My skin prickles with a shiver, partly from the cold, and partly because of what we’d done. “Yeah,” I reply slowly. I feel myself clench around him, a dull ache following the movement.But it also hits me that we just had unprotected sex. “Casper…are you?—?”
“Have I been tested?” he asks, pulling away slightly. My cheeks burn from the embarrassment of letting this happen without a prior conversation.
Casper cups one of my cheeks and guides my face so I meet his stare over my shoulder. “This might be a bit mortifying to admit,” he says quietly, face inching towards mine, “but I haven’t touched anyone until you.”
I swallow hard, eyes widening. I take in the pink flush of his cheeks, the brightness of his eyes. I used to pride myself on being able to tell when the Sterling twins were lying. Mama Sterling used to call me her own little lie detector because of it.
So, for a moment I doubt myself. Could he be lying? But why would he? What does he gain from this, unless it’s my trust?
And yet, the longer I stare at him, the more I’m certain he isn’t. “I thought you and Stella…” I trail off, voice catching in my throat.
Casper’s eyes darken as he shakes his head. “Never,” he swears. “And after you left, I decided it just wasn’t right for me.”
A lump forms in my throat at the sincerity of his words. I always thought he and Stella went all the way. At least, that’s how she made it out to seem. Maybe I don’t know as much about their relationship as I thought I did. And maybe I’m finally ready to put that behind me…for him.
The inn’sshower is too small for the both of us to share, but for the first time in years, I feel…light.
Casper watches me from the doorway in nothing but his jeans while I shower, arms folded over his chest and a smile—soft, easy, and happy—curving his lips. As he leans against the door jamb, I get a view of all the hard lines of his body. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen him shirtless, but it is the first time since we were teenagers.
Before, he’d been scrawny in the way teenage boys who lived on farms were. There’d been a hint of muscle, but for the most part he’d been skin and bone.
But now…now he’s all muscle. It lines his chest and arms, making him seem much broader and larger than I remembered. There’s even some hair on his chest, which never used to be a turn on for me.
And now, he’s seeing me for exactly what I am, too. There’s no part of me hesitant or insecure about letting him see me naked.
The smile on his face seems to grow. “What?” I ask, ducking my head under the water.
From the corner of my eye, I watch him shake his head. “Nothing, shortcake,” he replies, raising his voice so I can see him. “Just admiring the view.”
I don’t need to see him to feel the weight of his eyes skim my body. My skin prickles despite the heat of the water, and it takes everything in me not to melt into a puddle.
Slowly, I turn the water off and step out of the shower. Steam billows out behind me, but my sights are set on Casper. He straightens, arms falling to his sides as he openly takes me in, hunger burning in his darkened eyes. And I let him drink his fill. Let him really see every part of me.
Casper makes a sound in the back of his throat and takes a step into the bathroom. His eyes burn with lust, jeans bulging with an erection. I press my thighs together despite the ache between them, nipples pebbling under his heated gaze.
“Fuck, I really don’t deserve you,” he murmurs, fully entering the bathroom and my space. I tilt my head to meet his stare,chewing my bottom lip as he cups my cheek. “I don’t even know if this is a good enough reason to stay here in Willow Ridge, especially when you deserve better.”
I swallow hard past the lump in my throat, the burn of tears behind my eyes making it hard for me to focus on his words. “You want me to stay with you?” I ask quietly, heart pounding.
He bows his head, lips brushing mine. “Yeah, shortcake, I do,” he whispers. “And I know that’s not fair to ask, but think about it.”
It might not be fair, but it is tempting. He might be the only reason I want to stay. My heart saysyes, and my mind…my mind isn’t so torn anymore. It’s ready to let the dream of being his become a reality.
NINE
CASPER
Hattie’s phone pings with a message, vibrating on the bed between us. She barely lifts her head from my shoulder when she grabs it, sighing as Stella’s name appears on the screen.
“What now?” Hattie murmurs, clicking the message. My heart lurches in my chest, nerves burning through me. I’m not really sure why, other than it being Stella.
The message Stella sent is brief, but it still makes my stomach sink.
STELLA:
dinner at Dad’s house. Bring Casper.
Hattie turns the phone off without responding, shifting in my arms as she does. “Great.” I glance at her from the corner of my eye, finding her stare on me. “I can tell them no. We could order something from the diner and just…spend the night together instead,” she offers, fluttering her lashes at me.
