Saving Cassie (Fairfield Corners) (11 page)

The dog can sense me, I
will have to work on that.  I need to gather my strength so I can control him
for longer periods of time.  Trying to control someone who doesn’t want to be
controlled takes a lot of effort.  I must conserve my energy, my ultimate task
is coming soon.  It must happen before Halloween.  Time is short, it’s almost
time!

At five I close up the
store and Princess and I head for home.  My cell phone rings.  Naturally, it’s
James, I must be two seconds late checking in.  “Hey James, what’s up?  I was
going to call you as soon as I got home, it’s hard to dial my phone when I have
Princess’ leash in my hand.”

“Marie wants you and Logan
to come to dinner tonight.  She’s still really worried about you.”

“Sure, anything for Marie.
 I’ll be there in about a half hour.  I need to get cleaned up; I was
straightening up the storeroom and I am filthy.”

“That’s fine, Marie says
dinner will be ready about 6:30 or so.  I’ll see you then.”

“See ya, Barney.”

I unlock the front door
and make my way into the house.  At least the front door seems to be staying
closed as long as I remember to lock it.  I wonder if Gram has anything to do
with that.  I make my way upstairs after making sure Princess has food and
water in her dishes.  I notice the bedroom door is closed, I thought I left it
open this morning when I left.  I go into the bedroom but nothing seems out of
place so I push it to the back of my mind.  I have much more important things
to think about while I take my shower.  I’ve been doing some online research
into Reverend Jake and his cult.  I may have a lead on someone who was a member
when my parents left the cult.  Maybe they can explain why Reverend Jake wanted
to kill me and how he can still be threatening me after his death.  I finish up
and get ready to go next door to James and Marie’s for dinner.  If I leave now,
I’ll have some time to spend with Olivia, it’s nice to live so close.

Princess and I go out the
door and head next door. The sky has become overcast and the wind has picked
up.  Gotta love Indiana weather.

I walk up onto the porch
and reach for the doorknob, giving a little screech when the door flies open
before I can touch it.  “Hi Aunt Gigi.  I’ve been waiting forever for you to
get here.  Oh goody, you brought Princess with you!”

Marie walks up behind
Olivia.  “Now, Olivia, let your aunt come in and sit down before you attack her.”
she warns.  “Why don’t you show Princess where the water dish is that we filled
for her.”

“OK! Come on, Princess.  Mama
wants to talk with Aunt Gigi.”

“Wow, she is such a ball
of energy.  I don’t know how you keep up with her, Marie.”

“She does wear me out, but
I wouldn’t trade her for the world.  So, how was your first day back at the
store?”

“It went very well.  I was
only interrupted about every ten minutes instead of every five minutes like I
thought.  Everyone wanted to hear all the sordid details of the last week.  I
felt like I should have posted it on the door.”

“I for one am very glad
that things have settled down.  James came home after lunch and took a nap.  He
still looks tired, but not as bad as he did a couple of days ago.”  We head
back to the kitchen where it looks like dinner is almost done.  “He’s still
worried, but trying not to show it.”

James and Logan walk in.  Wow!
How did I rate two great guys like these in my life? I am still on the fence
about a long-term relationship with Logan.  I still don’t think it’s fair to
him since I probably can’t have children.  I grab the wine out of the fridge
and grab the corkscrew, turning my back to the room so they don’t see the tears
that I can’t seem to control.  Logan would be such a great dad, he is so good
with Olivia.  Oh well, no crying over spilt milk as Gram used to say.

“So, how did it go today,
Cassie?  Did you get any research done?”  James asks.

“Yes, I did.  I found a
former cult member living in Indianapolis.  We’ll talk about it after Olivia
goes to bed.”

Olivia and Princess come
back into the living room, both making a beeline for Logan.  He manages to pay
attention to both at the same time, I knew he’d be a great dad.  I have to turn
away and get my emotions under control.

“Finally, I didn’t think
you and Daddy would ever get home.  I’m starving!”

“Well then, let’s go see
if your mom has dinner ready yet.”  He grabs her hand and leads her out to the
kitchen.

James comes up beside me
and grabs the bottle of wine and finishes pulling the cork, “So, how are things
between you and Logan?”

“Better now that we aren’t
joined at the hip. It was nice to have some space today.  You two did a good
job of not hovering.  You do need to quit calling me if I’m two seconds late
checking in.”

“We’re just worried.  If I
had my way, you’d be down at the office in a cell where I could be sure you’d
be safe.”  He grabs a wine glass off the rack and pours a glass and puts it in
my hand, “But I know that’s not going to happen so you’re just going to have to
put up with me.  I love you Reggie, and I won’t let anyone ever hurt you again.”

“I love you, too, James,”
and I give him a hug.  “You, Marie, and Olivia are the only family I have now
that Gram is gone.”

“OK everyone.  Dinner’s on
the table,” Marie says.  “Get in here and sit down while it’s hot.”

Forty-five minutes later,
Olivia is watching a movie in the living room so it’s just the adults at the
table.  James asks, “What did you find today Cassie?  You said you found a
former cult member in Indy?”

“Yes, I did.  I sent an
email and I hope to hear back within the next couple of days.  Hopefully, she
can help us figure out why Reverend Jake was so intent on killing me that he is
coming after me after death. I also did some research on ghosts.  There are so
many differing opinions; I don’t know how we are going to make sense of it.
I’ll keep at it.  I also want to delve into Reverend Jake and his life before
the cult.  Maybe there are some clues there.”

“Just be careful, we don’t
want the whole town to think we’re all nuts.  Any leads on Matt’s whereabouts,
Logan?”

“No, not yet.  Don and I
have every law enforcement agency between here and New York on the lookout for
him.  I’m sure someone will spot him soon.”

“Until that happens, make
sure you have your gun at all times Cassie.”

“Nag, nag, nag.  On that
note, I’m going to head home.  I want to hit the bookstore early to move some
stock before we open.  I’ll talk to you tomorrow James.”  I get up and walk
towards the door.  “How about lunch tomorrow, Marie?  I’ll call you in the
morning and we can discuss it.”

“Sounds good, Cassie.  Maybe
we can try the new pizza place; they’re supposed to be pretty good.”

Logan and I walk out the
door and we head next door to my house. We get to the house and I head for the
stairs, “Well, goodnight Logan.  I’m sorry you’re still stuck babysitting me at
night.”

“It’s no problem, Darlin’.
 I don’t mind being close to you.  Doesn’t bother me one bit!”

Well, it sure bothers me.  I
still feel like I’m a prisoner in my own house.  Hopefully, they’ll find Matt
soon, maybe I can get rid of my houseguest then.

Logan grabs my hand and
pulls me towards him.  His lips find mine and I am lost.  I don’t know how he
does it, I can feel his kisses all the way to my toes.  He ends the kiss and
looks down at me and brushes my hair behind my ear.  “Night, Darlin’.  Don’t
let the bedbugs bite,” and he heads up the stairs to the guest room.

“It’s not the bedbugs I’m
worried about!”

I wake up the next morning
and smell coffee and bacon.  Gotta admit, the man can cook.  I get up and pull
on my robe over my usual sleepwear, an old Styx t-shirt I stole from James and
a pair of boxers.  I head downstairs and prepare myself to resist Logan’s
advances.  He sure is persistent.  Logan is at the stove with his back to me,
turning bacon.  He’s wearing flannel sleep pants and nothing else.  I lean
against the stair railing and just look at him for a couple of minutes.  Denying
the sexual attraction between us gets harder every day.

“Morning, Logan.  Got the
morning off?”

He turns his head and
looks at me with his lopsided grin.  “Yep, what was your first clue?”

“Bacon.  You only make
bacon on your morning off.  What time does your shift start today?”

“I’m on at two.  James
needs the evening off to go to Olivia’s parent-teacher conference.  I get
Saturday night off this week.  How about we go out?”

“The Komet’s home opener
is that night; how about dinner and a hockey game?”

He looks at me quizzically,
“Hockey?  I wouldn’t have thought you were into hockey. I thought Indiana was a
basketball state.”

“Indiana may be all about
college hoops but Fort Wayne is a big hockey town; has been for the last 60
years.”

“I’m game, never been to a
hockey game before.”

“Oh, a rookie!  This is
gonna be fun!  The game starts at eight, so how about dinner in Fort Wayne at 6
pm?”

“Sounds good,” Logan says
as he turns back to the stove and starts turning the bacon.  “How do you want
your eggs today, Darlin’?”

“Whatever you’re having is
fine,” I say as I move towards the coffee pot.  This brings me closer to Logan.
 I bump him slightly as I move past him.  Just being this close to him shoots
ribbons of desire through me, so I move faster to the coffee pot, my face
burning as I try to control my emotions.  I pour a cup of coffee and turn to
move back around Logan.  He is right behind me and it startles me, I let out a
squeak and slosh hot coffee over my hand.

“Dammit!” I say as I set
the coffee cup on the counter and head to the sink to run cold water over my
hand.  Logan beats me there and has the water on and grabs my hand and puts it
under the running water.

“God, I’m sorry, Darlin’.  I
thought you knew I was there.  Let me see your hand.  How bad is it?”

“It’s just a little red.  I’m
OK,” I say as I try to pull my hand back.  “You can let go of my hand now,
Logan.”

He pulls my hand up to his
lips and kisses it, sending jolts of desire up through my arm.  My other hand
reaches up and tangles in Logan’s hair, pulling his head down to bring his lips
into contact with mine.  I start to kiss him, hesitant at first, bolder as he
opens his lips to deepen the kiss, his tongue dueling with mine.  I murmur his
name against his lips, trying to convince myself to end the kiss now before it
escalates into something more.  I try to back away and he stops me.

“You started this, now I’m
going to finish it,” he says as he lowers his lips to mine again.  No protest
here, I can’t even think straight when he kisses me.  His hands reach under my
shirt and start rubbing up and down my back.  I can feel his arousal and try to
resist the urge to bring my hips closer to him.  Doesn’t work and I am moving
up against him, unconsciously trying to bring his sex into contact with mine.  He
looks into my face and sees my desire for him and begins moving me towards the
living room, towards the couch as he’s pulling my shirt over my head.  His
breath becomes ragged as he takes in my bare breasts, moving to take one of my
nipples in his mouth, running his tongue over it and bringing it to life.  I
moan and my head drops back, giving him even better access.  Suddenly I am
lying on the couch, his mouth on one breast, his hand deftly bringing the other
nipple to attention.  I move up against him, trying to bring us even closer, my
sex seeking his, pulsing with a mind of its own. My fingers are wrapped in his
hair, urging him closer.  Both hands are now on my breasts and his mouth is
tasting every inch down to my belly button, I start to wriggle, moaning, “Please…
please… now… please.”

His mouth and tongue
continue down, he cups my sex with his hand and I move against it, straining
for release, “Not yet, Darlin’,” he whispers against me, and he moves his mouth
down even further, finding my sex with his tongue.  I writhe beneath his
ministrations.  He chuckles, “Almost there, aren’t you, Darlin’?”

“God!  Now!  Please now!”  I
gasp, unable to think.  I am now just a mass of nerves that he is playing like
a piano, finding each note, each one sweeter than the last.  He moves back up
towards my breasts, suckling on each in turn.  My hips are moving in an ancient
rhythm, trying to find anything to relieve that sweet ache, spiraling higher
and higher until it feels like I can’t breathe, I can’t think; there is only
this man who creates this feeling within me.  Finally, he moves up, I can feel
his need for me, searching for the opening that will give us both release.  His
rod is like iron, hot and pulsing against my leg as his mouth finds mine once
again.  Suddenly he is pushing into me, bringing me even higher.  God, I feel
like I am going to shatter into a million pulsing pieces.  I match his strokes,
bringing us ever closer to the peak.  My hands are rubbing anywhere I can reach.
 I am gasping with need, please, please, please now as his strokes become
faster, reaching for our mutual release.  I feel myself slipping over the edge
as Logan slams into me, trying to bring us closer, as if he can make us one
being.  We both fall off the cliff together, spiraling down together.

I come back to my senses,
gasping, with my heart pounding.  It has never been like this before, this
all-encompassing need and it scares me to death.

“Oh!  My!  God!”  I gasp, as
my breathing and heart rate begin to slow.  I feel so languid, like I could go
over the edge of the couch as a waterfall.

“At least we made it to
the couch this time, Darlin’.  Maybe next time we’ll actually make it to a bed,
any bed!” Logan chuckles.

I hear someone on the
porch, walking up towards the door, “Reggie, you here?” James asks as he comes
in the door and looks over towards us on the couch.  Logan is covering me, I’m
sure he can feel my full-body blush.  “Shit, sorry Reggie.  Logan?  What the
hell!  I ask you to protect her, and I find you here like this.  Who is going
to protect her from you?” he asks and storms into the kitchen.  We use the
privacy to find our clothes, strung across the room with abandon.  My face
burns, I don’t know why. This is my house and my life, the anger takes over,
driving the shame away, James will just have to deal with it.

Now that I’m dressed, I
feel more in control.  “James, when will you learn to quit barging in like you
own the place?”

“I thought you and Logan
were taking it slow, after the revelation you made last week.  And then I find
you like this, on the couch, like a couple of teenagers.”

“What can I say, being in
such close quarters has made it difficult to keep this at arm’s length. Now,
did you stop by for a reason?” I ask, my face burning.  Dammit, I have done
nothing to be ashamed of!

“The results came back on
the fingerprints we lifted off of the picture frame.  The only prints we found
were your Gram’s and yours.  No other prints.  Whoever has been moving that
picture wore gloves and left no evidence whatsoever.”

Logan walks into the kitchen,
now fully clothed.  “Damn, can’t catch a break on this one.  What now, James?”

“Don’t ‘what now, James’
me, we need to have a serious talk about what I walked in on this morning.  I
thought I could trust you, and all you wanted to do was get Cassie in bed.  I
want you out of this house immediately!” James rants, turning red with anger.

“Cassie, Darlin’, why
don’t you go up and take a shower and let us discuss this in private.”

“What?  Poor little Cassie
can’t make her own decisions?”  I walk over to Logan and poke my finger in his
chest, “What makes you think I need you to fight my battles for me?  I’m a big
girl and I can stand up for myself and my decisions!”  I walk over to James and
start in on him, “What gives you the right to judge how I live my life?  You
are not my father, you are my friend.”  They both look at me shamefaced, “If
you two are done trying to control my life, I need to get in the shower.  I have
work to do today and I need to get started.” I stomp up the steps and go into
the bathroom and slam the door.

James and Logan look at
each other and burst out laughing.  “You’ve definitely got your hands full,
Logan.  I don’t envy your next conversation with Cassie.  She tends to hold on
to her anger.  Now, we still need to have that talk.  As Cassie’s only family,
we need to talk about your intentions towards her.  I thought you were going to
give her time.”

“James, I fully intended
to keep my hands off her, but I can’t seem to control myself around her. She
looks at me and the only thing I want is to be as close to her as possible.  I
knew I loved her the first time I had her in my arms at the dance.  I’ve never
felt like this before, I can’t seem to think about anything but the next time
I’m going to see her, even if it’s to protect her from some crazy ex or an evil
ghost. I hope you understand that I will never intentionally hurt her.  I love
her and hope to marry her.  I guess I’m asking for your blessing.”

“I didn’t realize things were
that serious with you.  Of course you have my blessing, but know this, if you
ever hurt Cassie you will answer to me.  Cassie is my best friend and I love
her as a sister.”

Logan reaches out and
shakes hands with James, James laughs and gives him a quick “man hug”, looking
around to make sure no one saw it.  “It’ll be great to have you as part of the
family, Logan.”

“Thanks, James.  You’re
going to have to stop just walking in here.  I’m trying to wear down Cassie’s defenses
and I can’t do that if you keep catching us in compromising situations.”

“Sure thing, Logan.  I
have to get back to the office.  I’m waiting on the lab report on what the
message on Cassie’s mirror was written with.”

“Ok, I’ll see you at two.”
Logan says and heads up the stairs, going into the guest room to get his shoes.
 “Hey Cassie!” he yells, “I’m headed out.  Call me if you need anything!” he
hurries down the stairs and out the door, hoping that I will have calmed down
by the time he gets back.

I am still fuming when I
get out of the shower.  Men!  The nerve of both of them, trying to run my
life!  I dress and finish getting ready for the day.  As I go downstairs, I
notice the pan of bacon is still sitting on the stove.  At least the burner got
turned off, could have set the house on fire.  I clean everything up, the smell
of bacon reminding me of our lovemaking. Who knew the smell of bacon could be
so sexy?  After everything is cleaned up and put away, I turn to get my keys
off of the hook by the back door and notice they are gone.  Not again! I search
for them, starting with the freezer where I found them yesterday.  I feel a
breeze on the back of my neck and I hear my Gram’s voice in my ear, “Follow
your heart Cassie, not your head.  That’s the secret to true happiness.”  I sit
down in a kitchen chair, thinking about what she said.  I thought I always
followed my heart and that was what got me in trouble every time.

“No Cassie, you picked men
you thought needed you, not the one your heart needed to be whole.  Logan is
the one.” And then she was gone.  Tears course down my cheeks, I miss her so
much!  I hope she’s right, I just can’t seem to stay away from Logan and he
seems to be OK with the fact that I can’t have children.  I guess I’ll just go with
it and see where it takes us.  I hear my keys hit the table, I guess that’s my
cue to get it in gear and get to the bookstore.  I wonder what the day holds.
Maybe I can get over to the mall in Fort Wayne today, I want to find something
for my date with Logan on Saturday that will knock his socks off!