My dick reacts to that errant thought almost immediately, pressing against the zipper of my jeans. It’s interesting because with most women I hook up with, the attraction fades almost instantly after we sleep together. But with Cassandra, I didn’t want to leave her bed the next day. When my brother texted me to ask what time to bring Everly home, I nearly begged him to keep her one more night so I could continue the fuck-a-thon with the nanny.
God, I’m fucked up.
And I will not allow sex to be a priority over time with my child, no matter how mind-blowing it is.
“Oh hey,” Cassandra says, jumping when she spots me leering at her from the doorway of her shop. “Didn’t hear you come in.”
She shuts her sander off and pops out her earbuds before pushing her goggles on top of her head. She’s wearing that backward green hat again, and I swear to fuck, it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen her in. And I’ve seen her naked.
“How’s Everly?” she asks immediately, and it just somehow makes her even more attractive.
“She’s good. Watching some Lindsay Lohan movie downstairs,” I reply, making my way over to what she’s working on.
“Which one?”
“She’s young in the movie and has a horrible British accent.”
“Parent Trap!” Cassandra exclaims excitedly. “I loved that movie as a kid. You know I thought Lindsay Lohan really had a twin sister. My sister told me the twin hated the fame they got from the movie and went into hiding. Thought that was dead-ass facts until like two years ago.”
“Seriously?” I stare back, waiting for the punchline that doesn’t come.
“Yeah, I’m not proud.” Her lips purse as she removes her leather apron to yank on her top to cool herself down. I have to fight my eyes from ogling her chest as she adds, “Anyway, did she enjoy the five kinds of ice cream you came home with?”
Cassandra’s taunting expression is something I would really like to kiss off her face. How is she mocking me for buying too much ice cream when she literally just told me she thought Lindsay Lohan was a twin until recently?
I shrug and run a hand through my hair. “I maybe went a little overboard on flavor selection.”
“You think?” She giggles.
I pin her with a heated look. “I’m an overachiever when I want to be.” She bites her lip, causing me to bite mine as well, and it suddenly feels very hot in here. I pause before adding, “I just wanted to stop in here to say thanks again for today. She’s had issues with anxiety in the past, and it’s usually something she wants her mom for, but she seemed really comforted by you. That means a lot.”
“Oh, anytime.” Cassandra gestures to her body playfully. “It’s hard work being a female and constantly trying to fuck the patriarchy.”
I chuckle and divert my attention from her body to the board she’s working on. “What’s this piece for?” I ask, reaching out to feel the misshapen hunk of wood on her sawhorse. “Is this something for that thing Kate called to talk to me about? Her book box thing? I hope it was okay I gave her your number.”
Cassandra’s brow furrows as she shrugs her shoulders. “Oh yeah, that was fine. I don’t know what the plan is with all of that yet. It seems like a big undertaking.”
“For you or for her?”
“Um…well, her definitely. And me? I never considered starting a business out of this hobby of making charcuterie boards,” she stammers, nervously rubbing her forehead.
I watch her curiously. “Isn’t that kind of the dream for most people? Make a career out of something you love to do?”
Cassandra hesitates before speaking, clearly weighing her words. “But is it good to monetize things we love? We might risk not loving it if we start to put deadlines and money labels on it.”
“I don’t think Kate would feel that way about her books,” I reply, hating the way Cassandra’s body language has shifted. She’s getting closed off and twitchy, which is an odd reaction when we’re talking about something she enjoys.
Cassandra’s brows lift knowingly. “That’s true. I’m just currently subscribed to the anti-hustle culture, so it’s just a lot for me to consider.”
I shoot her a teasing wink and lean in to whisper, “Heaven forbid you abandon your willy-nilly lifestyle and do more instead of less for once.”
Her jaw falls open as she hits me with a positively lethal gaze that excites the fuck out of me. “I’m no stranger to doing more, don’t you worry. I am just currently choosing to make life my main hustle and my nanny job my side hustle. That’s how you embrace the soft life, and nothing is wrong with that.”