“You don’t have to say anything right now, other than that you’ll think about it, okay? I got my mind firmly set on convincin’ you either way though. Once I start caring about something, I become mighty passionate about it. And I care about you, Cass.”
A small smile crept across her lips, “You sure know how to sweet-talk a girl, Beau Montgomery. Compliments will get you everywhere sometimes…”
“Aim to please, ma’am,” I said and tipped my invisible Stetson to her.
I gently moved into her space and tucked a lock of black hair behind her ear, “You know I’ll never be him, right?”
“Of course, I know that, Beau.” The agitation was rich in her voice.
“And you have to know that I’d never do or say anything to intentionally hurt you. You are precious to me.”
“We’ve known each other since we were kids. I’d be a damn fool to ever compare you with the likes of Andrew Peterson.”
I ran my hand down her arm and intertwined my fingers with hers. A chill crept up my spine thinking about how many times before I’d dreamed of just holding her hand. This girl was going to be the death of me, but a sweet death it would be. I knew the battle for her heart was coming and I was prepared. There was no way in hell I’d give up my sweet girl. She was mine and I planned on keeping her.
“Good, glad that’s settled.”
“Beau…”
“I’m going to fight my way into your heart, Cassidy Mae. I’m coming with all sorts of ammunition. Best make sure you get your battlefield in place because I’m about to win this war. And the sweetest prize it will be when your heart belongs to me.”
A shiver ran down her arm as the last words fell from my lips. The tension ran between as I stared at her lips for what seemed like a long few minutes. I wanted so badly to lean in and kiss her. To feel the warmth of her breath against my own. To dip my lips onto her own plump pink ones. To love every bit of her mouth combined with my own, but she wasn’t ready for that yet. If she wanted to be friends then I was going to be the best damn friend she’d ever seen.
I leaned in close enough to whisper, “I want to kiss you so bad right now, Cassidy Mae.”
The breath hitched in her throat as her eyes fell to my lips. Her perfect pink tongue dipped out and caressed those pert lips I was admiring just a minute ago and I had to hold back a groan. God, I wanted her so badly it physically hurt to stand this far away and not maul her with my love.
“Okay…” she breathed.
“But I’m not going to. I’m going to make you beg for it. I want you to be so ready for my kiss that you crave it. That you’re desperate for it like nothin’ you ever wanted before in your life.”
“Oh…” She immediately stepped away and hid her eyes from my view.
“Hey, hey… don’t be like that darlin’. Believe me, I want you. I just want to take my time with you and make sure you’re ready for all of this, including kissing them pretty lips of yours.”
I clasped the back of her neck and brought my lips to her forehead as my free hand grasped her hip to pull her against me. I may not grant myself permission to kiss those lips, but I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to know how soft her skin would be beneath my lips. How her tongue would taste against my own. I bet she’d be sweet like the skittles she snuck Elle every day. I’d waited years to just be this close to her and now I’d held her hand and had the chance to kiss her sweet, soft skin. I reveled in the beauty. I reveled in this moment. With her.
When I finally pulled back, I looked down to see her expression. I couldn’t exactly put a finger on what it meant. A tear had formed and was claiming its way down her cheek. Making its way down her soft skin. “Hey, Cass. Baby. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She said as she looked up at me, brushing away the tear that had fallen. “It’s just… that… I can’t remember how long it’s been since someone touched me with such tender care and…” Her voice cut off and she shook her head.
“Shhh… it’s okay. I’m here, Cass.” She nodded against my shirt as my arms embraced her harder. She pulled me in closer, her fingers digging into the fabric against my back, and we stood like that for what seemed like minutes before she realized what she was doing and pulled away from me.
“I… I need to…I need to go work with Oakley.” A grin spread across my face. I knew she needed an escape from me right now. What we’d just experienced was one of the most precious and biggest emotional exchanges I’d ever had. It was intense and I understood her need to flee. She was going through a lot and everything we just discussed would no doubt cause more feelings to fluster inside her body. I squeezed her tightly once more before letting her run off to hide.
“Hey Beau,” she spoke softly as she turned to face me one final time before leaving. My eyes found the softness in hers. It was an honest look.
“Yeah?”
“You weren’t the only one who wished you’d made a move back then.” Her words gutted me. She’d wanted me to ask her out way back then. And once again I found myself wanting to kick my own ass.
“We’ve got all the time in the world to make it up, Cass. And that starts now.” She wouldn’t give me those pretty emerald green eyes again,
