Page 40 of The High Priestess

“Oh Jesus,” she squeaks.

I gesture up and down my chest. “And the front is…” Fuck, I suck at this, “…not bad either.”

“Please stop talking.” She darts past me and hightails it down the hallway.

I need to learn how to lie.

Well, there’s no turning back time.

I glance around the room, making sure we’re not leaving anything behind, then head to where Cassia is standing by the nurses’ station, saying, “Thank you for everything.”

“You’re welcome.” Jasmine gives Cassia a friendly smile but it grows stiff when she sees me.

I give the woman a chin lift before exiting the building. I already had the staff transfer my duffle bag to Cassia’s house, so we don’t need to stop anywhere.

I climb behind the steering wheel of the golf cart and patiently wait for Cassia to join me. Once she’s seated beside me, I start the engine and steer us toward the other side of the island.

Cassia keeps fidgeting with her hands, her head turned away from me while nervous energy pours from her.

The silence grows uncomfortable between us, and wanting to make things better, I say, “You’re a beautiful woman and don’t have anything to be self-conscious about.”

Still staring at the passing scenery, as if her life depends on it, she asks, “Do you want me to fling myself off the golf cart?”

“No.”

“Then stop talking about it.”

Like a dog with a bone and needing to understand her better, I ask, “Are you upset because I saw you naked or because you feel you’re not attractive enough?”

Her head whips in my direction, and she levels me with a glare. “Do you seriously want to have this conversation?”

“Yes. I’m trying to understand you.”

Her chin lifts, and her irises are black as night. “And how will that help with protecting me?”

“If you have more self-confidence, it will make you feel more powerful. People will see it and think twice about fucking with you.”

She lets out a sigh and stares at me for a solid minute before her eyes narrow. “Are you self-conscious about any part of your body?”

Without having to think about an answer, I shake my head. “Not at all.”

Her eyes flick down to my chest and thighs before she mutters, “Of course, you aren’t self-conscious. Stupid question on my part.”

Does that mean she likes what she sees?

Nope. Not going down that road. Focus on building her up.

After a few seconds, she mutters, “Both.” She clears her throat. “I’ve never been in a relationship, so that was the first time…” her voice drops to a whisper, “a man saw…uhm…me naked.” She clears her throat again. “My weight never bothered me until today.”

Her words have me slowing down the cart until it stops. Turning my body slightly toward her, I brace my hand on the back of her seat.

“What weight?”

Cassia lets out a sigh, then gives me a pleading look. “This is a very uncomfortable conversation for me to have with you.”

Narrowing my eyes at her, I mutter, “What. Weight?”

She waves her hand over her body.

---