Page 70 of The Perfect Melody

Wetting his lips, he gazes at my exposed centre with abject hunger. “I want to taste you, Cassie.” He gives my thigh a playful nip before resting his head against it to look up at me hopefully. “Are you going to let me?”

“Yes, Boss,” I tease.

His eyes narrow. “Stop that.”

“You don’t like it?”

He rests his temple against my thigh, guilt clouding his expression. “I like it too much. It makes me feel like a creepy old man.”

I bite back a smile. He’s adorable. “I’ll stop if you really want me to, but if you think it’s hot, and I think it’s hot, then there’s nothing wrong with it.”

The tension leaves him, and he turns to press a kiss to my thigh. “You’re right.”

Stroking his hair, I give him a cheeky grin. “OK, then, Boss. Get to work.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Austin

After the water turned cold,sending Cassie and me running from the shower, we dried off to the soundtrack of our laughter. I gave her another one of my shirts and a pair of my socks to wear, then made my way downstairs. First, I toss our wet clothes into the washing machine. Next, I make us both a coffee, inviting Cassie to join me in the living room when she was ready. When I went to sit in my usual spot, she shook her head, telling me to lie down instead. Now her right side is pressed to my front as we half watch reruns of a crime procedural while getting to know each other more.

“What’s your family like? Are they in the US or England?” I know she’s thinking about staying in town and that her family situation is complicated, but will she really leave them behind if they’re in the States?

“My mother is in Nashville. It’s always been just the two of us.”

I don’t miss the fact that Cassie calls her Mother, not Mum. “Are you close?” I ask, suspecting I already know the answer.

“No. I think maybe we used to be when I was younger? I have a few memories that make me think she used to be different, but they’re kind of fuzzy now.” She wiggles until she’s facing me,and I curl my arm around her shoulders, wanting to comfort her. “She’s done so much for me. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her, but…” Absentmindedly, Cassie toys with the hem of my t-shirt while she searches for the right words. “She doesn’t respect my boundaries or privacy—nobody does. When I turned eighteen, she didn’t even want me to call her mum anymore because—” She tenses, cutting herself off as if she’s shared more than she meant to.

“That must have been hard. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it. We’ve been more like colleagues than mother and daughter for a long time.”

“You work together?”

“Yeah.”

“Working with family can be tough. Mum and I went through a really rough patch with Bowman’s, but we’re in a great place now.”

“Yeah, but Abby’s a good person—she actually cares about your happiness.”

“Your mum doesn’t care about yours?”

Without her glasses on, it’s even easier to see the emotion in Cassie’s big blue eyes as she replies, “No.” She swallows thickly. “It took leaving for me to realise just how little she cares. I used to think she was tough because she was looking out for me, because she wanted me to be the best version of myself that I could be. I was an idiot.”

My gut twists at the hurt in her voice, and I stroke her hair, trying to soothe her. “You arenotan idiot. It’s natural to think your mum is going to look out for you—that’s what they’re supposed to do.”

“The only person my mother looks out for is herself. She treats me as if I’m some kind of machine, expecting me to be perfect all the time. It’s exhausting.”

Anger on Cassie’s behalf bubbles up within me, but I need to keep myself in check. This is the first time she’s told me about her life in any real detail. I won’t snub the trust she’s putting in me by making this conversation about my emotions instead of hers.

Toying with the ends of her hair that’s almost completely dry now, I thank whatever forces brought Cassie here to me and away from someone who treats her so badly. “You don’t need to worry about that when you’re with me.” Kissing the top of her head, I squeeze her tighter. She smells like my shampoo, like me, and that satisfies a primal part of me I didn’t know existed. “I already know you’re not perfect,” I joke.

“Hey,” she objects, lightly pushing my shoulder.

“There’s no hiding it. You crashed your car the day you arrived in town, you’ve got secrets, and I’m pretty sure you lied about having work experience as a server.” Her eyes widen at that, but I don’t let her shock throw me off. “Sorry, Trouble, you’re a regular human being just like the rest of us,” I tease.

The gentle caress of Cassie’s fingertips brushing up and down the length of my arm soothes something deep within me. The tip of her tongue flicks out to wet her pink lips. “You’re right. I do have secrets, but they’re not bad—at least I don’t think they are.”