DumbAtHeart.epub (7 page)

one pocket and pulled out his mobile phone. “I want to remember this forever.”

Cass stiffened when she heard the camera click several times.
What am I doing? I

just met this man yet I’m naked, dripping with his seed and letting him take pictures.

Evan pulled Cass back against him, turning her around, mobile phone in one hand

as he lay her down on the bonnet. She opened her legs automatically to him. He slid

inside her. He was still half erect and the slick wetness of his sliding into her was like

a completion of what they had just done.

“Wanna see?” He turned the mobile phone towards her.

She did but she didn’t. Herself naked on film was not on her list of things to do.

But she looked at the small screen. Her legs were spread wide and semen dripping

down her inner thighs. It was hot and sexy. Cass was surprised. “Do I really look like

that?”

“Well loved, beautiful and satisfied? Yes.” He slipped out from inside her.

Cass was speechless for a moment.
Loved Beautiful? Wow.
“I, er, guess I should

clean up and stuff. She looked around for her shorts.

Evan bent down and picked them up. “We’ll go around the back so no one sees

us.”

At the bathroom door, Cass placed her hand on his chest. “No, just me.” The

temptation of a wet, naked Evan was too much. She still had a job to do.

“Can’t trust yourself?” He grinned down at her.

“No. I can’t and I owe it to Flo and Jo to do some actual work.”
But oh, I feel

good.

“Tonight? May I?”

The ‘May I’ was sweet. “Yes.”

Evan leaned in and kissed her softly. “See ya.”

“You!” Adele spat her as Cass came out of the shower, clean and wrapped in a

towel. Her whole body tingled with the touch of Evan. She looked into the crazy eyes

of the other woman. “What?”

“You are after my man!”

“Don’t be insane.” Or maybe it was too late for Adele.

She tossed her hair. “I see the way he looks at you.”

Thank god she hadn’t seen the way Evan just fucked me. “
You’re crazy.”

“Stay away from him?”

“Or, what?” Cass didn’t have time for the amateur dramatic hour with Adele.

“You do not want to know what I can do.”

Cass rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

“I mean it.” Adele forked two fingers on her right hand and pointed to her own

eyes then to Cass’s and back again.

Flo walked in at that moment and saw it. “You got work to do Adele?” The

woman left in a loud huff. “You know she just gave you the eye. Her whole family

wanders around giving people the eye. It’s like a curse.”

“She’s nuts.”

“Yeah, most people are.” Flo looked her up and down. “What’s the deal with you

and Evan?”

“Just, er, sex.”
Probably. It’s not like anything else is going to happen…perhaps.

Cass was confused. She knew sex did not make a relationship.
But damn, it was good.

“Uh-huh.”

Cass arched one brow at the other woman. “What ‘uh-huh’?”

“Nothing.” Flo shrugged.

“I’m not going to fall in love with him or anything.”
I think. No—I can’t.

“Sure, sure.”

“Flo, I’m bad at love. I suck at it. I have a dumb heart. I fall for the wrong people.

I didn’t plan to do anything this stupid this fast with anyone.”

“Does it feel good?”

So good
. “Yes.”

“Then how is it stupid?”

“I'm not staying.” Even as she said it, Cass wondered why that sounded wrong to

her? After-sex bliss disrupting her brain waves?
Hmmm…

“How do you know that?”

“Because I didn’t plan to stay.”

Flo smiled. “Stuff happens like that, even to the dumb at heart.”

“Well, hello my pretty,” crooned a deep, husky voice.

Cass stopped in her tracks in the hall and looked up at the man blocking her path

between her room and reception at the hotel. He had curly, brown hair and big shoulders. Side stepping him was impossible without touching him and that wasn’t

something she wanted to do. Some people gave off dangerous vibes. He was one of

them. “Excuse me.”

“Any time, any place, anything you want from me I will give.”

“Uh-huh.” He was one of those men who thought he was god’s gift to

womankind and were yet to work out how unattractive that was.

He held out his hand “Murdo McConnichie at your service.”

So, this was Evan’s cousin. She wondered when they would meet. The hand that

engulfed hers was strong and calloused and holding on just a bit too long. “You need

to let go.”

“If I had seen you first you would never have looked at my cousin.”

Cass raised her brows and yanked her hand from his. “Well, too bad, so sad for

you.”

He grinned at her. “Say the word and I could be yours.”

“There is no word in any language that would make that happen.” While she

liked confidence in men, this man was slimy with it.

“You’re feisty. I like that.” He nodded in approval. “But seriously, Evan’s a great

bloke, but he’s not the ride I am.”

Ride? Not for all the money on earth.
“
But seriously
, I have work to do.”

He sighed. “As do I. A man spends a couple of days away prospecting and the

kitchen goes to hell.”

Cass doubted that as Flo and Jo were very capable people who could do just

about anything. “Prospecting?”

“There’s gold out in them there hills.” He winked at her.

“Ah, yes, the fabled Throcker gold.” Cass considered it more fable than fact and

more than likely an enjoyable event that brought people together. “Don’t you have to

wait for the annual Throcker Thrash to start?”

“Rules are for people with no imagination. The gold is out there and I mean to

take it. I’ve been searching for two years for it. That alone makes it mine.” He sounded certain of that fact.

Cass could see how Adele and he were a couple. There was a selfish, hard edge

to them that wasn’t the slightest bit appealing. “Well, good luck with that.”

Murdo leaned back against the wall and assessed her. “Evan has no ambition, you

know. He wants a simple life. There’s no fun in that. A woman with spirit like you

would get bored.”

A woman like me? Pretentious sod.
“You don’t know me or my spirit let alone

how I feel about your cousin. Besides you have a girlfriend.” And Adele could have

him. There would be no contest on that.

“Adele is an easy lay, that’s all.”

She rolled her eyes at his words. “No really, the more you speak the more I want

you—not.”

“You’ll change your mind when I strike gold.”

“I can’t be bought.” While Cass liked money because it enabled her to live her

life, she didn’t need millions of dollars to make her happy.

“Everyone can be. Besides, what have you got but for two chooks that would be

good fricasseed or maybe sauté in a nice rich curry.”

“Touch my chickens and you will die.” There was not much Cass held sacred in

life, but those she loved, feathers and all, were sacred to her.

He whistled low. “Yep, you’re feisty. Picture you and me all hot and sweaty. You

know it would be good.”

Leering, to Cass’s mind, would never be an attractive look. “I prefer Evan.”
One

hundred million times over.

“You love him?”

Er, no. Well, maybe. Possibly. Jeez. Perhaps.
“Yes.” If that’s what it took to get

him off her back.

Murdo tilted his head and considered her. “Wow, you really mean it.”

It was at the moment Evan appeared. He looked from Cass to his cousin and back

again.

“She loves you,” Murdo told him.

“I know that. And I love her, so back the hell off, cousin of mine.”

Cass was surprised at his words.
Really? Or is he just playing along to get rid of

his Neanderthal cousin?

Murdo held his hands up in surrender. “You can’t blame a man for trying to get

some action.”

“You’re
very
trying.” Cass responded over sweetly.

Murdo laughed. “Yep. Feisty. Shame.” He pushed off from the wall. “The

kitchen awaits.” He strolled off in that direction.

“Well, he’s a pig.” There was no point pretending otherwise.

“Oh, yeah.” Evan’s gaze was soft on hers.

“You know I just said what I did to get him to back off.”

Evan contemplated her for a long moment before speaking. “There’s no time

limit on falling in love, Cassie.”

The way he said her name was like a caress. She shivered. “No, but we’re not are

we?”

“Aren’t we?”

She jumped slightly. “What are you saying?’ Did Evan love her?
How do I feel

about that?

“What do you think I’m saying?”

Once, she thought she had been in love with the lying, cheating ratfink Wade.

She was no expert on the emotion. While it was true Evan was not Wade, in any way,

shape or form, she wasn’t about to stumble and fall flat on her face again over love.

“I, er—I’ve got work to do.” Work was safe. No one ever fell in love with a job.

“Come Throcker thrashing with me tomorrow, Cassie.”

The way he said it was soft and low and like he was promising her the moon and

the stars. “Maybe.”
I’m not adverse to star light
.

“Cassie?”

“Okay, I’ll be there.”
By your side, trying not to do anything dumb like fall in

love with you.

* * * * *

bed beside her. Cass woke with a shock and started to yell. A hand clapped over

mouth. A leg pinned her thighs.

“Don’t move,” he ordered.

Cass started to tremble. “But—”she mumbled underneath the fleshy barrier

against her lips. A broad, naked male torso rolled on top of her, pinning her to the

bed. She could feel every muscle, every breath the man took.

“Lie still and no one gets hurt.”

And then his hand lifted and his lips were on hers. They were firm and demanding.
Evan
. Cass reached for his shoulders, gripping them hard. Her body writhed under him as his hands started pulling at her night dress. It was thin and

flimsy and it tore easily. She gasped against his lips. Her body was bared for his

taking.
Oh, god, I want that so bad.

He lifted his mouth from hers, his fingers dropping down to her pussy, stroking

her clit. “No panties. Were you waiting for me? ”

Cass pushed at his bare shoulders. She was pinned. It was dark. She had lost all

control. “Please—” She gasped as one long finger slid inside her vagina.

“Please, what?” He growled, his finger started to move slowly in and out of her

body.

Instinct made her push down to meet each thrust. “Please stop—”

“Do you really want that? I can feel how wet and needy you are for me.”

She was. Desperately so. “Yes. Stop. Now.” She needed to catch her breath. “It

was all so fast. She’s had no time to think.
But that’s maybe what he wanted.
“Please

—”

“Really?” He nipped at her ear lobe.

She was writhing under him like a slut in heat.
What is wrong with me? I’m never

like this.
“Yes. Stop.” Her hands left his shoulders and dropped back over her head.

Cass knew she would submit to anything he wanted. They both knew it.

“Cassie?’ Evan sounded confused.

She giggled. “Take your jeans off. They’re scratchy.”

He blew out a breath. “For a moment I thought you were going to tell me to

leave.”

“Would you?” She watched, in the half light, as he got up from the bed and

started to undo his jeans.

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t have been happy.”

That was nice. He wanted her. It was a powerful feeling to know she turned this

man on. “Well, get naked and get happy with me.” She licked her lips as his dick

came into view. “Yeah, let’s get really, really happy.”

Evan laughed. His jeans hit the ground. He reached over to snap on the bedside

light. “Anything my lady wants.”

Cass lay back and enjoyed the sight before her. Evan was a beautiful, real man

with hair roughened muscles and the loveliest, erect dick she knew she would have

the pleasure of again.

“Better?” He arched one brow in amusement.

I love it. I love you
. She stiffened at the thought.
Love? Where did that come

from? This is sex, girl. Remember that. You thought you were in love before, dummy.

“Are you okay?” He sat down on the bed beside her.

“Yes.”
I think I may love you. How do you feel about that? Bizarro world
. “Get

into bed.” She scooted over slightly to accommodate his body.

“Hi,” he mounted her body. His hands cupped her breasts

Perfec
t. “Hi, yourself.” She loved the weight of him pressing down on her.

“What’s your plan here, fella?”

“I plan to fuck you. Are you on board with that?”

“You’re on board me now, so yeah.” She spread her legs, letting his body sink

down between them.

“Just like that?”

“We’re naked. We’re in bed. You’re loaded.” His dick felt full and hard against

her inner thigh. “And I’m wet…so very wet for you.” Never would she have spoken

to Wade like this but then Wade was and never could be Evan.

“You say the best things, Cassie.”