Destined to Fall
Page 19“Now,” Robert says, turning to me. “Let’s go sit outside, on the deck, and drink some sweet tea.”
He leads me outside by my elbow and pulls out a deck chair for me. He takes a seat next to me, at the head of the table. I’m about to start talking when another voice interrupts me.
“Dad, I’m home!”
I turn around just in time to see Kyler step outside and head towards us.
His step falters when he see’s me, but recovers quickly.
“Cassey? What are you doing here?”
“Kyler, that is no way to speak to our guest.” Kyler’s mother comes out
next, carrying a tray of appetizers.
“Sorry, Mom, I didn’t meant to be rude,” he replies. He shakes his father’s
hand, and turns to hug his mother. I take a moment to drink him in. His
jeans cling to his thighs and travels up to hug his firm butt. His black t-shirt
shows off beautifully broad shoulders and accentuates his pecs. My cheeks flush when he catches me devouring him with my slow, intentional perusal.
“Cassey here, visits us almost every Sunday for lunch,” his father says,
winking at me.
“Is that so?” Kyler says. I catch the mischievous glint in his eye, and the
way his lip curls up to the one side. Dammit. He’s sexy.
I stick my hand out. “It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Knight.” His eyebrows shoot up and he takes a step closer to me, ignoring my
outstretched hand. His hand brushes against my arm as he leans in closer.
My ballet flats have me at a major height disadvantage and I have to resist
cheek, and he breathes out my name against my skin, causing a slight shiver
to make it’s way up my spine. When he straightens, I huff out the breath I
didn’t know I was holding.
“Nice to see again too, Ms. Emerson,” Kyler says sweetly.
Kyler’s parents sit down, and I take the chance to excuse myself to the
bathroom. I need a moment to recollect myself. I’m more than surprised to
see Kyler here, and for some reason it has left me feeling a little frazzled. I
was hoping I’d only have to deal with him on Monday, when I tell him never
to kiss me again.
There’s a knock on the door, and I open it, thinking it could be Estelle
who’s checking on me after I’ve been gone for over ten minutes. Kyler steps
in, shutting the door behind him, and captures my mouth with his before I
even a second to think, let alone protest.
He lifts me and places me on the counter next to the sink. I should push
him away. I should. But I don’t. My body response on its own and my hands
grip his shirt, pulling him between my legs. His kiss turns aggressive, and he
bites my lip.
His hands dive into my hair and he yanks my head up, with the slightest
“Kyler, stop,” I mumble into his mouth. “Please, we have to stop.” Our mouths separate and he looks into my eyes. “Why?”
“We’re at your parents house. It’s disrespectful.”
“No,” he replies, holding my chin with his hand. “The things I want to do
to you are disrespectful.”
Oh no. He can’t do this to me, not now. Not when I need to end something that hasn’t even started yet. “I’m being serious, Kyler. We can’t do this.
We can never do this.”
His lips tilt up into a knowing smile before he gives me one last kiss.
And he makes sure it’s one I won’t soon forget.
“It’s not up to you,” he murmurs. “Stop fighting me, Cass, and just give
in.”
With that he leaves again and I realize it’s the second time in the space
of three days that he’s left me in this disheveled state. Bastard.
I jump off the counter, and fix my dress in a rush. I catch Kyler just outside the bathroom door and grab his arm. He turns to face me, a smirk on his
face. You’re not winning this round, Knight. I stretch on my toes and bring
his face close enough to mine so that our lips almost touch, while I rub his
hard-on beneath the zipper of his dark jeans. He sucks in a breath, and just
when he thinks I’m about to surrender, I pull the rug out from under him. “Don’t fuck with me, Kyler,” I whisper harshly. “I don’t have time for your
games, and I sure as shit don’t want to be another notch on your bedpost.” The trailer trash side of my personality rears it’s head, as does the Southern twang in my accent. If being as crass, and straight-forward with Kyler as
Despite my conversation with Quinn on Friday night, I still have to do
what’s best for me, and one night with Kyler isn’t what’s best for me. “See you outside,” I say. I walk away, feeling slightly high after that stunt.
I just hope he believes it.
~ Kyler ~
Monday has found me drinking coffee at the breakfast counter in my loft. I should already be at the office, but I ended up sleeping at my parents’ house last night. I stayed up late, reminiscing with my father and we didn’t get to bed before two a.m. The image of Cassey’s butt sashaying in that white dress is ingrained into my memory and made for some good material in the shower this morning.
I dress quickly, throwing on my grey pinstripe suit, no tie, and head into the office. Instead of taking the town car my father always has available, I decide to walk. The sidewalks bustle, the lunch crowd milling between their jobs and lunch with friends. I ignore the admiring glances from the women who pass me, focusing instead on the one face stuck on repeat in my head. My phone vibrates in my pocket and the screen flashes with Jessa’s name and number. I slide my finger across the screen, and answer.
“Hey, Jessa, what’s up?”
“Hey baby,” she purrs. “I wanted to stop by the office and bring you some lunch.”
On any other day, I would say yes in a heartbeat, because Jessa’s lunch has nothing to do with food.
“I can’t,” I lie. “I’m slammed with meetings all afternoon.”
“What about tonight?” she whines.
I walk into the lobby of the Knight Media building and lower my voice. “I’m busy, Jessa.”
“I’ll make it worth your while,” she chimes. Her voice oozes seduction, but it’s familiar, and boring. I’ve already done this with her on numerous occasions, whether it was for publicity because of our family connections, or because we both simply wanted to fuck around. Either way, I’m over it, and I thought she would’ve caught the hint by now.
I haven’t seen her since the Blake’s anniversary party, which ended up being another ambush on her part.
“I’m sure you will, but I’m busy.”
“Is there someone else?” she shrieks. I pull my phone away from my ear, winching.
“It doesn’t matter, Jessa. You and I weren’t dating.”
She starts spouting off a string of obscenities, and I end the call quickly. The elevator chimes, and I step in, grateful to be the only person in it. I watch the dial above the door move with every floor, until it stops and chimes on the third floor. Our technical division. I keep my head down, but then her voice hits my ears.