CHAPTER 8
TATE
“Seriously?” Cassie stares at me with narrowed eyes, as if she can’t possibly fathom why I would be interested in kissing her.
“Seriously,” I say, fighting a laugh. This chick is such a confusing puzzle to me. She must know she’s gorgeous, right? Unless she’s lived her entire life without looking in a mirror or seeing herself naked, I can’t imagine she’s unaware of her appeal.
“You said you were about to … Does that mean now you’re not going to?” The groove in her forehead deepens.
“That’s up to you.” I lift a brow. “Do you want me to?”
She hesitates, and once again I’m thrown for a loop. Her friend Joy seemed real confident last weekend when she cornered me on the street and informed me that Cassie was down for a summer hookup. If I hadn’t been swamped at work, I would’ve called Cassie earlier in the week. Tonight was my first opportunity to be social. In fact, I was planning on asking her to hang out this weekend, but that was before she hesitated at the thought of kissing me.
Maybe her friend was just fucking with me.
My gaze rests on her lips. Goddamn, she’s licking them again. She has no idea what that does to me.
“Or do you want to keep dissecting the word moist?” I prompt.
She gives a weak laugh. “No. I’m sorry. I’m just … I’m not good at this stuff. Like, I’m standing here with the hottest guy I’ve ever seen and he just told me he wants to kiss me, and my first instinct is to interrogate him because I’m so awkward when it comes to—” She cuts herself off, as I’m noticing she’s prone to do when she catches herself babbling.
Then she shocks the hell out of me. On an impatient groan, she mumbles, “Screw it,” and the next thing I know, her soft lips are pressed against mine.
Christ. Yes.
My surprise quickly turns to hunger, a jolt of heat going right to my dick when Cassie’s tongue finds mine and she makes a tiny whimpering sound. Nothing gets me harder than a really good kiss. Sure, I love the feel of a woman’s mouth on my cock. The sensation of sliding in and out of a hot, tight pussy. But nothing beats a kiss. Especially one of those kisses where your mouths melt together, tongues teasing while your hands drift downward to find a firm, supple ass in your palms.
Cassie moans when I squeeze her ass over her shorts. Her lower body shifts closer, straining against my groin. She tastes like vodka and raspberries and feels like absolute heaven. I drive the kiss deeper, groaning against her lips, completely forgetting my surroundings until a voice shouts my name.
“Tate!”
Cassie and I jerk apart. I glance over my shoulder to find Mackenzie waving at me from the deck. There’s no mistaking her slight frown.
“I need your help carrying some beer cases,” she calls out.
Bullshit. Ten feet away, she’s got Jay West, a dude who can lift a mountain, not to mention her own boyfriend who works construction. And she’s targeting me for help-me-carry-something duty?
Cabot’s cockblocking me and it’s intentional.
But regardless of Mac’s motives, she’s succeeded in ruining the moment. Cassie is hastily taking a step back, shoving errant strands of hair behind her ear. Her cheeks are flushed. A moment ago, that was because she was turned on. Now it’s from her visible embarrassment that all eyes are on us.
“Uh. Yeah.” My voice sounds like gravel. I clear my throat. “Hold that thought. I’ll be back in a minute.”
As I turn away, I do some discreet rearranging beneath my shorts. Damn, that kiss got me rock hard. My pulse is still racing, too. On my way to the deck, I catch Alana watching me. I nod in greeting, and she rolls her eyes as I walk past her. It’s funny. Any other girl would probably display at least a trace of jealousy at watching a former fling make out with someone else, but Alana’s expression is wholly indifferent.
I didn’t kiss Cassie to make Alana jealous, though. It’s been a while since I met someone who makes me laugh as much as Cassie does. And she’s goddamn edible. That body does something to me. Turns me on something fierce. Alana was the furthest thing from my mind just now. The moment Cassie’s friend told me she was in the market for a summer hookup, my dick got on board faster than you can say hell yeah.
On the deck, Mackenzie fixes a bemused look on me but doesn’t speak as she gestures for me to follow her.
Annoyed, I trail after her. “What the fuck was that?”
“What?” She spares me a glance before stalking forward again, crossing the living room toward the front door.
“What do you mean, what? I was clearly indisposed,” I grouse.
“Yeah, I noticed.” Her tone is unapologetic, which confirms my suspicion she broke up that kiss on purpose. Yet I’m still oblivious as to why.
Mac and I aren’t joined at the hip or anything, but I thought we were good friends. And I’ve always thought she was cool, especially for a rich girl. Around here we call them clones, but while the women I encounter at the country club literally came off a clone conveyer belt, with their stuck-up personalities and yoga instructors on retainer, it didn’t take long to realize Mackenzie Cabot was one of a kind. I’m starting to wonder if us locals might be rushing to judgment when it comes to clones, because Cassie doesn’t fit that mold either. Her family is loaded, but she’s one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met.
It isn’t until we step into the twins’ garage that Mac makes her reasons known. “Why do you have to make a move on everything with a pulse?” she asks with a sigh.
I blink. Flabbergasted. “I don’t,” I protest.
“Bullshit. Every time a new girl comes around, it takes all of five seconds before you’re sticking your tongue down her throat.”
My surprise gives way to indignation. I don’t know where this is coming from, and I don’t like it.
“Were you trying to get Alana’s attention or something?”
“Not in the slightest,” I reply, which startles her. I roll my eyes at her reaction. “Come on, Mac. We both know Alana and I were just killing time. We were just bored.” I shrug. “I like Cassie, so I kissed her. Big deal.”
“I like Cassie too. And what if it is a big deal?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, she’s really sweet. I don’t want to see her get hurt.”
I swallow my irritation. Why must women always jump directly to the worst-case scenario? And why do they always assume one measly kiss will lead to a trip to the altar? Like, damn. Slow down, ladies. Sometimes we kiss because it feels good.
“I don’t plan on hurting her,” I answer with a frown. “I like her. And all we did was make out.”
“Then maybe you should leave it at that. Just be her friend.”
I bristle. “You in charge of my dick now, Mac?”
“No, but…” She pauses, then voices a sheepish confession. “This morning when her grandmother and I had a moment alone at the Beacon, Lydia asked me to watch out for her. I don’t know … I guess I’m a bit worried. You’re the king of hookups. Which is fine,” she adds hastily. “No judgment. That’s probably why your arrangement with Alana worked so well. Neither of you have ever been interested in relationships. But Cassie is one hundred percent girlfriend material—you get that, right? She seems a lot more serious than your usual type.”
I feel a deep groove form in my forehead. She’s not entirely wrong. Cassie is different. Sweeter, as Mac had said. And not as confident or outwardly experienced as women I’ve been with in the past.
“I just figured I’d point all this out before things out there got … un-take-back-able.”
I draw a troubled breath. The more I’m thinking with my upstairs head, the more I’m realizing Mac’s cockblocking might have been for the best.
“Unless you’re in the market for a girlfriend now, which I don’t think you are. I mean, you just spent months seeing Alana, who we both know is the safest choice for someone actively not looking to settle down. She’d be the first person to say she’s not interested in a commitment. She’s constantly referring to herself as emotionally unavailable.”
I go silent. In all honesty, I never gave much thought to why I spent so much time with Alana. But my gut tells me Mac isn’t completely off-base. For as long as I’ve known her, Alana has been aloof, untouchable. The woman locks her emotions behind a steel wall. I never had any illusions about breaking down that wall.
“Anyway, I’ll stop meddling now. But I made a promise to Lydia, and I just wanted to make sure you’re going into this with your eyes wide open.”
“Noted.”
“Okay, good.” She heads for the door, adding over her shoulder, “Oh, and I do need you to bring out a couple cases of beer.”
“Yes, Mom.”
I’m grumbling under my breath as I cross the garage toward the drinks fridge. Despite my lingering aggravation, I can’t quite bring myself to hate on Mac for interrupting. Now that the buzz is wearing off and my head is clearing, it’s easy to see the mistake I almost made.
Hooking up with Cassie is a disaster waiting to happen. First off, we’re neighbors. What if we sleep together and things go south? I’d still have to live next door to her until September, and that could get mighty awkward.
And then there’s the fact that I like her a hell of a lot. She’s fun to talk to, and I can envision us building a genuine friendship this summer. To some people that might seem more like a perk than a disadvantage, but I know how fragile male/female friendships can be. After Cooper and Heidi hooked up a couple years ago, their friendship almost didn’t recover. Yes, Alana was my friend when we started sleeping together, but like Mac said, Alana isn’t Cassie.
I’m not sure whether Cassie can keep things casual. Sure, one conversation could clear all that up—but that’s based on the assumption she’s being honest with herself. In my experience, plenty of women say they’re down for no-strings sex. And maybe they mean it in the moment. Maybe they think they’ll be okay keeping it strictly physical. But more often than not, the strings form before you can blink, and suddenly you’re accused of being a selfish prick. It’s a frequent occurrence for my more promiscuous friends, but to me it only happened once.
Last year of high school, I slept with a cute girl on the yearbook committee, not realizing that one—she was a virgin, and two—she’d had a crush on me for years. Lindsey assured me she just wanted a hookup before she left for college. Next thing I know, I have her entire friend group screaming at me in the school corridor accusing me of breaking her heart and ruining her life. To this day, I feel goddamn awful about it. I never meant to hurt Lindsey, but I’d made it clear I didn’t want a relationship.
Well, I still don’t want that relationship, and I really don’t want to hurt Cassie either.
Sometimes, having a good friend in your life is more rewarding than a few nights of hot, sweaty sex.
Except Cassie has other ideas. When I return, she’s standing by the water, her back to the fire. She hears my footsteps and turns toward me, a soft smile curving her lips.
Man, she’s pretty. She took her hair out of its ponytail, and the copper-colored strands are loose around her shoulders, once again appearing bright orange in the firelight.
“Hey,” she says.
“Hey. Sorry about that.”
“No worries.”
“So…” I step closer but maintain a few feet of distance.
She notices, because her eyes drop to the gaping space between us. “So…” she mimics. She bites her bottom lip and studies me for a moment.
Damn it. I don’t know if I should bring up the kiss and let her know it can’t happen again, or just pretend it never happened. I shove my hands in my pockets, shifting in discomfort. I’m still trying to decide what to say when Cassie beats me to it.
“Will you fling me?” she blurts out.
I blink. “Sorry, what?” I blink again. “You want me to throw you? Like, into the water?”
At that, she bursts out laughing. “No! Why would I want you to throw me into the water?”
I snicker. “I don’t know! It’s a crazy request. That’s why I clarified.”
Still giggling, she offers her own clarification. “I’m asking if you want to have a fling with me. A summer fling.”
Shit.
She went there.
And here her pal Joy thought Cassie would never have the balls to ask me.
I sort of wish she hadn’t found the courage. Because I’m about to look like a total asshole by saying no to a hookup ten minutes after I made a move on her. If that’s not liable to give a woman whiplash, I don’t know what will.
“Uh. Cass.” I scrub a hand over my forehead then drag it through my hair. I’m stalling. But that means I’m also prolonging the agony and that’s even worse. I let out a breath and say, “So, listen, I was actually just thinking that I … well, that I was sort of glad for the interruption.”
“Oh.” Her eyes instantly go shuttered, but not before I catch a flash of hurt.
“It’s good we got interrupted before things went any further, you know? I like you, and I think you’re awesome, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea for us to get involved. Like, sexually.” Christ, this is torture. “It’s better if we keep things platonic.”
“Okay.” She studies me for a moment, her expression unreadable. “Can I ask why?”
I shrug lamely. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea, especially with you being next door. I’m going to be busy this summer. I work two jobs, you know? I won’t have a lot of free time to spend with you, and even if we agreed to no expectations, that never actually pans out. This kind of arrangement always leads to conflict, and, honestly, I like you too much to screw up this friendship thing we’ve got going—”
“All right, I get it,” she cuts in. “It’s cool.”
“Are you sure?” I still can’t gauge her expression.
“Yeah, it’s fine. This town is full of suitable candidates for a fling, right?”
“Right,” I say, nodding in relief. “And you’re smoking hot. You’ll have no trouble finding someone. I can help you scope out potential candidates if you want.”
Seriously?! shouts the incredulous voice in my head.
I wish you could un-say words the way some platforms let you un-send messages, but nope. I said what I said and there’s no taking it back.
Man. I basically friend-zoned her and now I’m offering to be her wingman? Way to twist the knife in deeper. I’m a fucking asshole.
Clearly, she agrees, because she eyes me in disbelief before letting out a sarcastic laugh. “Um, yeah … I don’t know about that.” Rolling her eyes, she steps away from the water’s edge. “Come on, friend, let’s go back to the party. I desperately need another drink.”