Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

C assie woke up a week later to the familiar feel of Del's hard body pressed against her back. Some parts were harder than others. She wiggled her hips, rubbing her backside against his morning erection.

"Mmm, I do love the way you wake up, Sassy." Del's rough, husky, morning voice rumbled in her ear as he brushed a soft kiss on the side of her neck.

Normally, she woke up grumpy and in need of an entire pot of coffee before she even thought about doing anything. But over the past week, she'd discovered there was something to be said for waking early, at least there was if you shared your bed with a certain sexy man who had the virility of a Greek god.

Morning sex.

She still didn't want to get out of bed and go running or pounce on her daily to-do list, but she sure didn't mind waking up to pounce on Del. Funny. She thought after a week of sex she'd get him out of her system, but lately she found herself thinking about him when they were apart, texting him throughout the day, missing him…

Dammit, this is just supposed to be casual sex!

Though she liked all the fun and orgasms, she didn't know what to do with the odd emotions that kept popping up.

Her thoughts soon scattered as Del's rough, warm hand glided up her side, coming around to gently cup her right breast. A soft moan left her when his thumb and forefinger found her hardened nipple, twirling and softly pinching the stiff bud between them. It astounded her how this man could set her body alight with just a touch. Forget that, a simple wink from Del had her losing her mind—and her panties.

She shifted onto her back, threading her fingers through his hair and grasping the back of his head. Pulling him to her, she covered that smart-ass, delicious mouth with her own. The man annoyed the crap out of her, but dear Lord could he kiss! Her head spun like the morning after a few too many drinks. Del's lips were like fine wine, and she couldn't get enough.

His muscled chest pressed against hers, pushing her down into the soft mattress, but not crushing her. The small scattering of dark hair covering his pecs tickled her bare skin. The sound of a drawer opening followed by rummaging hit her ears. Her body perked up with excitement. After their first night together—when they'd demolished what little protection she had—Cassie had run out the next day and bought the biggest box of condoms the local drug store had and stashed it in her bedside table drawer.

There was no way she could deny her attraction to Del. Now that she'd had a taste, she couldn't seem to stop. Who would want to? Del was a veritable sex buffet. Every touch, every kiss was magic. He could work her body like a finely tuned instrument. The bartender had skills far beyond his cocktail mixing abilities.

"Mmm you taste amazing," he whispered against her lips.

No, she was pretty sure that was all him. She'd argue that point later. At the moment, her brain was currently occupied with trying to remember to breathe as Del shifted himself between her spread legs, placing the head of his erection at her entrance. Her heart skipped a beat as he slowly entered her, the pleasure of having Del engulf her overriding everything else.

"Oh my God." How could it still be so amazing after a week? They'd done this so many times, and yet every single time was a revelation.

"Nope, just me. But you can call me God if you like."

Used to his teasing, she gave him a sharp smack on his very firm ass.

"Ow!"

His hips jerked in surprise, the move sending him even deeper, wresting a loud moan from deep within her. Del let out a very descriptive four-letter word.

"Yes, please."

He chuckled. "Well, since you asked so nicely."

She wrapped her legs around him as he began to thrust, long, slow, deep drives that had her body tensing with the need for release. As always, Del could read her and adjusted the angle of his hips so every buck hit her in just the right spot. Later, she might be embarrassed at how quickly she came, but right now all she could do was open her mouth and cry out in rapture as stars exploded behind her closed eyes.

Her body bowed, riding out the euphoria of her orgasm. Del let out a deep groan, holding her tight as he found his own release. He collapsed on the bed beside her, pulling her into his embrace.

"Damn, Sassy. You freaking blow my mind."

That goes double for you.

"Well…I do what…I can." She spoke the words between heaving breaths of much-needed oxygen. Another great thing about sex with Delta, it could double as her daily workout.

He let out a loud laugh. "You just keep doing whatever it is you do, and I'll try to keep up, sweetheart."

With a quick kiss to her nose, he rose from the bed, disappearing into the bathroom. He left the door open, so she rose up on her elbow, watching his very fine naked backside.

"Hey." He turned back to face her once he'd disposed of the condom. "You want to catch a movie later?"

Distracted by the awesome sight of Del's naked body, it took a moment for his question to register. "A movie?"

"Yeah, that new slasher movie is in theaters. I remember you said you wanted to go see it. We could even grab dinner after."

"Dinner after?"

"Or before, whatever you want."

Dinner and a movie? That sounded suspiciously like a date. Something they did not do.

Still, the idea of going to the movies and dinner with Del made something tight and uncomfortable twist in her chest. He walked back into the bedroom, totally unashamed of his nudity. And why would he be? The man looked damn fine without any clothes on. In fact, it would really help her to think if he would just put some freaking pants on.

When he pulled out a pair of boxers from the top drawer of her dresser and slid them on, she lamented her previous thought. The sight of naked Delta may mess with her mind, but it was nice to—

Hey, wait a minute!

She glanced around her bedroom, noticing for the first time how much it had changed in a mere seven days. The top two drawers of her dresser, once empty, now held an array of Del's clothes. A pair of shoes and some very nice hiking boots lay at the bottom of her open closet. The hamper at the end of her bed overflowed with a mixture of his and her clothing. Even a quick glance at the bathroom sink showed the evidence of a male presence: aftershave, razor, and a blue toothbrush next to her green one on the countertop. She knew he'd been leaving some stuff over lately, but this looked like…

"Did you move in?"

He grabbed a pair of jeans, pulling them up, but leaving the button undone before shrugging. "Kind of. It's not like I'm home much lately. Your house is nicer than my crappy studio, and we're engaged. People will expect us to live together once we're married. Might as well get used to it."

He had a point. Didn't mean she had to like it.

"Don't you think this is something you should have discussed with your fiancée first? We agreed you'd move in after the wedding."

"Yeah, but that was before we started sleeping together." He stared at her. Calm as a cucumber, Del leaned back against the dresser, arms crossing over his bare chest. "Something upsetting you, Cassie?"

Yes, this whole thing upset her. Having to marry someone in order to keep the only home she'd ever known, having spectacular sex with her fake fiancé, him basically moving in and asking her on dates like they were a real couple, experiencing strange unwanted feelings. The entire thing was upsetting!

"I just wish you had consulted me first before bringing all your stuff over."

He snorted. "Two drawers is hardly all my stuff." His face turned serious, arms dropping to his sides. "But I'm sorry if I overstepped."

Dammit, he did sound sorry. Things would be so much easier if he'd remained the shallow, obnoxious, screw-up she'd thought he was. But over the past few weeks, she'd gotten to know Del and he was none of those things. He was sweet and kind and had a spark of ambition he never let anyone see because he was also something else: afraid. Afraid of disappointing his family.

Shoot! Why couldn't the guy just be an asshole?

"You didn't overstep. I guess I'm just not used to living with someone." She'd only ever lived her parents and Gran, never a lover.

She thought she saw a flicker of hurt in his eyes as he turned to the dresser, grabbing a black T-shirt and pulling it over his head.

"Don't worry. You won't be stuck with me for long. I'll be out of your hair once we get a divorce."

Right, a divorce, because none of this was real. Not their marriage, not their relationship, not even the sex. Not in any strict sense. The sex was real enough, but it didn't mean anything. That's what she told herself. Then why did it feel as though Del just struck her in the heart with a big ass knife?

If all this was supposed to be fake, why did it feel so real?

Angry at herself, at Del, at her grandmother for putting this whole stupid fa?ade into motion, she clenched her teeth, pasting a smile on her face. "Right. You'll only be stuck with me for a year, tops." She'd make sure of it, because she didn't think she could handle any more. Temper rising, she wrapped the bedsheet tightly around herself before rising. "I'm sure somehow you can manage to suffer through it."

Brow drawing down, he pushed off from the dresser reaching for her. "What? Cassie, wait—"

She held up a hand, stopping him. "No. I need a shower. I have a lot to do today. I have orders to fill and errands to run. I don't have time for any more sex."

His lips turned down in a scowl. "I wasn't going for more sex."

"Oh." How disappointing. She could always go for more sex with Del. Truthfully, she could live the rest of her life naked in bed with this man. And that right there was her problem. They weren't supposed to add sex to the mix, but they did and now her emotions were mixing everything up. "Good, because I have a very busy day." Lie.

"Okay, but can we talk about—"

"No, Delta. I'm sorry, I don't have the time. I think it's best if you stay at your own place tonight. You can let yourself out."

Turning away from the perplexed look on his face, she hurried to the bathroom, quickly shutting the door behind her. Her heart raced, ear pressed to the door as she heard him shuffle about the room for a minute. She listened intently as his footsteps retreated from the bedroom, jumping slightly when the front door opened and slammed shut.

Letting out a sigh of relief, she slid down the door to sit in a heap on the floor. The sheet she held tightly around her naked body smelled of sweat, sex, and Del. Without thought, she brought the pale gray material to her nose, inhaling deeply. Memories of this morning, of the past few nights, filled her head and heart. So many confusing emotions cluttered her brain, screaming for attention.

"I can't deal with this right now." Her voice broke in the emptiness of the small bathroom. She wanted to cry, scream, laugh, rage. What the hell was going on with her? Everything had been fine moments ago, when Del had been buried deep inside her. What happened after to make her feel so…unbalanced?

She feared she knew the truth, but at the moment she couldn't face it. Instead, she rose to turn on the shower. Once the water got to a nice boil, she dropped the bedsheet. If the stream got hot enough, she could burn away all these weird emotions that kept cropping up around her fake fiancé. She certainly hoped so, because as the hot jets pounded her body, her heart feared certain things weren't as fake as she thought.