Love and Chaos: A Growing Pains Novel (9 page)

Her mouth went dry
as her gaze drifted upward. His beautiful eyes held her, intense and masterful, dominant and intelligent. Heat took over her body, wrapping around her mind and tightening her groin. His warm breath bathed her. His smell wrapped around her head in dizzying ways.

She s
aw something deep in those eyes, wild and raw, yearning to break free. And she wanted him to. She wanted him to take her. To push her up against the wall and have her. To pit his size against hers until she had no choice but to submit.

“What the hell!” she gasped
, her groin tingling and her tongue thick. An alarm buzzed somewhere, knowing he was taken. Knowing she was supposed to be taken. Knowing this wasn’t right.

Without thinking—or continuing not to think, maybe—she shoved him to get him away. He stepped back one pace and grabbed her shoulders.

“No way, bub.” She slapped away his hands and pointed out of the door, uncontrollable anger bubbling out and over. “Get out of here!”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Jace asked, completely flummoxed.
“I was just grabbing a towel.”

“Gross. I don’t want to know
about your sexy time. Get out.”

“What—“

“What’s happening in here?” Peter asked in a loud whisper, jogging in and shutting the door so they didn’t wake the kids. He stared down at Cassie, and then glanced over at his brother, briefly noticing the bare chest.

“Ah.” Peter opened the door and backed Cassie out slowly. “Cas
s, wait until he’s done, please.”

“I’m done.” Jace stalked out a moment later, anger smoldering in his eyes
, enhancing that raw quality. Making her chest go as tight as her core.

She almost threw a kick his way to
somehow stop the spectacle of his sizzling hot body.

“And put a shirt on,” she
whisper-yelled at his backside, fists balled.

Peter pushed her back into the bathroom and shut the door. He stared down at her for a mo
ment, probably noticing her set jaw and the flat line of her eyebrows, because he gave one of those huge sighs.

“That wasn’t my fault, Peter,” Cassie said quietly, anger burning hot
to cover the embarrassment. “I didn’t know he was in here. Then my stupid head went crazy—but I put a stop to it, don’t you worry. I controlled it.”

Peter couldn’t help a smile.
“You should’ve gotten laid before you came.”

Ca
ssie blinked a half-dozen times—ready to defend her case. She expected to get reamed out for acting like a complete fool, not get a genuine truth. She started laughing and hugged Peter, which then turned into hanging on him. “Yes. I should’ve. But holy shit, Peter—his
chest
. I still maintain that wasn’t my fault. He’s really attractive. Really,
really
attractive. And all alpha male and good with kids and beautimus and—”

“You did
not just use the word beautimus!”

They broke down in laughter, hanging off each other.

“He’s big,” Peter said. “He used to have some fat on him, but problems with his fiancé stressed him out. He lost a bunch of weight, and then went to the gym to get it back. Doesn’t look like he stopped going to the gym.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t drink, either.” Cassie wiped a hand across her face. “I’ve derailed. I
pushed
the guy. If he was any smaller I would’ve pushed him into the tub.”

“Why?” Peter stepped away to look at his face in the m
irror, running a hand over his stubble. He reached into a drawer and took out a face cleansing wipe. Without a word, he handed one to Cassie.

She took it, not wanting to admit
why she wanted to shove Jace. Or how her mind immediately went to the need for the towel. Or how her panties got a gush of wetness. So instead, she cleaned her face with Peter in silence.

It would be a long,
long
week. And it would really,
really
suck.

Cassie trudged out of her room in her tank and boxers, hair a mess and no makeup anywhere in sight. She used the restroom, ignored the reflection of the douche in the mirror, and turned toward the stairs.

“Where are you going?” Peter grabbed her arm and ushered her back to the room. “Sweetie, your breasts are perky, yes, but the other girls don’t want you to flaunt that. Put on a bra for Christ sakes!”

Cassie glanced down at her chest through the haze. “Dang.” With the headache and dehydration, not to mention a terrible night’s sleep because Peter had tossed and turned all night, that one word syllable was all she could muster.

“Do they do that trick with the wine every night?” she asked.

“Why don’t you take a shower and meet me downstairs? And yes, so keep your glass close to you so you can monitor it. There is no shortage of wine in this house.”

“Do I have to take a shower right now? I want some fruit. Well, I really want some chocolate, but fruit will have to do.”

Peter glanced toward the stairs. He stepped closer. “Yes, honey,
please.
You have to act the part or they’ll never believe you actually like me.”

She couldn’t help rolling her eyes. Dealing with insecurity
and drama, when she felt like garbage, was a tough situation. “Okay. What outfit do I wear?”

“We’re doing lawn sports today, I think. So maybe a sun dress.”

“Wait.” Cassie dropped her hand from her hair and let it dangle at her side. “I don’t get to play?”

Peter stared at her for a silent beat. She couldn’t tell if he was thi
nking, or about to say something he knew she wouldn’t like.

“Because I’ll push, Peter.” She stared back with stubborn determination. “I will push and I will get my way. Just so we’re clear. I want to play sports, and if you need to be the gentleman and sit out so I can do that
, since you hate sports, then great. But I want to play.”

Peter stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Cassie, usually
only the guys play. The girls sit to the side and sip their drinks in the shade or sun, depending. That’s just kind of how things are done. I don’t want to play—I hate this stuff. I’d much rather sit out. But I don’t really have a choice, either.”

“We’ll see.” She
gave him a dark look before pushing him out of the room.

An hour later, after she sucked water from the tap, washed herself with no real conviction, put only a light dusting of makeup on, and donned an expensive outfit even though it might get destroyed, she headed down, grumpy as hell.

She really could’ve used a bar of chocolate. Seriously. She wa
s only as sweet as the intake of chocolate made her.

The buzz through the kitchen didn’t affect her this time, mostly because her mind was set
for the battle to come. Jenn and Rachel sat at the island, Rachel eating a muffin. Nick and Roger sat at the table, Nick with the baby. Everyone else was gone.

“Well, don’t you look pretty,” Rachel said,
wearing only mascara. Jenn sat without makeup at all, hair brushed out but not done up.

Cassie suddenly felt extremely overdressed for country festiv
ities. She gave a smile she didn’t feel and eyed the coffee pot. “Can I have some coffee?”

“Yup, sure.”
Jenn pointed toward a cabinet. “There’s muffins. Or cereal, if you want. No one felt like cooking a big breakfast this morning.”

“If Roger wouldn’t keep opening bottles of wine it might be different,” Rachel accused, not bothering to glance back at the table.

“Do you guys have fruit? Or chocolate?” she tried, loading her cup with sugar.

The distant bellow of the motorcycle took the place of talking. When it shut off,
Jenn said, “I think there’s some fruit in the fridge. The kids ate the bananas this morning. We need to hit the store.”

“We can wait until tomorrow. They can eat cereal tomorrow
morning.” Rachel broke her muffin into pieces. “So, Cassie, you like kids, huh? Do you want some one day?”

Cassie leaned against the counter
, facing the women. Roger glanced up, and then immediately back down, obviously interested in the answer, but not daring to poke his nose into a female conversation. He didn’t fool anyone—Cassie knew men were just as big of gossips.

“I do. Want kids
, that is,” she said, grimacing at the bitter drink. “Just need to wrestle a ring out of the man, first.”

“Well, that’s half done, right?”
Jenn smiled in a kind way as she took a bite.

Cassie nodded slowly,
hating these half lies she was telling. It made her uncomfortable—she obviously wasn’t the best pick for Peter’s fake girlfriend. She eyed the muffins. She checked the fridge, only found blueberries, which she wasn’t a huge fan of, and then glanced outside. “I might go for a stroll. I need to wake up.”

“It’s the wine,” Rachel yelled back at the table again without turning around. She win
ked at Cassie. “We’re all in the same boat. At least you got to sleep in a while. The kids woke me up at six.”

Cassie moaned on Rachel’s behalf. Rachel nodded. “Exactly.”

“Go out the side.” Jenn pointed toward the dining room. “Through there, keep going, and you’ll hit a door. There’s a nice path out there. Or, if you go out back, the boys are setting up the…something court. Volleyball, I think.”

“Or badminton.” Rachel shrugged, unconcerned.

“You guys don’t play?” Cassie tried.

Rachel shook her head adamantly. “I’ve never been good at that sort of thing. No way. It’s better for everyone if I sit out.”

“I play badminton, generally, but don’t much care for whiffle ball or volleyball.” Jenn studied Cassie for a moment. “Jace said you might want to play.”

Cassie nodded
. “I really like all those sports. Besides, I need a break from drinking.”

“Not in this house.” Nick smiled down at
Emma as he tried to get her to eat some carrot puree. “My parents maintain that this is vacation, and drinking is a hobby.”

“
We’re
not forcing it on anyone.” Roger gave Cassie a small smile.

Cassie couldn’t help the answering smile.
Lies.
She refilled her coffee and started toward the side of the house. “I’m going to try and walk off the haze.”

“Good luck!” Rachel shouted. “We’ll join you out back in a little bit.”

Cassie couldn’t help the continuing smile. Everyone was exactly as nice as Jace had said, open and eager to share space and chatter. So accommodating. It seemed like Peter’s fears were mostly unfounded. Even Roger, as controlling and used to getting his way as he was, was totally cool and down to earth most of the time. He held and played with the kids, he laughed and joked, and he wanted everyone to have a good time. She couldn’t believe he would cast his son out for being different.

Cassie
found the side door and pushed through, the crisp morning air greeting her, awakening her senses. She heard playful arguing off to the right, which must’ve been the back of the house, so she kept walking straight, following a small path through a pretty, natural garden. Wildflowers bloomed, their last hurrah before the chill would overcome them for the winter. Large oaks shadowed the path, leaves and acorns adorning the dirt and carelessly placed garden stones. At the other end she found herself at a downward slope, a bench positioned to look out over the valley below. She sipped her coffee as she sat, closing her eyes and bending her head back so the sun could warm her face.

“Enjoying yourself?”

Cassie flinched, startled, and quickly held her coffee away from her body. Thankfully she’d already drunk half of it—no spills. She squinted up at Jace, who stood to the side facing her and staring, as usual.

“Why the staring, Jace? Seriously, it’s getting old.”

His gaze swiveled out over the valley.

“Sorry.” Cassie hung her head with a steadying breath. “Sorry to be such an ass. And sorry about last night. I wasn’t really thinking clearly. Want to sit?”

Jace glanced at the proffered seat. “Is it safe?”

She huffed a smile. “Pro
bably not, but you’re a big guy-- you can probably handle it.”

Jace
stood for a moment, his eyes squinting into the morning sun. The light illuminated his face and lightened his eyes, displaying that perfection just right. “I love sitting here. It’s peaceful,” he said in a tranquil voice.

Still looking at him, half wanting to get up and touch him to make sure he was real, Cassie said,
“Then sit, by all means. You’re too heavy for me to throw you down the hill.”

H
is eyes sparkled as he looked down at her, his lips tweaked into a half-smile. “For just a minute. I have to help the guys set up.”