“It’s really happening.” She drapes her arms around my neck. “All you have to do is trust me, boy. We’re a team, you and me. I’ve shown you how serious I am.” She wiggles her body against me and I’m hard as a rock. Thank god I’m wearing briefs tonight. “When you graduate law school, I’m upgrading you to a Rolex.”
I let my hands slide down her back, to her ass, cupping her and holding her pressed against me. “I love you, Casey.” That’s the closest thing we have to a safeword. Outside of the office, I use her name to speak with her as equals if I need to, which is rare.
Otherwise, I don’t safeword with her. I give her information and let her make decisions based on that.
She takes a deep breath and smiles. “I love you, too, Declan. I’m in love with you. In my life, I’ve only said that to one other person. I don’t know if you have any idea how difficult it is for me to admit that.”
I nod. “I do. I hope one day you’ll feel safe enough with me to tell me the whole story.”
She nods. “Me, too. But that’s because of me, not you. Just like not marrying you is because of me,notyou. I hope you understand that.”
Instead of answering I kiss her again, letting my heart speak to hers. We’re amazing together in bed. Whether it’s making love or her beating my ass, it’s like there’s always a perfectionrightthere joining us together deep beneath our skins. Something subconscious. At work, we’re a damned good team already. I can only imagine how unstoppable the two of us will be—or three, if you count George as part of our work team—once I’ve got my law degree and pass the bar.
“I don’t need to be married to you to love you and spend the rest of my life with you,” I tell her when I end our kiss. “I’ll prove to you every day how much I love you and want to be here with you.”
She smiles and straightens my collar for me, a nervous habit she has that I find incredibly endearing, for some reason. “Let’s get going. George gets a little cranky when he’s hungry.”
I’ve been to George and Ellen’s home many times before, for social events and for work, either for the law office or for campaign-related reasons. Casey hands me the keys to her car for the short drive over. Tonight’s dinner is us, George and Ellen, their kids, and George’s two brothers, Tyson and Chase, who are both single and in town for the holidays.
I manage to hold back my irritation when Chase starts flirting with Casey right out of the gate. I mean, he’s not even trying to be subtle about it.
To the point I quickly excuse myself and head to the kitchen to see if Ellen needs any help with the final dinner prep.
Apparently, she understands why I’m there. “I don’t need help but stay here with me and keep me company.” She drops me a conspiratorial wink.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“Hey.”
I look up, and the smile has vanished from her face. She drops her voice. “She’sinlove with you, too,” she whispers. “I promise you. Chase has always had a thing for her. She’s just humoring him and playing the part. Don’t forget that.”
I nod. Maybe this pretending stuff won’t be as easy as I thought it would.
Then she spots the watch and smiles. “I knew she couldn’t wait until Christmas to give it to you.”
“You knew?”
She sighs. “Honey, I knoweverything. Just like she knows everything about me.” She touches her necklace, playing with it, that smirk on her face that’s nearly identical to the smirk Casey frequently wears.
I realize what she’s deliberately not saying—that’s her day collar with George.
She leans in, her green gaze boring straight through me. “Remember your long game,” she whispers, barely audible. “She loves you, and will never lie to you, but never forget your long game. And don’t let Georgeeverknow about that.”
A shiver washes through me. “Yes, ma’am.”
After dinner, we end up sitting around the table and talking politics. Me mostly listening and learning. Chase eased up on the flirting with Casey, thankfully, and a couple of times during dinner Casey caught my eye and winked at me.
I was on her mind.
Every time she did that, I would touch my watch, or move my left hand in such a way as to indicate it. She’d smile in return.
We already have a secret, silent code.
When we finally return to her house later that evening, once we’re in the kitchen and I return the car keys to her, she smiles. “You made me proud tonight, boy. Even endured the Chase test.”
I think I might have growled. “Does he have to flirt so hard with you?”
“I always flirt back with him. It’d look weird if I suddenly didn’t.” She grins. “But good boys always get rewards. Tonight’s a freebie.”
