Chapter 3
Cassandra
What does Mr. Sexy Pants think of himself? A pretty face and a sexy voice doesn’t give him any right to speak to me like that. I admit our meetings haven't been very appealing, but that doesn’t mean he can snap at me whenever he likes. As if I ran into him deliberately and broke his phone. I mean, come on, he is Aaron Maxfield, the rich asshole, he can buy himself a new phone. He is so arrogant and big headed, didn’t even have the manners or courtesy to accept my apology. ‘Say that word again and I’ll show you how sorry you can be.’ I mimicked him and walked back towards the pool side.
“What took you so long?” Avery asked me as I sat on the lounger next to her. “What else can happen today?” I took the cocktail from the passing waiter and closed my eyes briefly after taking a generous sip from the drink. Damn, it felt good to get away from reality, even if it was just for four days.
“Why are you girls out and dry?” Quinn called and grabbed Avery and threw her in the pool. She squealed and splashed water at him. Smiling at them, I returned to my drink, too late to realize that Logan was trying to pick me up from the lounger. “Let’s get you wet, Cass. The pool is boring without you.” He was going to throw me in the water. Fear hit me and I clutched my nails in his bare shoulder blades. “Put me down this minute, Logan,” I said loudly. My eyes froze over the water and my heart began pumping furiously. It was inching closer. “I said put me down!” I was yelling now and struggling hard in his grip.
No water, please. I clawed tightly to him and he yelped in pain. “Jesus Christ, Cass!” Logan pulled his head back and thankfully stopped midway. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he put my feet down and I immediately took several steps away from the water, covering my chest in protection. “Don’t ever do that to me again! Ever!” I said to him and turned around to leave. A set of black eyes met my gaze. Aaron was standing right there, staring at me as if I had grown two horns on my head. Of course he had to be there whenever I got humiliated or embarrassed.
I stormed away and went straight to my room that I shared with Gina. It was a good thing that she wasn’t there. I didn’t have any tolerance for anyone right now. My blood was still full of adrenaline, it felt like my veins were going to burst any minute. I needed some physical activity to put it back to normal. Shrugging out of my shirt, I bent down on the floor and forced myself to do a quick forty pushups and did a few stretches. Yoga has really helped me out in the past, I am so glad I picked it up.
I blamed the events that have happened in the last twenty-four hours for the cause of my stress. I had lost my job and my apartment before boarding the plane to the Bahamas. What’s more, reaching here I encountered Aaron. Since his arrival I have been immensely aware of the effect he has on me. My body’s reaction when he sat next to me at breakfast, the way his knees had accidentally brushed against mine, his closeness when I had fallen on him and then his outburst. It all wasn’t enough that Quinn’s jackass cousin, Logan had to get overly friendly with me. The fear of being thrown in the water was too much and provoked so many memories which I wanted to remain in the past. And now every part of my body was in knots.
I had to get my shit together. And for that I needed control of my mind and my body. I was here to attend my best friend’s wedding and after that I had to get my real life back on track. I had no time to waste on Aaron or anyone else. And I couldn’t let their thoughts rule my mind. That was the first rule of control. Yes, control. I can do it. That was something I had mastered over the years.
After an hour of exercise, followed by a long shower, I was feeling like myself. “Hey, thought you were never coming out,” Gina said as I stepped out of the shower. She must have crept in while I was in the shower “You kinda freaked out there. Are you alright?” she asked and my hands stopped momentarily whilst drying my hair. I looked at her through the mirror. “Yeah, I am fine. Just not a big fan of pools,” I smirked, trying to let the topic go.
“That Logan is really pushing himself. I think he’ll be getting another kick in the balls and this time it will be from Aaron. He looked at Logan as if he was going to eat him alive” Gina took her own change of clothes and towel as she spoke.
“What do you mean?” I couldn’t help but ask. “Oh you know, with his comment at breakfast and then that stunt with you, Aaron was quite pissed,” Gina shrugged. Aaron was pissed? “Hey whose jacket is this?” I looked around to see what she was talking about. It was Aaron’s jacket in her hands. A blush crept to my face as I remembered what had happened. “It’s Aaron’s.” “Oh shit, you actually started stripping him, didn’t you?”
“I don’t need a reminder, Gina,” I turned back but now she was laughing hard. “Damn, I wish he was the stripper. He is super hot. Had I not been so hooked up on Brad, I’d have totally gone for him,” she said and I put her and Aaron together in my mind. They’d have made a remarkable couple. Gina was a total babe. Exactly what he’d want. An alien feeling crawled along me of jealousy and possessiveness. The thought of Aaron with Gina, or any other girl didn’t settle well in my throat. Jesus, Cass! What possessiveness and what claim? He is not yours!
“Ah that Aaron’s bad,” I tried to make a joke to cover my own awkwardness. “Bet he is,” she winked at me and then headed towards the bathroom. “You know you can totally hit on him. And from what I’ve seen, you may not have to try hard. He looks like he's already taken a liking to you,” she said and then closed the door on my astonished face. He likes me? My ass! The first few minutes since we met have been nothing but disaster. He would rather knock me down than take a liking to me. I shook my head at the absurdness of Gina’s observation and laid out my dress for the rehearsal dinner. My eyes landed on the jacket that Gina was looking at earlier. I picked it up and took a closer look. I had brought it with me last night when he had left it there after the big scene. Involuntarily I brought it up to my nose and sniffed it. It smelled of spicy body wash and … of Aaron. The smell alone made my head dizzy. Boy! I had to get over it. Putting it away, I busied myself in other chores. I had to return it to him. Make sure you return all those other thoughts along with it too. The rational Cassandra Levant told me and I agreed.
*
“The music will begin and Aaron and Cass will walk through the aisle first, followed by Gina and Flynn, Sandra and Louis and then Lily and Jack. After that, Avery will enter. Following?” Jacqueline, the wedding planner asked as she demonstrated the whole timeline to us. “Let’s do it once.” She clapped her hands and signaled us to get into our positions. I stood at the end of the aisle and the rest of the bridesmaids and groomsmen formed a queue behind me. One person was missing - my partner.
“Where is the groom’s best man?” Jacqueline’s sharp voice echoed in the hall and everybody looked around for Aaron Maxfield. “Where is Aaron?” her voice rose again. Jacqueline wasn’t a patient lady. That much I had gathered in my short time of knowing her. I fidgeted in my place awkwardly. She began to say something again but then her voice stuck in her throat. I looked up at her, she was staring ahead. I followed her gaze and my own wind pipe dried and jaw dropped on the floor. Aaron Maxfield was making an entrance. A sigh escaped my lips at the sight of him. Dressed up in a charcoal gray sports jacket with black shirt and jeans, his hair was gelled neatly in a sleek mafia hairstyle. His face was grave and brows slightly quirked up from one end. And his eyes were as black as the night and fixed on … me. He walked with confident strides in my direction and then stopped right next to me.
His musky cologne along with his body wash and his own scent, my nostrils took in a whiff and I was tempted to close my eyes and savor it a little. No. Don’t even think of going there, Levant. I scolded myself. But, drag me to hell and back, how was I supposed to stand steadily on my feet when this mouth-watering deliciously sexy man was standing next to me? I ran my tongue to remove the dryness that had covered my lips. Compose yourself!
Jacqueline was back to barking orders. “Maid of honor and the best man, your cue is the violin,” she said. I prayed silently to make it out of here without adding any more embarrassments to my book. The violin began and Aaron presented his arm to me. I placed my hand in his crook and we both stepped ahead. My breasts brushed with his elbow and my nipples hardened instantly. A gasp escaped mine just as a curse was muttered from Aaron’s lips. I took a peek at him and he was looking down at me. Holy shit! If there was a thing called eye fucking, it just happened to me. His gaze was … hot. I was hot in all the right places. My grip tightened on his arm automatically as I tried to stay steady on my feet. We walked up and then parted at the foot of the altar. Aaron walked to stand beside Quinn and I walked on the other side.
My eyes traveled up to him and he was staring right back at me. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and a frown played on his forehead as his eyes dug into me. I blushed at the intensity of his looks. This man was disarming me. And I hated that how much he was capable of affecting me, making me lose my control, making me want things that weren’t on my radar at the given time. I tried looking away, but Aaron was like the opposite pole of a magnet that I couldn’t get away from.
“Oh no, no, no. Your seat is right next to the groom’s best man,” after the rehearsal when I began to sit next to Lily for dinner, Jacqueline was right behind me, ushering me towards the other end of the table. “Aaron, you sit on left, next to the groom and Cass you sit beside him. This has to be the order of sitting tomorrow.” God I wanted to strangle that woman. If only she knew what danger she was inviting. Given my experience, I was bound to sabotage the event with my mind that was beginning to go crazy whenever I was near Aaron.
“C.O.N.T.R.O.L” this was my mantra. Never let your emotions and desires rule you; was my golden principle of life. Aaron held out the chair for me and looked at me expectantly. “Thank you,” I muttered, taking my place and then he sat next to me. It was impossible to stay unaware of his presence. “Have you found a new phone?” it was Quinn who asked Aaron in a low voice. I flushed. “I’ll get one when I am back in Seattle,” his rough throaty voice vibrated my body. Holy peeps, his voice just ruined Johnny Cash for me. “Oh who made it possible to keep you away from work for so long? That man deserves an award,” Quinn exclaimed and I shrunk lower in my seat. Hello there, I am the one, not looking for any credit. I wondered if Aaron would tell everybody that I was the queen of clumsyville that had broken his phone.
“Cassandra, can you please pass me the shaker?” his lips came down to my level. His voice went through me like a wave. “Sure,” I cleared my throat with an internal shake to gain composure and straightened to reach for the salt and pepper tray. “Thank you.” His fingers brushed against mine and all my composure evaporated at his touch. I snapped my head up to see his face. He was staring back at me with his eyes narrowed and his lips parted by just a fraction. I felt bare before his eyes.
I was the first to look away. Damn him and damn his eyes. Aaron Maxfield was bad news and my body needed to understand that. I dove into my food and tried not to appear affected by the man seated beside me. Just when I was about to take a sip of my chardonnay, his hand brushed along my arm and the next I knew I had spilled my entire drink on him. “What the …” he cursed and stood up. Everyone at the table silenced. “I am so sorry. I … I don’t know what,” I began mumbling and tried to dry off his shirt using my napkin, rubbing it on his chest and then lower.
Aaron’s hand gripped my wrist and pushed it away from his body, only then I knew where I was drying him off. I flushed crimson. “I’m sorry …” before I could end my apology, he stepped back and walked away. Say that word again and I’ll show you how sorry you can be. His words came back to me. Oh shit.
I went after him. The corridors were empty. I walked straight towards the end, the door to the gallery was open. I stepped in and a cool pleasant breeze hit me. The light out was dim and there was no sign of anyone there. I was turning to leave when I saw a shadow standing by the railing. It was Aaron. My heart weighed a thousand kilograms in that moment. What was I going to say? I crept closer quietly. “Aaron?” I called in a small voice. Damn. Why was I such a walking and talking disaster? He didn’t turn. I inched further near, until I was in a zone where I could reach out to him. “Aaron, I …” my words stopped in the air as he turned to look at me. There was a ghostly expression on his face and not the one that would scare me, the one that would set me on fire. I swallowed as the air between us heated and the awareness of each other increased. I needed to fill in the silence and break the spell that was so strong.
I opened my mouth to say something but before I could even form the words, his face came closer and my lips were captured by his mouth. He was kissing me. This was wrong. Wrong on so many levels. But damn, he felt good, the best. His tongue caressed sensuously along the contours of my lips and shock radiated down my spine. His mouth was hot on mine, as if I was kissing a hearth. I want this beautiful man to take me. And then his hand gripped the nape of my neck and he pushed me against the cold grill. The contrast of hot versus cold made my knees melt in the building pleasure, and I tried to resist in his arms. His touch was too hard to resist and the lust finally took over me, subsiding all my control and resistance. I opened up to him and kissed him back. I moaned as he branded me. He tasted of chardonnay and something else, something rich and intense. Our mouths melted against each other and I clutched his jacket’s lapels tightly, bringing him closer than he was. I moaned, wanting more of him, his touch. But then he pulled away. I waited for his lips to come back to me, but they didn’t. I opened my eyes to see him staring at me. His face hard as stone, and then he left me to stand on my own, turning his back, he walked away from me.
What did I just do? Realization and humiliation hit me simultaneously and I held back to the cold rod for support. As horrified as I was at my own actions and desire, there was a small part in my heart that was disappointed. Aaron Maxfield was a known man whore, yet he left me hanging in the cold when I was all too willing to surrender. God, I was pathetic!