Page 22 of Father Figure

This was my moment.

A moment to indulge in his kiss.

A moment I would never forget as long as I lived.

I pulled back, untangling his arms from around my neck, and my knees gave out. I landed on my ass on the chair, struggling to catch my breath. With a soft sigh, Nicky sank down beside me. “Is this thing big enough for the both of us?”

Jesus Christ. The kid had absolutely no sense of self-preservation.

CHAPTER TEN

Four days… For long days until our next trip. Four excruciatingly endless days without Cass.

I could still feel his kiss on my lips. I think I memorized the taste of his mouth.

I wasn’t naïve enough to think we were dating just because we’d kissed. I also wasn’t naïve enough to think he didn’t want to do it again, no matter what he told me about it being a mistake. How could the best thing that’s ever happened to me be a mistake? Cass’s kiss turned my stomach upside down, stopped my heart from beating, and stopped my lungs from breathing. It was the most life-altering thing that had ever happened to me.

A mistake? No, more like faultless perfection.

And he was the naïve one if he didn’t think I would pull out all the stops to make it happen again.

In the past, whenever I thought of Cass, I would picture him standing on the deck of his boat, with the wind ruffling his hair, dressed in shorts and a Harlowe Charter polo, looking carefree and charismatic, like the poster boy of summer. Cass was hard-working and honest to a fault, but also fun-loving, freethinking, and a dreamer. He had kind, intelligent eyes, and his laugh could wash away all your cares. But now, whenever I thought of him, my lips tingled. I could taste his mouth. His carefree smile was gone, replaced with an intense scowl, the same one he wore when he dragged me from the hot tub. Instead of kind eyes, he looked at me with heat, scorching heat that burned me alive.

That’s the Cass that I saw now when I closed my eyes.

Had I pushed him too far that night?

I’d never seen him react that way to me—or anyone—before. He’d looked capable of murder. I could admit to myself that I’d gone too far, that I was in over my head, letting those men lure me into the tub. With their wandering hands and lascivious looks, it was clear they only wanted one thing from me, the one thing I wouldn’t give anyone, except maybe Cass.

It had to be him. The way he rescued me from that situation that could have turned dangerous in a heartbeat solidified my trust in him and my need for him. If anyone could keep me safe, it was Cass.

He looked out for me, went out of his way to make me smile, made sure I always had what I needed, and what I wanted. Cass had spoiled me rotten from the day he met me, and he was still doing it. I laughed with him, felt happiest with him, and felt safe with him. But also, he made me so curious about men. He made my dick hard. His kiss made my mouth water for another. Yes, it definitely had to be Cassidy Hart who popped my cherry.

He would be gentle with me. He would guide me and show me what to do. Cass would teach me how to return his affection so that I could please him, and I would feel confident and bold while doing it. This was the summer I would shed my childhood and become a man.

And that began with keeping my promise to my dad, to Cass, and myself. Walking into the campus bookstore at Waltham University felt surreal. How many times had I driven past the school and wondered what it would be like to attend college? In the fall, I was finally going to find out. I passed rows of school supplies—highlighters, pens, pencils, folders, and notebooks—and a huge display of backpacks in every style and color hanging from hooks on the wall. It took a while to find all the textbooks on my list, and my mouth dropped wide open when the clerk rang me up, and I saw the total.

Six hundred and fifty-seven dollars? WTF?

Screw it, what’s a couple more bucks? “Could you add that Waltham University hoodie?” I asked the clerk.

“Sure thing.” He smiled, folding the hoodie and sliding it into my bag.

He was cute, no doubt, but not for me. Why did I always feel so terrified around guys my age? Maybe because I’d been bullied by them so often growing up? I never felt insecure with Cass. And even though Sam went out of his way to make me feel like a pest, I didn’t feel insecure with him, either. He'd always been kind to me. The rivalry was something new, and I had a feeling it had something to do with me spending so much time with Cass. It was ludicrous to think he might be jealous of me, but was he?

Maybe I just had to try harder and be nicer to him until he realized I wasn’t a threat to his friendship with Cass.

The sun warmed my face, and I breathed in a deep breath of fresh, salty air as I strode down the dock to the Harlowe Two with my bag slung over my shoulder. Cass was on deck, uncoiling a hose.

Butterflies danced in my stomach, making me feel jittery. I loved this new feeling I got whenever I looked at him or even thought of him. This rush of blood that went straight to my head and made me feel dizzy. The way my heart would beat faster. I was beginning to sweat, and it wasn’t from the heat.

Usually, he would hug me, maybe kiss my cheek, but not today. Today, Cass kept his distance.

“Hey, little skipper. Ready to set sail?”

“Where’s Sam?”

“Supply run. He’ll be back shortly. We’re still waiting for our guests to arrive.” He looked up from the hose, shooting me a hesitant look. “It’s just me and you this time.”

---