The Wedding Agreement (9 page)

“So, I've got to know. Why don't you ever want kids? You've never made that a secret, and there aren't many women who openly say that family life isn't for them. So what's the reason?”

“Is this part of the game, or you just asking?”

Alex shrugged. “I guess it's part of the game.”

Cass didn't speak. She just sighed loudly, as if she weren't happy at the prospect of having to answer. Then she grabbed the shot off the table, put it to her
lips, and drained it before squeezing a lemon into her mouth and sucking out all the juice. “Then I guess I pass,” she said softly. “And since I can't ask you the same question, I think this is where our game ends.” She stood, stretching her arms into the air as if the physical movement might make her feel more emotionally comfortable than she was. “Got any good snacks?” she asked suddenly as she headed for the kitchen.

*   *   *

Even by Cass' standards, that had been a poor transition. But after Alex's question, she knew she'd needed to change the subject. Though she'd never been embarrassed about not wanting a husband or children, hearing Alex talk about Nina had made her feel something inside herself that she didn't want to feel. And the scariest part was that she couldn't even identify it.

How could she justify not wanting children to someone whose life felt incomplete without his daughter? Alex would probably never understand, so she wouldn't even try to explain it. It was easier that way.

She pulled open both doors of Alex's refrigerator and moved some items around so she could look behind them. She'd been hoping to find some pudding or cake or something, but all he had that remotely resembled a dessert was fresh fruit. He was obviously in great shape, but didn't the man
ever
eat something unhealthy? “You have a seven-year-old,” she yelled. “Tell me you have something with some sort of sugar in it. Cookies or ice cream or something?” she asked, heading to his pantry.

“I think there are Popsicles in the freezer,” Alex called back.

Cass turned back around, pulled open the freezer, and spotted the treats immediately. “Jackpot! I don't think I've had a Popsicle in years. You want one?”

“No, thanks. I'm good,” Alex said.

Cass plopped herself back on the couch, feeling better now that she had a distraction. Even if it was just an edible one.

“You okay?” he asked.

Clearly her sudden hunger hadn't been as believable an excuse as she'd hoped. Alex could tell there was another reason for her abrupt exit. “Yeah, I'm fine.” She pulled apart the white plastic and slid it off the stick, tossing it onto the plate with her discarded lemon wedge. “I'll probably get going after I eat this, I guess,” she said.
Is it awkward I'm just staying for a snack?

“You don't have to.”

Cass shrugged, pulling the red Popsicle out of her mouth so she could speak. “Well, I think I've had about as much of Adam Sandler as I can take for one night.” She gestured toward the TV, where
Billy Madison
was still playing. Thankfully she'd tuned it out during their game.

Alex blew a low laugh out through his nose. “Well, have you had enough of
me
?”

His question threw her, but she wasn't sure if she was reading into it. Was he asking her if she was getting
sick
of him? They'd definitely been spending more time together lately, and a lot of it hadn't revolved around sex. “No, I'm not sick of
you
,” she replied simply, still trying to figure out what he meant exactly.

Alex's movement toward her stopped her overanalysis of his question. “Good. Because if you keep sliding that Popsicle in and out of your mouth like
that, I don't think that I'll be able to let you leave anytime soon.”

Cass gave him a flirtatious smile. “You're going to hold me here against my will?” She ran her tongue seductively along the length of the frozen treat, knowing the reaction it would stir in Alex.

“Oh, I'm pretty sure you'll be willing.” Alex's mouth was now only inches away from hers, his lips wet from where he'd just licked them. She wanted them on hers.

She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Oh yeah? What makes you so confident?”

Alex brushed his fingers through her hair, tucking it behind one ear. His hand massaged the back of her neck lightly before he pulled her more roughly toward him, so he could speak against her mouth. “Just a feeling.”

The vibration of his deep voice sent a warmth down her body that only increased as Alex laid her back against the couch, spreading her thighs apart so he could settle between them. Cass let out an unsteady moan as she felt his cock press hard against her through their clothing. She wanted him to grind against her, give her the friction she was craving. But he didn't move his hips. Instead he kept her firmly pinned below him with his weight as he kissed his way from her lips down her neck and all the way along her arm, paying special attention to the spots that he knew drove her wild. Until Alex, she never knew how good being kissed on the inside of her elbow could feel.

“I'm going to be needing this,” Alex said, holding one of her hands in place while he removed the red Popsicle from the other. He started first with her lips, running the ice along the outside of them until
they instinctively parted so Alex could slide it into her mouth.

He groaned as Cass sucked on it, swirling her tongue around as if it were Alex's cock inside her mouth instead. Cass locked her legs around him, physically pleading with him to move.

And finally he did, his pelvis rubbing against her clit. “God, Cass, you know how hot you look with that in your mouth? I could come just watching you.” After a few moments, Alex slid out the Popsicle and pressed his lips to hers, his warm tongue a welcome sensation in her cool mouth. “You taste sweet,” he whispered against her as he yanked off her shirt and removed her bra. “But there are other parts of you I want my mouth on more.”

Alex's words sent a rush of wetness to her already soaked panties. And when the contact with her ceased as he pulled away, she thought she might lose her mind. “Alex,” she pleaded. “I need you inside me.” She could hear how desperate she sounded, but she didn't care.

“Soon,” was his only response, and Cass arched on the couch as she felt the cool ice hit her nipple, followed by Alex's lips. He wasn't as gentle as she was used to him being, his hand kneading her breast, pulling it roughly toward his mouth so he could suck harder. Then he did the same to the other, giving them equal attention as Cass' moans got louder. She was so ready.

Her eyes closed, Cass felt him drag the cool ice down her stomach toward the top of her jeans before popping the button and yanking down the zipper. “You're not going to fuck me with that, are you?” Cass asked, unsure.

Alex laughed softly. “Not with this. But I do plan to fuck you. Hard,” he added, making Cass squirm as he tossed the Popsicle on the plate and slid her jeans down her legs. Alex took his time with her thong, dragging his fingertips lightly against the outsides of her thighs as he removed it.

When he was done, he settled between her legs, lifting one over his shoulder and kissing the inside delicately. Cass shivered as his lips deliberately avoided the place she wanted them most.

Finally, he pressed his mouth between her legs, sucking hungrily on her clit again and again. She bucked against him, his soft tongue swirling and flicking at varying speeds. When his fingers plunged deep inside her, she heard just how wet she was, a combination of her own desire and Alex's mouth on her.

He continued his erotic assault, his strong hands squeezing her ass, pulling her even harder against him. The tingling in her core increased with every smooth stroke of his fingers until she couldn't hold off any longer. “Alex,” she huffed, “I'm going to . . .”

She couldn't even finish her sentence, her voice a mixture of pleasurable moans and soft curses. When Alex slowed his movements, he crawled up her body, kissing her skin softly with his wet lips.

She could feel the satisfied grin on her face, and Alex gave her one in return, clearly pleased with her reaction. She stroked the back of his hair and spoke against his lips. “Jesus, I don't even know what that was.”

“Then let's say that was just the first of what's to come.” He stood to remove his clothing slowly, giving Cass time to admire every flexing muscle as he removed his shirt and then his pants and boxers.
“Come on,” he said, picking her up off the couch and throwing her over his shoulder. “I need more room for what I plan to do to you.” Then he gave her a sharp slap on her ass and headed toward his bedroom, Cass giggling wildly in his arms. She wasn't sure exactly what Alex's plan involved, but whatever it was, she couldn't stop smiling about it.

*   *   *

Alex couldn't get her to the bedroom fast enough, and once he was there, he playfully tossed Cass onto the bed from a few feet away.

Cass laughed and shifted to lean on her elbows as Alex stalked slowly toward her. He took his time working his way up her body, lifting her leg to kiss from her ankle up to her thigh. But once there, Cass guided his face to hers. “I think it's your turn,” she said simply.

Alex's cock twitched in excitement, stiffening even more at the thought of Cass' warm lips wrapped around it. “I think I'd like that,” was his only reply as they flipped positions so Cass could maneuver herself on top of him. Alex let her hold his hands in place on either side of his head while she licked behind his ear and down his neck. Though she was straddling him, Alex could tell she was making every effort not to make contact with his erection. And it was killing him. He'd wanted to be inside of her since he'd tasted her earlier, and when she'd come, he'd nearly done the same. His cock jerked again, and he pushed his hips off the bed so he could feel Cass against him.

He settled back on the bed, willing his body to remain under control. At last she spread her legs a little wider, kissing down his body on her way toward her destination. It wouldn't be long before he'd be thrusting between those pink lips of hers.

She paused just below his belly button, placing light nibbles on his lower abs and his upper thigh. Her mouth grazed his balls for a moment, and he wondered if it had been intentional. He could feel how fucking full they were, how ready he was to explode with just the smallest touch. One hand had been pulling on Cass' hair, but he used the other to grip the base of his shaft. He hoped the pressure might help hold off his orgasm, but it had the opposite effect. He couldn't help but move his fingers over himself. Cass looked up at him, her eyes narrowing in the sexiest fucking way before she finally let her lips part just enough that Alex could slide himself between them. The feel of her warm mouth slipping over him, the sounds she made as she sucked him—it was enough to make him let go right now. But he'd promised he'd had plans for her. Though right now—with Cass' blond hair falling over his stomach as her mouth moved up and down his cock—he had no clear recollection of what those plans had even been.

“Slow down,” he pleaded. Though he wanted her to continue exactly what she was doing, he knew he couldn't last much longer.

Cass swallowed, causing her tongue to press against his cock in the best way, but she hadn't slowed down. Alex tugged on her hair a bit, halfheartedly trying to guide her off him before he fucking lost it. But that only made Cass more aggressive. She pushed her mouth even farther over Alex's cock until the tip hit the back of her throat, causing Alex to release a low groan. “I'm serious . . . I can't . . . Oh God.” And then Alex was coming, shooting warm bursts of semen into Cass' mouth. He watched her continue to move over him, her hand working the base of his dick while her lips slid up and down the rest.

When Alex had emptied himself fully and Cass had swallowed every drop of him, she crawled up his body. “How was that?”

Alex chuckled softly, resting an arm behind his head in satisfaction as he looked up at her. “How do you
think
it was?” he asked.

Cass smirked, looking quite pleased with herself. But she didn't reply. She just leaned down and gave Alex a slow kiss—one that let him know she'd enjoyed that
almost
as much as he had.

Tactics

“So I was thinking,” Cass said as soon as Alex answered the phone.

“That scares me.”

“That's not very nice,” Cass countered.

“You're right. It's not so bad when you're thinking. It's when you're
not
thinking that I end up planning a wedding.”

Cass hesitated briefly before saying, “Touché.”

“So what were you thinking about?”

“I want to take Nina out for ice cream.”

“Okay,” Alex said, drawing out the word. “Why?”

“Well, like I said, I was thinking, and us sending a fake save-the-date to your ex-wife's house isn't going to be enough to convince her to let you have Nina for those few months. She has to trust that
I
can be a good addition to Nina's life, and that she can trust me with her daughter when you're not around. So . . . ice cream. Then if Tessa asks Nina what she did this
weekend, Nina will have a positive reason to mention me. Plus, I feel bad that I had to bail on our last excursion.”

Alex sighed. It wasn't that it was a bad idea. It was a good idea, actually. Except . . . “I thought we were trying to avoid overly involving Nina in this fake wedding drama.” He whispered the last words. Last he had checked, Nina was playing in her room, but kids were like ninjas. He didn't want her to overhear anything he wouldn't be able to explain.

“I'm not taking her to pick out china patterns. We're going for ice cream.”

“I know.” Alex rubbed a hand through his hair. “But if you guys start hanging out, she might get attached. It was one thing when the three of us were going to the zoo together. This would be just the two of you. More personal.”

“Alex, we've been over this. You and I will still have a friendship when all of this is over. I'll still see Nina.” Cass sounded exasperated, and he didn't blame her. They
had
been over this. But his worry never had diminished.

“It just feels like we're manipulating my seven-year-old. Like we're bribing her so she'll say good things about us to Tessa.”

“So?”

Christ, why does she not get this?
“So you're making Nina feel like you want to hang out with her, when you're really just doing it to win this mind game we've found ourselves playing with my ex-wife.”

“No, I'm doing this because I like ice cream, I like Nina, and I usually like you, though I'm not such a fan right now. There's not a parent alive who hasn't tried to spoil their kids so they could be the fun parent once in a while. You're making too big of a deal out of this.”

Alex thought for a second. “I do have some work I could get done while you guys are gone.”

“Awesome. I'll be there in a half hour.” And with that, Cass hung up.

He sat on the couch, staring blankly at his laptop for a few moments. He was going to have to get over his reservations. He'd agreed to move forward with Cass' plan, so forward he would have to go. Even if it didn't always make him feel very good.

He stood up from the couch and made his way up to Nina's room. He watched her from the doorway for a second as she played with her dollhouse.

She had a slew of dolls spread out in front of her, and she seemed to be carefully deliberating which dolls would serve her game best.

He went in and sat beside her. “Whatcha doing?”

“Playing.”

He let out a small laugh. “I kind of figured that. What are you playing?”

“House.”

The girl could give lessons to criminals on how to evade questions. “Can I play?”

“Sure.” She quickly chose the rest of the dolls needed for whatever imaginary world she'd created and shoved a few at him.

“Who are these supposed to be?” he asked as he looked at the Ken, Barbie, and Skipper she'd given him.

“That's you, me, and Cass.”

Alex's head shot up as his gaze raked over Nina's face. “Who are the ones you're holding?”

“Me, Mommy, and Pete.”

“So there are two of you?”

“Yup.”

“Why?” Alex wasn't sure he wanted the answer, but he couldn't resist asking anyway.

“Because sometimes I wish there were two of me so I could spend every day with you
and
Mommy instead of going back and forth.”

Alex felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. “Is it so bad? Going back and forth?”

Nina looked up at him and seemed to think hard about her answer. “No, because otherwise there'd be no Pete and Cass.”

“Do you like Cass?” It was a question he realized that a normal father in a normal situation would've asked his daughter
before
he proposed to someone. But that wasn't something he could fix now. He'd just bank it away for the future, in case he ever got engaged for real.

“Sure. She's fun and pretty and nice.”

Alex felt a warmth spread through him that caught him off guard. He logically knew that it was important for Nina to like Cass, but the emotional response it stirred surprised him. He was glad Nina liked Cass, and not just because it would help them sell a lie, but because
he
liked Cass. She was a good friend to him. She was trustworthy and caring and warm—everything a father could want in a role model for his little girl. “Cass is coming over soon to take you out for ice cream.”

Nina's eyes lit up. “Yay! I love ice cream.” The dolls were immediately forgotten as Nina rushed around, shoving her feet into shoes and taking off down the hall.

Alex sat and stared after her, smiling at her exuberance. Then his eyes dropped to the three dolls he still held in his hands. Without even thinking about what he was doing, Alex propped them in the tiny house.

*   *   *

Cass and Nina spent an hour getting ice cream, and they even brought some back for him. Cass didn't hang out long. Alex assumed she had better ways to spend her Saturday night.
Maybe she has a date
. That thought irritated him for some reason. But he chalked it up to hurting his chances of selling their engagement if Cass was seen hanging around with other guys.

He'd settled Nina into bed about an hour ago, and he then decided to go back to poring over case notes at his kitchen table. Alex both loved and loathed his job. He'd always had an innate desire to help people, to right wrongs. He also was a bit of a risk taker, which was considered a positive attribute in his line of work. Alex was routinely required to confront danger when most people would run away from it. His primary focus was apprehending some of the country's most violent offenders—when a chance to take them down arose, he couldn't hesitate to act, no matter what personal peril could await him.

But working at the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crimes also meant he saw things he would never be able to unsee. The things people did to each other—the absolute torture they could inflict—was nauseating on the best of days. It was downright terror inducing on the worst.

Alex wasn't a trained psychiatrist. He'd been a criminal justice major in college, knowing that his passion was in law enforcement. But his superiors had quickly observed that he had a knack for connecting dots, a way of seeing the evidence that others often missed. And he loved it. He loved reading between the lines, trying to see beyond the crime to
uncover the motivation behind it, all of which could lead to the apprehension of some of humanity's worst creations. So when he'd been asked if he'd like to help hunt down serial killers, he'd jumped at the chance without giving a whole lot of thought to the toll it would take on his family. There were times when new evidence popped up, a lead needed to be chased down, or a suspect was taken into custody, and Alex would drop what he was doing and head into work. The thing he really regretted was that, a lot of the time, he hadn't
needed
to drop everything. He'd
chosen
to. He'd put the needs of the public over those of his family because, at the end of the day, he couldn't let the job go. He
was
the job. It wasn't until after Tessa had left, married Pete, and started her own suburban bliss with Nina that it had hit him. Specifically it was the day he'd had to practically drag a screaming five-year-old away from her mother so he could spend time with her. Nina hadn't wanted to go with him for their weekend together. She'd clung to Tessa as though a stranger were trying to take her. It had been embarrassing and eye-opening.

Alex had always told himself he'd do everything he could for Nina, that he loved her more than anything. And the words were true. But the actions weren't there to support those words. Because the truth that was screeching at him on Tessa's front lawn was that his daughter didn't like him very much and didn't want to spend time with him. It was just the wake-up call he'd needed.

His job was still demanding, and there were times when he'd had to drop Nina off early so he could go in to work, but those instances were much rarer than they'd been in the past and were reserved for true emergencies. Over time, he'd built a solid relationship
with his daughter. They enjoyed being together, and Alex wanted to ensure that they never drifted apart again.

Which was why it was so important to him that he get to spend the eight weeks with Nina over the summer. He didn't want Nina to look back on it and think that her dad hadn't wanted, or hadn't been able, to take care of her. That she'd needed to go with her grandparents because he wasn't up to the task. So he'd gone along with Cass' lie, and he was perpetuating it at the risk of hurting his daughter's feelings, because ultimately he thought it would strengthen the bond between them. Maybe it was selfish. Maybe it was delusional. Maybe it would backfire. But maybe it would also give him a great two months with his daughter. Two months where he could step up and show her how important she was to him.

With that thought in mind, he gathered the notes in front of him and shoveled the papers back into the folder. Work could wait. If they got up early enough, he and Nina could hit the diner she loved before the morning rush. He scooped up his cell phone, turned off lights, and shot a text to Cass, inviting her to breakfast, on his way to his bedroom.

*   *   *

Mondays were always a special kind of hell in Cass' office. It never failed that one of her firm's clients did something epically stupid and everyone had to scramble to minimize the damage. There must have been a full moon the previous two days because Cass was looking at an e-mail from her boss, alerting her that two of her clients had gotten in trouble. One had been caught urinating in public and evading arrest when he'd decided to play an elaborate game of hide-and-seek in order to avoid being ticketed. The other
had been photographed in one of D.C.'s prominent gay clubs, grinding with a half-naked dancer. The photo was all over social media, but Cass still probably could have worked with it if the man had hired her firm for almost any reason other than wanting help in attracting members for a nondenominational church he was opening . . . with his wife. It was only ten a.m., and she already needed a drink.

Her Outlook pinged with another incoming e-mail.
Please don't let today get any worse.
Thankfully it was just an e-mail from Alex. He wanted to let her know that the venue they'd chosen was having a food tasting in a couple of weeks, and to ask if she wanted to go. Far be it from Cass to turn down food. She replied that she was in. She also thanked him again for inviting her to breakfast the previous morning. His offer had been considerate as well as tempting, but Cass had promised her sister that she'd watch the kids for some brunch Amy and Ben needed to go to. So she'd had to sacrifice a delicious breakfast for Play-Doh and cartoons.

The day wore on slowly. Cass had made the public pisser promise to donate some of his time to a local shelter in exchange for the city's dropping the evading-arrest charge. And, luckily, since prosecuting the case would have been more hassle than it was worth, the ADA had quickly agreed. The man paid his fine and went on his way without his name being released to the public.

The fine pastor was a different story. He wanted to deny it was him, since the picture circulating was slightly obscured, due to his having his tongue down another man's throat. However, Cass convinced him that lying would only exacerbate the problem. There were tons of witnesses that could place him in the
club. Ultimately, he had two choices: refuse to address it and hope it went away, or admit to the infidelity and, with his wife by his side, agree to seek counseling for his marital transgression. Either way, Cass thought he was screwed, but she still had a job to do, and she'd try to do it to the best of her ability.

The only reprieve from the sucky day were the sporadic e-mails she exchanged with Alex. Most of them weren't about anything of importance—just the usual banter that existed between them. Cass was glad that the added stress of fake-wedding planning hadn't interfered with their friendship. The last thing she wanted to do was cause a rift between them. Wanting to make sure they hung out and did things that didn't involve the wedding, she told him about a band Simone had asked the girls to go see this coming Friday night. She was happy when he replied that he'd talk to the guys and was most likely in. She closed his e-mail, content with the fact that nothing had changed between them. They'd get through the upcoming months just fine.