Lasting Attraction (Cassie Series)

Lasting
Attraction

Lasting
Attraction

Book three in the
Cassie Series

-a novel by
Ashley Beal
e
-

This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights. You are not permitted to give or sell this book to anyone else. Any trademarks, product names, service marks, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. All rights are reserved.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, any place, events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

Published by: Ashley Beale

Edited by: Amanda King

Cover imagine © 2014

Photographer: Harold Strout of Kittyhawk Studio

Cover model: Jennifer Klinge

Created by: Createspace Cover Creator

ISBN-13: 978-1495261442

ISBN-10: 1495261441

              "I'm coming!"

             
"Well hurry up, you're taking forever."

             
I sigh while watching myself in the mirror. "Just give me three minutes." I can hear as Pierce walks away from the bathroom door. I continue looking at myself in the mirror, getting even angrier with myself than I've been.

             
After a second, I splash my face with some water and take a few deep breaths. I dry my face off and smile at myself, comforting myself before I walk out the door. Today is the day I meet Pierce's family once and for all. He has been extremely anxious about it, which in return only makes me more nervous.

             
Once I meet him in the kitchen, he pulls me into him and gives me a chaste kiss to the forehead. "It'll be okay baby girl. They'll love you just as much as I do."

             
I don't tell him that is what I'm afraid of. Instead, I smile and accept what is. We walk together out of the apartment and I hop into the passenger seat of his pickup truck while he takes the driver’s seat. We ride together, mostly in silence, to his parents’ house where his brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew all are.

             
"So have you thought about next week at all?" he asks as we're almost to his parents' house.

             
I look over and smile sweetly. "We can discuss this after we leave, don't you think?"

             
"Yeah, I guess. I just don't see why its taking you so long to decide."

             
"Like I said, because you can trust me on this. Avery and I are just friends and that is all there will ever be between us. You know what went on between us, you know what he did. What we do to each other. We're not capable of being together. You and I make sense. We're happy. I'm happy, with you. Nothing is going to ruin that. I don't want to leave my apartment for an entire week just because he is showing back up."

             
Pierce reaches over and squeezes my hand. "Okay, sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up right now."

             
"It's fine," I tell him, looking out the passenger side window.

             
We arrive at his parent’s just seconds later and he tells me to hold on when he puts it in park. He jumps out and runs around the truck until he is at my door, then he opens it up and helps me out. We walk hand in hand until we're inside his parents' gorgeous, welcoming home.

             
Evan, Pierce's brother, looks so much like him I have to do a double take. I've met him before but his hair was more grown out before and he was dressed in his work attire, not his casual clothing. He isn't nearly as defined and he is clearly older, but just looking at him makes my heart pound a little harder. Two Pierce's? Every girl's fantasy. Not that I'm ever going to go there.

             
Everyone says their introductions except Evan, he just smiles at me and turns away. It breaks my heart but I know deep down I deserve it. He knows I'm not good enough for his only brother, and I understand that completely. It doesn't make it hurt any less though.

             
Pierce’s niece and nephew are utterly adorable but keep more to themselves than speak with us adults. That excludes when we first showed up and they tackled their uncle before raining him with kisses, and hugs. Seeing Pierce with them only causes a panic deep inside but I ignore those feelings because right now, its pointless.

             
We manage to get through an awkward, yet delicious, dinner with his family. There aren't many questions asked like I thought there would be, and instead conversation seemed to be between Evan and his father the most. His mom says less than twenty words to me since I showed up and I can feel their disapproval radiating off them. I've never before felt so closed off from a boyfriend's family. I know he has probably told them things about, aside from what else they've heard, but the least they could do is show me a little kindness.

             
I ignore it the best I can, putting a smile on my face and trying to compliment the food as well as their home. When I walked in, I felt very welcomed because their home is just that beautiful and warming, but them- all I can say is I'm not sure where Pierce got his compassion from. He may be an ass at times but he is still such a sweetheart most of the time. When he loves something, or someone, he makes them feel that way. Aside from Avery, he makes everyone around him feel good as well. But its whatever. I can still try.

             
When we leave, his niece and nephew give me a hug and it feels nice to have them at least enjoy my company. In the truck, the first thing Pierce does is apologize for the hostile and uncomfortable atmosphere, but I tell him its fine. I can see that he is struggling, so I change the subject and decide to talk about other things.

             
The two of us end back at his place, and he makes sure to show me for the next two hours how much
he
loves me and appreciate me, regardless to the disastrous mess at his family's home.

             
Once he lays down in bed, all I can think about is our conversation in the truck on the way to his parent's house. About Avery. What am I going to do when he comes home? I'm still so angry at him. It’s obviously true about the tape, and that part upsets me the most. He has tried to contact me, several times, but I ignore everything. I don't even want to see him when he comes back next week, but at the same time, I want to more than ever. It’s such a contradiction, I can't explain.

             
That is why I don't want to discuss it with Pierce. I don't want him to worry about Avery coming back, because I don't want us to fight, we have enough to worry about and to work through without adding in Avery being around for a week. However, I know its probably best we actually talk about things. We're not so good at being honest with one another. Its like I'm terrified of telling him my true feelings, my worries, my hopes, my concerns. I feel like he doesn't understand me the way I want him to.

             
Also, I'm scared of being rejected by him. We've been doing so damn good these last few months, but there has been this unexplainable tension between us too. Neither of us have addressed it, and I'm not even sure I want to. I think if I bring it up, its going to open up things between us that we'll never be able to take back. So for now, I'm leaving it be. Even if in the end it hurts us.

             
In the morning, as I'm making Pierce's lunch for him, he comes over and wraps his arms around me. I freeze at first then I breathe out slowly, continuing on making his food. "You okay?" he asks.

             
"Yeah, of course. You just scared me is all."

             
"Sorry," he says. He gives me a kiss on the cheek then goes about getting us some coffee. "Thank you for making my lunch babe, I appreciate it when you do things for me."

             
I look over at him and smile. "Of course. I love helping you out."

             
"And I love when you help me." He hands me my coffee the same time I finish packing his lunch. "And I love you."

             
"I love you, too." After I set down my mug, I wrap my arms around his shoulders and give him a kiss on the lips. "I hope you have a great day at work."

             
Once he leaves I go into the bathroom and just start crying. I had the worse dream last night. I dreamt that Avery, Pierce and I had a threesome- so yeah, that part was nice I have to admit. It started out fantastic. Then out of nowhere, they both get up and leave. I try calling after them, but they walk away from me and never come back. I remember feeling empty inside and I had just lost it completely.

             
All I can think about now is that it was warning me. That I'm going to lose them both, forever. I can't. I won't survive without them both in my life. I know its not possible. I know that very soon I'm going to lose one of them, and I know its going to hurt like hell, but at least I'll have the other. I just have to figure out which one I can survive without, and which one would kill me if I lost him completely.

             
She has been acting so weird. I'm not sure if it's because Avery will be home at the end of the week or if there is more going on. It started several weeks back but its been progressing more and more each day. It doesn't help matters that I've been stressed right the fuck out. My secretary is moving to Seattle with some man she met online and now I have to fill the position. She has been helping me but no one has worked out yet.

             
Talking about secretaries, my phone rings with Marie on the other line. "Hello," I answer, clicking the red button.

             
"Hi Mr. Danielson, your brother is here to see you."

             
"Send him up, please."

             
I click the end button and tidy up the papers on my desk. Evan knocks on the door just as I straighten my tie and stand. He walks in but doesn't look too impressed by something. I wave to the seat in front of me and take my own chair once again. He sits with force and grunts something under his breath.

             
"What do I owe the pleasure?" I mock.

             
"I got someone for you to hire to replace Marie."