Kayla

The sun is already blaring through the window when I wake this morning, or should I say afternoon. It was three in the morning before I couldn’t take it anymore and had to beg for mercy. Just as Cayson promised, he took me over the edge one last time, leaving me so spent I could barely keep my eyes open.

Cayson being the generous and passionate lover that he is made sure that my orgasms outnumbered his by three to one, and I feel it this morning. My muscles ache; I contorted into positions I didn’t even know I could bend into. Just thinking about last night has me all hot and bothered again.

The bathroom door opens just then, and Cayson walks out completely naked, rubbing a towel over his head. His eyes glance over at the bed, and he smiles as he speaks. “Good afternoon, princess.” Cayson wiggles his eyebrows. “Fuck, you look good enough to eat, and I’m starving.”

As good as his words sound and as hot and bothered as I am thinking about last night, I know if we venture down that road we’ll never be ready for the BBQ tonight. “Oh, no way, buddy. You are not touching this body for at least another ten hours. I need some rest, and we have company coming over today.”

Cayson sticks out his bottom lip and gives me his puppy dog eyes. “You’re no fun, princess.”

“Oh, I’m a lot of fun, mister. But when you play rough with your toys, they break. I need some recovery time.” I tell him, but I immediately regret my choice of words when I watch the playfulness leave his face and worry take its place.

“Princess, are you okay? Was I too rough last night? You have to tell me if I’m too overbearing. I can’t stand the thought of hurting you.”

“I’m fine, Cayson, you didn’t hurt me.” I pat the side of the bed next to me. “Now, come here and kiss me good morning.”

“No can do, princess. If I come anywhere near you, both of us naked, I won’t be able to control myself.” Cayson tosses his towel at me and heads for the closet to get dressed.

As I climb out of bed, the thought of a very hot shower is all I can think of. I let the rainforest head cover me in warmth as the massaging spray heads pound the water against my lower back. I love Cayson’s shower; I could stay in here for hours if I hadn’t slept in so long.

When my fingers begin to prune, I know it’s time to get out. Unlike my house, Cayson’s has a never-ending stream of hot water. It never runs out, which makes it hard to gauge just how long I have been in there. My hot water is like clockwork; in fact, I know that when the water starts to run cold at home, I’ve been in there for at least twenty minutes.

When I exit the bathroom, I can smell bacon cooking. I know that means I have been in the shower a lot longer than I thought I had. I dress quickly and head to the kitchen, finding Cayson placing two plates of BLT sandwiches on the table.

“I was just coming up to find you, princess.”

Cayson pulls one of the chairs away from the small table in the kitchen and brushes a kiss on my lips as he passes by me. When he returns, he has a gift in his hand, a velvet box which he places on the table. “What do you want to drink with your lunch?” he questions.

“Bottled water is fine. What is this, Cayson?”

He returns, setting the bottled water in front of me and taking a seat across from me. “Open it and find out.”

I reach for the black velvet box and tug at the ribbon. Slowly, I pry the box open and find the most amazing necklace. The pendant is a cancer ribbon encrusted with pink diamonds. I can’t stop the tears from falling. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my whole life.

Cayson quickly stands. Taking the box from my hand, he removes the necklace and hooks it behind my neck. “You kicked cancer’s ass, princess, and I am so proud of you. Never doubt how much I love you and that we’re in this together. Even though I freaked out initially, I won’t do it again.”

Because I need to change the mood, or I’ll easily stay seated all day crying at how thoughtful Cayson is, I reach up and kiss him quickly and then pull away saying, “Don’t think this is going to get you laid any sooner than ten hours, mister. I’m sticking firm.”

Cayson knows exactly what I’m feeling and doing. “Oh, I wouldn’t dream of breaking your rules, princess. Now, eat your lunch.” He kisses me once more before taking a seat back in his chair.

* * *

Cayson meets with the catering company as they arrive and start to set up. The pitmaster sets up his grill in the backyard. Brenda knows her son too well, and just a catered event wouldn’t do. No, we had to hire a catering company that supplied a pit master. Most of the food has been smoked the day before with the final touches taking place here on site. There are chicken, ribs, and brisket basting away in the backyard, and I’m sure the smell is enticing the neighbors.

I just finished pulling on my shorts when Cayson enters the bedroom. “Food smells delicious, princess. Almost as delicious as you look right now. Has it been ten hours yet?” he asks with a smirk while walking toward me.

I can see him coming toward me in the mirror, but I don’t move, not until he’s right behind me and reaching for me. “Don’t you get any ideas, Cayson, we’ve got guests coming any minute, and you are not going to start something we can’t finish.”

“Who said anything about not finishing, princess? Our guests can wait.” Just then the doorbell rings. “Son of a bitch,” Cayson mumbles under his breath, then turns and walks out of the room.

He answers the door to find Kathy and Rusty standing there. This is the first time he’s going to officially meet them. They were briefly introduced at The Blazing Book Bar, but that doesn’t really count. Now, everything rides on whether Rocky hits it off with Rusty and whether Cayson likes Rusty enough to recommend that Rocky hire him.

I’m walking up behind Cayson when Kathy is the first to speak up. “You gonna let us in? I’m starving, and Kayla promised me good food.” Cayson just laughs and steps away from the door, allowing Kathy and Rusty to enter.

Rusty holds out his hand to Cayson. “Hi, I’m Rusty, Kayla’s friend, and unfortunately, the rude one who just walked past you, that's my sister.”

Cayson laughs out loud. “Don’t sweat it, man. Nice to meet you. Kayla’s told me lots about you.”

I pull Kathy to the side as Cayson shows Rusty the way. “This is the first impression you want to make on Cayson?” I whisper under my breath to Kathy. “Really, why didn’t you just say, ‘Where’s the grub and get out of my way? Oh, and by the way don’t forget to hire my brother.’”

Kathy cringes slightly at my words. “Oops, sorry, I was just hungry, and well, you know me. I don’t have a filter.”

As much as I want to be mad at her, I can’t. That’s Kathy, always hungry and always stuffing her face with whatever she can find. “When aren’t you hungry?” I ask her. “You’re lucky you don’t weigh three hundred pounds. I don’t know how you stay so thin.”

“Don’t be a hater, Kayla. I can’t help it that my body knows no boundaries and lets me eat anything I want. I’m just blessed.” Kathy blows me a kiss and starts following her brother and Cayson toward the backyard.

I watch as they all make their way, secretly hoping that Cayson and Rusty will hit it off. Slowly, one by one, everyone starts to show up. This is the first time I get to meet Tim and Neal’s wives. I’m not quite sure what to make of them, since everything I ever heard came from Cayson’s perspective. I try not to form an opinion about them, but if I’m honest with myself, I already don’t like them. The last to arrive are Rocky and Ellie. Rocky looks thinner than the last time I have seen him, back when I first met the band. It seems like forever since that day, but it’s only been eight months. I immediately hug Rocky when he steps through the door.

“So glad to see you again, Rocky.” His arms hug me tightly. I don’t know why, but I have a special connection to Rocky. Maybe because he was the nicest to me all those months ago.

“Good to see you, too, Kayla.” Rocky kisses my cheek. “This is my sister, Ellie.” Without missing a beat, I reach out to shake her hand, but instead of shaking mine, she pulls me in for a hug.

“I’ve heard so many nice things about you, Kayla. I’m so happy to see Cayson is finally happy.” Ellie quickly releases me and steps back next to her brother. “Come on, Rocky, let's find the rest of the group.”

Ellie and Rocky walk away toward the backyard, while I just stand there waiting for I don’t know what, or for how long. The woman I am so envious of is in my house. She got to spend more time with my boyfriend than I did recently, and I’m still not sure how I feel about that or her.

“Princess, everything alright?” I feel Cayson’s arms wrap around my middle as his chest snuggles close to my back. “You look distracted.” His lips brush against my ear.

It takes a few minutes for me to convince Cayson that everything is alright, but once I do, we head to the backyard finding everyone laughing, eating, and drinking. I become the quiet observer once we sit down. Kathy, as usual, is stuffing her face with too much food. How that girl eats like she does and never gains a pound is beyond me. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I’m so jealous of her. But the other thing I notice is that she’s flirting with Rocky, and he’s apparently flirting back. This has disaster written all over it; she‘s going to screw up my plans before I can even get them in motion.