Page 73 of A Little Bit Extra

With a simple squeeze of my hand, she silences me. I drop the hand that was waving in the air like a damn inflatable arm tube man back on my lap.

Cassie takes one of her hands and cups my jaw, bringing my eyes to meet hers. “I would love nothing more than to be with you when you announce the biggest news of your career.” She presses her lips to mine.

“You know, if this blows up in our faces and you leave me, I won’t be able to focus very much. It would shatter my heart into a million pieces,” I tease.

“Mhm, I’d be the one to crush your heart, that’s for sure.”

I give her one more kiss on the forehead before releasing her from our hug. “I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you, Cassie, pretty sure I knew from the beginning that you’d be the death of me.”

22

Emmett

The next morning, we busy ourselves with coffee and movies, enjoying each other’s company. Even though Marcy and Lucy already know about us, the guys don’t. And no one knows that I’m actually quitting acting. Everyone assumes the article was false, or at least they let me believe they think that.

“We have an hour until they get here,” I say, standing up from the couch to grab a drink from the kitchen.

“I’m already stressing out about it.” Cassie leans her head back on the couch, closing her eyes and releasing a big sigh.

I walk over from the kitchen and lean to kiss her neck from behind. “Want to go shower before everyone gets here?” I whisper in her ear. She nods.

We walk to the end of the hall and enter the bathroom. I turn on the shower, turning the knob to make the water hot but not too hot. Comfortable enough for the both of us.

The faint brush of air against my back alerts me to Cassie's presence as she steps behind me. Her hands find the bottom hem of my shirt. I lift up my hands and help her take it off. As she places her hands gently on my back, she traces small circles with her fingertips. When I turn around, I’m met with the sight of her standing there, entirely naked.

I lift an eyebrow. I don’t know when she found time to do that, and she must see my shock and awe because she chuckles.

Cassie traces more circles around my chest, leaning in to leave small kisses on her trail. Her hands find the band of my pants and she tugs them down, kisses still following her every move.

Her little touches and kisses are enough to make me come, but luckily after being with her for the past month, I’ve kept myself together long enough to enjoy more time with her like this. Our intimacy is nothing like I’ve experienced.

Our emotional intimacy is so strong that it amplifies the physical attraction we have for one another. Every touch is intentional and has meaning.

Before Cassie can continue any further, I pull her back up to standing. “It pains me to say we don’t have time for this, but I’d rather not be inside you when the company arrives.” I give her a kiss on the nose.

She chuckles. “Fair. I guess you’ll have to think of me all night until they leave, hm?” Cassie walks past me and into the shower, teasing me more than she knows just from the sight of her bare ass.

We still fool around enough in the shower and quickly get each other off before I have to remind myself we have people coming over within the hour. There's not enough time to accomplish everything I want to do to Cassie.

I want to take my time with her, memorizing every area of her body. Know all the ways to make her moan my name. Later.

“I’m glad I didn’t scare you away that night in the diner,” Cassie says to me as we dry off. She’s at one sink while I’m at the other. She pulls out a hair dryer and plugs it in.

“You had me at first eye roll.” I look over at her and wink.

23

Cassie

Part of me wonders if everyone suspects Emmett and me, and the other part of me is freaking out that we’re about to tell our friends we’re dating. I went from not wanting anything to do with any guys, ever, to falling for Emmett. I did not see that coming. Sure, we flirted, but I thought it was harmless. I didn’t want to open my heart again to the possibility of being hurt. But he just wouldn’t let me go. He kept pursuing me, hanging out with me, breaking me down one wink, one touch at a time.

It was exhausting to pretend I didn’t care for him, that I wasn’t starting to like him. I knew he was different from the first time we met, the way he winked at me and said things to me that no other man would say. He wanted to fight back and push me to my limits. Even once I was working next to him, he wouldn’t leave me alone. He was like a puppy dog, always needy and clingy and by my side.

Normally, I would hate that, but with Emmett, it was different. I wasn’t any better. I just kept things hidden. He consumed my thoughts. His texts brought a smile to my face. I couldn’t even contain my feelings enough because Lucy figured out I liked him from the beginning. I knew he was trouble, yet I ignored all the red flags.

I hung out with him alone. I danced with him at his birthday party. Despite everything, I don't have any regrets. Maybe I would have if things didn’t go the way they are now, but I don’t want to dwell on the what-ifs. I want to focus on the positive things.

The showcase on Friday surpassed all my expectations and was the best I've ever had. All of my friends were there. Friends, plural. I’ve had no one besides Lucy that I could rely on coming to see me. I’ve tried to make friends here, but no one has any time to hang out. Or at least, they don’t choose you as a priority. Plus, between working and everything, I guess I didn’t make it a priority either. I had Lucy and Annie, and with Annie moving here this fall, I had my little circle. I was acting well enough, and I got the job at the studio, so I felt like I was moving forward with my life.

---