Proof (Targes Executive Protection Book 1)

I foolishly assumed that I’d hate fighting with Cass now that we were a couple, despite hearing rumors that the make-up sex that came afterwards was more than worth it. The idea of great sex after a fight made no sense at all to me.

Until today.

The heated words had started flying the moment the issue of visiting Cass’s grandmother had come up. His need to see his grandmother had been undeniable, especially after our conversation about his father’s potential involvement in what had happened to me. Cass, being Cass, had ordered me to stay on the houseboat until he got back. I, being myself, had told him I was going with him and if he tried to leave me behind, I’d find my own way to get to the Ashby estate.

Now, our words were just running together to the point that neither one of us was really saying anything. The heated argument had started in the master bathroom as Cass and I had been getting dressed. We’d remembered to keep what would have normally been a full-on shouting match toned down enough that no one outside the houseboat would hear us. By the time we’d made it downstairs to the kitchen, the fight had only gotten worse. I’d always been good at playing mediator during domestic squabbles, but when it came to Cass, I didn’t have the filter I used to have. I gave as good as I got, and either one or both of us had gotten in the other’s personal space. It turned me on. Something about fighting with my obstinate man stirred up the always simmering lust inside of me until it was a full-on inferno.

“God, you’re such an ass,” I snapped impatiently as Cass continued to talk over me. I turned my back to him so I could temper not just my anger, but my growing hard-on. “Look, maybe we just need some time apart⁠—”

That was all I got out before Cass spun me around and crashed his mouth down on mine.

“No,” he growled and then he was kissing me again. His hands roamed all over my back until they settled on my ass. He gripped my ass cheeks hard, lifting me at the same time that he forced me back several steps. I realized he’d taken my words about spending time apart literally. I had absolutely no desire to end whatever it was we had between us, but even if I’d wanted to clarify that point, Cass made it impossible because his mouth feasted on mine, leaving me breathless. His strong fingers didn’t ease up at all, even when my back hit the edge of the kitchen table. By the time he lifted me so I was sitting on the table, I’d forgotten what we’d been fighting about in the first place.

Cass practically ripped my shirt off me as he dragged it over my head and threw it to the floor. My socks and shoes were gone in a flash and then my pants and briefs were being dragged off my body, leaving me completely naked while he was still fully dressed.

For a second, I thought the whole thing had been a setup so he could escape me, but when his heavy hand pushed me down so I was flat on my back on the table, I knew it wasn’t a game. If I’d needed any further proof that Cass was as lost to the throes of passion as I was, I got it when his big hands wrapped around my ankles so he could lift my legs until I was spread wide open for him. I should have been horrified, scared, and humiliated as he set my feet down on the table, leaving me completely exposed and vulnerable.

I wasn’t horrified.

Or scared.

Or even humiliated.

Not with the way Cass was looking at me. His dark eyes were burning with lust but there was something else there too. Something that had me spreading my legs wider and lifting my hips to give him a better view instead of trying to hide from him.

Cass let out what sounded like a snarl and then grabbed me by the hips and yanked me forward until my balls were pressed up against his hard-on which was still confined behind his jeans. I could see my pre-cum streaking the denim.

His expression remained hard and hungry, but when he ran his palm from my neck down to the point just above where the head of my dick was bobbing up and down, his touch was deliciously rough because of his calloused hand. Yet it was also achingly gentle, and no part of my upper body went untouched. I arched my back as the pops of electricity beneath my skin followed the touch of his hand. When Cass tortured me by running one finger down the length of my sensitive cock, I had to turn my head so my moan wouldn’t be overheard by any potential neighbors. My position made it impossible to see what came next.

Though I didn’t have eyes on what was to come, hearing the sound of spit was a familiar one and truth be told, it did scare me. Cass’s spittle landed in random spots on my dick and groin. Despite my fear, my dick twitched with each drop that made contact with it. My mind and body warred with one another as each bit of saliva hit my sensitive skin.

The guys who’d fucked me at Tank’s had usually foregone real lube and had merely spit on my hole and the tips of their dicks before they’d rammed themselves into me.

It had never felt good.

What Cass was doing… it did feel good. Really good. And he was doing it to my dick, not his. I levered myself up onto my elbows so I could see everything he was doing to me. I was just in time to see a gob of spit leave his mouth and land on my balls. It was all I could do not to come on the spot when Cass lazily swiped his finger through the spit, mixing it with my lightly furred balls. His touch was gentle, tender even, his eyes curious.

Until he lifted them and saw me watching what he was doing.

“On your back,” Cass growled. He held my gaze while I remained unmoving because I was torn between obeying him or ending this whole thing. It finally hit me that what would or wouldn’t happen came down to one thing, and it was the one thing that was the hardest for me to give. Harder than even my love.

Trust.

From the moment I’d seen Cass again for the first time, I’d made sure to tell and show him repeatedly that I didn’t trust him; that he’d stolen my ability to trust in anyone. Despite where we were now and all we’d done to get here, I still hadn’t spoken those words to him.

This encounter might have started out because of verbal sparring that had gotten out of control, but it hadn’t been the words themselves that had driven us to this moment. Not this moment where I was flat on my back, completely at Cass’s mercy. I could tell him to stop, and he would do exactly that. Except this wasn’t about me saying yes or no. It was about me not saying anything at all. It was about letting my mind, not my heart make the choice.

At first, I thought Cass just wanted what the men in all those bars and clubs had wanted—complete control so they could take their pleasure. Cass did want control, but not like any of those men had. He wanted me to trust him enough to hand that control over to him.

Despite everything I’d let complete strangers do to me, it had been my choice. I’d never been forced or drugged. I might have been too drunk at times to give consent, but I’d chosen to toss back all those shots with one goal in mind. I’d chosen which guy I wanted. Or guys. I’d chosen to let them do whatever they wanted to do to me. I’d chosen to let them call me names and degrade me. It had all been part of the game. Everyone who went to a place like Tank’s knew that. I hadn’t been there by accident.

Cass had been right when we’d first seen each other again and he’d forced me to accept that night after night, I had put some element of trust into the hands of men who could have taken my life if they’d wanted. Squeezing my neck for just a little too long during rough sex with the wrong guy and that would have been it. Yet I’d given every single one of those men the chance to do just that because I’d trusted I’d come out the other side both breathing and feeling the relief that addicts felt. Chasing the dragon. That was what they called it. I’d been chasing that same kind of high every time I’d gone through the door of Tank’s, and just like any other addict, when the high had faded too quickly or hadn’t been there at all, I’d pushed every encounter to a whole new level.

Things had been different in those days, though. Trust hadn’t cost me anything. I’d been living a life that hadn’t been mine anymore anyway, so giving my body over to a stranger to use as he pleased hadn’t mattered.

Nothing had mattered.

Cass did, though.

He mattered. More than he would ever know.

Yes, my body wanted this. I suspected my body would crave anything and everything Cass wanted to do to me, for me, or with me. The problem was my mind.

My eyes shifted back to Cass’s. He was no longer touching me, but he hadn’t moved away from me either. Technically, he could fuck me if he wanted to. Despite having tested negative for everything himself, he’d been taking preemptive measures when it came to safe sex. Besides using condoms from the first time he’d ever had sex, as soon as he’d been released from prison, he’d started taking medication that greatly reduced his chances of being infected by nearly every STD out there. I hadn’t wanted to ask if he’d done that for me or for any guy that he ended up having sex with. For all I knew, it was possible he could have hooked up dozens of times since he’d been released. Bottom line was that while we both knew about each other’s histories in terms of protection and testing, we still hadn’t really talked about if and when we were going to have intercourse.

This moment could change all that. Cass understood the risks of fucking me, even with a condom. The risk was next to nothing with that level of protection and even if the condom broke, the likelihood of him becoming infected with anything was slim to none.

In truth, I’d been told by my doctor after the first round of testing had come back negative that as long as my partner and I used protection, the risk of any negative outcomes was very low. I’d told Cass I wasn’t ready for that reason, but it wasn’t quite the truth. I absolutely hadn’t been ready when he and I had come face to face after two years, but somewhere along the line, my body had become ready. If he’d been any other man who I’d liked or had been dating, I would have probably slept with him within a couple of dates, but Cass wasn’t any man.

If I made this decision, it could destroy me. It would be as bad as the agony I’d felt when I’d first learned he’d shot me and killed three others and had already been convicted of the crime by the time I woke up from my coma.

Now, when it came down to it, as big as the decision was, as important as it was, it ended up being one of the easiest things I’d ever done. The way Cass was watching me made it easy. The way he loved me made it easy. The way he’d forgiven me, comforted me, protected me… trusted me—those were the only things I thought of anymore when I was with him.

Although it had felt like hours since Cass had ordered me to put my head back down so I was flat on the table like he wanted, I knew it hadn’t been more than a few dozen seconds.

There was something freeing and yet still terrifying about giving up control. Not knowing what was going to happen… a few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have given a shit about that. But now I did care, so as I listened for the sound of a zipper being drawn down or the distinct tearing of foil, I couldn’t be sure if it was because I was nervous in a good way or in a bad way. All I could do was lie there, completely exposed, my trust in the hands of a man I’d loved from the time I’d understood what love was, regardless of the handful of times he and I had been together in the same room over the span of more than a decade.

Despite the prolonged silence and lack of movement, I stayed where I was. I’d closed my eyes so I wouldn’t have to look at the ugly light fixture above my head, so I wasn’t expecting what happened next. I whimpered when Cass’s mouth opened over mine and he stole several heart-wrenching kisses that both left my toes curling and my dick hardening as well as my heart swelling with love for the man who was proving to me that he understood what I’d given him.

I kissed Cass back, but I didn’t try to take control of the kiss. I just relished every brush of his lips over mine. Since most of his upper body was lying flush with mine on the small table, the roughness of his clothes over my completely bare skin was causing sparks of energy to flare to life beneath my skin.

When he broke the kiss, I expected him to stand back up, but instead he rubbed his pointer finger over my lips before saying, “Open.” I opened my mouth and greedily sucked on Cass’s finger until he brusquely said, “Get it wet.”

His words weren’t a request.

I gave his finger a few more hard sucks to show him what I’d be particularly good at once we got around to it, but Cass’s hard eyes darkened even more, and he let out a warning growl. A shiver shot down my spine and right to my balls. I coated his finger with as much saliva as I could. The second I opened my mouth to release his finger, it was replaced with a hungry, demanding tongue. At some point, Cass had released his dick from his jeans because when he shifted his weight, I felt his shaft slide over mine. His pre-cum was sliding down my cock. The heat of it had me seeing stars.

“I’m going to come,” I groaned as Cass’s juices mixed with mine.

“No, you’re not,” he said simply.

Again, not a request. I tried to think of anything besides the pressure in my balls. Cass ended up giving me the distraction I needed when his finger, the one I’d had in my mouth, brushed my hole. His other hand wrapped around the base of my dick.

Hard.

It felt so good I was sure I was going to stop breathing at any moment. Before I’d managed to figure out what his tight grip was doing, his finger began to press inside of me.

“Oh, God,” I cried out. Even as my body instinctively tried to keep Cass’s finger from passing through the layers of muscle that protested his entry, every other part of me felt like it was drawing the digit in. I didn’t even care that it was going to hurt like it always had before. My body felt so empty, so lost…

“Look at me!” Cass demanded.

I was sweaty and covered in spit and pre-cum, but I’d never felt more beautiful when I opened my eyes and saw the way Cass was looking at me. His dominance, his lust, his control—they were all there. But pleasure, the kind you only found through pure joy and peace and knowing that whatever lay ahead wasn’t as important as what you held in your hands in that exact moment, was just further proof that he loved me. It didn’t matter if our lovemaking was slow and passionate or hard and rough, it was all still bound in love.

“Keep them on me,” he ordered. I could hear the tightness in his voice and knew that I wasn’t the only one trying to stave off my climax.

I wasn’t sure if I managed a nod, but I didn’t hesitate to do what he said. Despite his demands and orders, Cass’s entry into my body was gentle and slow. It didn’t hurt. Yes, there was pressure and some discomfort, but he kept adding more of his saliva to my hole as well as his finger and waited until my body relaxed enough that he was able to push his finger past the outer muscles trying to prevent his entry.

I cried out as my muscles stretched to accommodate him. I’d forgotten to keep my eyes on Cass the whole time but when I opened them, he had his eyes shut. I got to watch him as the pleasure flooded his body with anticipation. I doubted he was going to be following his finger with his much thicker dick today, but he was being given a hint of what would one day come.

“So tight,” he said roughly when he opened his eyes. He began to gently slide his finger in and out of me, going a little deeper each time. Since I didn’t want slow or gentle because it felt too fucking good, on his next push forward, I lifted my hips, forcing Cass’s finger to drive deeper into me. I couldn’t tell if he was in as far as he could go or not, but it didn’t matter, because his dominance returned with just that one move.

“Wrap your legs around me,” Cass snapped.

I obeyed and moaned when he slid even deeper into me. “Yes,” I croaked. He didn’t give me any time to get used to the sensation of him filling me because he drew his finger so far back that I was sure he was going to pull it free of my body. “No, Cass, don’t stop⁠—”

Cass thrust his finger forward.

Hard.

The well-lubed finger stretched my inner muscles, but the faster he pumped the digit in and out of me, the more intense the friction began to get. I’d been on the edge of release from the moment Cass had slid his finger into me, so the finger fucking was winding that mysterious coil inside of me so that my entire body got tighter and tighter, the pressure building to an almost unbearable level.

“Cass,” I gasped. “I need to come!”

He bent over me but continued to thrust his finger in and out of me, sending me higher and higher with each pass. Our hard dicks slid over each other, creating their own unique kind of friction. Cass’s free hand released my dick so he could grip my shoulder in order to use my own body as leverage as he fucked me. His sweat dripped onto me and my pre-cum smeared his dick and abdomen. We were so close to being one.

I was so lost in how good it felt to have even a part of Cass inside of me that it took me a moment to feel his hot breath mingling with mine. I opened my eyes to find his locked on mine. “Please, JJ.”

Since Cass was the one in control of our physical pleasure, I wasn’t sure what he was asking me for, so I followed my gut and cupped the back of his neck to draw him down for a searing kiss. His cock mashed against mine, causing unbearable friction each time his finger thrust deep inside of me. His hips slammed against mine with each forward push, so just like me, Cass was responding like he was really fucking me.

I dropped one hand from his face and reached between our bodies. I managed to fist his slick cock, applying just the right amount of pressure that I hoped would mimic his cock sliding in and out of me instead of just his finger.

“Yes,” Cass groaned as his grunts matched his hard thrusts forward. Despite the hard fuck he was giving both my hand and my ass, his kiss was gentle and light. He whispered my name every time he stopped kissing me long enough to take a breath. His entire body was shaking, and his shirt was sticking to his body from the sweat. I would have given nearly anything to feel his hot skin against mine, but I wasn’t about to remove either of my hands—the one gripping his dick, the other cupping his cheek—to make that happen.

His state of dress or undress wasn’t what he wanted, anyway. What he wanted, what he needed was the reminder that what we had was real, that he wasn’t caught up in a dream that would leave him waking up alone in the darkness of his prison cell. Cass could have jerked himself off to any fantasy of fucking me, but he wouldn’t have been able to feel my love with every kiss I pressed against his lips. He wouldn’t have heard my words telling him how good he felt inside of me and how much I loved him. He wouldn’t have felt our bodies moving as one. He wouldn’t have been safe like he was at this very moment, just him and me in our own little slice of reality where nothing and no one could ever touch us.

“I love you so much, Cass,” I managed to say between the grunts and groans we were both making as we got closer and closer to reaching that unique level of pleasure that would be ours and ours alone. I began jerking him off at a pace that matched his finger ramming into me. My own cock was sliding along my hand as well as Cass’s dick. I could feel the pressure mounting in my balls and judging by the way his cock throbbed as it fucked my slick hand, we were right there.

“Love you,” Cass said just before he shifted his finger inside of me.

My body lit up like a firecracker had been set off inside of it. “Oh God,” I cried as I arched my back. I could feel the orgasm racing up my spine. The pressure in my nuts gave way to breath-stealing relief. I was forced to let go of Cass’s dick so I could grab his still denim-clad ass by one of the belt loops as I wrapped my legs around him and locked my ankles together.

His finger hit the same spot inside of me one more time and then I was flying as streams of cum began spewing all over my chest and abdomen. Cass shouted against my neck as he came. His hot semen added to my own but as he continued to ride out his release, his jizz hit my chin and covered his upper body as well. His finger continued to slide in and out of me, hitting what I now realized was my prostate with every pass. Aftershocks kept jerking through my body as we both took in every sensation our bodies continued to bombard us with… the sensations we’d given each other. I had no idea how long the orgasm continued to roll over me, but the moment his finger eased out of my body, I felt the loss immediately.

Even though I was too breathless to speak, I gently pulled on Cass’s sweaty hair. He got the message and lifted his head enough to look at me. He looked relaxed and at peace—two things I’d never seen in his expression from the moment I’d met him as a kid. He’d always seemed to carry some kind of invisible weight on his shoulders, even when he was sitting at our kitchen table and laughing along with the rest of us as my father tried to tell American jokes but always got the punchlines wrong.

“Mmmmm,” Cass managed to get out before he placed a soft kiss on my lips. I opened my mouth to speak when he somehow found the strength to lift my head off the table enough that I could reach his neck. “Taste me,” he whispered. “Taste, see, feel what you do to me.”

There was a long, thick line of white cum slowly sliding down Cass’s neck. There was no teasing or innuendos. No hesitation. I eagerly closed my lips over the white fluid and licked up as much as I could. I continued to feast on him until there were no more spots left to slake my hunger. I dropped my head back on the table only to be met with a deep, seeking kiss. I knew Cass had to be able to taste his own cum on my tongue and lips.

Although I’d never kissed any of the guys I’d been with at the clubs, I’d heard plenty of them calling me a hungry cum slut as they’d fed me their release, either up the ass or down my throat. A few of them had sucked their jizz out of my ass afterwards, yet most had made it clear that they liked giving their spunk away to anyone who wanted a taste, but they didn’t partake themselves… although their language hadn’t been quite that classy.

Either way, Cass wasn’t most guys. He wasn’t like any other guy. God had broken the mold after He’d created Cass.

A fact Cass continued to prove to me with every passing minute.

When he ended the sizzling kiss, I cupped the back of his neck and ran my fingers over the soft skin there. I waited until his eyes were on mine before I said, “I trust you, my love. I know I haven’t said or shown it⁠—”

Cass kissed me again gently. “You’ve shown me everything, JJ. You can say the words if you need to, but you’ve proven it to me more times than you realize.” He reached up to stroke his fingers over the scar left behind by the bullet wound. “I can’t lose you,” he said with a shake of his head as he tenderly caressed the scar. His voice cracked and I knew the dampness that coated his cheeks was no longer sweat. “I just can’t,” he repeated and then he lowered his head to my chest, right over my heart.

I stroked the back of Cass’s neck as we lay there. “You do realize something, right?” I asked as I pressed a kiss to his earlobe.

His response was completely unintelligible.

“First off, I see a lot of fights in our future,” I began.

“Me too,” Cass responded, his lips caressing the spot between my neck and collarbone.

“Secondly, I won this one,” I reminded him.

Cass shifted enough that he could look at me. “Is that so?” he asked.

I was about to tell him even if I ever did lose a fight, I’d always come out a winner if today’s encounter was the end result, but I never got the chance to speak the words because Cass pressed the top of his finger against my very sensitive and well-used hole. The jolt that went through me took away my ability to speak. He left his finger where it was and rubbed me every few seconds.

“We may need to revisit that thought a little later, right, sweetheart?” Cass asked with a languid grin before sealing his mouth over mine to stifle the little whimpers I couldn’t contain every time his rough fingertip brushed my sensitive skin.

“Asshole,” I somehow managed to quip just so I could have the last word, but even that was stolen from me because I lost the ability to speak as Cass teased my body with his sinful tongue and talented fingers. By the time he managed to pull another earth-shattering orgasm from my body, I lost the ability to do anything at all.

Something I was very much okay with.

I couldn’t deny that I was nervous as Cass pulled up to the huge iron gate. I’d never seen his family’s compound, but based on the entrance alone, I couldn’t help but think about my own little two-story Cape Cod style house that was considered one of the nicer homes in my neighborhood. As a kid, I hadn’t really understood the line that existed between families like mine and his. Words like indigent, blue collar, working class, millionaires, and billionaires hadn’t been part of my world until I’d gotten into my teens. Even when Cass had shown up in the park with his fancy sports car, I hadn’t realized that he’d lived in a world that was miles apart from my own.

Now, as I studied the perfectly cut grass and small trees that lined as much of the driveway as I could see through the massive gate, I heard Cass sigh in frustration after talking to the guard who was in charge of monitoring it.

“Everything okay?” I asked Cass as I leaned over him just a bit and looked at the guard. He had his back to us, and it looked like he was talking on a cordless telephone. No doubt he was checking with someone at the house whether he should let us in or not. I’d purposefully worn a baseball cap and kept my head turned away from the guard so he wouldn’t recognize me. Even if he did, it wouldn’t change our plan.

Me being seen in public with Cass had already been a big no-no, but to immerse myself directly into his family was beyond insane. After the fight and the mind-blowing make-up sex afterwards, Cass and I had managed to speak to one another more calmly about my idea and had agreed that me remaining hidden away wouldn’t accomplish anything.

We’d talked briefly about telling my brother about our plan—well, technically my plan—but had agreed that Sully’s not-so-delicate approach to dealing with any member of the Ashby family would have been equivalent to the proverbial bull in a china shop.

As far as Sully knew, Cass and I were still holed up someplace safe. While I understood their need to keep me safe, I’d finally gotten a taste of the life I could have, and no one was going to take it or Cass from me. As it stood now, all we had were theories, not facts. We couldn’t get facts if we didn’t start making the person or people hunting us nervous enough that they’d eventually slip up and make a mistake. A mistake we could hopefully use to our advantage.

While Cass seemed pretty certain his father had been responsible for what had happened, I wasn’t entirely convinced. I also wasn’t one hundred percent sure that Cass had been the true target of an unspeakable frame-up job. I hadn’t told him about the file I’d seen several months before I’d been shot because I couldn’t recall if that specific report really had been related to Cass’s father or one of the many other Ashby male family members. With my memory as bumpy as it was, I needed to see that file again before I gave him another reason to focus on his father as the only possible suspect, and getting that file was going to take skills neither Sully, Cass, or I had.

The bottom line was that we needed information, and finding an Ashby with a love of gossip could be very useful. Hell, even the staff who worked for the Ashbys probably had helpful information. The mere fact that Cass and I would be seen together would be a big-ass piece of bait. Although I, like Cass, hated needing to use his grandmother as part of our plan, she was the only way we’d get past not just the gate in front of us, but whatever staff or security would be waiting up at the house for us.

“Red tape,” Cass responded to my question. He lifted his hand in frustration. “My father probably found out that I visited my grandmother last week and told the staff to ban me from the property.”

“Or it’s because I’m with you,” I offered as I watched the guard continue to fidget with the phone like he was waiting for someone to respond to him. We’d been sitting at the gate for more than ten minutes. The guard hadn’t even asked to see my ID yet. Even if he’d recognized me, he would have followed the same procedure as he was apparently doing now, and to a legitimate Ashby, no less.

As the minutes dragged by, my mind drifted back to the sexual encounter we’d had on Cass’s too small kitchen table. I could feel my dick getting hard as my too empty ass clenched in anticipation. I’d seen and felt Cass’s dick; I’d even held it in my hand. I knew what it felt like, I knew how thick it was, I’d even tasted his release. I needed more, though. I needed it all.

After the guard finally waved us through the gate, I should have been focusing on what was going to happen once we reached the house but, in the condition I was in, it wasn’t going to work.

“Do you want to hear another secret I’ve never told anyone else?” I blurted as I put my hand on Cass’s thigh, right where it met his groin. I was greeted with the same problem I was currently having.

Cass slowed the car and pressed his body back against his seat. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and pulled in a deep breath before opening them again. He put his hand over mine to stop its trajectory, but instead of putting any effort behind stopping me, he kept his hand where it was even as I eased up until my fingers were tracing the outline of his hard-on which was getting harder by the second.

“Tell me,” Cass growled.

“I’ve been dreaming of you fucking me in the back seat of this car for as long as I can remember.”

“Jesus, JJ!” Cass hit the brakes so hard that my body jolted against the seat belt. Before I could say anything else, he had his own seat belt undone as well as mine, all while taking my mouth in a searing kiss. At some point, the Mustang had stopped on its own, so we were literally in the middle of the driveway with no one around.

There was no easing into Cass’s kiss. He was consuming me from the moment his lips touched mine, and I loved every second of it. I’d hoped he’d be as hungry for me as I was for him but hadn’t been certain.

Question asked… and answered.

The sound of a zipper being drawn down had Cass breaking the kiss. He looked down at my groin, not his, because I was already in the process of taking my leaking dick out of my pants. I began stroking myself as my eyes held his. He kept switching his gaze between my eyes and my dick.

“God, you are so fucking beautiful,” he growled and then his hand was knocking mine out of the way.

I moaned at both his words and his touch.

“Do you have a condom?” I managed to ask. I could already feel the orgasm closing in on me.

Cass kissed me. “I don’t think you’re going to last that long, sweetheart,” he said between deep, lush kisses that only drove me higher.

“It’s not for me,” I said. Cass was silent for a beat and then his free hand was lifting my shirt, exposing my abdomen and chest.

Cass’s mouth invaded my own before traveling south and licking one of my nipples as he began jerking me off with firm drags of his hand. When he gently bit down on my nipple, I came. It had taken that one caress of his mouth and three drags on my dick and nothing more. He silenced my shout of relief with his mouth and pointed my dick so that the thick white ropes of cum ended up all over my chest. When the orgasm finally released me from its hold, Cass ran his fingers through my still-hot jizz.

I wished like hell he would do what he’d done to me earlier that morning—take the sticky fluid and suck it off his finger. I could watch his lips widen enough to pull in his finger and imagine what it would be like to see my bare dick sliding past his gorgeous lips instead. I grabbed his fingers and sucked hard enough to have Cass moaning several un-Ashby-like curses.

“Condom,” I demanded as soon as I released his finger. I licked the rest of the cum off my lips as I reached for the button on Cass’s jeans.

“There’s not enough time⁠—”

I ignored his protest, grabbed my own wallet, and fished out the single condom I’d started carrying with me after my first confrontation with Cass weeks earlier.

“JJ—” Cass began to say as I released his dick from his jeans. His protest was weak, and he did nothing to physically stop me. As much as I truly would have liked to have Cass fuck me in the back seat of his car, there really wasn’t enough time for that. But just like all the other ways we’d found to be with each other, we could make this work.

I had the condom on Cass’s hard dick in seconds and then I was pulling his thick shaft to the back of my throat. Since I’d been born with no gag reflex, I was able to suck his dick down my throat on the first pass. I made sure to hold on to the condom as I urged his body to release him from the tight coil that had him under its powerful spell. He was grunting and groaning as he shoved his dick into my eager mouth.

“JJ, fuck… don’t stop. Don’t stop!” Cass cried out as he hung on the precipice of agonizing, blissful, and much needed relief. His fingers were wound in my hair tight enough to sting, but knowing that he was so out of control that he didn’t realize he was doing it just made me more eager to finish him off.

I could feel the moment Cass’s body gave in to the pleasure. He shoved into me once, twice, and then held my head down the third time as his dick jerked in my mouth. He let out a string of more curse words as his jizz filled the condom. I could feel the warmth of his release through the latex barrier and wished like hell I could have felt his cum sliding down my throat.

I slowly pulled my mouth along his sensitive shaft one last time and then disposed of the condom. Cass hadn’t said a word, but his face and body spoke volumes. While a quick glance at my watch showed that the entire encounter hadn’t lasted more than a few minutes, I knew we had to get moving. I carefully tucked his sensitive cock back into his jeans and did them up. I kissed him softly to pull him out of the haze of pleasure that still hung over him.

“Sweetheart, we need to get moving,” I reminded him. It took several long seconds for the fog to lift. When Cass’s eyes met mine, he still seemed lost in a heavy mist. He was expressionless and that scared me. Had I done something wrong? Was he pissed because I’d started the whole thing in the driveway of his grandmother’s home?

The silence brought all my insecurities and self-doubt back to the surface, but before they could take hold, Cass was once again dragging me across the console. His hungry, demanding kiss held the promise of things to come. He released me just as quickly as he’d grabbed me, put the car in gear, and slammed down on the gas pedal.

As the Mustang surged forward, I looked around to find something to clean the cum off my body. My shirt had ended up getting tucked under my armpits, so it was still dry, and I wanted to keep it that way.

“There’s a rag in the glove compartment,” Cass said as he gave me a cheeky grin. I grabbed the rag and began wiping at the now cool, sticky mess covering my upper body. As I slowly wiped away the proof of what we had just done, my mind wandered to the night before when Cass and I had made love for what he’d called our first time.

His simple yet powerful declaration had taken something from me. Something I’d been happy to say goodbye to for the rest of my life.

The voice.

The insidious voice in my head that had told me it was okay to go to places like Tank’s and let guys fuck me. The voice that never failed to remind me that I’d never again be able to do the job I’d worked so hard for and that had made my father beam with pride. Then it would conveniently remind me that the pursuit of becoming a cop hadn’t been my dream and that I’d been too much of a coward to take my father’s dream away from him.

I still had doubts and insecurities like everyone else and, just like everyone else, those would probably be with me for the rest of my life. It was how I reacted to those things that had changed.

That Cass had helped me change.

With actions.

With determination.

With words.

He’d never given up on me even though he’d had plenty of reasons to. But when he’d talked about something being for us, I’d truly, deeply understood that his love for me wasn’t compartmentalized like so many of the other things in his mind were. I’d fallen asleep in Cass’s arms a new and happy man. I’d woken up that way too, also in his arms.

Cass’s chuckle pulled me from my thoughts. Holy hell, had I spoken any of what I’d been thinking out loud? I instantly thought about how inappropriate my behavior just minutes earlier had been. God, did I remind him of the JJ who’d visited Tank’s night after night?

“Cass, I’m sorry. I was just so horny—” I blurted before I could stop myself.

He laughed and shot me a wink before saying, “I can say without a doubt, that was the first time I’ve ever enjoyed the drive up to this place.”

I gave him a grin just as we cleared the line of trees on each side of the driveway and entered the roundabout for a massive house unlike anything I’d ever seen before. I hadn’t missed the fact that Cass had called the mansion a place, not a home. I kind of had to agree with him. Calling the mansion a house didn’t work either because the massive structure looked more like a museum than anything else. Everything was perfect but not in a good way. It was all too perfect. There wasn’t a single thing out of place. No weeds in sight, no section of grass untrimmed, no dirt on the driveway.

Despite the warm, sunny day, the man waiting at the bottom of the steps leading up to the front door wore a striking black suit. Not a single hair was out of place, and he held himself straight and stiff with his arms behind his back and a grim expression pasted on his face. Two valet attendants who appeared from seemingly nowhere opened the car doors for us. They were just as pristinely dressed but wore white gloves. They too had suits on, ties included. Every move was curt but graceful. The men reminded me more of government agents than guys who parked cars for a living.

“Leave it here, please,” Cass instructed the valet on his side of the car. “Renly,” he said with a nod when he approached the statue-like man by the steps.

“Mr. Ashby,” Renly responded as he gave Cass a respectful nod. Despite looking like he belonged in Buckingham Palace, there was something off about the perfectly groomed and dignified man. He remained rigid even after Cass’s friendly greeting. From what Cass had told me, Renly had been with the Ashbys for more than twenty years and yet there was no true warmth in his eyes when greeting Patricia Ashby’s beloved grandson.

I figured the man was like everyone else in the city. He believed Cass had committed murder and gotten away with it but was forced to treat him as he did other family members.

“Your grandmother will be pleased to see you again,” the man said as he motioned to the steps leading up to the huge double wooden doors that were at least twice my height. Cass intentionally didn’t introduce me to Renly, but I had no doubt the man knew exactly who I was.

Renly confirmed it a few seconds later when he said, “Officer Ferguson.” There was no nod for me, and he didn’t wait for me to precede him up the stairs.

“It’s just Ferguson now,” I commented. “You can call me JJ.” I kept my voice friendly and made sure there wasn’t even an ounce of concern in my tone. I had one job to do while Cass visited his grandmother.

Observe.

I needed to study everyone and everything I saw and heard while remaining as invisible as possible. When I’d fought with Cass about me going with him, I’d pointed out that he was naturally biased either positively or negatively when it came to his grandmother, her staff, and the rest of his family. The mansion itself probably had Cass leaning one way and then the other. He may not have had the best childhood in the unwelcoming structure that was supposed to pass as a home, but this was where he’d spent the first eighteen years of his life. He’d had a loving grandmother who’d taken him under her wing as well as cruel relatives, including his own father, who still mentally lingered in his mind. That made it nearly impossible for him to be able to pick up any nuances or nonsensical behaviors, especially while he was spending time with his grandmother.

As soon as we stepped over the threshold, I felt a chill go through me. The so-called home was cold and lifeless. There was next to no sound. Our shoes were the only thing I heard as we moved around and even those were faint.

White marble floors with gold inlay gleamed, and beautifully displayed paintings and other works of art, some familiar even to me, hung on the walls. Each painting was accented with custom lighting, making the beautiful art come to life. I had a feeling that the majority of the paintings were the real deal and not just well-done replicas. Fresh red roses in crystal vases were on nearly every entry table. In front of us was a set of double stairs, each leading to the second floor. The stairways were mirror images of each other. Just like the floors, the stairs shone as if they’d been freshly polished just moments earlier.

As I followed Cass, I took in every bit of information I could. The layout of the place, the behavior of the few staff members standing in certain positions along the walls of the massive hallway, others walking toward us, their hands full of freshly folded linens and bright silver trays covered with gleaming dishware. Every single staff member stopped whatever they were doing and bowed their heads when Cass walked past them. I could tell from the way Cass was holding himself that he was extremely uncomfortable with the show of respect. He was the kind of man who wanted to earn respect, not inherit it.

The place held no warmth to it whatsoever. The maids didn’t talk to one another even when we were out of earshot. No one smiled, no one laughed. They were all as cold and empty as the home they took care of.

“Your grandmother is about to take her tea in the solarium. Would you and your guest like some tea? Or perhaps coffee?” Renly asked.

The man didn’t look at me even once as he spoke, and he had to be wondering what Cass and I were doing together since we should have been natural enemies. As we’d walked down several hallways, the Ashby butler had managed to maintain his cool and had responded with respect and even kindness when Cass asked questions about his grandmother’s health. Once again, the words were the right ones, so was the way they were spoken, but they still felt wrong.

Before Cass could answer Renly’s question about whether we wanted tea or not, I stepped forward and took Cass’s hand in mine and said, “Some tea would be lovely, Renly. Don’t you think so, babe?”

Despite the fact that Cass and I had agreed that we wouldn’t overtly reveal our relationship during the visit, I had to go with my gut. Thankfully, Cass’s hand tightened around mine before he said, “Yes, tea sounds good. Thank you, Renly. We can show ourselves to the solarium.”

Renly’s eyes fell to our joined hands and his jaw hardened for a split second before the rigid, formal expression returned and he looked at Cass. It was obvious that he wanted to know what the two of us were doing together and how we’d ended up in the Ashby mansion side by side, hands linked, and soft, happy smiles directed at each other. Odds were, the man hadn’t known about Cass’s sexuality, let alone that there was any chance in hell that he’d end up in a relationship with the same man he’d tried to kill two years earlier.

“Yes, sir. Of course,” Renly responded. For the first time, he sounded rattled.

Once Renly was out of earshot, Cass quietly asked, “What are you doing?”

“Playing a hunch,” I responded, keeping my voice low in case any staff were lingering nearby.

Cass responded by tightening his grip on my hand. Even though he had no clue what I was up to, he trusted me enough to move forward with it. It was humbling. If I fucked this up, I could very well lose that trust, especially since the whole thing included Cass’s grandmother, one of the few people in his life that he truly loved. I closed my eyes long enough to put my cop hat on and then walked alongside Cass, allowing him to lead me to our destination.

The solarium was a beautiful room made of glass and filled with various flowers, plants, and decorative water features that would have been calming in any other situation. As we walked toward the back of the large room, the space opened up into a clear area. A small round table overlooked a beautiful garden of roses. Despite the natural wildness of how roses grew, these were meticulously trimmed.

Another display of absolute perfection.

Cass quickened our pace when a thin woman with silver hair came into view. She was sitting in one of the chairs, her gaze fixated on the garden.

“Mother Ashby,” Cass said softly. He had to call out to her one more time to get her attention. She turned in her chair. It took her several long seconds to recognize him. “Cassius?”

“It’s me, Mother Ashby. I came to sit with you again for a while.”

“Oh, my word,” the old woman said as she tried to stand.

He dropped my hand and rushed to her. “Don’t get up, Mother Ashby.” Cass embraced her gently as he eased her back down into the chair.

“You came home safe,” she said as she began to cry. “I thought I’d never see my little rose again.”

When he crouched next to her so they were at eye level, I used the opportunity to study Cass’s grandmother. She looked exactly like how he had described her. Dirty nightgown, disheveled hair, slurred speech, and obvious disorientation.

“Honey,” I called loudly. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?” I pasted a fake smile on my face. Cass took the hint and stood. He rubbed his hand over his grandmother’s shoulder before coming up to me and linking his fingers with mine. I made sure I was pressed up against his side as we came to a stop in front of his grandmother.

“Mother Ashby, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. JJ Ferguson, this is my grandmother, Patricia Ashby. Mother Ashby, this is JJ.”

“It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Mother Ashby,” I said as I extended my free hand. I’d purposefully used the title Cass used even though it was disrespectful. I had to force myself to remember that I was here as a former cop, not Cass’s lover. I had to distance my emotions from everyone, even if it meant behaving inappropriately.

Mrs. Ashby’s eyes fell to my hand and then she turned her head to look at Cass. There was no recognition in her eyes as she shifted them back and forth between me and him.

“Did you make a new friend at school today?” she asked Cass.

Renly chose that moment to interrupt the conversation by rolling a cart with several items on it up to the table. Cass invited me to choose whatever seat I wanted. I sat directly across from his grandmother. She looked at me for a fraction of a second before turning her eyes to stare at the garden again.

Once we all had cups of tea before us, Renly rolled the cart away from the table, but he didn’t go far. He stood about a dozen steps behind Cass and Mrs. Ashby, moving his body so he was between them and had a perfect view of me.

“Mother Ashby, would you like some milk or sugar for your tea?” I asked as I reached for the cup of milk between us. Renly had already added several things to her tea to make it to her liking, but it was easy enough to act like the nervous partner who was meeting his boyfriend’s family for the first time. Mrs. Ashby didn’t respond to me. Her eyes were focused on the garden outside.

“I’ve already taken care of it, Mr. Ferguson,” Renly said sharply.

I looked up at him and then shifted my eyes back to Cass’s grandmother. She hadn’t reacted verbally in any kind of way to my question or Renly’s response, but after his declaration, she did lift the delicate teacup to take a sip of the tea. When her eyes met mine, I reached for my own cup and took a sip, holding her gaze the whole time. The old woman stiffened before lowering the cup back onto the spotless saucer.

I kept my eyes on Cass’s grandmother as I said to Renly, “Of course, Renly. Please forgive me. I was… I was injured a couple of years ago while in the line of duty and my thoughts get jumbled sometimes.” I shifted my eyes to Cass and then reached for his hand. He automatically took it. “A lot of times,” I said softly.

Cass and I gazed into each other’s eyes like lovesick teenagers. Renly coughed loudly to remind of us his presence.

“Sorry, Renly,” Cass said. He played his part and pulled my hand up to his lips so he could place a soft kiss on the back of it. “Sometimes we just can’t help ourselves.”

Instead of shifting his eyes to Cass, Renly’s impenetrable gaze stayed on me. “Yes, Mr. Ferguson, bad business all that,” he said with a small wave of his hand. There was no genuine concern for the injury I’d alluded to. “It was my understanding that you have no memory of that unfortunate incident.”

“It’s true, he doesn’t remember anything from that night—” Cass began.

“Yet,” I added quickly, sending Cass a hopeful smile.

He managed to keep his own smile on his face, but I could see the anger in his eyes. When we’d left the houseboat, our plan had been for me to play the role of the shy, quiet boyfriend who was clueless as to the true impact of the injury he’d suffered. Remaining quiet and letting Cass do all the talking was supposed to give me the time and freedom I needed to observe without needing to interact. At most, Cass had only wanted information that we’d been seen together to get leaked. Like my brother, he’d been adamant that we stick to the plan that I still had no memory of the shooting. That was actually the truth, but the point had been to make sure that was still widely known.

With the single word I’d just uttered, I’d painted a target on my back. If the person who’d shot me had even the slightest inkling that I might be starting to get my memory back, they’d have no choice but to put me down because I could clear Cass’s name for real and the hunt for the true killer would be on.

I’d laid the trap and placed myself as bait squarely on it. Unfortunately, it meant I was putting Cass in the line of fire too, but that had always been inevitable. Cass might not have wanted to bait the hook today, but Renly’s interest in the current state of my injury was impossible to let go.

“There were some bumps along the way when he… when we saw…” I let my voice crack.

“It’s okay, baby,” Cass said to me, his voice sorrowful. To Renly, he added, “Let’s just say things didn’t go so well when we ran into each other after I was released.” He pulled me forward so he could run his finger lovingly over the scar at my temple.

Cass gave me the slightest of nods. Knowing he was on board, even if he didn’t necessarily like it, made it easier to play my role as the innocent, oblivious victim who didn’t know when to stop talking. “I started seeing these pictures in my head. Like really short movies. I saw enough of them to know Cass would never hurt me,” I murmured. I continued to sound like naive prey being lured to its death. “And as you know, Cass is almost as much a member of my family as he is of this one,” I said as I nodded toward Mrs. Ashby. “There’s a lot to figure out, but the one thing we do know for sure is that we want to do it together,” I added as I lovingly looked at Cass.

“That is good news indeed. Mrs. Ashby will be delighted to have Mr. Ashby vindicated. Then, perhaps, you will be able to visit with her more,” Renly said to Cass, his voice dripping with insincerity.

Cass released me and turned in his chair so he was looking at his grandmother. “Mother Ashby, are you feeling okay?” He sounded truly concerned about his grandmother and her lack of participation in the discussion, but I had a different take on her silence.

He had to repeat himself several times before Mrs. Ashby turned around. “Cassius,” she said in delight. “You’ve come home.”

Mrs. Ashby tried to stand, but Cass was prepared for the move because he quickly jumped to his feet and leaned over her so he could hug her without her needing to rise.

“Yes, Mother Ashby, I’m home,” he responded. My heart broke for him as he clung to his grandmother. Cass definitely wasn’t pretending.

This time, when Mrs. Ashby saw me, she repeated her earlier question. “Cassius, have you made a new friend at school?” she asked, a wide smile on her face as she clasped her hands together.

“Yes, Mother Ashby,” Cass said. Behind his patient tone was a hint of despair. The knowledge that he was losing his beloved grandmother to such a cruel disease was taking its toll on him. He was the strongest man I knew, physically and psychologically, but he wasn’t impenetrable. Like everyone else, he had his kryptonite, and the woman who’d raised him as her own was clearly on that list.

Before Cass could say anything else, Mrs. Ashby’s expression changed from one of delight to one of confusion in the blink of an eye.

“Chandler?” the old woman asked as she looked me up and down. “No!” Mrs. Ashby said sharply before snatching her hands back from Cass’s hold and trying to stand. Her wild gaze shifted from me to him. “Cassius, my little rose, come, you must hide. Your grandfather cannot know you are here!”

With surprising strength, Mrs. Ashby climbed to her feet and tried to drag Cass away from me. I remained completely still as I watched the scene unfold.

“Come,” she said desperately. She grabbed Cass’s wrist and struggled to pull him closer to her. “Chandler, you must stay in the closet no matter what! Your father isn’t angry with you, my little boy,” she whispered as she gently clasped his cheek. Tears began sliding down Mrs. Ashby’s face before she covered her eyes with her hands and began to sob.

“Mrs. Ashby,” Renly said calmly, forcing Patricia Ashby to focus on him instead of Cass. “Why don’t you lie down for a bit? I’m sure your grandson will come to see you again very soon.”

Her eyes kept shifting between me and Cass. “Chandler is here? Chandler?” she called.

Although Cassius’s legal first name was Chandler, he’d never let anyone refer to him by the name he shared not only with his father, but his grandfather as well. As Renly began walking past Cass, presumably to escort his grandmother to her room, Cass reached out to touch her arm. Patricia pulled back, her eyes now filled with hate.

Cass was visibly confused and upset at his grandmother’s behavior. She’d gone from confusing him with his grandfather to then thinking Cass was his father. The elder Chandler, Cass’s grandfather, had been the aggressor in both scenarios. Cass’s father had been the child she’d had to hide from her husband the first time around, then it had been Cass himself who she’d been trying to protect, this time from his grandfather. By the end, it hadn’t been clear which Chandler she’d suddenly seen when she’d looked at Cass.

It hadn’t really mattered, either, because the whole thing had rattled Cass to the point that he didn’t respond when I softly called his name. He was still watching Renly escort his grandmother from the room.

Renly and Cass’s grandmother hadn’t made it more than a dozen steps before the sound of light, quick footsteps echoed throughout the solarium. I couldn’t see who was coming toward us, but I used the distraction to watch Renly scowl as our unexpected guest nearly knocked over a delicate vase filled with perfectly arranged red roses in his attempt to reach us. Without warning, Renly suddenly released Mrs. Ashby completely and tried to nab the little boy who was sprinting toward Cass’s grandmother.

Cass instinctively moved to support his grandmother so she wouldn’t fall, but she stepped away from him as if he were the devil reincarnated. Hatred burned in her eyes as she took several unaided steps backwards.

The entire episode lasted mere seconds, but I garnered more information in those few seconds than I had from the entire visit. I couldn’t tell if Cass had noticed the same things I had because his back was to me.

Our visitor turned out to be a little boy, no older than four or five. He easily dodged Renly’s attempt to grab him and ran directly up to Cass’s grandmother. Once he reached her, though, he didn’t touch her or give her the piece of paper in his hand. Despite it still being daytime, the boy wasn’t wearing casual clothes meant for playtime; he was dressed in crisp blue trousers, a light blue button-down shirt, and a burgundy sleeveless vest. The cuffs of his shirt were buttoned as was the very top one at the collar. His feet weren’t tucked in canvas sneakers, but instead what looked like small leather shoes that matched what businessmen wore. All he needed was a briefcase and he’d be ready for Wall Street. I was certain that the outfit had to be some kind of school uniform, but there was no logo anywhere on it. It was possible he was too young to be in school yet, but that didn’t explain his clothing. Although what did I know about what the super-rich dressed their kids up in? The kid’s outfit probably cost more than my car.

Cass’s eyes were glued to the kid while his grandmother turned her head to look out the window instead of giving her attention to the little boy. She continued to stand on her own but the spark of fury in her eyes was gone and her body once again looked feeble and frail.

The child frowned in disappointment. “Mother Ashby, I sorry for ’sturbing you and your guests,” the boy said in a small voice. “What happened to your hair?”

Renly reached for the child and snatched him by the arm. The boy whimpered but otherwise remained silent as Renly whispered something into his ear before releasing him.

The boy rubbed the part of his arm that Renly had grabbed and then turned around and put his arms behind his back, the colorful picture still in his hands. He began walking back the same way he’d come. I could hear his sniffles, but he kept his spine straight and his head up.

Cass looked like he was going to throw up and I wanted desperately to move to his side and give him whatever support I could, but I forced myself to keep my emotions separate from the facts that I so badly needed.

“I’d love to see your picture,” I called to the little boy. Renly tried to intercept him again when the child glanced at me, but this time, Cass stepped between Renly and the kid. Renly began snapping his fingers at a maid standing by the entrance to the solarium. She immediately began hurrying forward.

To Renly, I hardened my voice for the first time and said, “Surely there’s no harm in allowing the child to show me his drawing.”

I could see Renly’s eyes darken with fury at my unspoken threat. He put his hand up to signal the maid to stop and then he returned to Mrs. Ashby’s side. The old woman was now watching the situation unfold. Cass, for his part, was staring at the child like he was seeing a ghost or some other apparition. The man I loved was in a complete state of shock, but I didn’t know why. It didn’t matter because he needed me and yet I couldn’t go to him. Not yet. The boy’s presence meant something, and I had to find out what because I would be of no help to Cass if I couldn’t figure out what was going on.

The kid walked quickly to me, clearly relieved. He kept glancing at Mrs. Ashby, who was still staring at all of us like she had no idea where she was.

When the boy reached me, I asked, “What’s your name?”

The child looked at Cass’s grandmother as if waiting for permission to speak to me. Mrs. Ashby had disengaged from the encounter and was holding on to Renly’s arm as he escorted her out a side door and into one of the endless rows of neatly trimmed rosebushes.

The boy watched the old woman leave. All the excitement he’d shown when he’d wanted to show off his picture was gone.

“It’s okay, Mother Ashby’s just a little tired right now, but I’m sure she’d love to see your picture tomorrow,” I said gently even as I shifted my gaze back and forth between Cass and the boy. I reached out to pick the little boy up so he could sit on my lap. He seemed surprised by the move but warmed up quickly and eventually leaned against my chest as he studied his picture.

When he handed it to me, he said, “It’s a rose. ’Cause Mother Ashby says I’m her little rose. Like the big ones out there,”—the boy pointed toward the garden of roses—“but little.”

“It’s a beautiful picture,” I told him. “Did you sign it?”

When the boy looked down at his picture in confusion, I used the opportunity to study Cass. He’d sat back down in his chair, but he looked ashen. He couldn’t take his eyes off the little boy in front of me.

“Sign?” the kid asked curiously.

“Yeah, every great artist signs their work with their name,” I explained. “What’s yours?”

The child looked around the room as if to make sure it was okay before answering with, “Channler Charles Ashby.” He held up four fingers.

“Do you mean Chandler Charles Ashby the Fourth?” I asked. Ice filled my veins when Charles nodded.

Even though all the direct male descendants of the very first Chandler Ashby shared the same first name, the fact that they had different middle names meant they didn’t need numbers after their names at all because suffixes were only needed when the full names matched perfectly. Either way, Cass was considered the fourth Chandler in the Ashby family. He’d mentioned his father having another son with a different wife, so that child would likely have not even had a suffix at all but if the Ashby patriarchs had decided to stray off the beaten path when it came to how their heirs were named and titled, it was foreseeable that they could have done the same with Charles. That meant that in the Ashby line, the little boy would have been the fifth Chandler.

But if the child was introducing himself as the fourth Chandler, that meant that Cass⁠—

Cass chose that moment to stand. In his haste, he knocked the metal chair over, startling Charles. Then he was striding down the walkway that led back to the main part of the mansion.

I was torn between leaving the child by himself in the suddenly empty solarium or trying to find someone to take him. Thankfully, a frazzled woman came running toward us.

“Charles!” she called. He jumped off my lap and ran to her. The woman and I shared a few brief words before I quickly said my goodbyes to the little boy and then all but ran to catch up to Cass.

I knew that even if I managed to catch up to him, it wouldn’t matter because my Cass had disappeared the second he’d seen Charles. To outsiders, he would look calm, but the knowledge that his beloved grandmother had seemingly replaced Cass with Charles meant one or more of the compartments inside his head would be all but ripped apart and then only one thing would happen.

All hell would break loose.