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Hounds Ascend (Lucifer's Hounds Book 2) by Erika Blount (3)

Five hours ago, Cass told the Hounds he was staying in Gulfport with Lilly for the next few days. Everyone had gone home except Clayton. Linc left to bring Mindy home, but he had checked in with Cass to let him know he was on his way an hour ago. He was trying to earn his place in this club and Lilly had no doubt that he would have his patch in no time.

The benefit was long over, Lilly’s high was gone, and the after party was just getting started at the Highway Sinners’ clubhouse. Lilly stifled a yawn, realizing that her night had only just begun. The clubhouse wasn’t much different from the one in Baton Rouge. There was a full bar, equipped with a multitude of liquor, and like the Hounds’ clubhouse, this one also had a second story that Lilly was told held bedrooms for the out of town members that came to visit as well as guests of the club.

The biggest difference between the two clubhouses, though, was the stage in the center of the large, open room with a stripper pole in the center of it. A tall, tattooed blonde spun around on the pole while a circle of men stood around the stage. She had perfect, perky fake tits covered in colorful ink that drew Lilly’s attention. She couldn’t look away; the woman was mesmerizing. Her looks, the way her body swayed and rolled on and around the pole.

A strong, steady hand wrapped around Lilly’s waist and she didn’t have to look behind her to see who it was. There was only one man in this room brave enough to wrap his arms around Cass’s ol’ lady, and that was Cass himself.

"You like what you see?" Cass asked.

Lilly laughed. "I like the way she moves. She's got talent, she isn't just some whore trying to get attention because she's taking her clothes off. She can move."

"I agree. I was never a fan of strippers, but the talented ones, ones like her, they catch my attention. It's fascinating, in a sense."

"She has a great body, too."

"Eh. She's alright. She's no Lilly Summers, but...you know." Cass shrugged, and Lilly could hear the amusement in his voice. The fact that he was more concerned with her than the half-naked woman moving seductively on the pole made her heart flutter. She squeezed his hand that was wrapped around her before looking around the room, searching for Clayton. When she didn’t spot him anywhere, her brow creased as she turned around to face Cass. In turn, his eyebrows creased.

"What?"

"Where's Clayton?"

"He's around here somewhere. We have plans for lunch with him tomorrow, which will probably mean dinner because he's on biker time."

"Biker time, huh? Somebody needs to tell Scott about biker time."

Cass’s laughter caught Lilly off-guard, causing her to jump, which only made him laugh a little harder.

“Easy, trigger. You’re with me. I won’t let anything happen to you as long as I’m around.” Cass pulled her into him.

Lilly’s shoulders instinctively relaxed in the comfort of his arms. She forgot where she was for a moment until the song that was playing ended and Dance by Big Sean and Nicki Minaj burst through the speakers around the clubhouse.

The crowd around them roared and Lilly couldn’t help but turn to see what the blonde on the pole was doing. She had lost the black lace bra she had on and had climbed up to the top of the pole, holding on by only her thighs while spinning downward quickly toward the stage.

Lilly was so focused on the blonde that she didn’t see Micah and Raven walk up to them until Raven spoke.

“Hey! Y’all made it!” Raven cheered.

“Thanks for inviting us.” Lilly reached out to hug Raven as Micah and Cass started in on their own conversation.

“Is it always like this around here?” Lilly asked.

“Only on days that end in Y.”

“I don’t know how you do it.”

“I’m still kind of new around here, but it hasn’t taken long for me to fall in love with this lifestyle. Growing up, bikers always intrigued me. I just never thought I’d end up in love with one.” She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, as if they were talking about the weather or what to serve for dinner. Lilly thought about what she said for a moment.

“I can relate. One hundred percent. I’m new to this, too. But I wouldn’t give it up for anything.”

“I heard what happened to you. Micah told me when he found out.” Raven’s eyes darted away from Lilly. She could see that Raven felt sorry for her and that made her uncomfortable. She didn’t need people feeling sorry for her. It could have been so much worse than it was, and she was grateful that all that happened to her was a swift beating.

“It wasn’t that bad. Not bad enough to make me walk away from the man I fell so madly in love with.” Lilly sighed, stealing a glance in Cass’s direction. He and Micah were a few feet away from them at the bar, both with beaming smiles on their faces, talking like they were long lost relatives that hadn’t seen one another in years.

“That’s honorable, you know. So many women would’ve run for the hills the second they were free. Not you, though. You’re good for him, Lilly.”

It was Lilly’s turn to beam with pride. “I like to think so.”

Micah strolled over to them with a shot-glass filled tray balanced on his hand. He lowered it between Lilly and Raven, exhibiting four shots. Two were a milky-cream based shot and the other two were a golden brown. Girly shit and whiskey. Lilly wanted to protest the girly shot she knew was for her, but she thought about it for a minute and realized it had been a long time since she had a shot that didn’t make her nose burn.

“Thank you, you’re too kind!” Lilly exclaimed, grabbing one of the shot glasses with the milky-cream in it. Raven grabbed the other one and Cass grabbed one of the whiskey shots. He shot Lilly an amused glance before Micah grabbed his own shot and set the tray down. He raised his shot glass in toast.

“To the most loyal family I’ve ever had.”

They clinked shot glasses together before all four of them took their shot in unison. Lilly determined her shot was a Buttery Nipple. The butterscotch in it was sweet and welcoming. Just what Lilly needed to give her a little bit more pep, because it was getting late and she had been up since the crack of dawn.

She didn’t know how Cass was still going strong, he had to be exhausted. As if he read her mind, she heard him say goodbye to Micah.

“We’re going to crash, brother. It’s been a long fuckin’ day and a shower and bed sound so good right now.”

“You want one of the guest rooms upstairs?” Micah asked, motioning toward the ceiling.

“Nah, man. I already rented a hotel room right up the street. I appreciate it though.”

Cass hugged Micah while Lilly said goodbye to Raven, then they were both bee lining for the door.

The cool night air hit Lilly like a force field. She sucked in a sudden, deep breath. The temperature had dropped since they’d been inside. She hadn’t thought of bringing any cold weather riding gear with her, mostly because she wasn’t used to riding that much and when she did ride, all she had to bring was herself.

“You tired, my love?” Cass asked as they approached the bike.

“Exhausted. Thank you for getting us out of there. I was almost ready to curl up in a corner.”

“I could tell. Here, you’re gonna want this.” Cass opened a saddlebag on the bike and handed Lilly a hoodie. She felt warmer just looking at it. Hands out, she took it from him and slung it over her head. The cotton material instantly began sucking the cold right from her skin.

“You are amazing. That is all.” Lilly grinned as she strapped her helmet on.

“When did you rent a hotel room?” she asked, realizing they hadn’t been to hotel to rent a room.

“I didn’t. Linc did when he got back. Perks of having a prospect, baby.”

Lilly shook her head in amusement. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”

Cass straddled the seat of the bike and patted behind him. “Hop on.”

Lilly stepped on the foot peg and slung her leg over. She had gotten used to mounting and unmounting things with Cass; both his bike and him. She reached her hands around to the pockets of his cut and nestled them in just in time before they took off.

Beach Boulevard was cold, but it wasn’t very busy tonight and for that Lilly was thankful. She could hear the waves rolling in from the ocean and the salty air filled her nostrils once again. They rode for a few minutes, long enough for the chilly air to assault her legs through her jeans and make her skin cold to touch, before Cass pulled in at the Courtyard Marriott.

Lilly spotted Linc’s bike as soon as they pulled into the parking lot. Cass parked next to Linc and they headed inside. Cass dealt with the hotel clerk, telling him the name to get the key. Lilly was so tired she was barely coherent through their conversation.

Minutes later, Cass had a room key and they were off to the second floor. Lilly smiled at the memory of the last time they were in a hotel. The elevator dinged, and the doors opened, allowing them inside. Lilly must have still had a smile on her face because Cass caught her eye and he smiled too.

“What’re you smiling about over there?” he asked.

“I was just thinking of the first time we were in a hotel together.”

“Mmm. I like the way you think.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

“Nuh-uh. Nope. I’m going to die as soon as my head hits the pillow. I’m not used to Scott’s version of biker time. I run on bartender time and in my world, being awake at six in the morning means I haven’t been to sleep yet.”

Cass chuckled and shook his head. “My baby.”

The elevator doors opened again when they reached the second floor and Lilly nearly ran toward the room. She was so tired and mustering up all the energy she had left to get to their room.

“Slow down, turbo. The room ain’t going nowhere.”

“I know, but if I don’t get in there and shower, stat, you’re going to be peeling me off the ground when I fall asleep standing up.”

They stopped in front of their room and Cass slid the key card in. The light turned green and Lilly pushed the door open, heading straight for the bathroom.

It was a nice hotel; the bathroom was spacious and clean with granite countertops and a large bathtub. As tempting as it was for her to take a bath, she settled on a shower instead. If she soaked in the tub she knew she’d fall asleep right there.

She turned the hot water on and stepped in the shower. It beat down on her, rinsing away the road grime and sand and dirt from the day. Using the tiny hotel shampoo, Lilly lathered her hair and began to wash her body. The shower curtain slid toward her and she saw Cass peeking through, naked, and holy fuck did she just get an extra spurt of energy.

“Is there room for me in here?” he asked, not waiting for her response before stepping in.

“Always, baby.”

Cass stood directly in the way of the shower head, hogging the hot water, but Lilly didn’t mind. She was still scrubbing the dirt of the day away and it wasn’t that cold without the water.

“Here, let me get the rest of that for you.” Cass took the wash rag out of Lilly’s hand and began scrubbing her from the top of her neck down her back. Nothing about this was sexual, but more so sensual. He took his time, washing her and rubbing her down. When he finished with her back, he moved over so that the water beat down on her once again, washing the suds away.

Cass then replaced the water with himself, pulling her flush against him as he reached around her and began washing her front. He started at her neck again, slowly working his way down her chest. Her stomach. Her thighs. He was treading in dangerous territory and he knew it.

The wash rag hit the floor and his hand trailed back up her body until he held her pert nipple in his hand. He twisted it ever so slightly back and forth, causing Lilly’s back to arch against him.

She could feel his length harden and press into her back side. Her body involuntarily rolled against him as he continued to toy with her nipple. His other hand slid around her waist and between her legs. He wasn’t wasting any time, he was going straight for her sweet spot.

Cass’s fingers spread her silky wet folds open easily and Lilly didn’t fight the moan that fell off her lips.

“Oh, fuck,” she breathed, her arm reaching up and wrapping around the back of his neck.

The hand that had been toying with her nipple moments ago was now at her throat. He squeezed gently, applying minimal pressure as he eased a finger into her wet cunt.

Lilly’s hand fisted into Cass’s hair and her body responded as he fingered her ruthlessly. “You’re so wet for me, baby. I thought you were tired.” His tone was playful, seductive even.

“I-I was.”

“What happened?” he asked, withdrawing his finger from inside her and moving to her clit, circling with fervent need.

Lilly pressed into his hard cock with her ass, giving Cass all the invitation he needed. He pressed his hand to the small of her back, pushing her forward as he bent his knees and eased his length inside her.

Lilly sucked in a sharp breath as Cass filled her to the hilt. He stretched her to accommodate him, her walls already tightening around him. He had teased her so much that she knew her release would find her much sooner than she anticipated. As tired as her body was, she wasn't sure she could handle more than one tonight.

Cass slowly pulled out of her and then inched back in. He was taking it easy on her tonight, and holy shit was it rewarding.

His pace was torturous. Agonizing. Pleasing. Euphoric. Lilly felt every inch of him as he continued his slow, torturous routine. Cass’s hands moved from the center of her back to her hips, gripping her there. The water caused his fingers to slip, but not enough to hinder him from keeping her where he needed her.

“Harder, baby. I want to come for you. I want to come all over this dick.” Lilly’s demand was met instantaneously as Cass tightened his grip and powered into her. All trace of the slow and sensual Cass was gone and replaced by a ravaging fucking animal as he fucked her senseless.

Lilly slid her hand between her legs and began circling her clit, knowing she was on that familiar edge, ready to dive into the ocean of pleasure.

“Yeah, baby. Rub that clit for me.” Cass’s words were gruff, his voice throaty and full of lust.

“Yes, baby. I’m gonna come for you,” Lilly moaned, rubbing faster as Cass slammed into her harder. Faster.

“I’m coming baby. Oh, I’m coming all over your thick, hard dick,” Lilly screamed as she tumbled over the edge of ecstasy. She came hard and her whole body shook. Cass’s pace never lessened, and she knew he was searching for his own release.

Soon, Cass withdrew from her and fisted his cock as he sprayed the shower floor with drops of pleasure.

Lilly turned around to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She put her nose to his and kissed his lips softly. He rested his forehead on hers, his hands cupping her face and a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“What?” she asked.

“I thought you were tired.” He grinned, shortly followed by laughter.

“I am tired. Someone just drained the rest of the energy I had left. Looks like you’re going to have to carry me to bed now.” Lilly feigned innocence and lay her head on his chest.

“Alright, fine.” He turned the shower off and scooped her up in his arms.

She instantly went into a giggle fit. “I didn’t mean it!”

“Oh, yes you did.”

Cass stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist then handed her one. She was expecting him to put her down so she could dry off, but he didn’t. Instead, he held her in his arms and helped her dry off then carried her to bed.

The last thing Lilly remembered was Cass’s arm wrapping around her and thinking how comfortable she was.

The early morning sun rays peeked through the curtain and into Lilly’s eyes. She groaned and rolled to face Cass, shielding herself from the bright light. It didn’t light up the whole room, no. Instead, it only shone on the spot where Lilly’s head was.

In her groggy state of mind, she knew it couldn’t be past eight in the morning and she’d be damned if she was getting up to check her phone. She didn’t want to move. She was still exhausted from her long day yesterday.

Just when she was curled into Cass’s chest, listening to his breathing as he slept peacefully, his phone rang. It vibrated on the nightstand on his side while the regular ringing tone sounded from the speaker.

Will he ever learn to put that damn thing on silent?

Cass rolled over, ruining her comfort, and reached to answer the phone.

“Yeah?” he huffed, his voice deep and thick.

He didn’t say much, a few ‘all rights’ before he hung up. Lilly didn’t ask, she didn’t really care. She simply wanted to go back to sleep, but the odds of that happening now were slim to none. She took a deep breath and sighed, curling into Cass’s chest again.

His lips found the top of her head, pressing a kiss just above her forehead.

“Good morning.”

Lilly groaned into his chest and was greeted with the rumbling of laughter. How could she possibly be in a bad mood when she woke up to this sexy, comical, full-of-life man?

She couldn’t, that’s how.

“Good morning, baby.” She pulled her face back a few inches so she could see his.

His hair was disheveled, sticking up in ten different directions, the five o’clock shadow on his face wasn’t a five o’clock shadow anymore, it was more like the beginning of a full-blown beard, but his eyes were alight with life.

Lilly thought about just how wonderful he had been to her in the past two months. It was absurd to her that it had only been two months. How was it possible that she fell so in love with this man when she barely knew him? Was that normal? Did people do that?

“Where’s your mind off to so early this morning?” he asked.

“I was just thinking that it’s only been two months since we met, and I’m astonished at how quickly I fell in love with the big scary biker.”

He buried his face in the crook of her neck. “You gotta watch out for them big—” he paused, wiggling his chin into her shoulder. “Scary—” he wiggled it again. “Bikers!” He went in for the kill, teeth bared and sinking directly into her neck.

Lilly tossed her head back laughing, and shivering from the chills that ran from her neck to her ankles.

“Ahhh! Oh no! You got me. You got me good.” She screamed in mock horror.

Cass swiftly rolled on top of her and lay his head on her chest this time. Lilly’s fingers found their way into his hair, massaging his head.

“Who do I owe a kick in the ass for waking me up?” she asked, her fingers digging into his scalp.

“Scott.”

Lilly groaned. “I guess we’re lucky he didn’t call at daybreak, then.”

“He fuckin’ knows better. I’d kill him my damn self.”

Lilly let his words linger as she lay there, soaking up the moment. She hadn’t had Cass to herself in two weeks, and although that wasn’t very long, it was a lifetime in some ways. Their relationship was too new for them to be apart for so long. Granted, he was there every day, at some point, he wasn’t really there.

The room must have been silent for too long because Cass’s breathing evened out and his body went slack, his weight sinking into her as he dozed off. Lilly internally giggled at how quickly he had fallen back asleep.

“Don’t you have thoughts?” she asked, her voice a smidge louder than she intended.

Cass startled awake, lifting his head to look at her, confusion etched on his face.

“What?”

“Thoughts. Don’t you have thoughts? How do you fall asleep so fast?” She was genuinely interested. It didn’t make sense to her because she couldn’t lay her head down and fall asleep immediately like that. It took her minutes, or even hours before she was finally able to sleep after laying her head down.

“I have thoughts, but I don’t think about them when I lay down to go to sleep and if you want to know how I fall asleep so fast, be quiet for the next thirty seconds and you’ll see.”

“What if I don’t want to be quiet?”

“Then don’t.”

Lilly sighed. “Good. ‘Cause I have questions.”

“Oh boy.”

“Don’t say it like that. They aren’t bad.”

“Okay. Shoot.”

“How long has your dad been a Hound?”

“Since before I was born.”

“Okay. What about your mom? Where’s she?”

Cass took a deep breath and released it on a sigh. He was quiet for a few moments and Lilly didn’t think he was going to answer when he finally spoke.

“She passed away when I was seventeen. That’s how I ended up down here. My dad’s family is from here, but Mom and her family were from Oklahoma. I was raised there, grew up around the Oklahoma City chapter, and when Mom passed, I couldn’t handle being there anymore. We had a chapter that had just started out in Louisiana, so I packed my shit and came down to wreak havoc in the south. I was wild at first. I had so much anger to get out, so much resentment and hate in my heart and I think that’s how I became the President.”

“I came in and I wouldn’t take shit from anyone. I’ve always had to have control, and this new place wasn’t any exception. I took over as President only a year after I moved down here.”

“I’m sorry, baby. I

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.” Cass’s voice was distant, and Lilly could tell that no matter how long ago it may have been, the pain wasn’t as far away as he made it out to be. She decided that was enough questions for the day and she wouldn’t pry into his family history anymore. For now, at least. She did make a mental note to call her mom. She had called and texted a few times over the past few days, but Lilly would always read the text and put it off. She felt like an ass for not calling her back yet, but things were so hectic in her head most of the time, and everything with the club was just calming down.

The silence was deafening while thoughts raced through Lilly’s mind. From her mother to being worried about whether she ruined their day and worried about how Cass felt. Her mind was all over the place.

Cass sat up quickly, startling an unsuspecting Lilly. He walked to his suitcase and Lilly took that time to admire the view. His shoulders were broad and as her eyes looked down his body, he got slimmer mid-way down his back and to his waist. Cass in his naked glory was one sexy man, but Cass sliding into a pair of blue jeans? That was downright fucking dirty, and all Lilly wanted to do was throw him on the bed and fuck him until he saw stars. Or she did.

But that didn’t happen because that damned contraption that he always had on him rang. Linc was calling to check on them and invited them to have breakfast with him at the Waffle House down the street from the hotel. Cass had taken a liking to Linc, so of course his answer was yes.

There it was thirty minutes later, and they were sitting in a booth, ordering cheesy eggs and talking to Linc. Or, Cass was. Lilly was simply listening. Linc was asking questions about the Highway Sinners and their relationship with the Hounds and Cass was filling him in. Evidently, they became a brother club to the Hounds a few years after the first charter expanded down south, close to the time that Cass moved down here after losing his mom.

“We were on a drug run to the East Coast and had to stop off on the Gulfport exit when the weather got so damn bad we couldn’t see two feet in front of us. We pulled in at a gas station and a Highway Sinner just happened to be there. We had heard of them but hadn’t ever seen them around anywhere.”

“The more we got to talking, the more we realized that they were a whole hell of a lot like us with a lot of the same goals and morals. They opened their home to us that night, feeding us, giving us a place to get a hot shower and a place to lay our heads. Since then, I guess you can say we’ve been known as the two best friends in the club world.”

“I love club history lessons,” Linc said, his face serious. He had a genuine interest in learning how things were done.

“Good thing, ‘cause I love givin’ ‘em.” Cass took a sip of his sweet tea just as the waitress brought their food. She was an older lady with salt and pepper hair and a sweet voice. Lilly was surprised at how quick they got their food. The restaurant was jam packed for breakfast.

She wondered why there were so many people in here on a Monday morning, but the more thought she put into it, she realized that they were right next to a shit ton of casinos and nowadays everyone was doing some sort of work from home job where they didn’t have “normal” work hours.

The guys scarfed down their food like they hadn’t eaten in a week. They determined that after they were done eating, Linc was going to the Sinner’s clubhouse to help clean up after their party last night. That was Linc’s idea, too.

“Ready?” Cass asked as they walked up to the bike.

“Yep! Wait...ready for what? What are we doing?”

“Just hop on and you’ll see.” He winked at her and tapped the seat behind him like he had done so many times before.

Lilly latched her helmet and hopped on the back. The bike thundered to life beneath them right before Cass took off. Her stomach flipped as they swerved in and out of the cars on the highway. The sun was warm on her face and the sights were beautiful. The day was going to be a pretty one. Cass turned off the main strip onto a side road that Lilly didn’t recognize. She hadn’t ever explored this town before, but she was eager to see what Cass had in store for them.

Lilly quickly realized that the supposed side road wasn’t a side road after all. A sign on the side of the street said that they were in Downtown Gulfport. It was a small road that connected Beach Boulevard to the main highway that ran through Gulfport. On either side of the road were tall, old, brick buildings that looked like they had once been a courthouse, or other important government building.

Their trip down that short road was over in no time and Cass turned onto the main highway. They went through several red lights before Cass got into a turning lane. They pulled onto a smaller highway and instantly made a right into a parking lot. There was an older shopping center in front of them. She could tell it had been here for a while from the faded color on the bricks and the roof didn’t look as up to date as all the new ones on the other shopping centers around here.

In the corner was a small ice cream shop. After Lilly got off the bike, Cass grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door of the ice cream shop.

“This is the best ice cream shop in town.” Cass opened the door for her.

Inside, the walls were hand painted with tons of Disney characters. The floor reminded her of an old-time diner, and there was one man behind the counter. For being a small shop, they had a large variety of ice cream.

“Hi! Welcome to Corner of Ice Cream.” The old man behind the counter was cheerful and welcoming.

Lilly and Cass stood at the counter looking through the various flavors before they both figured out which one they were going to try. Although there were traditional flavors, there were many others that Lilly hadn’t heard of. Moose tracks and Blueberry Cheesecake. And that’s exactly what they got.

The old man spooned the ice cream into bowls for them. Lilly picked a seat in the empty room while Cass paid. She watched him as he was kind to the old man, asking questions about why he worked here, genuinely interested. Turned out, the old man was retired, and he’d lost his wife a few years ago and got tired of being at home alone all the time, so he started working here. It gave him a purpose and he got to be the highlight of little kids’ days by serving them ice cream.

Lilly smiled as Cass walked over to her and set their dessert on the table.

“You’ve never met a stranger, have you?” she asked.

“Nope. My mom used to say that I’d be the kid that ended up kidnapped because even when I was little, I’d walk up to anyone and start talking to them.”

Lilly smiled at Cass’s statement, though her heart hurt a little at him mentioning his mother. He didn’t seem phased by it, though.

“I can see that.”

Lilly took a bite of the blueberry cheesecake ice cream and let out a sigh of approval. “Holy shit. This might be the best flavor of ice cream I’ve ever tasted.”

“Yeah? Let me try it.”

Lilly got a spoonful and fed it to Cass. His eyes bulged, and he nodded his head as he savored the flavor on his tongue.

“Wow. That is really good.”

Lilly smirked. “Told you.”

“So, what do you want to do today? We still have a few hours before we have to meet up with Clayton.”

“Hmm. What about the beach?” she asked excitedly.

Cass brows furrowed, and he growled. “Grr.”

“What?”

“I hate the damn sand. Especially if I get wet, then have to walk in it.”

“But, baby.” Lilly protested, poking her lip out.

Cass chuckled and shook his head, a smile on his face. “Okay, fine. But only because you’re fuckin’ adorable.”

They finished their ice cream and headed toward the beach. When they turned on beach boulevard, Lilly leaned up to Cass’s ear, so he would hear her.

“We need to stop at a gift shop!”

“Okay.”

She sat back on the sissy bar and watched the sights around them until they pulled up at one of the over-sized gift shops. Inside, it was easily the size of a small grocery store. There were swimsuits, towels, men’s swimming trunks, t-shirts, and so much more. Lilly walked straight to the swimsuit section, unaware of Cass behind her because when he spoke she nearly jumped out of her skin.

“What about that one?” he asked before laughing at her jumping.

Lilly looked up to the one he pointed at. It was a black fringe bikini that tied around the neck with high-waisted bottoms. “I actually kinda like it.”

She grabbed it off the wall and walked to the dressing room. “Wait right here because I’m going to need your opinion.”

Changing into the bikini, she looked at her reflection. The black against her tanned skin looked good, and it was way more comfortable than she’d expected. The bottoms sat perfectly on her high hips and didn’t show too much. She popped her head out of the dressing room door to find Cass exactly where she left him.

“What do you think?” she asked, stepping out of the dressing room and spinning around for him.

His eyes darkened and Lilly saw a fire ignite there. “I think you better hurry up and change before I rip it off you in the middle of this store and fuck you right here.”

Lilly shimmied her ass as she turned around and walked into the dressing room. She changed into her clothes quickly and exited to find that Cass wasn’t standing there anymore. A pout formed on her lips, even though she knew he didn’t go far.

She looked around the store and didn’t see him from where she stood. The store was quiet, and she could hear her footsteps as she walked through the aisles, looking for Cass.

She found him looking at swim trunks. He was holding a dark purple pair in his hand when Lilly walked up beside him. “I think those will look good on you.”

Cass looked down at her. “You think so?”

“Yep. I think you should get ‘em.”

Cass lay them over his arm and turned to her. “Why don’t you grab a few shirts and maybe a pair of sweatpants. I know we didn’t pack for coming out here.”

“Perfect.” She turned and headed toward the women’s section of the store. There were multiple racks with t-shirts and sweatpants. Lilly settled on a grey pair of sweatpants that said Biloxi Beach down the leg and two t-shirts. When she thought she was done, she stumbled across a tank top that she couldn’t pass up. It was solid white with lavender writing on it and the material made it the most comfortable razorback tank she’d ever felt.

Lilly turned to Cass, who had been standing close by on his phone. “I think this will do.”

He looked up at her, smiling, before wrapping his free arm around her waist and directing them toward the counter. They paid for their merchandise and headed to the beach. Cass pulled into one of those parking lots on side of the road that led to the beach not far from the gift shop. It had a bathroom and outdoor showers, for people like Cass that didn’t like sand on them.

Lilly changed into her swimsuit while Cass put on his new swim trunks. She met him where the concrete meets the sand. He certainly wasn’t nearly as excited as she was, and now it was her personal mission to make sure he had just as much fun.