She was a remarkable woman. As remarkable as her stubborn, irresistible younger sister.
They both looked at the painting for another few moments. Cass was stroking his arm as she did, and then she laid her head on his shoulder. He could feel her lips quirk and tilted his head, brushing it against her crown. “What?”
“You’re such a confusing mix. You can bring out my maternal wolf instincts, but there’s that other side to you. The Master side vibrates off you, this constant energy. It’s distracting, but also reassuring. I know you’re going to take care of her, Ben. Because there’s something deep down inside of you, under, over and above everything else, that refuses to do anything less. I know it.”
When she lifted her head and met his gaze, he saw those words had come from the sharp negotiator, the one who knew the thoughts of every player in the room and worked them all toward the goal that would satisfy everyone enough to feel they’d walked away a winner. “Do you use that look on Lucas to get him worked up?” he asked.
She smiled, and elbowed him in the ribs. “It works on all of you. Nothing a predator enjoys more than the chase and the challenge.”
“True.” He pressed a kiss to her temple and held there, enjoying the scent of her, soft feminine flesh pressed against his arm. Like her sister, she had gorgeous breasts. “But what happens after the chase and the challenge have been met eclipses them both.”
She chuckled. “Well said.” Quieting again, she turned her head to look at the wall. “Thank you again for the painting. It will mean a lot of things to me when I look at it. A lot of memories. Including this one.”
“How are you getting home?” he asked.
“I thought I’d hitchhike.” She smiled at his look. “I was supposed to text Lucas when I’m ready to go. He’s waiting at the restaurant down the street. We were going to get a bite to eat. Want to join us?”
“Not today. But I’ll walk you there and save him the trip. Maybe give you a hot kiss with tongue in front of the window to piss him off.”
She tossed her hair back as she straightened and swatted his shoulder. “Always the troublemaker. Just don’t forget to grab my ass.”
“Like I’d ever forget to do that.”
She chuckled again. He texted Lucas for her, then pocketed the phone and rose, offering her his hand. But before he could guide her toward the door, she touched his arm, stopping him. “Ben, I know you’ll always protect her physically, make sure her every basic need is met. But don’t forget, even more important to a woman, particularly Marcie, is that need for you to give her your heart and soul. She needs who you are, dark and light, good and bad. It’s not a marriage otherwise.”
A smile touched her lips. “She might call you Daddy on occasion, but she’s not a little girl.”
He scoffed at that, but squeezed her hand, met her eyes. “I know. I love her, Cass. I’ll do what’s best for her.”
She shook her head. “No. Do what’s best for you both. And never forget to ask her to help with that. You are her Master, but if you intend to be her husband, you need to learn to be partners, too.”
“Hmm.” His phone beeped, telling him Lucas had responded. When he glanced at it, Ben raised a brow. “That’s a hell of an idea,” he murmured. The words reinforced what he’d been thinking only a handful of moments before, but he guessed he shouldn’t be surprised. There were plenty of times he and the other K&A men picked up on what was needed, from that weird subconscious current that seemed to connect them. Not that he would be saying that aloud anytime soon. He left the metaphysical bullshit to Jon.
And it might merely be fortuitous coincidence. Since Lucas was more attuned to Cass’s moods than anyone, it was entirely possible he already knew her mood today required a reminder. That she wasn’t just a mother to her siblings or a hell-on-wheels negotiator. She was also a totally hot submissive with a devoted Master.
“What’s a hell of an idea?” Cass asked.
“Nothing. He says he’ll be waiting for you.” As they strolled toward the front, she kept her hand tucked into the crook of his arm. Ben gave Mike the go-ahead to take the picture down and prepare it for transport, indicating he’d return in a few moments.
“Lucas and I could just take it back to the house with us.”
“Nope. This is a full-service gift purchase and ship service,” Ben teased. “Plus, I have to stop in and give Nate a hard time.”
“You mean play video games with him for a couple hours.”
“How else are you going to find out what girls he’s thinking about and if his friends are staying out of trouble? He’s not going to tell that shi—stuff to his big sister. His mom.”
Ben nudged her. “You should ask Lucas to a Sadie Hawkins dance. I bet he’d say yes, even if he has to do some kind of hip hop moves. Threaten to ask Mitch if he doesn’t.”
Cass chuckled. “I might just do that. You know, you don’t have to be so careful with your language around me. I’ve been known to say some of those words myself.”
“It’s a respect thing. And I respect the hell out of you, Cass.”
He stopped at the door and faced her, pleased to see her cheeks flush as she registered his earnest sincerity. He took a breath, not sure if he should go down this road, but that barbed feeling in his gut wasn’t going to be all the way gone until he said what was really bugging him. The root of the tension that had existed between him and Cass until now.
“My annoying therapist said what happened that night with Marcie was something out of my control, a big flag about what I need to do to clean up some of what’s inside me. I don’t know if that’s true or not. What I do know is I’m sorry as hell I did something that fell way the hell short of what you and Marcie should be able to expect from me, always. Losing your trust has hurt worse than anything I’ve felt in a long time.”
Her gaze flickered in surprise, and then it was consumed by something overwhelming, to them both. Cass slid her arms around him, going up on her toes to hold him tight. “Oh, Ben. You haven’t lost my trust. I promise you that.”
Hearing it felt way better than he would have expected, and he held her just as tight a long moment before easing back and giving her a lopsided smile.
“We better cut this out, or Lucas will be thinking I’m putting moves on his woman.”
“Sorry, you’re both out of luck. I’m going to find Mitch and get my slow dance back.” She gave him an impish wink and stepped out the door as he held it open for her.
Though the place where Lucas waited for her was within walking distance, Ben guided her out to the Escalade first. Opening it, he reached in and plucked out a sleek, purple Hot Toddy bag from the front passenger seat.
“You didn’t pick out anything for yourself, but I sent Lucas a description of a couple things I thought might interest him. Including that ice blue thing. He authorized a couple purchases.”