Page 110 of Effortless
“It’s been a day, that’s for sure. Brooklyn’s already asleep. Or, she’s in bed, anyway. Said something about waiting up to talk to Weston.”
“He played a helluva game tonight. You a football fan?”
He shifts his head side to side. “Sometimes. It’s not how I spend my entire weekend, but I enjoy it. Care for a beer? I was just about to get another from the fridge.”
“I’d love one.”
Over a few beers, we talk about a little of everything. We avoid the topic of Celeste and focus on other things. Happier, lighter topics. He listens as I explain how we started up Lake Electrical and what it was like growing up here in Red Oak.
“You’re a good man, Cash. Thank you for taking care of my girls.”
“Easy to take care of, sir.”
“Call me Robert.”
And that’s how I got the approval from Hadley’s father.
ChapterTwenty-Three
Hadley
Cash crooks a finger at me in a come-hither motion that has my entire body tingling. Even from fifteen feet away, I can see the heat in his eyes. From his outside speaker, “She Will Be Loved”by Maroon 5begins to play. I know exactly what he’s doing and I’m so here for it. I immediately understand why he requested I wear this specific clothing tonight.
One night when we were lying in bed, wrapped in each other’s arms, I shared some of my fantasies with him. Since that night, he’s showed me that my fantasies were nothing like the reality.
Everything Cash does, he does sexy. The way he walks, his accent, the way he is with Brooklyn and Cody. How he tries so hard to cuddle with Kevin after swearing he wasn’t a cat guy but is determined to make Kevin love him.
But right now, crooking a finger and giving me another one of my fantasies? Nothing could be sexier. I’ve watched the MTV Movie Awards best kiss video from 2005 more times than I care to admit, and never imagined it would happen for me one day. With a man I’m desperately in love with.
I grin and shrug off my leather bomber jacket and we walk toward each other with purpose. My entire body is a live wire. Two more steps and I jump into his arms. His hand curves around the back of my head and I drop my face to his in a heated, bruising kiss.
His fingers flex against the flesh of my butt under the skirt of my dress and I dig the tips of my fingers into his scalp. His hair is silky against my skin and I can’t get enough of it. Of him.
I’m pressed up against his strong body, one leg wrapped around his hip, his fingers digging into my butt, our tongues tangled together in the hottest kiss I’ve ever received, and that includes all the extremely hot kisses we’ve shared together.
“Missed you,” he murmurs.
“I missed you, too.”
“Been too long.”
“Definitely.”
My dad’s stay that was only supposed to be a few days turned into a week partly because Mom was dragging her feet and throwing one fit after another, and partly because Dad realized he liked it here in Red Oak. He headed home to Chicago yesterday morning, though. While he was here, he spent time working remotely but also was on the phone for over an hour with his lawyer the day after we got to Red Oak. And several other times.
Mom tried to call me but I let it go to voice mail.
To my surprise, she actually left a message. She was crying and demanded I speak with my father and get him to change his mind. I would have considered it for a second but then she added something about how it will look to their circle of friends and brought up the “ridiculous prenup” that won’t hold up in court.
That’s when I knew it was still all about the money and deleted the message. I considered blocking her number, but that felt a little extreme. Even though she somehow managed to convince his assistant – who is a male and likely sleeping with my mother as well – to swipe Dad’s phone and block my number. Which is why my calls weren’t going through. Explains the whole situation where he had to take Dad’s phone to get it looked at.
Shortly after Dad left for Chicago, the guys headed out for the Volunteers’ game this morning. They stayed in a hotel last night so they could tailgate before the game. From the numerous pictures Cash sent throughout the day, they had a great time. Especially since the Volunteers won. Cody was beyond excited to be there, his smile a permanent fixture on his face the entire time.
I was at the diner when the guys rolled back into town, filling in for a server who called in sick, and came straight to Cash’s when I was finished working. He had texted me to come to the backyard when I got here and damn, I’m so glad I did.
“Cash.”
“Hmm?”