Letting Go of Us (Anchored Hearts Vol. 3) (18 page)

“
Ok. I have no complaints,
he’s the most attentive lover I’ve ever had.”

James went to say
something and Dr. Pratt cut him off. “Great! So, it’s safe to
assume you
both
want this relationship to work?” We nodded. “Now, I have
something I want you to try. Hear me out before you say anything.”
We both agreed. “No sex.” I felt his body stiffen next to mine as
Dr. Pratt tried to negate any rebuttal, “James, hear me out. No sex
for four weeks, twenty-eight days. No ‘I love you’s’, it can lead
to too much pressure. Just dating. I know you’re married, but you
two missed the whole dating phase that most relationships start
with. Separate living quarters, the works. You’re dating. Holding
hands, cuddling, kisses are fine, but no sex, of ANY kind.” He eyed
us as his words sank in. “Thoughts?”

My brain was running a
million miles a minute. Twenty-eight days? Ugh. How the hell was I
supposed to be around him and
not
have sex with him for a month! Shit, that put us
past Cal and Jane’s wedding. There was no way he’d agree to it.
Maybe we could try it for two weeks.

“
I’ll do it. I don’t like
it, but if that’s what you think we should do, I agree.” What! I
looked to him and he started chuckling. “I think the lady may have
a problem with that. I’ve clearly spoiled her.” I smacked his arm.
“Hey now! I don’t think resorting to violence is what the good
doctor had in mind.”

“
Cassidy. Do you
agree?”

“
I, yes, it’s just, that’s
a long time.” James was beaming ear to ear as I shook my head at
him. “I’m afraid he’s getting a big head.” He started belly
laughing at my unintended pun. “For the love…that’s not what I
meant.” I looked to Dr. Pratt who was watching us with a smile on
his face.

“
I’d say you two have the
humor and light-heartedness down. Work on rebuilding your trust and
the foundation of
why
you want to be together. We can meet back here next week at
the same time if you like.” We both agreed as James put the
appointment in his phone.

Standing to leave, we all
shook hands before James led me out of the house. “That wasn’t so
bad, was it?” He turned me to him and pushed some hair out of my
face as he leaned in closer.

“
Twenty-eight days! Are
you high?”

“
Come on, it’s not that
long.”

“
I’m shocked that you’re
agreeing to this.” I pulled my face back and glared at
him.

“
Hey! I’ve gone longer
without sex, maybe longer than you have.” He pressed his forehead
to mine, “He said we could kiss, hold hands. Kiss me,
Cassidy.”

“
We’re both going to be so
sexually frustrated.”

“
He didn’t say we couldn’t
sext or take care of ourselves.”

Smiling, “Always looking
for the loop hole. Perv!” He smiled as I got on my tiptoes and
kissed him. I pulled away quicker than we both wanted. “Feed me.”
His eyes got big. “Dinner, you ass! I want food that doesn’t
involve your cock.” I thought he was going to come in his pants. He
adjusted himself as we started walking down the street toward the
restaurants.

“
Two can play that game,
Blackbird.” His hand moved to cup my ass as I swatted his hand
away. Leaning into my ear he whispered, “I can’t wait to devour
your sweet ass—with my cock—and my mouth.”

My wet panties clung to my
aroused mound as I said the only thing I could, “I hate
you.”

“
I hate you,
too.”

~ JAMES ~

Twenty-eight days. I knew
it would be hard, but I knew it would be harder for her. I wasn’t
trying to be cocky about it and I knew what kind of pull we had to
one another, but I knew I could handle it. The question was if
Cassidy could and would handle it and if she begged me, I knew I’d
concede.

We enjoyed a laid back
dinner at a small Mexican place. We sat out back enjoying the
weather and food. It was something I’d been looking forward to for
a long time. Her and I in the summer and enjoying life. Summer
days, summer nights, I didn’t care what it was, I just wanted her
and summer.

When I dropped her back off
at her place, she’d invited me in and I declined. She was pouting
her lips at me as I backed her up against her front door. “Stop
tempting me. You can do this, we can do this.”

She huffed and narrowed her
eyes at me, frowning. “I call shenanigans.”

Smiling, I tilted my head
at her. “Excuse me!”

“
You and Dr. Pratt; this
is a setup, a bet, right?”

My laughter bellowed around
us. “Cassidy, I promise you, there’s no bet or setup.” Her arms
were crossed over her chest as she scowled at me. I dropped my
voice and leaned in, “Don’t think I don’t want you, I do, always
will.”

“
You sure about
that.”

I fell into her trap
without even knowing. I lowered my arm and began pulling her skirt
up until my hand found the naked flesh of her lower thigh, “I’ll
hike this skirt of yours up and take you against the door.” Her
eyes closed as I leaned in closer, her citrus scent filling my
nostrils. “I’ll bury myself so deep, you’ll think we’re fused
together.” The soft moan that escaped her lips wasn’t lost on me.
Her hands latched onto my forearms as I said, “I can’t wait to be
with you again…in twenty-eight days.”

Her eyes flew open, her
pupils enlarged as she took a deep breath. “You suck.” Grumbling,
she turned and put her key in the lock. I dropped her skirt as she
opened the door. She stepped through the entryway and asked, “When
can I see you again?”

She faced me again and I
molded my mouth to hers, stealing her breath and making it my own.
Her tongue glided over mine as her hands worked through my hair. My
hands were wrapped tight around her, my rock hard cock pressed
against her soft belly. She sucked my lower lip between her teeth
as I smiled against her lips.

“
How about tomorrow
night?” She just hummed and refused to stop kissing me. “Weather
should be perfect. We can go for a ride.” My tongue joined hers
again before she pulled away, both of us trying to catch our
breath. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’. I’ll pick you up at
six.”

Gently, I pulled her hands
from my scalp and kissed the top of each hand before pushing her
away. “Don’t go.”

I smiled, “You’re the
devil.” She just smirked at me. “I give you permission to think of
me tonight while you pleasure yourself. I’ll be thinking of
you.”

“
I didn’t know I needed
permission.”

“
Goodnight,
Cassidy.”

Sighing, “Goodnight,
James.”

She closed the door and set
the alarm before I walked down the steps. I checked in with Ryan,
who was parked in front of the house. There’d been no sign of Dan,
or his existence, since the incident with Melissa, but that didn’t
mean anything. I wanted him found and the sooner the better. Jane’s
wedding was only a few weeks away and we’d all rest easier knowing
he was locked up. Or dead. Dead was better.

I was almost to the hotel
when my phone chimed. Pulling up my text messages, I had one from
Cassidy.

Thinking of
you.

There was a picture of her
from the waist down, hand in her undies and it looked like she was
lying in bed. A car horn blared from behind me and I dropped the
phone. The light was green and I was holding up traffic. Christ. At
least she had enough common sense to not include her face in the
picture. I pulled into the parking garage, parked and headed to my
suite.

I was already disrobed by
the time I reached my bedroom. And Rock. Hard. I fisted myself and
snapped a pic and hit send. My phone began ringing, almost
immediately.

“
James.” Fuck, she sounded
sexy on the phone.

“
Cassidy.”

“
I miss you.”

“
I miss you, too, baby.” A
soft moan came through as I stroked myself. Walking back to the
bed, I threw the covers back, yanked my socks off, keeping one
handy for cleanup, and crawled into bed. “Are you touching
yourself? I’m touching myself.”

“
Yes.” Another moan had my
cock pulsing. “I miss your dick.”

I was so turned on and
surprised, which made it even hotter. She’d never really shown
interest in phone sex and I was going to eat it up, though I’d
prefer to be eating her. “Are you wet? Let me hear how wet you
are.”

“
Ok.” I heard some
ruffling and the faintest sound of her fingers sliding over her
slickness came over the line. More ruffling and then her breathing
came back through the line. “I miss your hands on me and their
power.”

I kept stroking myself at
her words, picturing myself holding her wrists above her head as I
slid into her deep and hard. “Put it on speaker. Touch your breasts
with your free hand.” I waited a moment. “Are you close? I’m so
hard, baby.”

“
Yes. James…”

“
Harder, do it
harder.”

Her whimpers of need had me
closer than I wanted to be. “Oh, right there. Don’t
stop.”

“
I won’t stop. Fuck. I’m
close, Cassidy.”

“
Oh, God.”

“
Come for me.
Fuck.”

“
I want you inside me,
oh.”

“
Cass…shit…” I spilled my
load into my sock as I imagined her body surrounding mine.
“Cassidy, let go, come for me.” Her moans became more fervent and
she started crying out. “That’s it. I’m right there with you, my
beautiful Blackbird.”

A few moments later, when
we’d caught our breath, she was able to talk again. “I hate
you.”

With a smile a mile wide on
my face, “I hate you, too. Get some rest.”

“
You, too.”

~<>~<>~<>~

The next day was business
as usual. Lunch was approaching when a knock came on my office
door.

“
Come in.” The door opened
and Paul stood there, a silent challenge on his face. I knew that I
owed him an apology, an explanation. I’d told him I hadn’t wanted
her, just to change my mind. “We doing this now?”

He nodded, “Looks like it,”
and walked in and closed the door. He stood on the other side of my
desk and I took a seat hoping he’d follow suit. He did.

“
I owe you an apology,
Paul. But you also owe her an apology.”

He leaned back, scrubbing
his hands down his face. “Fuck. She told you.”

“
Told me? No. She was a
wreck and I put the pieces together. What did you say to
her?”

“
I, I don’t know. I was
drunk.” He looked to me and then looked around the room. “This was
a mistake.”

I sat and tried to ponder
his meaning. Talking to me, talking to her, the job; I wasn’t sure
what he was referring to as the mistake. “I’m the one who made the
mistake.”

“
You can say that
again.”

“
Paul. We’ve done enough
fighting. You’re one of my best friends. I fucked up. I know that,
Cassidy knows that, hell, everyone knows that. I can’t lose her. I
won’t.”

“
And what makes you think
I can? I’ve lost her twice now. I almost didn’t survive the first
time. I knew there was a chance I’d run into her moving back up
here, but shit. I didn’t expect to find her with you.”

“
I need to know that
you’re going to back off. We’re trying to make this
work.”

“
How’s that? You seem to
change your mind week to week.”

“
God dammit, Paul. I know
you love her and whether you believe it or not, I do too. I’ll
spend the rest of my life proving it. She’s my wife and I’ll fight
for her till the end.” His gaze was icy as he stared at me. “Don’t
make me fight you for her.”

His eyes moved to the
window that stared out over the city. “You fuck this up again…” He
didn’t finish his statement. He was about to speak again when my
office door opened again.

We both directed our eyes
to Cassidy. She stood there, a deer in headlights with what
appeared like carryout in her hand. Paul turned his eyes from her
as I made my way over to her.

“
Sorry, I can come back.”
She was white as a ghost. “I should’ve called.”

I kissed her temple and
took the bag from her. “It’s ok. Paul and I were just finishing up.
Can I have a couple minutes?”

Nodding, she agreed. “I’ll
be back in a few minutes.”

I turned as Paul got out of
the chair he occupied. “You need to find someone else Benedict. I
can’t do this.”

He was quitting on me. I
understood, but I didn’t want to lose him. “How long do I
have?”

“
I can stay through till
the wedding. That’s almost four weeks. Then I’m going back to
Atlanta.”

“
Ok.”

“
If the prints are
finalized this week we can start pouring the foundation. Might be
able to have it framed before someone else takes over.”

He brushed past me, “Paul?”
He turned to look at me, hand on the door. “You’ll always have a
job waiting if you change your mind. But I understand why you’re
leaving.”