The growl in his tone soaks my panties. My elbows are bent, and my cheek presses against the smooth pine as he yanks my thong off my body. Dropping to his knees, he buries his face between my legs, and my back arches.

  He only takes a few passes before standing. “I don’t have a condom.”

  “We don’t need one.” I’m desperate and needy. “I have an implant. I’m clean.”

  “Me, too.” His hands move swiftly at my backside, grazing my hypersensitive skin as he unfastens his jeans and shoves them down.

  Arching my back, I whimper as he slides his hard dick up and down the seam of my pussy before slamming fully inside me.

  “Oh, God…” I whimper. He’s thick and fat and perfectly long.

  “Fuck me…” It’s a ragged groan. “You’re so wet.”

  His hand fumbles up the front of my thighs, threading and circling my clit as he thrusts faster, going deeper in me. Wetness slips onto my inner thighs, and he circles faster, melting my knees.

  “Oh, shit…” I grip the wall, doing my best to stay upright as he pushes harder.

  “You take me so good.” He groans, fucking me onto my tip-toes, driving so deep, he finds the sweet spot that rolls my eyes.

  “Fuck, Alex.” It’s a quivering gasp, and my legs spread wider. I need more.

  Pleasure tightens in my lower belly, and my body starts to buck. I’m arching my back, twerking and riding his cock, doing my best to match his relentless pace.

  It’s true, I’ve never been fucked this way. He devours me like I’m his last meal before dying, like I’m the first scent of water after crossing the desert, like I’m a promise of sunlight in the dead of winter.

  I’ve never been so desired, so worshiped. I’ve never felt so safe.

  “Come for me.” His growl is low at the back of my neck, and chills race down my spine to my pussy. “Come!”

  His teeth graze my shoulder, and when he bites me, I lose it. My eyes squeeze shut. The pleasure is overwhelming, and with another thrust, my body goes rigid. I let out a guttural noise I’ve never made in my life. Everything in me shakes and spasms as if I’ve touched an electric fence. Pleasure floods my pussy, which is clenching and pulling uncontrollably.

  “Fuck, oh fuck,” he gasps as he holds. “I feel you…”

  He thrusts two, three more times as if by reflex. My core is still spasming around him, and he wraps two strong arms around my waist holding me securely. My fingers are weak against the wall, and I have the most ridiculous urge to laugh, which I don’t.

  Warm lips press against my shoulder blade, moving higher into my hair. “My perfect girl. We’re just getting started.”

  It’s a terrifying thought, but in this moment, I know I’ll give him whatever he wants.

  CHAPTER 19

  ALEX

  “Oh, my God…” Cass is lying on her back on the bed with my face between her thighs. “I’m right there… I’m right…”

  Her fingers curl in my hair, and her back arches off the bed. That animal sound enters her voice, and my dick aches to be inside her. Nothing feels better than her body erupting into orgasm around my cock.

  I lave my tongue faster over her clit, and with my thumb, I feel when she shoots over the edge. Her voice shudders through a moan in time with her pussy, and I pull that hard little bud between my lips, sucking it.

  She rises off the bed, clasping my cheeks in her hands as she laughs shakily. “Stop, I can’t take it.”

  It makes me smile, and I kiss her inner thigh, which gains me another squeal as she falls back on the bed. Climbing between her thighs, I kiss the base of her ribs. Moving higher, I pull a nipple into my mouth as I slide my cock into her slick, wet heat.

  “Mmm…” She sits up again, clasping my cheeks and pulling my lips to hers.

  We fall back in a ravenous kiss, licking and biting, and I thrust quickly, so close to the edge it hurts. After fucking her like a madman against the wall, I wanted to take it slow and easy.

  The problem is one taste, and we turn into ravenous animals. She pulls my neck, biting my lips as our tongues chase and twine.

  “Harder,” she gasps, and my head bows.

  I’m feverish with need, driven by a seemingly insatiable lust she’s awakened. Then every day she does something incredible that makes it grow fiercer.

  Rising higher, I clasp my arm around her leg, bending her knee so I can go deeper. Tendrils of pleasure snake up my legs. A drop of sweat traces from my temple down my cheek, and she licks it away.

  “Oh, fuck…” I arch my back, holding as eruptions of pleasure blind me.

  My knees quiver and my ass tenses. I’m holding onto her for dear life as my dick pulses repeatedly.

  “Cass.” I drop my forehead to her shoulder, and she slides her hands up my arms, humming with pleasure.

  “You’re so sexy when you come.”

  Falling to the side, I gather her in my arms, her back flush against my chest, and I kiss the side of her neck. “I’d like to spend the night.”

  A laugh moves through her, and I love that she’s so happy. “I can’t really throw you out of your own home.”

  Hesitating, I relax my arms around her, turning her onto her back so she can see me. “You could.” My voice is serious. “You always have that right, and as much as it would kill me, I’d respect your wishes.”

  Warmth fills her pretty blue eyes, and she places her hand on my cheek. Lifting slightly, she plants a brief kiss on my lips. “I want you to stay.”

  I drop my head to kiss her once more before returning to our spoon position and quickly slipping into sleep. I wake halfway through the night to pick up my phone and check on Pinky.

  She’s sideways in her bed, a foot hanging off the edge and Piglet over her head. Still, she’s sleeping soundly. I exhale a soft laugh, glancing at the beautiful woman beside me.

  Cass is on her side, her hand tucked under her cheek and her lids flickering as if she’s dreaming. I wonder what it might be. I wonder if I might be in it.

  For a while, I’m unable to fall asleep again, but it’s not like last night. I’m awake, but I’m fucking happy. Lying on my back, I gaze up at the warm, yellow twinkle lights, and I think about being in heaven. I wonder how possible it might be to stay.

  “Ultimately, as you can see, opening Redford Park on the land between the distillery and town maximizes the benefit to both.” Drake stands in front of the town council with a sketch of the massive resort and golf course he’s planning on an easel. “However, if we can’t get the Stone family onboard, we have other options.”

  Aiden insisted we all attend this special town council meeting to present a united front of opposition to Drake’s plan. I came over from work, and when I saw Cass standing with Britt, it was even harder than yesterday to keep my hands off her.

  After last night, I wanted to scoop her into my arms and kiss her, ask her how her day went, ask her if my funny daughter had done anything else new and amazing. Instead, I put my hands in the pockets of my jeans and hung back, waiting for us to take our seats.

  When I woke up this morning, the bed was sadly empty, and when I returned to the main house, I found Cass in the kitchen with Pinky making breakfast tacos. My daughter stood on the stepladder beside the stove in an apron, holding a taco shell, and Cass stirred scrambled eggs in a skillet.

  They were so cute, chatting about baseball and making plans for the day, I left them to it and got ready for work. I was already running late from sleeping in, so the most I had time for was a stolen kiss behind the refrigerator.

  Now we’re in this meeting together, and I want to put my arm around her.

  “How did he have time to make elevations?” Britt whispers to Cass.

  The girls sit between Aiden and me. Piper is up front in the press section, and Adam has the kids across the street on the ball field.

  Now that my little slugger has learned she can hit a homer, she’s determined to do it again. Owen and Ryan are equally determined it won’t happen again, but it won’t stop her from trying.

  “I know this is an unpopular opinion,” Harold Waters smiles from behind the long desk, “but I think Drake raises some interesting ideas. Sorry, Mr. Redford, I should say.”

  A wave of muttered groans meets his suggestion, but there is also a smattering of applause. I glance at Aiden, and his brow lowers.

  “I wouldn’t expect you to know this, Harold, considering your background and all,” Terra Belle, who represents the older part of town, leans closer to her mic. “Eureka doesn’t aspire to be Hilton Head or Kiawah. Those places are designed to deal with the strain heavy tourism puts on a town.”

  While I’m not a fan of pulling rank, she has a point. Harold moved to Eureka from Chicago two years ago, and after opening the successful Popcorn Palace on Beach Road, he introduced the hilariously popular dog race at last year’s Founders Day Festival. It made him a bit of a town celebrity, and he was elected to the council to represent newer residents who live on the outskirts of Eureka.

  “I’m not saying it’s a slam dunk.” Harold holds up his hands like a true politician. “I’m just saying there are business interests to consider.”

  “Thank you, Harold.” Drake’s smug tone isn’t helping him. “And you can call me Drake.”

  “What plans do you have for infrastructure to support this development?” Terra isn’t letting him off the hook. “A development of this size requires additional roads, utilities, sewage…”

  Loud applause breaks out, but my eyes are on Cass. A wavy lock of dark hair falls over her cheek as she looks down at her lap, and I want to hold her hand.

  Leaning closer, I whisper in her ear, “I’d like to take you fishing on Sunday.”

  Her blue eyes slide to mine, and she smiles. “I’ve never been fishing in my life.”

  “I seem to recall you love a challenge.”

  “I never considered fishing a challenge.”

  “You’d be surprised.”

  Britt’s eyes are on us, and I clear my throat, looking up to where Drake is answering the woman’s question. “We have plans for all of that.”

  Nice non-answer.

  Edna breaks through the noise, holding up her hand. “We’ll conclude this preliminary hearing. We’ll take up the matter at our next official meeting, since there does seem to be a definite interest in your proposal, Mr. Redford.”

  “Thank you, Mayor.” Drake nods in an obnoxious gesture of subservience.

  What an asshole.

  Everyone stands, and Cass turns to face me. Our eyes meet, and it’s the first time I’ve had a chance to really look at her since our love-fest last night. Do I have heart-eyes?

  “What the fuck is going on here?” Britt grabs Cass’s left hand, yanking her third finger closer for inspection. “Is this what I think it is?”

  “Ahh…” Cass shoots worried eyes at me as Aiden steps up beside his wife to inspect the situation.

  Somehow that fucker Drake is right behind him. “Are you two lovebirds still keeping that under wraps?”

  “What is he talking about?” Britt frowns, turning her eyes on me.

  Looks like we’re doing this.

  “We’re engaged,” I announce proudly. Cass gasps softly, and I put my hand over hers, threading our fingers.

  “Love is not on my agenda, my ass.” Aiden narrows one eye at me. “How long have you been hiding this?”

  “We didn’t want to steal your thunder at the wedding.”

  “So you’re not really the nanny?” Britt turns her attention to her friend, who is blinking fast and starting to squirm.

  I’m not having her getting cold feet. “She is Pinky’s nanny—for now. That’s all we’re saying to Penelope. Until we set a date and make everything final.”

  “Looks pretty final to me if you’re wearing a ring.” A smile breaks across Britt’s face.

  “Yes,” Cass quickly reinforces. “Don’t say anything to the kids yet. We don’t want them getting attached or getting hurt or anything.”

  “And to think I was worried about you.” Britt jumps into Cass’s arms, squeezing her tightly. “This is the best thing to come out of this silly meeting! I can’t wait to start planning all the parties. Are you getting married at the distillery? Of course you are.”

  “What did I miss?” Piper hurries up to where we’re standing.

  “Cass and Alex are engaged!” Britt throws her other arm around Piper. “Isn’t it amazing? Another wedding so soon!”

  “Not so soon!” Cass squeaks, looking slightly squeamish.

  “What’s the problem?” Britt’s brow furrows.

  “It’s all so sudden.” Cass blinks down to our clasped hands then up to her friend again. “We want to be sure, since Pinky’s involved, and well, because it’s always good to be sure.”

  “Cassidy Dixon!” The stern voice makes Cass jump, releasing my hand at once.

  “Aunt Carol!”

  “Is that your car in the parking lot, young lady?”

  “If you mean the Subaru, then yes—”

  “You were not raised to post profanity on your vehicle. There are children in this town, and I expect you to set a good example.”

  Cass’s lips part, and utter confusion lines her face. “I don’t know what you mean…”

  Well, shit, talk about backfires. I step up to rescue my girl. “It’s my fault, Mrs. Dixon, it was a joke.”

  “I don’t find this joke very funny, young man. I would think with your family being in law enforcement you’d know the importance of creating a positive environment for our young people.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I apologize. It won’t happen again.”

  Aunt Carol scrubs her arms over her waist muttering a begrudging acceptance, while Cass turns wide eyes on me. “What did you do?”

  Rubbing my hand over my mouth, I swallow my laughter. “I got you back.”

  “Is this about the BBL?” Piper hoots a laugh before dashing for the exit. “I’ve got to see what you did.”

  Britt’s on her heels. “What’s the BBL?”

  The room slowly empties, and it’s just the two of us standing, facing each other.

  “I guess we’re officially in it now.” Cass’s voice is soft, and I want to pull her into my arms.

  After last night, all I can think about is all the ways I want to claim her. “You asked me to help you until Drake left town. He’s still here.”

  “I think it’s safe to say this has gone so much further than I ever expected it would when I asked you that.”

  “Are you sorry? It’s not too late to come clean. It’ll be a little awkward, but I think our friends will understand.”

  She hesitates, and my insides clench. I don’t want to stop. I like being with her. I want her to be my girl. I like being able to touch her in public, hold her hand, and no one questions it.

  “I’m not sorry.” Her pretty blue eyes lift to mine, and I step forward to catch her chin, covering her mouth with mine for a kiss.

  CHAPTER 20

  CASS

  I’m a classy bitch.

  The words are in a bright white script on a fire-engine red background. It’s impossible to miss.

  “He really wasn’t thinking, was he?” Using my thumbnail, I manage to loosen the corner of the bumper sticker so I can start to pull it off.

  “To be fair, Pinky can’t read very well, and definitely not in cursive.” Piper is beside me, working on the other end of the sticker. “And is bitch really a curse word these days?”

  “Yes.” Britt has already snapped photos of everything. “Owen will not be saying that word if I have anything to do with it.”

  “When you put it that way, I guess you’re right.” Piper nods. “I don’t want Ryan being disrespectful of women either.”

  “I can’t believe you put that silly BBL bumper sticker on his car.” Britt leans against the side of Roger. “I missed so much this week! You got engaged, you loosened up Mr. Grumpy Gills.”

  “Pinky does watch an unhealthy amount of Nemo. I need to find something else for her to love.”

  “Are you really the nanny? Or are you the nanny…” My blonde friend’s eyebrow arches knowingly, and I decide to keep our extracurricular activities to myself.

  “Yes, and I am very professional. I don’t sleep with a man who’s paying me.” As I say the words, I get an icky feeling.

  I really don’t want to be sleeping with a man who’s paying me.

  Piper reads my expression at once. “Oh, for lord’s sake, he’s not paying you for sex. He’s paying you for childcare!”

  “Don’t make it weird, Cass.” Britt waves a hand at me. “You provide a service he would pay anyone else to do. It’s only right.”

  “Yeah…” I think we’d better set up some kind of direct deposit situation ASAP. The first time he tries to hand me a check, or worse—cash, I’m moving out.

  They’re both watching me with so much happy expectation, my stomach sinks even further than it was when I was struggling with the thought I might be a hooker.

  I hate lying to my friends.

  Alex is right, they’ll totally understand when I explain to them how it all came about. They’ll probably make fun of me for being so insecure and dragging Alex into this mess. Still, I’m embarrassed at the thought.

  “Whatever happened with the kindergarten thing?” Britt loops her arm in mine as we walk across the street to where the kids are packing up the baseball field.

  “I filled out the application and sent the email to Dr. Bayer.” I shrug. “Now, I guess I just wait.”

  “It’s going to work out for you.” She’s saying the same words Alex said to me. “I bet you could go virtually, so you don’t even have to leave Eureka!”

  “I bet.” I lean my head on her shoulder, wanting to believe it’s going to work out for me, even if I’m terrified I’m in way over my head.

  “Look, Daddy! I’m fishing!” Pinky stands on a floating platform in the middle of the marshy grass leading out to the ocean.