Page 45 of Cash

" I remember the first moment I saw you," he said as he brushed the hair away from her eyes.

"You do?"

He nodded. "It was at the gala. I saw you across the room in that beautiful blue dress, that hugged this perfect ass.” He reached down and grabbed a handful of her decadent curves. "Then when I saw you dancing with Sasha on the dance floor, I knew I had to have you."

"And you did."

"And I do," he corrected her before dropping a sweet kiss on her mouth. "It's really a shame you didn't see my note that morning. I feel like it would’ve made our beginning a little less crazy."

"Cash, I have a feeling it’s always going to be crazy between us," she said with a small smile.

"You might not be wrong, but I don't ever want you to doubt my feelings for you."

She queried her brow. "Said the man who wouldn't kiss me the first time we had sex."

"Hey, I thought you were just going to be a great casual hook up, but I knew I was so fucking wrong about you that night. And I did kiss you that night, and I have thought about kissing you every night since."

She turned her head and laid her cheek against his chest. He hoped she believed him, but he had the sense she might not be so easily convinced.That's okay, he thought. He had time because he wasn't going anywhere, he already knew that. His fingers ran through her loose waves, and he felt the stirring of desire again. He bent down and kissed the top of her head. She smelled like roses. Such a classic smell seemed fitting for such a classic beauty.

His phone beeped in his pants that still lay discarded on her bedroom floor. With another quick kiss, he shifted her so he could get his phone. If it hadn't been for River, he would have ignored it completely, just shut out the entire world and spend the rest of the summer doting on her, convincing her he was in this for real until training camp.

He stood and pulled his phone out of his jeans, and he could feel her gaze on him. It warmed something inside of him.

River - I can't get the alarm to stop going off.

Cash - Why is the alarm going off?

River - I ordered tacos and then when I came back into the house from getting them at the gate it started going off.

Cash - put the code in

River - I did

Then the phone started ringing in his hand.

"Hello," he answered.

"Mr. Hawthorn. Are you safe?"

"Yes, my nephew is home, and the alarm went off," he said as he started to pull on his pants.

"Okay, the police are on their way."

"Can you call them off? It was a mistake. We don't need the police."

"It is just protocol, sir."

"Okay, I'm on my way there now. Can you tell the officers en route that my nephew River Hawthorn is staying there and allowed to be there? He should know the code and safe word and all that."

"Yes sir."

Cash hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed while he zipped up his pants.

"I hate to do this, but I gotta go," he said as he bent his head to kiss her.

"What's going on?"

"My nephew ordered food and the alarm is acting funny. I need to head home," he said, slipping his shirt on. She sat up in bed pulling the blankets around her. He sat next to her as he put on his shoes. "I would love to stay in this bed with you, but I have to go," he said as he kissed her one last time.

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