David
Over the weekend, David had taken Cassidy home with him to resume ninja training with the ankle-biters. It also allowed him one-on-one Daddy time with each of his children.
Finally, on Sunday evening, it was back to school, with classes starting Monday. Cassidy and David had one additional occupant in the car: Duke, who would spend the summer at the townhouse. Being constantly around five two-year-olds had worn the boy out, and he needed a vacation.
“I have a question,” David said, darting a look at Cassidy as he drove.
“Is this going to be something stupid? Because if it is, I’m in no mood for it. After spending two days with your kids, I want to just go home, take a nice long hot bath, and then crawl into bed.”
That sounded way too girlie for his little ninja.
“In fact, my question has to do with the last part of your plan. Do you plan on continuing to sleep with me?” he asked.
He could all but read Cassidy’s thoughts as clearly as if they were written on her forehead. She was thinking how hard she could hit him and them not die in traffic. Then she looked out her window. What had he said to make her go from contemplating his demise to turning inward?
“What’s your problem?” David asked.
“Instead of being so judgy, maybe you should have some sympathy for people who have to deal with you,” Cassidy said.
“Are you implying that I’m hard to deal with?”
“No, I am outright telling you that you’re hard to deal with.”
“Do we need to stop and get you something for your PMS?” he asked. “Ow!”
Okay, he probably deserved that, but it earned him an upward twinge at the corners of her mouth.
“I just needed you to hold me,” Cassidy finally said.
“So, this wasn’t some plan to get me to ask you to marry you or something?” he asked.
“No. I was feeling lonely and wanted to be with someone who cares about me.”
“I don’t have a problem with that. I just didn’t want to make any assumptions.”
David waited for a beat before asking his next question.
“What happened at home?”
Cassidy glanced over, which made David realize that he’d hit on the problem.
“My brother was acting like a jealous ass. Brad said that I was sponging off you by living in your townhouse and only having to help pay for utilities. You basically pay me to go to school when I don’t really do anything to deserve it. He made me feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”
“I also buy your groceries and have a maid come in to clean the place,” David said with a teasing smile.
“See. Even you are out to destroy my self-esteem,” she grumped.
He’d gone through similar conversations with almost all of his real friends at some point. But having money meant that sometimes he wanted to do something with them that was too expensive for college kids. When that happened, he insisted on paying. It looked like it was Cassidy’s turn.
“You know I don’t feel that way, right?”
“I guess, but Brad just wouldn’t shut up about it.”
“Brad’s always been a jerk, and this is between you and me. I think you know me well enough to know that I would talk to you about it if I had a problem with anything. As a matter of fact, one of the things I like best about you is that I can do stuff for you and not feel like I’m doing something wrong.”
“Like Wolf makes you feel?”
“Exactly. So, next time you see Brad, you’re allowed to kick him in the nuts.”
That made her smile.
“Can I get my security job back?” Cassidy asked sweetly.
“I’m going to get up early in the morning and go running. Do you plan to go with me?”
“No.”
“Then, no.”
“Okay. But I get to sleep with you whenever I want?”
David smiled.
“I’ll agree to that.”
◊◊◊
Dawn was dusky pink, and you could almost hear the city coming alive with activity. It was a perfect California morning for a run.
When David had come downstairs, Miss Bettis, aka Ruth, had a water bottle and banana waiting for him. Duke remembered their routine and was eagerly sitting by his leash at the front door. David put it on his hound and then let him do his business while he and Ruth stretched.
“Do you want to set the pace?” David asked.
“Sir, I am confident I can keep up,” Ruth assured him.
David didn’t intend for this to be a serious run because he was meeting his new teammates at the weight room this morning to start stacking days. Cassidy said she would meet him there so she could be with him when Tank gave him his new lifting program for the summer.
After they’d gone only a mile, David saw that Duke was out of shape. He decided that they should make a stop at the coffee shop near his dorm. He hoped to catch up with Kat, the Goth Barbie barista he’d dated for a short time during the spring. They’d hooked up several times after their ‘breakup,’ and quite frankly, David was horny.
When they entered, they found themselves the only customers in the place. The music was pumping, and he saw no one at the counter. David walked behind it like he worked there.
“What do you want?” David asked Ruth.
“I could go for a large coffee and a blueberry muffin, sir.”
Ruth might turn out to be okay. She hadn’t even questioned him helping himself.
“Lordy, there’s my fine-assed big boy. Come here and give me a hug,” Doreen, the owner of the coffee shop, said as she pulled David close. “I see you brought me two new customers.”
“Doreen, I would like you to meet Ruth and Duke. They’re my running partners.”
“Any friends of David are welcome.”
“Is my favorite employee around?” David asked.
“No, she up and quit. She’s out east, going to school.”
David knew that Kat was going back to Yale but had hoped she would wait until the fall. While he was disappointed that she hadn’t called him and told him, he realized he’d been just as bad by not calling her. He would remedy that later today.
David made his tea, got his dog a bowl of water, and joined Doreen and Ruth at a table. He talked to Doreen until Ruth had finished her coffee and muffin. By then, Duke was ready to run home.
◊◊◊
Cassidy drove David and Ruth to the weight room. He was happy to see that all the new guys were already there, except for Oliver. Tank had his whole staff busy testing each player. When he saw David and Cassidy, he broke away from his supervisory duties.
“Do you plan to have Cassidy be your personal trainer over the summer?”
“No, the gym we used is closed this summer,” Cassidy jumped in. “David will be working out here with you. I’m here because I want to learn from you.”
Tank was pleased.
“Frankly, we’re swamped right now. Could you put David through his normal routine?”
“I think I’ll take it easy on him since he’s been a total slacker while on break,” she said.
“Let’s not injure him the first day back. I’ve got some free time this afternoon if you want to swing by so we can talk,” Tank offered.
Cassidy was happy, so David hoped she was feeling laid-back. She quickly made him aware that was not going to be the case.
After an hour, he’d sweated through his clothes and was glad he hadn’t eaten much that morning. She finally took pity on him. He’d grabbed a towel and a bottle of water when Oliver appeared.
“Hey, mate. I wanted to apologize for the way I acted Friday.”
“That was acting?” David asked.
“Look, you don’t need to be a knob about it …” Oliver got out when he made the mistake of touching David.
The next thing Oliver knew, he was face down and worried his right shoulder might be separated. David glanced over at Cassidy, who looked as stunned as he did. Ruth had taken down their Aussie punter—who was twice her size—so fast that neither of them had any idea how she’d done it.
David was glad that she’d exposed her talents because he had no doubt Fritz would suggest that they spar. To date, David had bested all of Fritz’s security people, even knocking him silly on more than one occasion. Ruth might provide more of a challenge if she was that lightning quick. Now, he would actually pay money to see her spar with Cassidy.