Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
After telling him I didn’t need a woman in my life because I’ve got my bar, the last thing I want Zane to walk in on is me fucking a girl literally half my age. It’s not that I’m ashamed of anything I’m doing with Cassie. It’s just an awkward conversation I’d rather not have with my son. And besides, no kid ever wants to see their parents getting down. And no parent ever wants their kid to see them getting down either.
By the time Zane steps out into the courtyard, dressed like he is there for a workout himself, Cassie has her shorts on and her sports bra pulled down, but her hair is mussed, and she has that I just had sex flush to her cheeks. Zane’s not stupid and I’m sure he’s going to know exactly what was happening. But then I see her eyes grow wide as her mouth falls open, and the blood drains from her face. She looks like she’s just seen a ghost. When I turn to Zane, I see his expression mirrors hers almost exactly.
“Zane,” I stammer. “I didn’t know you were stopping by.”
“What the fuck is this?” he demands, his expression of shock quickly morphing into one of pure rage.
“Zane, take it easy,” I say. “It’s just a bit of bad timing. It’s nothing—”
“Nothing? Nothing?” he shouts. “You fucking my girlfriend is nothing?”
The blood drains from my own face this time as I stare at him. His eyes narrow and he clenches his jaw, his hands curling into fists at his sides.
“What are you talking about?” I ask.
“This is Cassie,” he spits. “This is my girlfriend, Dad.”
I turn to Cassie and her expression hasn’t changed a bit. If anything, the expression of horror on her face has only deepened. Her eyes shimmer with tears that spill from the corners of her eyes and race down her face. I turn back to my son, shaking my head in disbelief.
“Your girlfriend?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he growls. “That girl you’re fucking is my girlfriend.”
6
CASSIE
It’s like I’ve gone from the most unimaginable high to the most incredible low in the span of one heartbeat. Seeing Zane standing there has my head spinning, and I’m choking, drowning in disbelief. This has to be the stupidest, most unbelievable coincidence in history. Cash looks at me, his eyes filled with the same shock and incredulity that’s mirrored in mine.
“Cash, Zane is your son?” I ask, my voice trembling as hard as my body.
He nods. “And he is your boyfriend?”
“Was. I broke up with him,” I say quickly then add for Zane’s benefit. “I’m your ex-girlfriend, Zane.”
“Is this why you wouldn’t fuck me? Because you’ve been fucking him this whole time? Is that it, Cassie?” he screeches.
“Zane, don’t be ridiculous. I didn’t know Cash was your father,” I reply indignantly. “He gave me a job and a place to stay—”
“And so what? You’re fucking him to say thank you?”
“I had no idea she was your ex. This is all just a misunderstanding,” Cash says.
“Right. And I’m supposed to believe that?”
“Zane, you never told me a thing about your girlfriend,” Cash replies. “How in the fuck was I supposed to know—”
“Shut up. Just shut up,” he snaps. “You know, I should have known that you’d be a piece of shit. I should have known that meeting you would be a big fucking mistake. Mom never told me about you for a fucking reason, and I never should have come looking for you in the first place.”
Cash looks wounded by his son’s words and my heart breaks for him. “Zane,” he says. “That’s not fair. You know I—”
“I don’t give a shit what you think!” Zane screams.
“He’s your father, Zane. Have a little respect,” I say.
“He’s not my father. He’s nothing to me.”
The hurt, rage, and disgust on his face are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and it terrifies me. In that moment, I realize I truly don’t know what he’s capable of. He turns his narrow, fury-filled face to me.
“And you’re less than nothing to me,” he growls. “You’re nothing but a filthy whore—”
“You watch your mouth, boy,” Cash says, his voice as hard as his face.
“Fuck you.”
“Zane, I know you’re hurt. I know you’re upset that I left you,” I say. “But—”
Without warning, he rushes toward me, his face twisted with wrath, cocking his arm back as if he’s going to hit me. His movements are so fast they’re a blur, but Cash cuts him off. He grabs Zane by the arm and in one deft move, spins him away from me.
“You do not raise your hand to a woman. Ever,” Cash growls. “Not in my house.”
With a howl of outrage, Zane launches himself at his father. Cash waits for him and at the last minute, uses his son’s momentum against him, grabbing his wrist and with a slick spin move, pins it behind Zane’s back. He cries out in pain and falls to his knees. Standing behind him now, Cash twists Zane’s arm back awkwardly. My heart in my throat, pounding away like a drum, I watch it all unfolding, breathless, half of me in shock and the other half reeling from the unexpected warmth of emotion. Nobody has ever stood up for me before. Nobody has ever protected me from harm the way Cash is defending me right now.