Page 14 of Rope Me

CASSIDY

The secondI step inside the Saddle Suites, I suck in a breath. The place is rustic, sure. But the textures and subtle patterns make it more stunning than farmy. The furniture is plush, the antique chandelier is elegant, and the massive stone fireplace makes it warm in a way that feels decadent. There’s no way the Kingridge brothers designed this space on their own.

There’s a woman at the front desk. She’s beautiful with long, straight, dark hair that covers her nametag and cascades halfway down her back. I ask her for directions. She points me out of the sliding back doors, across the path, and into the last cabin on the right in the center of the private courtyard.

I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but I see a flicker of interest pass her caramel skin when she realizes who I’m here to see. For a moment, I wonder if she could be the bot behind the Boots and Bitching Podcast. But I don’t have time to worry about that right now.

I enter the cabin to find it empty, but breathtaking. My gaze sweeps over the king-sized bed draped in crisp white sheets and the huge picture windows that looks out to a private jacuzzi. “Wow, this place is practically begging for sex.”

A deep chuckle rumbles behind me. “And you’ve come to help it fulfill its destiny.”

I turn with a start. Before I can think, Alex wraps me in his arms. For a moment, I let myself sink into his warmth, inhaling the leather and cedar scent of him. It melts me. But then I remember why I’m here and pull away. I straighten my shirt and smooth a strand of hair behind my ear.

“I’ve missed you. This is such a nice surprise.” His smile stretches from ear to ear and I hate myself for what I’m about to do.

“Yeah, I’ve missed you too.” My voice wobbles at the end.

“Is everything okay?” He slides his phone into his pocket and sits on the overstuffed loveseat across from the bed, gesturing for me to join him.

“I’m okay. I’m not staying long.”And I don’t trust myself to keep my conviction if I sit that close to you.

His smile falters, and he gets back to his feet. “Okay…” His voice softens. “Cass, whatever this is, we’ll work through it. I’ve been worried about you. You’ve been so quiet since you left the other day.”

I swallow the lump in my throat and I know that dragging this out is only going to make it worse. I inhale. “It’s because I’ve been dreading breaking your heart and that’s exactly what I have to do right now.”

His whole body goes still. Alex’s eyebrows pull together in a tight, furrowed line. Frown lines appear deep in his forehead. For the first time, he looks his age.

The floodgates threaten to break, but I force my emotions down. “I have to build my lifequickly. Being with you is a dangerous distraction for me right now because you make me believe in a world that isn’t my reality. I wish I could stay holed up with you for a million years. But that isn’t how my life works.I have a son to think about and custody battles that might not stop for a decade.”

“I can help you get your life back together and I’m sure as hell not worried about Randolph Bellcourt.” He reaches for my hand, but I pull it away.

“But I have to be worried about him. He can make my life as difficult as he wants to and his leverage is my time with my son. I know that might not make sense to you and maybe you can’t imagine how that feels. But it’s the world I’m living in. That’s why I have to build my life on my own terms this time… alone. I can’t put myself in this position ever again. I can’t make another choice for security over independence.”

A humorless chuckle rips out of his throat. “Is that what this is to you, security? Because for me it’s love.”

It takes everything in me not to let a tear escape. “No, of course, that’s not what I meant. This is real. I mean, it was, but it can’t be right now.” My words spin and jumble in my mind. My heart threatens to beat out of my chest.

“You’re done then?” His words are matter-of-fact, but I can see the hurt in his eyes.

“I have to be and I’m so sorry.”

“All you have to do is get out of your own way. You sure don’t have to be sorry,” Alex says, his voice rough but steady. “I’m not Randolph. I won’t make your life miserable.” His throat bobs as he swallows hard like he’s forcing the next words out. “But I’ll miss you. And I want you to know that.”

The confession lands like a punch to the gut. I feel it everywhere—between my ribs, in the hollow ache of my chest, in the sting behind my eyes that I refuse to let spill over.

I don’t answer… because I can’t.

We just stand there, staring at each other as the air between us thins. The weight of everything unsaid presses down until it’s hard to breathe. A hundred words claw their way up my throat,desperate to be spoken. I want to explain, fix, and take it all back. But I can’t let them escape. Alex is giving me exactly what I asked for. Anything I say now will only make this harder.

A muscle ticks in his jaw, his expression unreadable. Then, quietly, he says, “Let me walk you out.”

His hand ghosts over the small of my back, barely touching, like he’s waiting for permission. I already know that even now, if I give him even the smallest opening, he’ll hold on. I’ll be right back where I started.

I shake my head, forcing a tight, too-bright smile. “I’m okay. Thank you, but really, I’m good.”

Lying has never felt so much like a betrayal.

Before he can respond, I turn and cut a direct path through the courtyard. My boots crunch over the gravel, each step echoing in my ears like a countdown to the moment I’ll finally break.

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