Cappie opened the solid oak door and stepped into the darkened room dispassionately. He still couldn't believe she left without so much as a goodbye to him. She must be mad. She would have either come to the kitchen and said goodbye or waited for him if she wasn't mad. There was no other explanation.
He considered giving up on her. It seemed that he just couldn't please her. He had a knack for making her angry. It was like everything he did was wrong. It wasn't like this last time. They never fought, at least not at first. They had six or seven months of perfection before Evan came along.
And he knew she had never cheated on him. At first the thought occurred to him. But he was hurt and angry at the time. Now, looking back he knew it wasn't in Casey to cheat. It was just something she wouldn't do. So at least he had that.
Now she was gone again before they even really got started. He had messed things up again. He couldn't go back to spending all his time afraid that he was going to make her angry and she was going to leave. He couldn't walk on eggshells around her again. It was an exhausting way to live.
He closed the door and clicked the lock. Then he pulled his shirt over his head, tossed it into the corner and let his shorts hit the floor. Stepping out of them, he tossed himself onto the bed without turning on a light.
He had let himself entertain the notion that maybe she was waiting from him, but only cold emptiness met his eyes as he scanned the room.
Evan words echoed in his head over and over, causing him to close his eyes to try and block them.
I didn't think she meant enough to you to fight for her. You didn't bother last time I took her from you.
He shook his head. He would not just let her walk away from him again. He was going to fight for her. He couldn't just let her go.
He got up, snatched his clothes from the floor, dressed hurriedly and stormed out the door.
God, he thought as he made his way outside and turned towards the ZBZ house, Please let her not be at the Omega Chi house.
His footsteps echoed in the stillness of the dark night. The tiny sliver of moon that shone didn't do much to light the way, but it was a path he was very familiar with. He had walked it many times, both drunk and sober.
His feet carried him without thought down the sidewalk and that was good because his mind was miles away. She was definitely angry. She would not have left if she wasn't. But leaving like this was ridiculous. He remembered a time when they used to talk to each other when problems arose between them. Was this how she and Evan handle disagreements ? Did they simply walk away from each other ? And they hadn't even had a disagreement that he could recall anyway. Everything seemed to be fine. But then why would she leave ?
Maybe she really was just tired. Maybe he was making a complete fool of himself, storming across campus to find that nothing was wrong except that she was exhausted and wanted to sleep in her own bed.
If that is what happened then he was the one that was angry. She could have waited to say goodbye at least instead of stirring him up like this after the night he had.
Suddenly he found himself standing on her large, columned front porch feeling very unsure of himself. Before he could back out he knocked on one of the huge white double doors. Glancing at his watch he saw it was almost eleven. Surely someone would still be up on a Saturday night.
After taking several pacing laps on the doormat under his feet, a small, anxious-looking girl eased the door opened and looked at him apprehensively.
" Yes ? " she said in a quiet voice that he barely heard.
" I need to see Casey Cartwright. " he answered.
She opened the door, allowed him inside and closed the door behind her.
" I'll get her. Wait her. " she told him, but he ignored her and started up the grand staircase leading to the bedrooms.
" You aren't allowed up there. " the small girl protested behind him.
Several heads began to peep out of doorways as her words carried through the house. He looked to the first one he came to at the top of the stairs. " Casey Cartwright, where is her room ? "
" Down the hall on the right. " she answered before stepping completely out of her room. " Fourth door down. "
He found the right door quickly and knew he was in the right place because of the colorfully painted sign on the door reading, Ashleigh and Casey, with pink and purple stars and moons and lots of glitter.
He knocked firmly and waited only a moment before Ashleigh's dark head of hair peaked out and her brown eyes widened at the sight of him. " What are you doing up here ? " she exclaimed.
" I need to talk to Casey. " he answered in a voice that left no room for argument.
She opened the door wider and Casey appeared beside her. " Is Rusty okay ? " she asked quickly.
" He's fine. I want to talk to you. " he began.
" Just give me a second. " she answered and started to turn away but he stopped her with a hand on her arm.
" Casey, if you're mad at me then tell me. Don't just walk away from me. You didn't even give this a chance. You said you loved me. If you've changed your mind, then fine. " he paused only long enough to take in air, refusing to let her say a word until he said everything he was determined to say. Once the words started to come it was like there was no stopping them. " No, actually it's not fine if you've changed your mind. Evan was right, I didn't fight for you last time and I will not let that happen again. I don't want to go back to being without you again. I love you. And you love me, you can't just pretend that tonight never happened and go back to Evan. "
She looked at him dumbfounded. When he finally quieted a slow smile spread across her face and she started to laugh. " You thought I was going back to Evan ? "
He looked at the floor sheepishly and began to shuffle his feet. " Well, you just left without saying goodbye and I didn't know what to think. "
She held up a bag she had been holding in her hand. " I have to see my parents tomorrow. I just came to get a few things so that I didn't have to come back here in the morning. " she explained. " I was coming right back. I figured I could get back before you even noticed I was gone. "
He looked from her to the bag and back to her again. She wasn't leaving. Relief flooded over him and he sighed so deeply his shoulders shook.
" Show's over everyone. " Ashleigh called over his shoulder and it wasn't until that moment that he noticed the crowd of girls that had formed around them.
" Why don't you wait for me downstairs ? " Casey offered, stepping closer and pecking him on the cheek quickly. " I'll be right down. "
He nodded wordlessly and started down the stairs. Once at the bottom, he stopped and smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand, causing pain to shoot through both his head and his hand.
" You owe me a thank you, you know. " A voice announced as a petite, dark haired girl stepped out of the living room.
He turned towards her and racked his brain trying to remember why on Earth he would owe this girl anything. " Excuse me ? "
" I said, you owe me a thanks. " she smiled, a cold, coy smile that was anything but warm or attractive.
" Who the hell are you and why do I owe you anything ?" he asked, not bothering to mask his unfounded feelings of instant hostility towards her that he couldn't explain. He didn't know why, he just knew he did not like her.
She extended a hand towards him and he took it reluctantly and let it go just as quickly. " I'm Becca. I think we've met before though. " She laughed and it was one of the most unpleasant sounds he had ever heard. " And here I thought I was unforgettable. "
Cappie rolled his eyes and chuckled, " Oh believe me. I don't think I would have remembered you even if I had had sex with you. I just don't waste too much time remembering your type. "
Her eyes said she was offended and she brought her hand to her chest. " I don't think I like what you're implying. "
He chuckled mirthlessly. " I wasn't aware I was implying anything. I thought I was making my meaning pretty clear. "
" Well, maybe you should consider who you say things like that too. " she answered, venom dripping from her voice.
" Why ? Because your Daddy is some big shot. Sweetie, I could care less who your father is or isn't. A slut is a slut. " he replied, cooly. " I personally believe it's in the breeding. "
She gasped and took a step back. " How dare you ! Who do you think you are ? "
" Someone that doesn't give a shit about you or your family. There are actually quite a few of us out here in the big world. I'm sure I'm not the only one you'll meet. " he sneered. " But I am very grateful to apparently be the first. "
He turned his attention to the staircase where Casey was standing about halfway down and smiled up at her. She still wore the same pale yellow dress she was wearing earlier but she had taken her hair down and brushed it out, leaving it to bounce around her shoulders as she descended the steps.
" Ready ? " he asked, stepping to her and taking her hand when she got close enough.
" You know I have enough influence here, I'll have you voted out of the ZBZ's by tomorrow. " Becca spat.
" You know, " Casey smiled at her sweetly." I really don't care anymore. "
Cappie lead her towards the door, stopping only briefly to glance back at Becca. " You might want to check on your boyfriend. Last time I saw him he was having some sinus issues. " he called. Then turned back to Casey. " That's her ? " he asked, as they walked out. " I just don't get it. "
Her frustrated huff was the last thing they heard before closing the door behind them.
They walked in silence most of the way back to the Kappa Tau house. Casey's small hand rested comfortably in his and her bag sat over his shoulder. Their steps were meandering, as if they had nothing to be in a hurry for. Inside, he wanted to run, he wanted to skip actually, but he held back and let her set the pace.
" So, you thought I left without even saying goodbye, huh ? " she asked as they neared the house.
" Well, Jenn said you went to bed. " he explained. " I went to my room but you weren't there and then I remembered Evan saying I didn't fight for you last time and I realized he was right. "
" So you came storming over like a knight in shining armor ready to fight for me. " she sighed dreamily. " You really are my hero. "
He laughed quietly. " I don't know about shining armor. Maybe a little rusted. "
" Okay, " she agreed. " Rusted armor. "
" I made a complete fool out of myself back there. " he sighed, " I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you. "
She laughed. " Are you serious ? That was the sweetest thing I've ever seen. Do you want to go with Rusty and I tomorrow ? "
He considered that for half a minute. " Will your mother be making her peach cobbler ? "
" I'm sure she will. It's Rusty's favorite, too. " she smiled.
" I could come and hang with your folks. " he nodded as they started up the steps to the large house in front of them.
She smiled at him and he stopped on the bottom step. She ascended to the next one before realizing he had stopped and turned back to him. Standing on different steps they were exactly the same height and pulled her against him and kissed her deeply.
" My parents really like you. " she told him as once they broke for air.
" And I really like your parents. So that works out nicely. " he chortled.
He kissed her again, gently this time, enjoying the feel of her in his arms, pressed against his chest.
" I can't believe you thought I was going back to Evan. " she shook her head.
He shook his head adamantly. " I do not want to talk about Evan again tonight. "
She took his hand and dragged him up the steps after her. " Let's go to bed. "
They walked quickly into the house and made their way to his room with little interruption other than the occasional guy patting Cappie on the back and congratulating him on hitting Evan.
Once inside his room he locked the door and pulled her into his arms, after flinging her bag into a corner of the room. His lips were on hers, pressing, demanding, insistent. She responded in kind, arching into him, pushing her breasts into his chest until he felt he couldn't breath. They finally broke apart for an instant when oxygen became important and he used the chance to snatch his shirt over his head and fling it into the far reaches of the darkened room. She played her fingertips over the muscles of his chest, reacquainting herself with the contours of his body. He hissed as her thumb brushed across his nipple, drawing a quick breath through gritted teeth.
She apparently liked the sound because she was instantly against him once again, her mouth covering his, tongues tangling in a fight for dominance neither of them really cared to win. His hands went to the zipper at the back of her dress and began to ease it down. His trembling fingers fumbled with the tiny piece of metal awkwardly. Finally, after several attempts, he turned her abruptly around so he could see exactly what he was doing wrong. When he, at last, managed to unzipped it he slowly pushed the tiny straps from her shoulders and let the dress pool at her feet as it slid from her body.
He pulled her against him, pressing her back against his chest and relished in the feel of skin against skin. He moved her hair aside and buried his face in her shoulder.
They were swaying, he noticed, unsure of who had started the motion but letting his body flow with it, like they were moving to some song that only they could hear. Her arm came up to wrap around his neck and she buried her fingers in his hair, pulling him even deeper into her. His hands went to her breasts. Cupping them in his hands, marveling at how they fit perfectly in his palms. His thumb repeated her earlier motion, grazing over her already harden nipple and he smiled as she copied the sound he had made.
She turned her head far enough to kiss him and her mouth was warm and moist and delicious as he allowed himself to taste her fully. He moved to her throat, licking, kissing and nipping a trail down its side and back to the nape of her neck, an area he had discovered long ago was particularly sensitive. He lingered there, drawing sounds from her as she arched further into him.
His name fell from her lips in a quiet gasp, like an angel calling to him. Never had he heard a sweeter sound.
The hand that wasn't tangled in his hair, came around and grasped him where his leg met his hip and she clutched at him like he was the only thing keeping her upright. His hands trailed from her breasts to her waist and back again, feeling the silky, warmth of her skin beneath his fingers.
Just feeling her left him in a state beyond imagining. No other woman had ever had the effect on him that Casey did. He was normally the one in control, driving his partner wild with need, but she could almost render him undone with the sound of her sigh or her breath against his skin. She drove him out of his mind with passion, setting him on fire with nothing more than her presence. She made him that way simply by being close to him.
He was so lost in simply feeling her that when she abruptly spun and wrapped herself around him, he gasped and almost stumbled. Then she turned them around and started urging him backwards, guiding his steps until he felt the bed against the backs of his knees.
He tightened his grip on her, readying to pull them both down to the comfortable softness of his bed when she stopped him and pulled back.
He watched closely as her hands trailed down his shoulders, over his chest, and past his navel, stopping at the waistband of his shorts. Her fingers nimbly pushed the button through and lowered the zipper. Then she slid them slowly from his waist, letting them drop to his feet.
As he was about to take her in his arms again, she pushed at his shoulders, causing him to fall back onto the bed.
It was in utter amazement that he watched her sink to her knees in front of him, as if she were moving in slow motion, frame by frame. He felt her hands tugging at his shoes and saw them sail off behind her as she tossed each in turn over her shoulder.
He sat up and reached for her, making to pull her onto the bed with him, but before he made contact, he stopped dead still as her hand slipped languidly up his legs, brushing over his thighs. Then she grasped his throbbing, aching member. His eyes closed and his head seemed to flop lifelessly on his shoulders as she began to stroke him, her hand somehow knowing the exact perfect amount of pressure to apply as she squeezed him, then eased off, before squeezing again, all the while sliding up and down his length.
His chest heaved and stars exploded behind his eyelids as she continued to drive him closer and closer to the edge. Then his breath caught and his hips jerked involuntarily upward as he felt her warm, wet mouth close over him. It was beyond anything he remembered. She set a leisurely pace as she moved her mouth over him, sliding her incredibly soft lips along his length. His hands tangled in her hair and his head fell back on his shoulders again. In that moment, she was his entire world, nothing existed for him except the feel of her mouth on his body, driving him beyond anything he had ever felt. Her tongue flicked around his crown and he jerked at the sensation. He was drowning in ecstacy, beyond thinking.
He sat up abruptly, and his eyes locked on hers, what he found there pushed him even further towards the brink. Her gaze was filled with love, passion and intensity. It was a look he never thought he'd see again.
" Casey, " he whispered, when he didn't think he could endure even one more touch from her.
She let him go and moved to settle beside him on the bed. He watched her, the perfection of her body as she moved was almost more than he could handle. His fingers moved over her smooth, flawless back as he held her against him and shifted so that they were more comfortable on the bed.
He pulled his hands through her hair, letting the silky golden strands glide through his fingers.
" I love you. " she whispered as she peered into his face.
" I love you, too. " he answered, nuzzling her neck gently.
He shifted until she was laying beneath him, bathed in the dim moonlight drifting in from the window, and suddenly he couldn't believe that she was really there with him. After so many nights of dreaming about her laying beside him, hoping that someday she would find her way back, she was finally there.
He began to caress her eyelids, her cheek, her collarbone with his lips. He couldn't stop kissing her, trying to familiarize himself with her again, and finding that his memory of her was completely accurate. She tasted like strawberries and smelled of lavender. He took a deep breath as he buried his head in her shoulder, taking in her smell and savoring it.
He pulled back and let his mouth fall to her breast. She chuckled as she noticed he was carefully avoiding the breast that he was convinced brought on distractions and interruptions.
He smiled. " Oh, I'm not touching that one this time. No way. "
She pulled his mouth to hers for a moment and kissed him deeply, letting her tongue slide against his, before fluttering across the roof of his mouth. " I don't plan on letting anything stop us this time." she breathed as the kiss broke.
" Yeah, well, I didn't plan on stopping either of the other times but shit happened. " he commented, going back to examining her breast with his lips.
She sighed and arched her back into him, pushing her swollen bud further into his mouth.
His hands slid down her side, across her hip and rested at the curve of her body where her hips met her thigh. It was his favorite place on her body for his hand to sit. It fit perfectly into his palm, molding into his hand.
She groaned and bent her head to his shoulder, nibbling once again at his warm flesh.
Her lips found his earlobe and he let go of her breast and moaned as she latched on to it and sucked ferociously. She ground her hips against his and he groaned as her hands played over his chest, touching every inch of his skin.
" I've missed you. " she mumbled against his collarbone where her mouth had descended. " I've missed this. "
He brought her lips to his again. " I've missed you, too. You have no idea how much. "
Her fingers tangled in his hair and she leaned her head back against the pillow as he once again kissed and nibbled at her neck. His hand slid down her side, this time eliciting a giggle from her as he found a ticklish spot that he knew was there.
" You know I hate to be tickled. " she chided around a gulp of laughter as he nimbly moved his fingers over the spot once again.
His smile turned mischievous as he suddenly pulled away from her and dipped his head to the spot, letting his tongue twirl over the tender skin.
She shrieked and jerked so hard he had to duck a leg that almost made contact with his nose. He reached out and grasped the flailing limb, bringing it to his mouth and lightly biting at the inside of her knee, stopping her squirming instantly. Her fingers were in his hair once again as he let his tongue slid up the inside of her thigh.
Then he felt her sharp intake of breath as he reached the point where her leg met her body. He could feel her anticipation like a living, breathing thing. Instead of letting himself taste her, he ignored the area where he knew she wanted to be touched the most and dipped his tongue into her navel.
She shivered in his arms as he continued moving up her body, tasting her along the way, leaving a wet trail in his wake. He paused to suck at the place between her breasts, a place he remembered that she had a weakness for and was rewarded for his efforts with a low, soft moan.
He couldn't seem to get enough of the feel of her skin, warm and silky soft under his fingertips. She was obviously feeling the same as her hands played over the muscles in his back. When he found a particularly sensitive spot, like the place just below her ear, or where her shoulder met her neck, or the pulse in her throat, she dragged her nails across his flesh, setting his senses on fire.
Many girls had dug their nails into his back, but no one did it like Casey, his Casey. She consumed him, filling all his senses to the point that nothing else existed for him, but her. Her hands caressed him, her mouth tasted him, her soft moans filled the room. She was everywhere and everything.
When she closed her lips around his Adam's apple and began to feel his pounding pulse with her tongue, he cursed under his breath from the mind blowing sensation and knew he had to have her soon.
A small smile of satisfaction that he could barely make out in the dim moonlight said she was pleased with herself at being able to inspire such a reaction in him. He wasn't about to tell her that she inspired him without even trying. It would give her too much power over him. He wasn't ready to trust her with knowledge. He wasn't sure he ever would be.
Casey felt shivers running through her as Cappie continued his assault on her senses. She wanted him more than she had ever wanted anything in her life. Still, he kept up the agonizingly slow pace as he explored her.
Then suddenly, as if he were reading her mind, he was towering over her. He took both her hands in his and placed her arms over her head, gently yet with a firmness that said he wasn't going to let her go. Her smile was triumphant as he easily slide inside her, filling her in a way she hadn't been filled in longer than she could remember. They both cried out as the feeling of completion and connection consumed them.
Their eyes locked as he looked down on her. She gasped as he started to move and wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him closer, deeper into her. She needed him closer. Struggling to free her hands, she arched her back into his chest trying to touch as much of him as possible. She tightened her legs around his waist and he let her arms go and shifted.
All at once she was straddling him and he laid back, letting her set the pace she wanted. And it wasn't the slow, easy one he had initiated. Before she realized it they were crashing against each other. The sounds they were making filled the room.
Somehow he was now sitting with her on his lap, arms clutching at one another in desperation. Their kisses were searing, wet and soul deep. They pushed and pulled against each other, giving in to the need for release that threatened to devour them both.
She threw her head back and tried to stifle a scream that come from deep in chest as she felt her body tighten around his and every nerve in her fired at once. Just when she thought the feeling couldn't get any better, he exploded inside her, his warmth filling her completely as he cried her name into her shoulder.
Sweat drenched and exhausted he fell backwards, pulling her with him, his arms around her holding her tightly against his heaving chest.
Her ear rested against him and she could hear his heart beating so hard and fast that it seemed about to tear through his skin and she imagined hers was exactly the same. She only lingered for a moment before making to change position, expecting him to tell her any second that he was hot and she need to move, the way Evan usually did.
Instead Cappie's arm tightened around her, holding her steady as soon as he felt her shift. " Where are you going ? " he panted, tilting his head down to look at her.
" I assumed you were hot and wouldn't want me laying on you. " she answered, suddenly feeling unsure of herself.
He laughed and dropped his head back to the pillow. " I am hot, but I'll cool off. You don't have to move. "
She settled her head back to his chest and smiled contentedly. His hand loosened its restraining grip on her finally and he began making small circles on her back with his fingertip. She closed her eyes, snuggled closer into him and let her mind wander over the events of the last few days in her life.
If someone had told her two weeks earlier that she would be laying in this bed again, resting against this man, she would have told them they were crazy. Yet, somehow, she had always known she would be back here eventually. She tried hard to convince herself and the other side world that she was over Cappie, but deep down she knew she would never truly be over him. She had never felt anything that even came close to the way she felt when he was with her. She loved him more than she could ever explain and it sadden her a little to think that she could never tell him exactly what he meant to her. It was beyond words, beyond explanation.
She smiled as she thought about how she always rolled her eyes inwardly when the girls at the house talked about how much they loved their boyfriends. It was funny to her to imagine someone so young even being able to contemplate the concept of truly loving someone so deeply. But now here she was with the same thoughts running through her mind.
" What are you so lost in thought about ? " Cappie asked, shifting and pulling her up in the bed so that she was even with him.
" I was thinking about how much I love you, actually. " she smiled, kissing him lightly.
" I always seem to interrupt your best thoughts. " he laughed. " I'm going to learn to leave you alone when you get quiet. "
She laughed with him. Then he kissed her and sat up, untangling himself from her gently.
" I need a drink. " he expalined at her questioning look, " And I have a surprise for you. "
She watched as he pulled his shorts on. " Don't be too long. " she called before the door shut behind him.