Letting Go of You (Anchored Hearts #2) (3 page)

“Nothing, I just love when you treat me like a ragdoll.” 

He smacked my ass and squeezed it tight before sliding me down his front until my feet touched the floor.  I went to wrap my arms around him when he pushed me back and I fell on top of the bed.  The look in his eyes radiated trouble for me.  Good, hard, hot trouble.  I was going to be sore tomorrow.

He began unlacing my boots before tossing them aside.  His hands
and mouth slowly worked up my legs, and I let out a startled gasp when he ripped the fishnets and thong from my wanton body. 

“Roll over.”

I did his bidding without hesitation as his teeth grabbed onto the flesh of my ass.  His hands were digging in, causing me to grip the bedding and bury my face.  His mouth covered every inch of my ass as he bit, licked and sucked on me.  I felt him rise and pull my hips up slightly as he wedged his thigh between my legs.  There was no thought involved as I rubbed myself on his clothed leg.

“Stop moving.”  I whimpered, but did as he asked and h
e pressed into me a little more once I ceased movement.  “I can’t decide if I want it on or off.”

I felt his fingertips tug on the tie of my corset and he began pulling it loose.  I longed for him to be naked and inside me.  It was then he began
to lick up my spine, causing tremors to ripple across my body.  The scruff on his face tickled and poked my skin.  It was a better feeling than any feather he could use.  He began sucking on the nape of my neck before his hot breath ran over my ear.

“I’m going to tie you up now and fuck you hard, just the way you like it.”  I swear I almost came right then and there.

When I did come, my arms were strapped to the bed above my head and my legs were wrapped tight around him.  I came moaning into his mouth as his hips tightened against me.  I felt him flood into me before my body relaxed against the bed.

Once James regained himself, his hands moved to my wrists before he began rubbing his hands up and down my arms.  His touch caused small tremors to run through me; my nerves still on high alert.  He continued to massage my entire body down to my toes before he moved to untie me.

“I wish I had my camera.”  I moaned quietly, unable to open my eyes to find him.  His hand traced my cheek as he said, “You’re so beautiful.  Tied up, fucked into submission and you couldn’t look more sated.”  I tried turning to him as my eyes fluttered.  “Shh, go to sleep.  I’ll be right here.”

Cassidy handled everything like a pro, as usual, and me being the sadistic prick that I was known to be, led her to the most intense scenes first.  I was all about the shock and awe
and figured I might as well get it over with.  I could immediately tell when she was uncomfortable.  She would take in the scene in front of her and squeeze my hand tighter.  When she was turned on, whether she was aware of it or not, she would press her body to mine while my arms circled her shoulders.  Her touch would become lighter and her breathing faster.

She was now sleeping next to me as we nestled under the dark satin bedding.  My nightmares had greatly subsided since I’d been with her.  I actually managed to get some sleep when I was with her. 
Besides the Dan issue and my mother’s illness, life was better than I could’ve dreamed.  Cassidy brought a type of happiness down on me that I never thought possible.  Not that I wasn’t happy before.  I was.  Or so I thought.  She filled me up, consumed my thoughts, my heart and my soul.  She made me feel worthy of love, something I didn’t think I’d ever find, let alone deserved.  I didn’t deserve her.

“I love you, always, only and forever you, Cassidy.”  She murmured incoherently and curled up to me closer as I tightened my hold on her.

C
hapter
3
~
S
nowball

~ JAMES ~

The next weekend we were headed to meet Cal and Jane at another tree lot.  The girls both wanted Christmas trees and who were we to say no?  We pulled in and Cassidy spotted Cal’s truck and I pulled in next to it.  Cassidy looked adorable in her winter coat, gloves, scarf and hat.

She started to climb out of my truck before I snatched her back to me.  “Behave Blackbird or I might have my way with you in the snow.”  Smiling, she pressed her lips to mine.

“Be careful Mr. Benedict or I might have my way with
you
.”  She bit my lip before escaping my arms and jumping out of the truck.

When I got out and reached the back end Cal reached his hand out to me saying, “
Hey man, how you doing?” 

“I think we’ve been played by our ladies.”

“I think you’re right, James.”

Cassidy and Jane shared a laugh, but I had to admit that it was nice to have another low key couple to hang with.  Delaney and Smith were always an option, but Delaney was quite a partyer and always on the go. 
The girls insisted on some hot cider and donuts.  We sat down at a table, inside a heated tent, as we easily disposed of the donuts and cider.

Now it was time to get the show on the road
.  “Alright.  We’ll meet back here in an hour with our trees and then head to dinner.”

Cassidy and
Jane said in mocked unison, “Yes, Sir,” sharing a laugh as Cal rolled his eyes.  I eyed Cassidy, fighting the smile that wanted to spread across my face. 

“Stop brooding.”  She pressed herself against me and smiled brightly at me.

“That’s almost impossible to do when you look at me that way.”  I wrapped an arm around her and dug my hand into her back pocket.

“What way is that?”

“Like you want me to take you over my knee, again.” 

“I will neither confirm nor deny that, at least not now.”  She winked at me before jumping on my back as we headed into a mass of trees in the opposite direction as Cal and Jane.

As we walked I remembered our latest visit to the club.  We’d gone a couple more times and I had a spanking bench put in our room.  Cassidy was apprehensive at first, but enjoyed it greatly.  My palms were again aching to caress her ass.

“That way.”  She pointed her hand out in front of me, pulling me from my memories of her alabaster ass in the air and marked red by my hand.  I walked on for another thirty yards or so and felt her slide down my back.  “That one!” 

She was pointing at a tree that was way too big for her townhouse.  I was taking in its size when I said, “Cassidy, it won’t fit.  Why don’t…”  At that moment her snow covered glove smashed into my face. 

I spit the snow from my mouth and wiped my eyes, blinking the snow out of them.  “
You little devil!  Feeling brave are you?” 

She was quite pleased with herself; lips pressed together tight as her eyes sparkled with humor.  I didn’t move, waiting for her next move.
  We stood there like that, for a bit longer than I knew she was comfortable with, as the heat grew between us.  I took a step toward her and she took two back.

“What’s the matter, Blackbird?”  Her eyes opened wide and she gasped while pointing behind me.  I looked back and found nothing. 
Rotten sneak!
  She had fooled me again.  I turned to find she had run off.  “Someone is most definitely missing the bench.”

I began walking in the direction she ran off in and loaded up with a snowball.  I couldn’t remember the last time I’d played in the snow.  Probably hadn’t since Jason, Jane and I were
teens.  Walking a few more feet, I tried looking for fresh tracks, but the light snowfall from earlier made it difficult.  It was then that I was hit in the back.  I turned and launched my snowball at her.  She was already running and my snowball grazed her shoulder.  I took off after her and it wasn’t long before I caught up to her. 

“You won’t get far with me running after you, Cassidy.”  She looked back and was surprised to see me so close.  Her fatal flaw was trying to pick up more snow.  I swiped her up
and around the waist before I began tickling her.

“Okay, okay, I give!”  She was panting from exertion
as I set her on her feet.  She turned to face me, grinning ear to ear.  “I love you.”

Hearing her say it tugged at me, filled me up and knocked me flat on my back.  I didn’t deserve her, but was glad to have her and determined to keep her.  “I love you.”  She took hold of my coat and pulled my lips to hers for a quick peck, but I couldn’t let her go.

As she pulled away, my hands found the back of her neck and held her tight against me.  Kissing down her neck, I rubbed my rough whiskers against her delicate skin as she cooed in my ear.  I felt the shiver run through her as I quickly took in my surroundings.  We were alone.  There was a wood fence a few feet behind her that was surrounded by a copse of trees.  I started walking and she didn’t hesitate to walk backwards, trusting me implicitly.  I pulled my coat off and laid it on the fence.

“James you’ll freeze.”

“I’ll be fine.”  I pulled away from her and tested the sturdiness of the fence.  It was old but I determined that it should hold.  I leaned my ass against it and pulled her between my legs.  The tree behind us was brushing against my back as she began sucking on my neck.  She jumped when my cold fingers skimmed her belly as I undid her jeans. 

“James?”

“Cassidy?”

She pulled back and quickly looked around before gazing at me again.  “There could be families wandering around.”

“It’s late, there are no kids out.  I’ll be quiet.”

Snickering she said, “I’m not worried about
you
being quiet.”

My hands worked their way into her jeans and
then her panties.  “See, you’re already wet for me, love.”  She tried to keep a straight face as I rubbed circles at her opening before slipping a finger inside.  It was then that she gasped, grabbing my shirt and then buried her face in my neck.

I moved her hair aside with my free hand and returned to nuzzling her neck.  It wasn’t long before she was rocking back and forth, on my now two fingers that occupied her, as my palm rubbed her clit.  “James…”  She was sucking on my ear, panting obscenities, and fumbling with my zipper.  The cold air assaulted me right before her warm hand encircled me.  “Mine, you’re all mine.”  She stroked me until I pulsed in her hand
, growing larger.

“Cassidy.  Let me please you first.” 

“Kiss me.”

She opened her m
outh to me as my tongue made itself at home there.  I was rougher with my kiss than I planned, but she only moaned and clenched around my fingers tighter.  I pushed in deeper, knowing what she needed, as her kiss became panicked; the only sign I needed.

“Come for me.”

~ CASSIDY ~

It was his thing, what he liked to say and within a few moments I was always coming.  James knew me better than I knew myself.  He let me lose control and I was beginning to understand that he loved making me lose control. It was his mission. His fingers worked me over and soon I began to cry out.  Pressing his lips to mine, so that he could swallow my moans, I greedily sucked on his tongue as the ripples washed over me.

I broke the kiss and dropped my head t
o his chest, inhaling his scent as I caught my breath.  My hand was still wrapped around him and I became aware of it when I felt him pulse.  Lifting my head, I took in my surroundings seeing and hearing no one. 
Damn the wet knees
.  I dropped down and circled his sweet and salty tip with my tongue.  His hand immediately fisted in my hair and I took him into my mouth.

Fisting his base, my other hand ran up and down his thigh before circling around to the back of his leg.  His thighs were clenched so tight that I was convinced he’
d get a cramp as I noticed his feet were digging into the ground.  I sucked him in as far as I could and heard him groan out my name.  I was vaguely aware of my knees turning cold, but nothing was going to stop me from getting him off.  Sucking and twirling my tongue with more vigor, he was soon bursting down my throat as his other hand fisted my hair as well.  When he started to relax I stood up and took in my soaked knees and hoped no one would notice. 

I watched as he tucked himself back in his pants and
I buttoned my own.  He pulled me tight against him and I was aware of the fence creaking right before James fell backward, almost taking me with him.  He landed on his back and I burst into laughs.

“
Oh my God, James, are you okay?”  I watched as he got to his feet and brushed off some snow.

“Fan-fucking-
tastic.  Nothing like almost having a heart attack to ruin a good high.”

He was climbing over the
rail, which had fallen out of its post, and shaking out his coat that was now covered in twigs and snow.  Once he replaced the rail I proceeded to pull some of the twigs from his hair before he put his coat back on.  He was straightening my hair when we both started cracking up. 

“We need to find a tree before Cal and Jane form a search party.”

“Agreed.”  He kissed my nose and swatted my ass before pulling me back toward the trees.  

James was dragging our tree behind him as we made our way to the front of the lot.  Jane and Cal were there and James joined Cal at the register.  It was then I spotted another twig tangled in James’ hair.  Jane must have seen it too because she scanned her eyes over my body and stopped when she got to my soaked knees.  If I was wearing darker jeans it might not have been so noticeable.  I was humiliated
when I realized that she knew that I knew she knew.  She started chuckling uncontrollably.

“What’s so funny?”  Cal
didn’t seem to notice what Jane had as he glanced back to us.

Jane winked at me as she
said, “Nothing, nothing at all.”

~<>~<>~<>~

We were sitting at dinner when Cal let it slip that Jane had moved in with him.  Initially I was shocked, since they’d only been together for a little over a month, but ultimately I was very happy for them. 

“What?”  I looked to James, who seemed surprised as well, and then back to Cal and Jane.  He was beaming and she seemed a little embarrassed.

Cal put up his hands saying, “I know, I know.  But the heart wants what the heart wants.”  He wrapped his arms around Jane’s shoulders, crushing her small body against his.  It was endearing as she started laughing.

Then part of me became envious.  I hadn’t realized how serious my brother was about Jane.  He’d never
taken this step with anyone else.  We had enjoyed the rest of our meal and had a great time like we usually did.  I loved how well the four of us got along.  Once we were finished, we all walked outside to say our goodbyes.  Jane seemed startled by something across the street, but had told James it was nothing.

Later that night, as
he and I lay in bed at my place, we were discussing some of our favorite Christmas memories.  He was nuzzling my belly when I whispered, “You have a key, you should just move in.”  He became very still and didn’t say anything. 
Shit. 
“James?”  He went back to kissing my torso and I sat up and pulled away from him.  He was trying to distract me, which wasn’t difficult to do.

“Cassidy, we’re not ready for that.”

“What do you mean?  You have a key and we spend almost every night together, most of them here.”  He got off the bed and started pulling on his clothes.  “What are you doing?”

“Leaving.”

“What!  Why?”  He didn’t respond.  “You can’t sit and discuss this with me?  What’s going on?”

“I’ve got a lot going on that doesn’t involve
you.
”  I flinched at his harshness.  His words cut me and I felt the wall go up.  Laying back down I pulled the covers with me.  “Cassidy.”

“Don’t.  Ju
st go.  It’s what you’re good at.” 

A few moments later I heard the front door close as
Chessa curled up in bed with me.  I regretted my words the minute they’d left my mouth, but it was true.  He had nightmares now and then, he didn’t’ think I knew, and that was just on the occasional nights he remained with me
all
night.  I was beginning to wonder if he was hiding something from me.  Why did he always leave and what were his nightmares about?