Page 4 of It Just Feels Right

Chloe reappears and sits down next to Cassie. She’s watching me, no doubt trying to figure out why I’m sitting so close to her friend. She puts an arm around Cassie. “I’ll take you home.”

Cassie is quick to decline. “No, you stay and have some fun. I can call my sister to come get me. She won’t mind.”

“No.” I practically yell at her and then shake my head at myself.Real smooth, Baker.“I mean, it’s fine. I can take you home. I’d like to talk to you a little more about the incident anyway.”

She gathers her hair at the nape of her neck and then wraps it around her hand, baring her neck to me. Already I can imagine pressing my lips to her soft skin. She releases her hair with a soft huff. “There was no incident. The one pushed the other and I guess he grabbed me when he started to fall.”

Chloe’s head is rolling back and forth between us, and she must figure it out on her own. She nods her head. “Right. You should let the uh, the officer, take you home.”

I blink at her because she knows me, she knows my name… and she knows who I am in relationship to Cassie. Somehow I’m going to have to break it to Cassie, but I want to let this play out as long as I can.

“You going to let me take you home?”

She gestures to me. “You’re working. You don’t need to take me home. I can get a ride.”

She tries to get up, but with me crowding her, she can’t. I put my hands on her knees. I’m not only breaking every rule right now but I’m doing it and not giving a fuck. Which should scare the hell out of me. I’m a by the books person, and I always follow the rules. But I guess if it comes to touching Cassie, I’m going to break each and every one of them. “I would like to take you home.”

She’s watching me with curiosity, and I smile at her. She has to be able to see how badly I want to spend time with her. “Go with me. I won’t sleep tonight unless I know you’ve made it home, safe and sound.”

“But…” she starts just as Chloe starts to talk.

“I know you haven’t been back home long, but I can vouch for him. Ba—uh, the officer is a good guy. You know I wouldn’t let someone take you home unless I knew you’d be safe.”

When she still hesitates, Elias jumps in. “And I’ll make sure Chloe gets home, so don’t worry about her.”

Finally, I let out a breath as Cassie nods her head. “Okay, sure. Thank you. I really am ready to get out of here. Plus I have school tomorrow.”

That’s when I try to recall everything I’ve ever heard about Cassie. She’s a teacher over at the middle school. She is twenty-two years old, ten years my junior. She doesn’t have the best relationship with her mom, at least to hear her mom say it. She’s really close with Brook, her sister. But even knowing all that, it’s not enough. I want to know everything about her. I stand up. “Do you want me to carry you out?”

She bolts to her feet. “Carry me? No way. I’m already going to be the talk of the town, I definitely don’t need people saying that a cop had to carry me out of the bar.”

I frown, and even though I don’t like it, I offer, “If you’re embarrassed to be seen with me, I can wait for you outside.”

She jerks back. “Embarrassed? No, that’s not what I meant. I mean that I don’t want people thinking I’m drunk—or in trouble—and you had to carry me out.”

I nod. “So I can walk next to you?”

She laughs and smiles as if she’s surprised by my request. “Yes, you can walk next to me.”

I want to ask her if I can hold her hand, but I hold back. I would love for everyone in this bar to know she’s mine. That way the whole town will know it by tomorrow. But I need to bide my time and not scare her off. She literally just met me and has no idea who I am. I can’t help wondering when she figures it out, will it blow every chance I could have had with her?

And even though I don’t hold her hand, I do stand protectively next to her while she hugs Chloe bye. I nod my head at her and Elias, and then because I can’t resist, I put an arm around Cassie’s waist to help her to the door.

She doesn’t resist me, and I breathe a little easier as we walk out of the bar into the cool night air.

CHAPTER 3

CASSIE

After he helpsme into the front seat of his squad car, I watch as the police officer walks around to the driver's side. As soon as he shuts the door, I’m thanking him again. “I really appreciate you driving me home.”

He hasn’t started the car yet. He has his left arm over the steering wheel and he’s turned facing me. “I wasn’t joking earlier. I won’t sleep tonight unless I know you’ve made it home safe.”

Maybe I’m being too naïve. “You don’t think those guys will bother me, do you? I mean, I was just trying to get them to stop fighting, that was all.”

He grips the steering wheel. “Those two won’t come near you, Cassie. If they do, tell me, and I’ll take care of it.”

When he says my name, it’s like a little thrill goes through me. I cross my arms over my chest because my breasts feel full and achy all of a sudden. My mouth is suddenly dry, but I force the words out anyway. “Okay, thank you.”

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