Chapter 3

Cassie took a deep breath and hesitated before entering the cabin.

Kevin was starting to get to her. Starting? Truth was, he'd been getting to her all week. But today, first waking up to that sweet note and rose followed by that incredibly romantic movie, he had stirred old feelings to the forefront, despite the fact she'd been fighting them back all weekend.

One part of her wanted to go inside and jump his bones right now. Maybe not fight so hard if he suggested they try a relationship again. God, she had to be getting old to even consider it. On the other hand, she was still raw from the emotion of finding her best friend beaten half to death by the man who'd promised to love her until the day he died. Cassie knew Kevin was nothing like Pete, but she also remembered thinking that Pete was a great guy when he and Andi had first married. People changed. Feelings changed. It was a fact of life.

Well, she was getting older. Hopefully that also meant she was wiser and more mature than she had been when she had first met Kevin. She'd run from him because she'd been scared to death. Maybe the experience had taught her something. Helped her grow. Maybe she was finally ready to try a relationship without running, and Kevin would be the ideal partner.

If it was just about sex, Cassie could handle that, but this thing with Kevin wasn't just about sex. She didn't think it ever had been, really. That still scared her, and she knew she couldn't trust her judgment right now. She might mistake Kevin's attention for something more than it actually was, and then where would she be? Worse, what if she mistook her own feelings as something close to love, and three months from now realized it was only lust?

She told herself to stop doubting and start believing. Maybe she could pull it off. Maybe not.

She steeled herself and entered the cabin, and then melted all over again when she saw what Kevin had done.

There were literally dozens of flowers around the cabin. Flowers were and had always been her weakness, and even though she worked with them day after day, she had never lost her passion for them.

"Where did you get all of these?" she asked wondrously, stepping over to finger some of the petals on a long-stemmed wildflower.

"Outside, this morning," he said simply, and moved to grab her hand and pull her forward. "Welcome to your next surprise." He led her to the bathroom, where he'd drawn her up another bath, complete with wonderfully-scented bubbles and topped with flower petals this time. Earlier, she'd poured a little bit of shampoo in the tub to make some suds, which hadn't lasted long. Now, Kevin had candles perched around the tub, as well as a glass of wine sitting on a nearby shelf. "You beat me to the idea this morning, but I think you had to cut your bath short when you found out I was coming back. This time you can take a more leisurely soak and relax," he told her.

All she could say was, "Wow."

"Good response." He smiled and handed her a towel and a robe - a short, silk one she remembered having in her closet at home but hardly ever wearing. "Take your time. When you're done, I'll have your next surprise ready."

"I don't think you could top this," she admitted a bit breathlessly. She tried to think what he could have planned next, and guessed, "It's not some elaborate dinner, is it?"

"It's a surprise, remember? Yell if you need anything," he told her, and squeezed out of the bathroom to leave her to it.

With a sigh of contentment, Cassie slid into the tub and instantly felt her muscles begin to relax. She moaned and considered taking a sip of the wine he'd left for her. On second thought, she wasn't touching the stuff. She barely drank anymore, and probably shouldn't around this particular man. Not if she wanted to keep her wits about her.

She knew exactly what Kevin was doing. He was trying to seduce her, and big surprise, it was working.

She stayed in the tub for almost forty-five minutes, until the water became too cool to stand and her fingers were shriveling up like prunes. She supposed all good things must come to an end. She was feeling so relaxed that she was almost drowsy. If Kevin pointed her in the direction of the bed and told her to go to sleep now, she would be a very happy woman indeed.

Instead, when she stepped out, her hair piled on top of her head and dressed only in the short robe, she saw that Kevin had lit even more candles all around the cabin. In the fading daylight, the inside was cast in a romantic glow.

"All done?" he asked, and she wondered why he was standing there with a towel draped over his arm. "Step this way, my lady. Prepare yourself for a relaxing massage, the likes of which you will never forget."

"Massage?"

"Yep." He nodded toward the floor, where he'd laid out some towels and pillows. "It's not the Ritz, but hey, three minutes on the floor with me, and you won't know the difference."

She smiled. "I'll bet."

Cassie was too relaxed and too happy to argue as she followed his instructions and laid on the floor, face down. She'd never actually had a massage before - she didn't like the idea of a complete stranger touching her, plain and simple. Now, however, she used her arms as a pillow and sighed blissfully as she waited on Kevin to retrieve the massage oil he'd heated. She felt him kneel down beside her, heard something squirt into his hands, and then felt him gently begin to soothe the oil into her skin. He started with her feet and worked his way up her thighs. She moaned. Man, that felt good. Really, really good.

"I bet you've never had a massage by a professional before, have you?" he asked, beginning to work his magic hands under the hem of her robe at her thighs. She felt him shift his body so that he was straddling her back. She swore she felt his lips brush against her ear, then teasing the back of her neck. "Feel good?"

"Mmmm," she moaned when his hands found her shoulders beneath the collar of the robe. "Where did you get so good at this? Wait a second. I don't think I want to know the answer that question," she murmured lazily.

"I had almost a year of physical therapy with my leg," he explained, as his hands soothed away the knots that had lingered from her bath. "You know, I could do a much better job if we took this off," he said casually, tugging on the collar of the robe. "That way I can give you the full Kevin Cooper experience. What do you say?"

"Mmmm."

"Is that a yes or a no?" She definitely felt his breath teasing her ear as he talked.

She smiled. "Mmmm. OK." Since he'd already seen her naked, she supposed it didn't matter now.

She helped him maneuver her out of the robe, and she didn't feel the least bit self-conscious about being facedown on the floor with him fully clothed and herself naked aside from the bikini panties she wore. She pillowed her head on her arms again and closed her eyes. She smiled when she felt him shift behind her, then she felt his hands gently massaging her buttocks.

"You have a beautiful body, Cassie. Do you know that?"

Her sarcastic "Yeah, right," came out sounding like another blissful "Mmmm" instead.

His hands continued their journey up her back, and as if he couldn't resist the temptation, she felt him slide his fingers down the sides of her bare breasts and linger. She moaned, and he leaned down and kissed her shoulder. As his hands slid up her shoulder blades, his lips made a path along the column of her neck.

She felt him behind her, engulfing her with his heat, and realized how incredibly sensual and sexual the position was. When his lips skimmed the corner of her lips, she turned to meet him until his mouth was teasing hers open at the seam. His tongue pushed forward, and she sighed into him, remembering what a great kisser he had always been.

They tasted each other for what seemed like minutes but could have only been seconds. Feeling him pull away, Cassie pushed herself up, following him, trying to maintain contact with his lips. He leaned back, tugged his tee shirt over his head, and then leaned down to kiss her again. His slick hands slid around her, cupping her breasts, massaging them as she twisted to match the heat of his mouth, the thrust of his tongue against her own. She felt the bare skin of her back slide against the bare skin of his chest, and she felt a delicious thrill at the skin-on-skin contact.

"Turn over, Cassie," he urged and kept kissing her. "Let me do the front."

She had just turned over and felt him settle down on top of her, his jean-clad legs snuggled into the V of her bare legs, his mouth doing wild and wicked things to her own, when the shrill sound of a phone ringing startled them both out of the heat of the moment.

"What the hell?" Kevin demanded, looking in the direction of the sound. Determining it was his cell phone, he looked back down at Cassie, focused on the sight of her wet and swollen mouth, and then said, "Hold that thought." He kissed her hard and heavy in parting but got up to answer the phone, leaving Cassie lying hot and naked on the floor, panting and wondering what the hell had just happened.

She could tell from his side of the conversation that it was Jake. When Kevin asked about Pete, it was like pouring a cold glass of water on Cassie. Some of her sensibilities began to return then, and Cassie reached for her discarded robe and tugged it back on.

She blew out a breath and looked around, trying to make sense of how things had progressed so fast. Her eyes fell on the sight of a box sitting on the edge of the end table, next to the massage oil Kevin had used on her. She heard Kevin end his call and say, "Good news. Pete is in custody."

He saw that she had put her robe back on and was holding something.

"A box of condoms?" Cassie asked, holding the box up. He almost turned red. He obviously hadn't meant to leave those in plain sight. He laughed awkwardly.

Kevin took the box from her and tossed it over his shoulder. It landed somewhere with a thud. "Well, I guess my seduction techniques are a bit rusty." He sighed and lowered himself to the floor beside her. "Look, Cassie, I realize you didn't ask for any of this to happen to you. You put up with a lot before I even kidnapped you - for lack of a better word. I thought we'd make today fun, help you relax. That's all. If you happened to let me seduce you at the end of the day, hey, even better. But it's not expected, OK."

"Not expected?" she repeated with a short laugh, referring to the box of condoms he'd purchased - a multi-pack, no less. Not to mention what would have happened if they hadn't been interrupted just now.

"Hey, I was a Boy Scout, all right. Always prepared. Better safe than sorry. You get the idea."

"We hardly ever used them before," she pointed out, moving to stand and then to begin pacing. "Pardon me if I was caught off guard." She paused and sent him a serious look. "I'm still safe, you know, in case you were worried."

She had to mean safe as in "safe, free of disease" because Kevin knew for a fact she wasn't on the pill anymore. He knew because he'd searched her house top to bottom, trying to get her stuff together to bring her here. He would've included that essential if he'd found it. No condoms either. That had surprised him. He figured she must not have been sexually active in a while and was glad. He knew her too well to believe that she let guys fuck her without a rubber if she wasn't on the pill.

He cleared his throat, remembering some of those occasions in vivid detail, and pointed out, "Same here. In case you hadn't realized, I wasn't exactly prepared when we came here, and there's a reason for that. It's been a long time since I was with anyone."

She stopped pacing and flopped down in the chair, looking at him with an unreadable expression. She ran a hand through her hair and looked away. "I'm sorry, Kevin, but I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because..."

"Come on, Cassie. You weren't putting up a fight a few minutes ago. What's changed between now and then?" He could clearly see that her nipples were still aroused and pointing against the silk of her robe. He imagined if he were to slide his hand up between her thighs right now, he'd find her as drenched as he was hard. She wanted him, all right; why wouldn't she admit it?

She looked at him, and he saw many things in that look that he hadn't been expecting - longing, fear, and hesitation. Before he could say anything, she continued, "Look, Kevin, if I was anti-commitment when we first met, believe me when I say I'm a thousand times worse now. I'm in no shape to be getting involved - sexually or otherwise - with anyone. Believe me, I'm trying to do you a favor here. I know that I... hurt you last time. You deserve better."

Kevin knew she was vulnerable, and he didn't want to take advantage of that. Still, if not now, when would he ever be able to break through that wall of hers and make her realize she could take a chance on him? He felt torn between pushing the issue and backing off. Besides, what was it about him that always scared her off anyway?

"Just what kind of guy do you think I am?" he wondered aloud.

"Same as any other - the kind who wants to get into my pants," she answered, seriously. "I'll tell you what, Cooper. That's fine. I can handle that. I can even appreciate it. Any other time I would say, 'your place or mine?' but right now, I just want to heal for a while first. OK?"

Kevin was quiet for a while, absorbing that very revealing statement: "I just want to heal." He knew he could try pointing out the obvious, that he wanted more than to just get into her pants. He wanted a relationship, but she already knew that. She had to. He figured he could try to convince her not all men were like Pete Hendricks, but she probably recognized that as well. Cassie wasn't totally without common sense. She was just wounded, and he figured she'd been that way for longer than she even realized.

In the end, he sent her a supportive smile. "I seem to recall once you were looking for a friend with benefits. That position still open?"