Page 86 of Pleasure & Prey: Vol. 2

“I didn’t say yes.” Cass pushes off the wall and steps into the softly lit kitchen. His hand goes out and he lifts the bottle to break the seal. “Thanks.”

“I may have blocked out a lot of my childhood, but I still remember what soda you like,” I reply dryly, lifting my bottle into the air like I’m giving a toast.

“Blocked it out, huh?” He sits down quietly in one of the chairs at the table, though his eyes never leave mine. “Where’s your mom?”

It’s not the question I’m expecting, and I lean my hips back into the counter behind me. “Well, don’t you know just how to ruin the mood.” It’s not a question, and I tap my fingers along the cold plastic of the bottle. “Can we not do this in the kitchen? The cats need to be let out and when Mom isn’t here, I usually hang out mostly in my room.” Up there, with the cats close, I tend to feel less lonely.

“We can go wherever you want, Winnie.” The way he says it has me glancing at him as I walk by on my way to the stairs, but I don’t stop. No matter how much I want to challenge him on what he means by that.

I nearly trip up the stairs in an attempt to look nonchalant, and judging by the snort I hear from behind me, Cassian definitely noticed. But I just keep walking, pretending like I haven’t done anything embarrassing. Reaching the bathroom door, I push it open slowly, watching the two still-scruffy cats creep their way out of the bathroom, Doom immediately trotting over to twine around Cassian’s legs. Predictably, Gloom streaks away down the hall, disappearing into my room to, most likely, hide in the abyss of my closet.

“Your room, right?” Cass asks, effortlessly scooping Doom up onto his shoulder. I think about warning him that Doom is fickle and likes to bite ears…but then realize that would ruin the potential joy of seeing Cassian with my cat hanging off his earlobe.

So I don’t.

Instead, I lead the way to my room that takes up a good section of the second floor, pushing the door all the way open and glancing around for anything embarrassing on my floor. But thanks to the housekeeper to whom I owe my firstborn, it actually looks pretty clean and well-kept.

“Oh, sorry,” I say, tossing my keys on top of my dresser and toeing off my shoes. “I forgot you’ve been in here before and could’ve found it all on your own.” Absently, I yank open one of the heavy wooden drawers of my dresser, finding a pair of running shorts and a tee to change into from my waitress uniform. Not that my black pants and plain, long-sleeved shirt are uncomfortable, exactly. I just don’t like wearing pants or long sleeves when I can help it.

“Not that hard to find, really,” Cassian replies sweetly. He sits down on the bed, letting Doom clamber down to purr and nudge his arm. “All I had to do was follow the aggressive snoring.”

That stops me on the way back to the bathroom to change, and I turn to look at him, expression flat and lips pressed into a thin line. “I don’t snore.”

“Sure, sweetheart.” He grins at me. “You can believe that if you want. I’ll let you.” His eyes fall to the clothes in my arms, then flick back up to my face. “Where are you going?” he asks, like somehow it didn’t sink in from seeing what I’m holding.

To help him out I hold up the comfortable clothes and shake them at him. “To change. Did you want something to change into as well? I have a great selection of yoga pants, leggings, and running shorts for your perusal. Not to mention all kinds of shirts with questionable designs or shitty quotes on them.” I don’t smile as I say it, maintaining my solemn look of seriousness.

Cassian rolls his eyes and settles back on his hands. “You always make me regret asking.” He sighs heavily, though his lips twitch into a small grin as he says it.

“I can make you regret breathing if I try hard enough.” He snorts at my words, shaking his head as I shift the clothes from one hand to the other. “May I go now, O curious one?”

“Of course, my subject.” He bows from where he’s sitting, dramatic in his movements. “Don’t let me keep you from your evening tasks.”

“Then by your leave.” It’s a bad habit of mine to always want the last word, but before he can reply, I’m out the door and heading for the guest bath. It’s not as nice as mom’s ensuite, obviously. But it’s bigger than a lot of other guest bathrooms I’ve been in. There’s a large tub against the wall and the lights over the mirror are nicer than they have a right to be. Even in the suburbs.

Quickly, I strip out of my work clothes, changing into my shorts and tee, before I bundle up my uniform in my hands and start to leave.

Until I catch sight of myself in the mirror and stop. Unthinkingly, I’d also taken off my bra. As I do every night. It’s noticeable in my reflection, and I worry Cassian will think I mean something by it.

Do I mean something by it?

The question floats around in my head as I stare at my reflection, until I let out a breath and shake my head. “Stop overthinking it, Winnie,” I whisper, and force myself to leave the bathroom, following the same path back to my room as always.

Cassian is no longer on the bed when I return. He’s standing in front of the bay window, peering out through a small gap in my blackout curtains. He doesn’t turn to look at me when I come in, nor when I drop my clothes in my overflowing laundry hamper by the door. I’ll get to them. Eventually. When I run out of clean underwear.

For a moment, I stand in the middle of the room, watching him survey the outdoors. Doom has decided to vacate my bed, and I look over at the cat tree to see him lounging on the top platform like it’s his throne. Though I guess for him, it’s as close as he’s going to get to his dreams of royalty.

“So…” I sit down on my bed, back against my pillows, and curl my legs up under me. “You still want to know why mom isn’t here?”

My words bring his attention back to me. Cassian pulls away from the window and sits down on the bed as well, before lying down on his side with his elbow propping him up. His sky blue eyes find and hold mine, interest mixing with the infinite patience he somehow possesses no matter the situation. “Of course I do. I want to know anything that you want to tell me.”

“Don’t say crap like that, or I’ll hit you with my pillow,” I scoff, not letting the words sink in. “Mom is on a trip. A work trip, a vacation, a road trip, a shopping trip…?” I shrug my shoulders lightly. “Who knows? She’ll probably text me in the next few hours to let me know where she is. Or she won’t, and she’ll call me tomorrow apologizing about how she forgot she hadn’t hit send on the message.” I can’t help the stab of hurt that aches dully in my chest. While it used to be a lot sharper; a lot more painful…the pain from how much she chooses to be away from me never really goes away.

“Why?” That’s all he asks. He doesn’t comment on anything I’ve said, and Cassian’s eyes never leave mine.

“She…” God, this is a lot harder than I’d expected it to be. Lou is the only one who knows the truth, and it’s caused quite a few fights between her and my mom. By now they have an uneasy truce over it, since Lou has realized nothing she says will guilt mom into being around more.

So I take a breath and settle back against the headboard, picking at my thumbnail. “She doesn’t like to be around me anymore. She blames me for Dad, for what happened and what he did. My mom thinks I overreacted, that I could’ve done something different, or that I misunderstood.” I can’t help but sneer the words, and I’m too nervous to look up at Cassian.