When I thought of Cole, though, it didn’t feel like I was going to crack open anymore. I’d just told the humiliating tale of my love for him without wanting to die. It still ached, deep down, but I slowly understood that I didn’t want to be with Cole. I didn’t want anything to do with him, not even because I hated him, but because I wanted to close that door and never look back. I didn’t love him.
“Shit.” Cash sat up and let go of my hand. “The list of date ideas on your phone? Was it for him?”
I smiled at the stars as a heaviness fell away from me. I wasn’t tied to Cole anymore. I was free. More and more free by the minute, it felt like. Before I knew it, I was laughing. Laughing hard enough for tears to roll down the sides of my face. “Oh, my god. I don’t. I don’t love him!”
Hayes sat up and turned to face me. “Um… You okay?”
“I’m great! I don’t love Cole. I feel like I can breathe again.” I wiped tears away and sat up, still giggling randomly. “Sorry. I just… That’s awesome.”
“So, you’re over him?” Cash leaned over me, his face serious. “We’re not doing anymore date ideas you chose with him in mind.”
I shrugged and smiled. “Don’t care.”
“That guy’s an asshole.” He gripped my chin and tipped my face higher. “Seriously, Cassidy. Fuck that guy.”
“Cash?” I wasn’t laughing anymore. He was so intense and he kept moving closer. My heart had started pounding for a completely different reason.
“I think we need to practice our kissing.” He brushed his lips over mine. “For…pictures.”
I was free. And that felt good enough for me to not want to hold back. “Practice seems like a good idea.”
I barely had the words out when he kissed me,reallykissed me. He slid his hand into my hair and his tongue over my lips. When I opened for him he deepened the kiss and lowered his chest so he was lightly pinning me to the ground. My body reacted without hesitation. I gripped his hair and nipped his tongue.
“Don’t think anyone would be looking that close, Cassidy.” He lowered his mouth to my ear, trailing his lips and tongue along my jaw as he went. “But I like your commitment and am open to more of that. Where else you wanna put those teeth?”
I turned my face into his and shivered at the rough feel of his stubble before I stretched up and raked my teeth over his throat. When he let out a low groan I pressed myself up into a sitting position, taking him with me. I found that spot on his throat again and licked him, tasting the saltiness of his skin.
His hands both locked in my hair as he growled. “Fuck, Cassidy.”
“They need evidence. That we’re together.” I closed my lips on his neck and sucked, making sure to mark him while I had my fun. “Practice and evidence. Both solid reasons to do this.”
“Yeah, practice and evidence. Come here.” Hayes ignored his brother’s protest as he pulled me into his lap. He cupped my ass and pulled me flush against his erection.
I could feel dirt digging into my knees where I straddled him but I didn’t care. I ran my hands over his head and let my head fall back as he pressed his mouth to my throat. “Hayes.”
He was moving his way higher when Weston tugged me out of his lap. He still had a firm grip on my ass, though, so I ended upjust on the ground between them, laughing. They shoved each other a few times and then Weston pulled me to my feet.
“Think that’s funny, do you?” He hugged my back to his chest and nipped my ear. “There’s not enough of you to go around, sweetheart.”
I took his hat off his head and put it on mine as I danced away from them. “I feel like dancing. And if practicing and evidencing happens during the dancing, who could help it?”
Cash tossed me over his shoulder and slapped my ass. “Not me, baby. Definitely not me.”
32
***Cass***
Ipushed aside a box of blonde extensions at the table so I could eat my muffin. I had a test that I needed to study for so I moved a cereal bowl of sequins and a coffee canister of glitter to put my book down. I’d barely gotten started when Aunt Jolene walked into the kitchen and sat down across from me. She was uncharacteristically underdressed in just a fur-lined robe and pink slippers. Her wig was even slightly askew.
I had to force my mouth shut. I wasn’t sure if asking if she was okay was the right move or not. As it turned out, I didn’t need to worry about asking anything. She had that covered.
“Have you seen the newest pictures? You and your football boys are getting very popular.” She tossed her phone to me when I reached for it. “More photos to frame, honey. You don’t take a bad picture, do you?”
I couldn’t focus on her lower energy when I was staring down at multiple pictures of myself being embraced by the Ford brothers. At the game, at the party, and there were even someshots of us star-gazing. I scrolled down and pressed my hand to my mouth. Our practice and evidence session had also been captured. Then our dancing. It was so strange to study pictures of myself that had been published online, pictures I’d never seen and knew nothing about. I knew I should’ve been annoyed but instead I was kind of amazed by the woman in the pictures.
She was happy. Especially in the pictures of us dancing around the fire. The woman in my body was laughing and smiling and there was even a video clip of her tossing her hair back and forth as she danced like a loon with all three Ford brothers grinning at her. It looked like they cherished her. The way their eyes followed her… It was intense.
“Cass?”
