13. Red

Iwake up to her nails lightly dragging up my arm and across my chest, but I don't dare open my eyes. The room's still dark, though, so it must be early. She traces my tattoos, then brushes over the Wells Ranch brand on my chest. The brand I was eager to get when the Wells family let me come back, despite the hell my dad caused before we left town. The day I should've been walking across the stage for high school graduation, I was already en route back to Wells Canyon. Nervously calling Grandpa Wells as I fled the city. Praying he'd give me a job. Of course, he didn't even hesitate to say yes. And that's when I truly realized these people were more of a family to me than my own blood.

Cassidy's thigh creeps over my leg so her knee nudges my cock.

"Morning," she whispers because I guess she can tell I'm awake. My eyes fly open when her hand drifts lower to the waistband of my boxers. I was right, it's still dark. But the whites of her eyes are shiny as she lies on her side, looking me over.

"Cass," I mutter. "What—"

"No feelings?" Her hips press against my side with need, and she grabs hold of my cock through my boxers.

Fuck.How do I say no to something I've been wanting so goddamn bad, knowing it's not a good idea?

"No feelings." It's easy, apparently—I just lie. To both myself and her.

Without hesitation, she's straddling me in an oversized T-shirt, only the silhouette of her body's visible as she grinds my quickly hardening cock. Hooking my thumbs under the elastic of my boxers, I tug until my dick springs free. It bobs against her warmth, twitching when I watch her tongue dart out to lick her lips. This might be a bad idea in the long run, but it's incredibly worth it right now.

"Just one time, okay?" Her bare pussy drags slowly, smoothly against me like she's hoping it'll accidentally slip in. "One rule though."

I roll my eyes. "You and your fucking rules."

"No kissing. We're finally friends, and I don't want to fuck that up. But I need this. Need you."

Kissing is crossing a line but fucking isn't?

"Okay. No kissing. Shit… condom? I got tested after you told me you were pregnant, and I haven't been with anybody since you…" I say, raising my hips slightly to feel the head of my cock nestle between her wet lips. Hoping to fuck she says she doesn't want to use one. I've never been bare inside a woman before, but I want to with Cass. I want to feel all of her around all of me.

"You haven't been with anyone?" Her eyes widen. I don't know why it comes as a surprise when I've spent nearly every spare moment with her for the past couple months. "The doctor tested me for everything at my first pregnancy check."

"No, I haven't." I barely get the words out before she grips my cock at the base and slides herself down the length of it. A fire spreads through me like I've been electrocuted in the best way. "Fuuuuck."

Good fucking morning.

Her tight, wet pussy clenches around me with every bounce, and I grab at her delicious ass, helping her move up and down with slow, purposeful movement. Even in the dark, with bedhead and a baggy T-shirt, she's goddamn perfect. I'm aching to know what she looks like without the shirt—there's no way my fantasies have been doing justice.

I have the hem raised to her belly button when she stops me. "I don't… I think I should leave this on. It's not a great sight under there anymore with the belly and extra pudge in all the wrong places."

"I'm not fucking you without seeing your tits. Not again. Take it off," I demand, giving the shirt a little tug and, despite the flash of defiance in her eyes, she lets go. I can tell she wants to fight me—it's the same confrontational expression she had that first night. But there's no hiding the fact she likes when I boss her around. Flinging the shirt to the bedroom floor, I finally hold her full, round breasts in my hands. As expected, my dreams haven't been nearly as good as the real deal.

"They're still a bit tender so be easy on them, okay?"

I cut to where she's wrapping an arm around her stomach. As much as I want to stare up at this view forever, I throw her onto the bed.

"Don't hide this from me either." I plant a kiss on her bare stomach, my hands cupping either side tenderly. She didn't specify if kissing her body was allowed or not, but I don't give a shit about the rule anyway.

"Looking like I ate an entire horse isn't sexy."

"Are you shitting me? You're growing our baby girl and that's incredible, Cass." I kiss her warm, soft skin again. Any hope of fucking her without feeling anything is long gone. And I think she knows it. "You never need to worry about me thinking that's not beautiful. Or that you aren't beautiful."

I drag my tongue up her body and she shudders, sucking in a breath through her teeth and digging her nails into my shoulder as I pull her nipple into my mouth.

"Sorry," she whispers. The bite of her nails in my skin eases as she moves to tangle her hand in my hair. "Everything is super sensitive lately."

"I'll be gentle." Thank God I got it out of my system last night, or there's no way I'd be able to take my time here. Although, again, taking it slow doesn't make pretending this is a meaningless fuck any easier.

I should probably pull away and tell her to have another round with her vibrator. Alone. But instead, I lightly lick her hard nipples and smooth two fingers over her wet clit. She tightens the grip around my hair, and her back lifts above the bed, pressing her pussy firmly into the palm of my hand.

"Is this how wet you were last night?" My fingers slide down her soaked entrance.

Biting her lip, she nods.

"What were you thinking about?"

She doesn't answer. Instead turning her face to moan into the pillow as I plunge two fingers deep inside, feeling her walls tighten around them. The heel of my hand presses against her clit, and her body trembles from head to toe at the sensation.

"Now you're going to play shy, huh? You started this, baby. Want to know what I was picturing last night? I was thinking about burying my cock in this tight cunt, feeling you squeeze around me, hearing you moan my name, painting your fucking insides with my cum." She moans and squirms in response, messing up her sheets like she did last night. Her head rocks side to side on the pillow, and I delicately play with her pebbled nipple, drinking in the gorgeous body she's been hiding from me all this time. "Is that what you think about every night when you're lying here making yourself come? Tell me, Cass."

"Yes," she whines. The confession makes my heart race, and my balls feel like they're ready to combust.

"Tell me what you want right now."

"You." She nips at my jaw.

"Gonna have to be more specific if you want me to make you come."

"I want… I need you to touch me, lick me, fuck me. I want it all."

"Sit on my face, sweetheart," I demand, lying down next to her.

"What?" She blinks at me and, for a second, I worry I've pushed her too far.

"You heard me. Sit that sweet pussy down on my mouth. Wrap those pretty thighs around my head and fuck my face. Let me taste you. Let me look up at your perfect fucking body while you come."

"What if I crush—"

"Cassidy, quit being a fucking brat or I won't let you come at all."

With a hard swallow, she pushes up on her hands and swings a leg over my chest. I grip her thighs, moving her exactly where I need her.

"Grab the headboard and hold on," I order. The air between my face and her wet cunt is hot and thick, and I can taste her before she's even lowered down on top of me. When I look up, all I see is Cassidy. I wish she could have this view. See herself the way I do. It's fucking incredible.

"You're so fucking sexy." I run my tongue up her center, then delicately suck my way down either side. "And you taste—fuck." She tastes like no other man should ever be allowed to have her. I slide my tongue across her again, circling her clit and making her relax deeper. When I let up for half a second, she pulls away again.

"Quit hovering. Sit. Full fucking bodyweight, sweetheart."

"I can't do that. You heard Dr. Dickhead. I've gained—"

I pinch her clit between my teeth as punishment, disrupting her sentence as she inhales sharply. "If that moron gets in the way of me fully enjoying this pussy, I'm driving to Sheridan the moment we're done here and kicking his ass. Sit. Last warning."

She groans but sinks down further. My fingers dig into her plump ass to hold her to my mouth. I'm in heaven, smothered between her soft, wet lips, inhaling her sweet and clean scent. What I would give to eat her out for breakfast every fucking morning.

She wasn't kidding about being sensitive. The lightest flicks over her clit has her grinding against my face, searching for friction, moaning like she's trying not to come already. I suck and kiss her pussy lips, my precum dripping down my shaft as her nails drag across my scalp. Her thighs on either side of my head ripple with tension. She's close. Focusing on her swollen clit, I give more pressure until her entire body contracts and relaxes in one drawn-out wave.

"Fuck," I say, licking my lips.

I could wear her like a fucking hockey mask all day, but my dick is so hard it's throbbing. I need to be inside her more than I've ever needed anything. She shimmies down my body, leaving her wetness on my bare chest like she's marking me with her scent.

Good. I want to be hers.

She notches the head of my cock at her entrance, her fingers wrapped around the shaft, and sinks down. Taking inch by goddamn inch, stretching around me with a raspy exhale. Cassidy Bowman is everything.

"Jesus, Cass. Look at you. You're a fucking dream." I grab at the meaty flesh of her hips, the pads of my fingers holding her with a bruising grip, and then I move up to keep her sore boobs from bouncing too hard as she rides the ever-loving hell out of me.

I don't even know where to look—it's all breathtaking. I didn't take enough time to fully appreciate her when we hooked up at the rodeo. I'm not making the same mistake today. There might never be another chance to see her this way, so I let myself get lost in her.

Her face tilted toward the sky, mouthing the words "oh my God" each time she's filled to the hilt. Her full, dense tits overflowing from my hands, with rock-hard nipples dug into my palms. Her perfect, soft, slightly protruding stomach that I want to kiss. Her hand rubbing rapidly over her clit while my cock glides in and out, shiny with her wetness.

"Is this what you've been craving? Ride me harder, sweetheart. Take what you need. Use me."

"Chase," she moans my name—my favourite fucking sound.

Her hips grind into mine, over and over, forcing the sweetest whimpers from her mouth. I'm kissing and sucking any scrap of her I can reach. Letting my hands roam her body like I own it. Nipping her forearm, pressing a soft kiss to her wrist, gently sucking her tits when she leans forward. If she's serious about this being a one-time thing, I'm going to touch and fuck and take every piece of her I can.

"I'm gonna come," she says on an exhale, riding me as if it's her goddamn job. Working hard to draw the next breath as her entire body threatens to fall apart.

"Good, I want to feel you drench my cock. Make a mess of the sheets under us."

Like a good girl, she does exactly that. Her greedy pussy grips me like she never wants to let go, starting to draw an orgasm out of me as I feel her cum run down my shaft and coat my balls.

"Come in me. Please. I want to feel you."

That'll do it.I groan, gripping her hips to hold her on my cock while fire courses through my veins. The edges of my vision blur with every frantic pump until I empty inside of her.

She falls onto me with the floppiness of a ragdoll, and our chests heave together.

"You're perfect. So fucking perfect, holy shit," I say before pressing my lips to her sweat-soaked forehead. "Lay down and let me clean you up."

My cum and hers trickle down my shaft as I pull out with a shiver. I ease her off of me and slip down the bed, kneeling between her legs and licking my way up each of her thighs. She whimpers softly, her legs shaking with aftershocks. Flattening my tongue, I lick either side of her pussy. Then the centre. She bucks when I suck her swollen clit into my mouth.

"Oh God, I can't take more." Her hips lift so I'm buried in her and her thighs tighten around my skull, betraying her mouth. "I'm too sensitive."

"Just making sure you're good and clean." I smile and dive back in for more barely there swipes of my tongue. Cleaning my own mess. Savouring the tang of our combined cum on her delicate skin. Dragging my nose up her slit to breathe her in. Desperate to commit every piece of her to memory.

"We taste so good together, sweetheart."

Moaning, she arches her back, and a small stream of my cum drips out of her. Without second thought—knowing it won't make her any more pregnant than she already is—I save it with the tip of my finger and slowly slide it back inside her.

"Chase," she whines. When she looks down at me with sleepy eyes, I press one final kiss on her stomach before taking my space next to her. She tucks into my side, and my hand naturally finds its way to her belly.

"I'm gonna start sleeping here every night. What a way to go to sleep and wake up. Damn." I exhale, letting my heart rate return to normal.

"Sorry, I've been… really horny lately. Then I woke up to a muscley, tattooed man in my bed and I couldn't stop myself."

"You do that anytime you want, like I told you. If you need it, come to me."

"Friends with benefits never works. Haven't you seen any of the hundred different rom-coms about it?" She's back to tracing the tattoos on my arm.

"Do I look like I've watched a rom-com?"

She laughs, sweet as honey. "Okay, no… Believe me when I say it's a bad idea, though. Somebody always catches feelings, and we can't afford to have this implode on us. Can we go back to how things were before last night?"

The funny thing is last night changed nothing for me. I didn't need to hear her moan my name, see her naked, or bury myself deep inside her to know I'm falling for her. I've never felt love—not really. My mom said it, but I didn't feel it. I guess the Wells family is the closest. But I've definitely never had it with a woman and I didn't think I ever would. But this… the way I feel when I'm with Cass, the way I can't go a minute without thinking about her, and the way we just fit together. That's gotta be love, right?

"You seriously haven't slept with anybody since we hooked up at the rodeo?" With a wiggle, she's even tighter against my body, a leg slung over mine.

Doesn't like cuddling, my ass.

"That surprises you?"

"I mean… yeah, kinda. I thought that's what you and Denny do. Get drunk, get in fights, sleep with tons of women."

I snort. "Sometimes, sure. Mostly the drinking and fighting, though. Denny and I sleep together in a pickup box most nights."

"Cute," she teases, pinching my ribs. "Probably won't surprise you to hear I haven't hooked up with anyone either."

I hadn't put too much thought into it before, but I can't help the calming effect those words have on me. My calloused hand brushes over her hair, and I stare down at the golden eyelashes fanned out across her cheek. I count the tiny apricot-hued freckles speckling the bridge of her nose, losing myself in how incredible it is to finally hold her. Technically, since we're supposed to have no feelings, we should get dressed. I should go home. But neither of us moves for at least ten minutes.

We're perfectly content until the sound of Cassidy's front door lock cuts through the silence and throws her from my arms.

"Oh shit—my dad." She springs to her feet.

Fuck. Shit. Fucking shit. It can't be later than seven o'clock. Does he always come here this early in the morning?

"What do you want me to do?" I whisper back.

She's on the brink of tears as she rushes to dress. Any hopes of spending the morning wrapped up with her are long gone. Both well aware my truck's in her driveway. In hindsight, I should've been parking it down the block this whole time. It's incredible it took this long for him to find out—gossip typically travels fast in a small town. None of that matters anymore. The jig is up. I should be thrilled she finally has to tell Dave the truth, but this isn't the way it was supposed to go.

"Just… crap, crap, crap. I guess get dressed and come with me."

I feel around under the sheets for my boxers, then quickly throw my clothes on and follow her down the hall. It's not the first time I've walked into a situation where I'm about to be punched for sleeping with a woman, but it is the first time I'm sick to my stomach over it. Could I hold my own against Dave, despite the fact that it looks like he spends hours at the gym daily? Probably. But I already know if he punches me, I have to find a way to stop myself from hitting back. For Cass. For the baby.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Cass walks in ahead of me and sits opposite him on the couch. I hang back, leaning against the door frame so I can make a quick exit if I need to. She and I are likely nose blind to the sex smell, but this is a small house… no way he doesn't notice it. As if coming out of her bedroom together wasn't bad enough.

"Powers out across town from the storm, so I came to see if you're okay."

Huh, I glance around the room, and it seems he's right. We were too busy creating body heat in her darkened bedroom to notice the chill in the air and the lack of working lights.

"What's he doing here?" Dave's head gestures in my direction, but he doesn't actually acknowledge me.

"Um…" Cass's eyes cut back and forth between me and her dad. "The roads were bad so he couldn't get back to the ranch."

"Right. But whyis he here?"

I watch her fiddle with her shirt. She twists the loose fabric around her finger, untwisting, twisting again. Giving a small glimpse of the kissable skin on her lower stomach.

"Well, I didn't tell you the whole truth earlier… Shelby didn't come with me yesterday. Red—uh, Chase, did. The baby isn't Derek's."

Even though his back is to me, the way his big-ass shoulders quickly rise and fall tells me he's pissed. I can't say I'm shocked. I knew he wouldn't like finding out Red Thompson had sex with his little princess.

The way he's sitting—hunched over and massaging his temples—brings me back to childhood mornings with my dad hungover on the couch. We'd watch cartoons on mute while he groaned in agony. His fingers clenched his head so tight I thought sure as shit they'd press right through to his brain—my older brother told me the temples were a thin spot, and that's exactly where Dad's pointer fingers were gripping. I was torn about whether that happening would be super badass or terrifying. Maybe it would even kill him. Maybe we'd all finally get to be happy.

"This isn't how I wanted to tell you," she continues. "I was just nervous and kept putting it off. He wanted me to tell you, and that's why he hasn't been to the bar in weeks, because he's been trying to respect my wishes. So be mad or disappointed or upset with me, Dad. It was a rebound thing after Derek, and I was serious when I told you about planning to do this alone. But then Red—Chase—found out, and he's been great."

My heart's damn-near bursting from the amount of times she's called me Chase. Even when her instinct is to say Red—which makes sense given that's what I've gone by since we were kids—she quickly corrects it.

"Like, the Jolly Ranchers? Those were from him. And he's been bringing me dinner multiple nights a week, even though he works all day. He made sure we got home safe in the blizzard last night. So don't hate him."

She's listing facts, but the tone of her voice makes them sound like compliments. It's as close to a woman bragging about me, being proud to have me, as I've ever gotten.

Dave's silence is fucking unnerving. Cass looks at me with impossibly wide eyes, and I wish I'd told her there are already feelings involved on my end. Maybe then she'd be okay with me comforting her in front of him. The tendons in my arms are aching to reach out to her. I want to scoop her up, take her back to bed, and show her how thankful I am that she's not keeping me a secret anymore. Even if coming clean was against her will.

Finally, he clears his throat. "Red, sit."

I keep a wide berth around him, like he's an untamed horse liable to kick or bite, and sit in the recliner. The same one Cass sat in when she told me the baby was mine. Seeing Dave's face, I understand the horror in Cassidy's expression. He's seriously pissed off.

"Not that I wanted Derek to be the father, but I gotta say I'm not fucking happy about this alternative, Cassie." He shakes his head, forcing an exhale through gritted teeth. "Are you together then?"

"No." Cass is quick to answer.

"Christ." He pinches the bridge of his nose between his finger and thumb. "Now what? Are you going to be involved?"

Oh, he's talking to me.

"Yeah—yes." I have no idea why but I'm suddenly tempted to call him sir. "As much as Cass lets me. Obviously, this wasn't planned, but I'm happy it's happening."

"He cried twice about it yesterday." Cass throws me under the bus with a soft smile. "Dad, I know you have your feelings about Chase. But… I'm honestly glad it's him instead of Derek."

Oh yeah,she's definitely getting anything she wants to repay her for that.

Dave's eyebrows are drawn together so tightly they create a canyon in the skin between them. His eyes slice between me and Cass. "Let me be clear, Red. I don't trust you. I don't think you're good enough for my daughter, and I have very low expectations for you as a father."

"I know I'm not good enough for Cass. Don't need to tell me what I already know." I stare back at Dave's unwavering glare. "I think I'll be a pretty good dad, though."

His nose crinkles with disagreement, huffing. "Mmm—Apple doesn't usually fall far from the tree."

"Dad, that's not fair." Cass shakes her head with a sneer.

Fucking typical. It always comes back to my piece-of-shit father.

"He taught me exactly what not to do. I'm not him. Not even fucking close."

Dave shrugs, likely not believing me. People don't know half of what went on at home. Joe Thompson in public was a hot-headed, drunk nuisance. But at home? When I was six, I figured out how to barricade my dresser against my bedroom door to create a makeshift lock. Growing up on a ranch led to a lot of scars—falling off animals, barbed wire scrapes, and climbing trees, all marked up my body. But most people don't know that Wells Ranch wasn't the only source of my injuries. I might drink more than I should sometimes, and I'll be the first to admit I can have a temper, but I'm not a mean drunk. Definitely not abusive.

"If my dad is your main argument against me, what about Cass's mom?" I'm quickly losing control of the heat swirling inside me. I know it's not fair to pull Cass into this with me, but my brain's scrambled and a landslide of words tumble out. "She's nothing like her mom, but I'm automatically the same as my dad?"

"That's different." Dave clocks my clenched fists and raises a brow, clearly thinking he's onto something. Of course he thinks that's different somehow.

"Honestly, fuck off. This is between Cass and me. You can think whatever the hell you want about me—it doesn't change the fact that we're having a baby together, and I'm stepping up to the fucking plate. None of this involves you."

"None of this involves me?" Dave yells, rocking forward like he's ready to launch himself at me. "Cassidy is my daughter and—"

"And she's carrying mine!"

My chest rises and falls in a rapid commotion, hot blood pooling in my ears, tension building in my fists.

"Chase! Dad!" Cassidy's pleading voice brings everything to a grinding halt.

"I'm gonna head out. See if the roads cleared back to the ranch." I stand, shaking my clenched hands out and heading for the door. If I stay a second longer, I'll punch my baby's grandfather and lose any chance of being allowed around the baby or Cass.

I'm halfway to my truck when I hear the front door shut and Cass calling my name. She's barefoot, tiptoeing on the balls of her feet through the ankle-deep snow.

"You're gonna get frostbite," I say.

"I just needed to tell you that I'm going to talk to him, okay? It won't be terrible like this forever. He just…"

"Thinks I'm a piece of shit. It's fine. I'm used to it. Your feet can't handle getting any colder than they usually are. Go back in, and I'll talk to you later."

"My dad being upset about this doesn't change anything, so you know. We're still friends, and I still want you to do this with me." Her hand smooths over her stomach. "I'll try to talk to him. Can you come over again tonight?"

I want to kiss her, despite the stupid rule she created. But tenderly kissing her in front of her house, with her dad inside, is a boyfriend move. And we've already established I'm not that.

"Please, Chase."

A cozy warmth settles over me, despite the snowy weather. "I like that you've been calling me Chase."

"It suits you better. Are you going to come over?"

"I'll be here."

Even though I shouldn't. I'm not the right guy for Cass. For a minute, I was starting to think I could be, but her dad jarred me back to reality. I'm only here because she's too good a person to tell me not to be.

Even still, if she asks, I'll be here.