Page 56 of Whispers of Redemption

She grabbed the giant bowl of popcorn from the countertop and led him to her living area, which held a small, dark wood coffee table with a shelf underneath, a loveseat, and a well-worn recliner. The coffee table shelf held her Psychology textbook, a spiral notebook, and a scattering of magazines and books. The top of the table was bare except for her laptop and the package of Alfred Hitchcock DVDs he’d given her. He hesitated for a moment in indecision, then moved toward the recliner. But she stopped him by saying, “We should probably sit together on the loveseat here. I don’t actually have a television, so we’ll have to watch the movie using the DVD drive on my laptop.”

He felt his stomach lurch and forced himself to breathe slowly, keeping his expression bland. What the heck! He could be in the most stressful situations at work and his hands would be bone dry and rock steady. But the thought of sitting so close to Cassie made him feel like a nervous teenager on his first date...which actually wasn’t too far off from the truth. He rubbed his damp palms surreptitiously against the legs of his jeans again and tried to act casual. “Okay, if you’re sure there’s enough room?”

Enough room? What was that supposed to mean? It’s designed for two people! Get a grip, Riley!

She patted the seat beside her, then leaned forward to open up her laptop. He quickly averted his eyes as her V-neck fell away a little, revealing a tantalizing view of what lay beneath. He focused on her hands instead. Her fingers were flicking over the keyboard, making her pinkie ring gleam.

“So, what’s the story with your and Ani’s rings?” he said, trying to distract himself as he eased his body carefully down beside her. He sat up as straight as he could, but the loveseat was old and sagged toward the middle, causing their thighs and shoulders to bump together. He tried to ignore how intensely he noticed the contact between their bodies.

“What?” She looked at him in confusion. Then her expression cleared, and she looked down, spanning the fingers of her right hand to show the ring on her little finger. It was a delicate, silver ring in the shape of the infinity symbol.

She didn’t respond at first, but sat staring at the ring, seemingly lost in thought.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” he said softly.

She turned her gaze on him. Her eyes were the deep green of Lake Michigan before a summer storm, and they drew him into their depths, making it impossible to look away.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just...” She leaned back and looked down at the ring again, twisting it on her finger as she spoke. “Do you remember me telling you how Ani and I used to live together in the same foster home?”

Wade nodded.

“Well, like I said before, our foster parents were terrible. Worse than the ones Ani lives with now. When I met her, it was my sixteenth placement, but it was Ani’s first. She was only four years old and for her it was a particularly rough introduction into the system.” Cassie’s face darkened, but she continued. “Anyway, I told you how I got busted for vandalizing their home, got kicked out, and that’s how I ended up with Rachel and Mark?”

He nodded again.

“Well, Ani was devastated when she found out I had to leave. And to be honest, I was too. I felt like I was abandoning her. I’d always tried my best to protect her from Devlin and Cora, our foster parents, and now I was leaving her all alone to fend for herself. The night before I left, we sat together on her bed and I just held her all night while she cried. I promised we’d always stay connected and I would visit her whenever I could. And I kept that promise.” She lifted her head and met Wade’s eyes again. “One weekend, a couple of years ago, I took Ani to a summer craft show downtown, and we found these rings there. I bought one for each of us to symbolize that no matter what, we would always be sisters. Sisters forever.”

Wade felt tears well up in his own eyes at her story. “I’m glad you two have each other,” he said simply.

“Me too,” Cassie said.

They sat for a moment just looking at each other. It was as if time stopped for an instant. Like the world was holding its breath.

Then, before he could think, he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. She didn’t resist. But he pulled back anyway and looked into her eyes, questioning. In answer, she reached up and slipped her hands behind his neck, pulling him back to her.

With his hands, he tenderly cupped her face and they kissed again. Gentle at first, a series of light, quick kisses that slowly grew longer and deeper. Her lips were soft and yielding, and she tasted like coconuts and honey. Tingling heat rose from his core and spread throughout his body, making him hypersensitive to her every touch. And she was touching him. Her fingers trailed down his neck and over his arms, coaxing shivers from deep within him. The two of them sank against the cushions and logic left him. All he could think about was that he wanted more of her.

He had no conscious thought as to how it happened, but somehow she ended up reclined back, her head pillowed against the loveseat armrest. He lay partially over her, her softness pressed enticingly against his hard chest. He felt as much as heard her moan softly, and his tongue flicked to explore the sweetness between her parted lips. Passion roiled through him as their lips and tongues danced together.

Suddenly, he had the odd feeling that someone was looking at him. He pulled back and noticed Angel, right at their feet, staring up at them. At him. The dog blinked. Wade gulped and sat up slowly, pulling Cassie with him as he fought to regain control.

Cassie’s breath was ragged, and so was his, plus his head was spinning. Sitting up now, she leaned against him for a moment, her head tucked beneath his chin, graceful fingers light as a butterfly lay against his chest. “What was that?” she whispered.

“Something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time,” he whispered back, his voice hoarse.

“What took you so long?”

He drew back to look into her eyes and saw the mischievous gleam in their depths.

“You wanted me to do that?”

“For so long.”

He laughed softly. “You’ve proven yourself to be a modern, confident woman, Cassie Sherwin. So, why didn’t you make the first move then?” he asked.

She gave a little shrug, her eyes cast down. “I dunno. I guess...this is new territory for me.”

“For me, too.”

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