“You hear anything back on that offer?”
“Not yet. We will in plenty of time.”
Cassie refocused on Judy. “If you don’t mind me saying so, it’s hard to imagine you raising four sons.”
She answered with a pleased expression. “Are you saying I seem to have gotten through it intact?”
“Four boys is a big load,” Cassie said.
“It was my fault,” Judy said. “I wanted a girl. I just kept at it, but Kevin tipped me over the edge—I gave up. They were a handful, and I worked full-time till Kevin was twelve. I finally had to quit working full-time and just subbed. I had three teenage boys at home trying to burn the house down and one in college. Someone had to stand guard.”
During dinner, Cassie had the fleeting thought that she almost wished they weren’t so terrific. She kept looking for reasons not to get any further attached to Walt, and kept coming up empty. Even before Julie accused her of being superficial and worried only about his looks, he had started to become more beautiful every day, inside and out. And it was like he said—it gave her some peace of mind to find he had very nice, normal-looking parents.
When dessert and coffee were finished, Dick said, “Well, I bet you young people have plans for the evening while these old folks are going home to watch TV.”
“I think we’re just going back to Cassie’s house,” Walt said. Then he looked at Cassie and said, “But if there’s somewhere you’d like to go…?”
“I think this dinner is my limit,” she said. “It was wonderful, Walt. Mrs. Arneson, your son is better at finding great places to eat than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s his hobby, I think.”
“Sweetheart,” she laughed. “Look at him. It takes a lot of fuel to keep him going.”
Everyone stood and said their good-nights; the Arnesons kissed her cheeks and carried on about how wonderful it was to finally meet her. She was very quiet as they walked to the truck, which Walt had parked himself despite the fact there was valet service for this tiny, elegant restaurant. When they were under way, he asked, “Did you like my mom and dad?”
She sighed. “Walt, they’re wonderful. Although not what I expected.”
“No?” he asked, glancing at her, smiling.
“They’re very sophisticated. Chic. Rich.”
He laughed. “Well, my dad will be the first to admit he’s been real lucky. He had that small grocery, a couple of rental houses and a couple of kids—and he was stretched to the limit. But he really went a long way with his investments, then he got in the franchise business. He’s done real well for himself. He’s a shrewd businessman. When I was a little kid, it was mac and cheese for dinner three nights a week, both parents working, everyone in hand-me-downs except me—I was always too big.”
“No one paid the bill tonight,” she said. “I never saw a check come to the table.”
“It’s my mom’s favorite restaurant. They have my credit-card imprint. Believe me, the bill’s paid. I’ll have a receipt by tomorrow morning.”
“Your dad’s got a lot of money and he lets you buy dinner at a fancy restaurant like that?”
He glanced at her. Frowned. “Cassie, do you think I’m broke?”
“You’re a motorcycle mechanic,” she said. “I mean, I’m sure you do all right, but—”
“I keep telling you, motorcycles are good business. People spend plenty of money on their bikes. I do just fine.”
She thought about that a minute. He was thirty-two and worked long hours, probably a lot of overtime. All he really did was work, take his parents to a fancy meal every week or so and ride his bike. He got stuff from the store, probably parts for his bikes, as well, which he was more than capable of taking care of himself, cost free. For a low-maintenance man like Walt, it probably left a lot to spare.
She realized something. “I’ve never been to your house.” And she sincerely hoped it wasn’t a terrible dump in a bad neighborhood, explaining his low expenses and ability to spoil his parents and her so lavishly.
He laughed at her. “It’s one of dad’s old houses, completely renovated. Small but nice. Would you like to check it out?”
Well, that explained something; surely he got a terrific deal from his dad. Taking them out for a nice dinner, bringing them a couple of bottles of good wine—it was the least he could do.
“I’ll have you over. I’d have invited you over before, but I’m always picking you up—and you know I don’t cook at all.”
When they got to her house, he walked her to the door. He put that big hand on her waist, pulled her close and covered her lips in his wonderful kiss. She loved this part of their routine; she was starting to lose her grip on the lie that this was just friendship. Maybe Julie was right and she was just a shallow snob. What would happen, she wondered, if I just went with gut instinct? If I just followed the feelings? When he let go of her she wobbled a little bit.
“Thank you, Cassie.”
“Mmm,” she said, her eyes still closed. “No, thank you.”
“I’ll call you.”
He walked away and she closed the door. She was halfway to her bedroom when there was a knock at the door. She went back, opened it and he stood there. “I don’t want to leave you yet,” he said. “Can I stay awhile?”
She lifted her arms to his broad shoulders and her lips to his. And there it was, that power and passion she’d barely had a glimpse of. He swooped down on her and devoured her, taking complete control of her mouth, her tongue. He lifted her to bring her up to his mouth, his arms closing around her. She dug her fingers into his long hair and moved her lips under his. Uh-oh, she thought. Walt seems to be running out of all that patience. And then she laughed against his lips.
“I kiss funny?” he asked hoarsely.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I was just thinking, this friendship is totally screwed. And I think maybe I’m next….”
“Maybe you are,” he whispered. “How do you feel about that?”
“The bedroom is that way,” she said, pointing.
Eleven
Walt might look like a bruiser, but he was not. What he was instead was perfect. Gentle but strong, confident, sensitive, skilled. He took Cassie to her bedroom and closed the door on poor Steve with an apology. Then he undressed her slowly, but his own clothes disappeared more quickly. His hands on her were very methodical; he’d never touched these places before and he seemed wonderstruck. Thrilled. He ran his hands from her shoulders down to her fingers, then from her neck down to her waist. Over her hips and down her thighs. Between kisses he whispered, “God, oh, God… Cassie, Cassie…”
This was a huge man and Cassie was only five foot three, but she was amazed by the way he could handle her and avoid crushing her, moving her with one big hand around her waist or beneath her butt. He parted her legs with his hands and, while he kissed her, he found her most tender, vulnerable spot with his fingers, gently massaging her there until she was writhing and moaning. And then he whispered to her, “Tell me when you’re ready for me.”
“I think,” she said breathlessly, “if you don’t do something quick, it’s going to be all over….”
And he chuckled low in his throat and, holding himself over her, he found his way and was careful, slow, as if he knew he could be a lot to handle. She gasped when he was inside her and he asked, “Did I hurt you?”
“Oh, not at all.” And then she began to move her hips beneath him.
He rocked with her, steady and solid, holding the bulk of his weight off her, and they coupled like that for a while, listening to each other sigh, purr, moan. They softly stroked each other’s backs and shoulders and sides. “Take your time,” he whispered to her. “I’m waiting for you.”
“I don’t want it to end,” she said against his lips.
And he laughed softly. “It can start again after it ends. It’s okay. It’s your first ride—we’ll go at your pace.” And she remembered that’s exactly what he had said to her on that first bike ride
, so she laughed at him. And shortly after, her laugh caught in her throat and she threw him a climax so tight and hard and hot he shuddered. She cried out, dug her nails into his shoulders. As she was coming down, he deftly took one of her nipples into his mouth and gently sucked as he pumped his hips and throbbed with his own pleasure.
She panted beneath him, but he didn’t leave her body. Instead, he stayed where he was and smoothed back her hair, sweetly kissing every part of her face, neck and shoulder. When she had calmed and cooled, he said, “That was unbelievable.”
“It certainly was,” she whispered. She thought maybe it was the best first time she’d ever experienced in her life.
He gently rolled away from her, but pulled her against him. After a moment he said, “We didn’t use anything.”
“I was carried away,” she said.
“I was surprised,” he said.
“Well, I’m on the pill. Have you been—”
“Free and clear,” he said. “No danger I’d give you anything. I made a big assumption, honey. I thought, you being a nurse, you’d know exactly where you stand with all that. With birth control, et cetera.”
“Et cetera?”
“One of your best friends is a woman’s doctor. I assumed you’d be protected and…” His voice trailed off.
“Screened?” she asked, propping up on an elbow, looking down into those incredible blue eyes.
“Jeez, was that rude? Because I’m not worried—I only want to keep you safe.”
“Just out of curiosity, when was the last woman?” she asked him.
“Couple of years, I guess. It didn’t last very long. Before that, a couple of years again. Like I said, I don’t date much. Never have.”
“Walt,” she said, “I’ve dated a lot. You’re right, though—I’ve been checked over and I’m also free and clear. But before you get any more involved with me, while there’s still time for you to run for cover, you should know—I’ve been with a lot of men.”
“They’re not here tonight, are they?” Then he smiled. “I don’t care what you’ve done in the past, Cassie. I’m only interested in what happens between us. And as far as I can tell, what happened between us worked pretty well.”
“Don’t you want to know how many?”
He stroked the hair at her temple. “I’m not worried that it’s a habit you’ll have trouble breaking. Just out of curiosity, was it over a hundred?” he asked with a smile. “I don’t care, Cassie. You’re all I care about right now.”
“I keep giving you chances to make a break for it….”
“Nah,” he said, grinning. “I’m right where I want to be.” He took her hand and gently pulled it, placing it on him. He was hard already. Ready to go. “Want to sleep for a while, or have more playtime?”
“Playtime?” she asked, laughing.
“Seems I can’t get enough of you.” He put a big hand around the back of her head and pulled her lips down to his. “Mmm. God, you feel so good, taste so good.”
And she let herself be drawn to him again, giving and taking, loving.
When Cassie felt the first streaks of sun fall on her face and heard the sound of birds, she rolled over and looked dreamily at the man beside her. This giant looked awfully like a little boy in sleep, so peaceful and harmless. She had never had such a sweet, blissful night.
Figures, she thought. For maybe the first time she had herself a man she was determined not to fall for, and she was a goner. He was an unbelievable man—he had almost everything. Walt was kind, intelligent, strong, confident. He looked pretty goofy by her standards, but she was getting past that real fast. You’d think a man his size would be a little clumsy in bed, or rough. Not so. Walt had a tender but firm touch that made her feel worshiped. And every movement he made was calculated, certain, perfect. The sound of his deep voice was burned into her memory for all time. Is this okay, like this? Tell me what you like. I’ll do whatever makes you feel good…. Oh, Cassie, you’re incredible….
She reached out and gently stroked one of his long sideburns and his eyes came open a tiny bit. A slow smile spread across his lips and he reached out, pulled her close, held her gently.
She thought, Can one live on love? Because if you can, I’m all set here.
“Um, I have something on my mind that might make you uncomfortable…” she said.
“Go ahead,” he whispered, kissing her neck, taking a deep breath of her hair.
“We’ve never talked about anything like this, and I know men and women think differently, but from my perspective after a night like last night, we’re not just friends anymore.”
He pulled away from her, smiled into her eyes. “That doesn’t make me uncomfortable. I can live with that easy.” He slipped a hand over her breast, gently kneading, and she looked down at it.
“How do you do what you do and keep your nails so clean and nice?”
He glanced at the hand. “You promise not to laugh at me?”
“I promise.”
“When I work on a bike, I use a hand cream so the grease doesn’t cling forever, and I get a manicure every week.”
She jerked back. “A manicure? You?”
“Yeah,” he said, grinning. “I have more secrets. Want them all at once, or do you want to discover me slowly?”
“I want them,” she said, smiling.
“Well, I’m a very hairy guy,” he said.
“I can see that.”
“Oh, you haven’t seen the half of it. My mother says I was left on her doorstep and I’m a direct descendant of the yeti.” She giggled. “I get my back and shoulders waxed. And eyebrows. And when I get a haircut, which is more often than you’d expect, the barber has a little machine that whirs around in my ears and nose….”
“Stop,” she said, laughing. “Are you kidding me? Guys don’t do those things.”
“Some do.”
“Did you do that in case you got me in bed? So I wouldn’t shriek?”
“No. I’ve been doing that…just a few years, I guess, but it started when my mother sat me down—after a day in their pool—and said, ‘Walt, there are simple things you can do to keep from looking like King Kong.’ She wrote down three phone numbers, complete with instructions, and said, ‘They’re expecting you.’”
“No way!”
“Oh, yeah. I sulked a little, but then I checked it out. And before you ask, I wasn’t doing it for a woman.” He grinned. “I’d have done it for you, though.” He gave her a kiss on the lips. “I love you, Cassie. And you know it.”
For a second she was stunned. Stricken. If it wasn’t bad enough she was down for the count, so was he. They were sunk now.
“You look upset,” he said.
“No,” she said, collecting herself. “It’s just that…well, I love you, too.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“God, I don’t know. I was trying not to love you….”
He laughed. “I know. I’m not what you expected. You were thinking three-piece suit, nice pension, regular haircut…”
“How did you know that?”
“If I were you, that’s what I’d be expecting. Sorry. Well, no—I’m not sorry at all. Maybe pretty soon you’ll get used to the idea of me and enjoy it. From my point of view, it feels very nice. And unless I’m completely mistaken, it feels nice to you, too.”
“Well, yes. It’s a wonderful thing. It’s just that…well, it carries some responsibility, that’s all. I don’t know if you see it that way, but I do.”
He lifted his eyebrows. “What kind of responsibility?”
“For starters, I won’t be seeing anyone else. Period.”
“That’s good,” he said, smiling. “That could make me cranky.”
“Is everything funny to you?” she asked, smiling in spite of herself.
“Damn near.” He grinned. “I won’t be seeing anyone else, either, not that you were in any danger of that. I haven’t been serious with a woman since…well, there were icebergs in
hell.”
“You said a couple of years ago…”
“That wasn’t serious and it wasn’t that great, Cassie. I could have skipped it and I wouldn’t have missed much.”
“Oh, stop. I bet lots of women have been interested in you!”
“Not women who interested me. You said ‘for starters.’ What else?”
“Nothing we need to worry about now,” she said.
“Can I ask you something? When did you think, you know…that you loved me?”
She played with those neatly trimmed sideburns. “I started to realize I needed you in my life pretty quick,” she said. “I thought I could mold you into my best friend. Then the deeper feelings started to come—I fought them real hard. You’ve really screwed up my moratorium on dating. I think I finally caved in completely right before you were taking my blouse off….”
He roared with laughter. “I wondered if we were ever going to get to that part. Boy, you make a guy work real hard for it.”
“Not usually,” she said with a little self-recrimination.
“Then I guess I’ll be flattered. I assume that with me, you had to be sure.”
“Oh, I’m sure. You better not screw this up, because I think you’re stuck with me. Once I make up my mind…”
“What made up your mind?” he asked.
“Really? You’re such a nice person. You’re always nice to the waiter.”
“I like that. I like that you think that.”
“Walt, I feel so good when I’m with you, that’s all. Maybe it won’t be perfect, I don’t know. But if I just listen to my feelings, it feels right. And for you? When did you know?”
“Practically instantly. But you’d had a rough time with men, you said so right away. You had some major trust issues. I had to give you time and patience. And then you had all that friendship stuff on your mind. I didn’t want to scare you off. You still have lots of things on your mind.”
“Nah,” she said.
“Yeah, you do. You haven’t asked me any of those practical questions. To see if I look good on paper, as you girls like to put it.”
“Like what?” she asked, knowing exactly what.