.

  Before she could gather her thoughts enough to disentangle herself from the father of the year, Daphne’s little fingers brushed down Cassie’s arm. What the fuck? Why was this woman touching her? And so lightly? It was beyond creepy, and Cassie went rigid with alarm as Daphne spoke. “I’m sorry for the way my friends behaved the other night, but this has been hard on everybody.” Daphne glanced at Jase then back to Cassie. “The breakup of a family always takes its toll on those who least deserve it. Like you. You seem like a nice person, but I have to do this. There’s a child involved. I’m sure you understand.”

  A family. A child. Cody. Right. Cassie’s legs started moving, but Jase yanked her back, close to his side. “Don’t talk to her,” he growled into her ear.

  Cassie was sure she was doing a pretty good gasping fish impression—her lips moving but nothing coming out. And the look on Daphne’s face should have been angry, defensive, jealous, too. Cassie would have been all those things. Not Daphne. What Cassie saw in that heart-shaped face, in those big green anime eyes, while pleading, desperate even, conveyed forgiveness, understanding. And it threw her for a loop. Maybe Daphne was doped up on fairy dust because Cassie couldn’t imagine any other explanation for her strange behavior.

  “Walk away.” Jase said it patiently but emphatically, almost like giving instructions. “Go back to your son and stop chasing shit that ain’t yours anymore.” He grabbed Cassie’s hand and dragged her toward the camper.

  “He misses you,” Daphne called.

  Jase’s hand tensed.

  “He wants to know when he’s going to see you again.”

  Jase pushed her up the stairs in front of him.

  “Cassie, right?”

  She froze.

  “I hope you can work things out with Reid. Everyone deserves a second chance.”

  Cassie stared, openmouthed, ashamed of herself for thinking she could go down this road unscathed. Jason Lucas might have a lot of attractive qualities but there were messy things she didn’t know about him, as Daphne had so politely illustrated.

  Cassie did know one thing with certainty. Family drama? No way was she getting involved in that. Oh, and forget that “bad boy with a heart of gold” thing. This guy was a straight-up dick.

  …

  Jase swung the door open, herded Cassie inside, and slammed the door shut. “I’m so sorry,” he said, running a hand through his hair.

  “Are you married?” she asked.

  “Hell, no.”

  Cassie shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I should go.”

  “It doesn’t matter? You’re going to tell me that after you just had your hand all over my dick?”

  “That was before,” she croaked out.

  “Before what?”

  She didn’t answer, and they faced off in the center of the living room. If the eyes were the windows to the soul, Cassie had her shades drawn tight. He couldn’t get a read on her. He did observe her pulse jumping just below her delicate jaw, and he stared at it, thinking how closely it matched the rhythm of his own thumping heart. The encounter with Daphne had shaken him more than he’d realized. And now, standing before the one woman who’d captured his attention since Daphne messed up his already messed-up life, he knew the fragile trust he’d built over the last few days had been shattered. And he wasn’t sure how to repair it. “Before what, Cassie?”

  “Whatever this is between us…” She paused. “It doesn’t matter because I’m not getting involved. You have a family. A son.”

  Cody. He’d address that later, when she wasn’t trembling. If he went there now he’d probably start shaking, too. “As for my ‘family’…” That part would be laughable if it wasn’t so fucked up. “If you’re referring to Daphne,” he said, stalking closer before Cassie could lay another brick in the wall she was building. “Just know she’s never getting me back.”

  “But—”

  “I’ve never been married,” he continued, shushing her. And as he closed in on Cassie, all the reasons why he’d never been married settled around his shoulders like a leaden cloak. Daphne’s visit had just been a glaring reminder of the impossibility of tying his life to someone else’s. Safety, security, normalcy. Hell, he’d never had those things for himself, much less been able to offer them to another. And yet, here he was, still chasing, still feeding his ego because…because, “I want this. With you. Call it whatever you want but—”

  Cassie threw her palms up in a classic defense pose. “This is crazy. It really is. We’ve known each other…what? A week?”

  He went after her so fiercely, she was forced to take
a retreating step. “And we’ve seen each other almost every day since. That’s more than enough time to know whether you want to sleep with someone. Hell, I knew it the day I met you.”

  Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink, and he realized she’d liked it, his admission. “I wanted you then, and I want you now. I want to take your clothes off and feel your skin against mine. I want to make you shake and moan and know that I did that to you. And I want to know you want that, too.” As if that would be enough. He’d crossed the line he’d drawn for himself, and retreat just wasn’t an option at this point.

  She dropped her gaze and shook her head, settling that honey hair around her flaming cheeks. “There are things you don’t know about me, either.”

  And there were barracks full of things she’d never know about him, not if he could help it. “I know enough,” he said, and narrowed his eyes. “But I do want to know who Reid is.”

  Just the sound of the man’s name summoned a dark jealousy he’d first felt when Cassie flinched at Daphne’s comment. Everyone deserves a second chance. He’d given Daphne ten of those and wasted years of his life, ultimately reaping a rucksack of grief he still had a hard time shouldering. And what burdens did Cassie carry? He had the strange, sudden urge to find out, no matter how heavy they might be.

  She dropped her hands and let out a loud breath, blowing her bangs in that way his body so welcomed. “Reid’s my ex-boyfriend. We broke up over a year ago, and I have no idea why Daphne made it sound any different.”

  He wanted to know more, but didn’t push. After all, Reid hadn’t showed up begging her to return to their “family.” “That’s what Daphne does,” he said. “She takes things and makes them into something they aren’t.”

  “I don’t care,” Cassie said. “I can’t do this.” And she began backing towards the table and her purse. “I thought I could, but I can’t.”

  “Cassie—”

  “Please, Jase. I’ve been trying to convince myself this was okay, and I was doing a pretty good job of it. But it’s not.” Her butt hit the edge of the table. “It’s not okay.”

  Nowhere to run, baby.

  “Everything was fine until Daphne showed up. She won’t do that again.”