Eight days had passed since the paternity test had been submitted to the lab.  During that week plus one day, quite a few things had happened.  Most importantly—Cassidy signed her divorce papers and Trace’s wife had a beautiful, eight pound baby girl. 

Life seemed to be getting better by the day.  All that was left were the test results and then maybe things would settle into some type of normal.  For five out of the eight days that had passed, Cassidy and Cody had spent them with Justin.  Cody was beginning to get quite attached.  In fact, the day before, Cody had run toward Justin full force and nearly tackled him with a hug.   Cassidy swore she saw tears brimming Justin’s eyes as he squeezed their little boy tight.  The whole scene warmed her heart fully and left her smiling for hours.

It felt like they were a strange little family.  Strange because she and Justin had no relationship together other than that of co-parents.  At least that’s what she kept telling herself.  Sometimes it felt like they were dating, the way he explained to her every little detail of his day or how he made sure to tell her if he wouldn’t be able to see them the next. 

And of course there was the casual flirting.  Cassidy was guilty of it too.  It wasn’t all just on Justin’s end.  But obviously there was an attraction between them.  If there hadn’t been, she wouldn’t have had Cody in the first place!

It was a quarter till ten on Tuesday night and Cody had been down for the count for a good twenty minutes.  She hadn’t seen or heard from Justin all day, but she hadn’t expected any differently.  He’d told her the day before that he had a full schedule—whatever that meant.  She had no idea what he was working on business wise, if he was working on anything.  She didn’t know and she didn’t care.  It wasn’t something they discussed much.

She had just slipped into the comfort of her bed, with its heavenly Down Duvet and Egyptian cotton sheets.  It was her own little slice of paradise.  She turned on the TV to catch the last few minutes of CSI before the ten o’clock news.  That’s when the phone rang.

Normally if a call came through so late, she’d have been instantly worried.  Since her ex-husband didn’t call anymore for obvious reasons—duh, they were divorced and hated each other—her phone never rang past nine o’clock.  But for some reason she just knew that it was Justin.

And she found out instantly she was right as she answered with a casual, “Hello?”

“Cassie, hey.  It’s Justin.”  He’d stopped using her full name completely and it was something she’d never corrected him on, even though she’d never let anyone but her mom and dad call her Cassie before.

“What’s up?” she immediately asked.  “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, great.  Sorry for calling so late.  I didn’t wake the little guy, did I?”

“No, he’s oblivious to the phone.  Once he’s out, he’s out.”

“Good.  So the results came while I was gone today…”

For some reason she had feeling that was the case.  “And?”   Of course she already knew what the test would say.  Justin was it.   If the test said anything differently then she must have been abducted by aliens or something—or more likely they’d just screwed up when they’d prepared it.

“I haven’t opened it yet.  Can I come over?   I wanna do it together.”

She glanced at herself, in her big comfy bed and the words “do it together” resonated in her head—only with a completely different meaning.  But before her better judgment kicked in, she’d already told him yes.  He said he’d be there in twenty.  She got out of bed and threw on a pair of Juicy Couture drawstring pants and a rather snug t-shirt—snug on purpose, of course, even if it was only semi-consciously.

Twenty-five minutes later he was at the door, where she was waiting with it open to bypass the doorbell.  She didn’t think it would wake Cody, but she didn’t want to take a chance either.  The thing was loud and obnoxious, just like the person who’d had it installed.

Justin hopped out of a shiny silver Porsche Boxster—the newest model, of course—holding a thick manila envelope in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.  “I’m nervous,” he quipped, before making it half way up the three steps that led to her front door.

“You have no reason to be nervous,” she assured him as he stepped inside.  “If the test says you’re not Cody’s father then I was impregnated by either an alien or a ghost, both of which I doubt happened.”

He let out a quiet smirk and she hoped that she’d eased the tension at least a little bit.  Justin took the lead toward the kitchen and Cassidy followed.   He was nervous, she could completely sense it.  It was just silly, but she could understand it.  She guessed she’d be nervous too if it were the other way around.

She eyed him openly as she walked behind him.  He was wearing shorts—long white basketball shorts decorated with two thin red lines going down the outside of each leg.  His t-shirt was rather baggy and on his feet were the latest edition to the Nike line of basketball sneakers. 

He was looking rather athletic and there was no denying that she wanted him very badly.

She swallowed silently as he set the wine and the envelope on the counter.  The last time they’d drank alcohol together they’d ended up having sex—twice.  And it had been damn good sex, by both accounts.  Justin had made it very clear how much he’d enjoyed it.  She’d definitely never forgot what he’d said about her being the best he’d ever had.  And, of course now, as she found herself unbearably horny, all of those wonderful memories were overloading her senses and then some!

He slid the envelope across the counter.  “You open that.  I’ll open the wine.  Where’s the corkscrew?”

She pointed at a column of drawers behind him.  “Second one down.”

He turned to get it and her eyes didn’t leave him for a second.  There was this undeniable tingle hovering in the midst of her chest—attraction, excitement, lust—all of the above?  She could handle it there, but if it started sinking lower, she wouldn’t be quite so confident in her resistance.

“Do you keep wine glasses in here or are they in the bar?” he asked.

“No, I have some in here.”  She moved across to his side of the counter and reached up to one of the higher cabinets. 

She was fairly tall.  She could reach.  But before she had the chance he was bumping her aside.  “Here, I’ll get ‘em.”  She let him, taking a step back and watching his lean frame stretch and grab two of her more casual wine goblets. 

The tingle moved a few inches down, toward her stomach. 

She made sure to divert her eyes as he swiveled around and set the glasses on the center island, still just a step or two away.  He twisted the corkscrew into the top of the wine bottle and said, “Well?  What are you waiting for?”  His eyes fell to the envelope.

“You sure you’re ready?” she asked.

He shot her a dubious look and she decided it was time, not wasting another second and carefully ripping the thing open.  The documents were wordy, not surprisingly, and she scanned over them as quickly as she could, while still managing to watch Justin pour the wine from the corner of her eye.  He was getting more anxious by the second, and making it quite obvious as he now took a rather lengthy sip from his glass.

But she felt it was as good a time as any to mess with him just a little.  It must have been the playful yet borderline horny mood she was in.  She could be downright devilish when she hadn’t gotten any in so long and the answer to all her problems was right in reach, but not quite.  

So she feigned a look of surprise and said, “This can’t be right.”

“What?” he asked nervously.  “What’s it say?”

She turned to him then, keeping the words on the paper up towards her chest.  “It says that there’s a 99 percent chance that—”

“What?”  He was literally cringing.  She could see it.

She grabbed her glass with one hand and took a sip as if the words were too difficult to speak, before setting the glass back down.  “That you’re Cody’s daddy.”  She gasped and brought a hand up to her mouth.  “Oh no.   What are we going to do now?”

But he didn’t find her joke amusing as he had set his glass down, putting a hand to his chest and breathing calmly for a few seconds.  Then he glared at her evilly.  “That was not funny,” he said, snatching the papers out of her grasp.

As he read over them she watched all the concern fade from his features.  When he was finished, he set the report down and let his head fall as he brought his thumb and index finger to the bridge of his nose and pinched.  “I’m sorry,” he looked up with watery eyes.  “I’m just having a little moment here.”

He was choked up.  She’d never seen him like that, and before she could think against it, she’d reached for him and wrapped her arms around him.  He was breathing heavy, his chest heaving against her, and she realized that as intimate as they’d been so long ago, they’d never been intimate like this.  His strong arms around her felt good—too good.

After a moment he pulled back.   The glossiness in his eyes had faded.  “I know you said I had nothing to worry about, but I was,” he explained.  “It’s just—I love that little boy, already, and I need him in my life.”

She smiled whimsically.  “I know that, Justin.  I’m the last person you have to explain that to.”

He shook his head and said, “I feel like such a sap, right now.  Can we go look at him?  I know he’s asleep, but I just need to see him.”

“You can kiss him goodnight if you want,” she told him.  “He won’t wake up.”

His grin widened and before she could blink he was practically skipping out of the kitchen and towards the staircase, which he climbed quickly taking two or three steps at a time.  Cassidy couldn’t wipe the smile away.  Reality was sinking in for her too.  Cody had a father.  A father that loved him immensely in a very short amount of time.  It was then that she realized how happy that made her feel.  Justin was going to be the best daddy in the world.

Now she felt like she was going to cry!

When she met up with Justin, having taken the staircase at a much slower pace, he was kneeling beside Cody’s bed, the boy sound asleep and curled up on his side.  Cassidy stopped just at the door, the light in the hall behind her illuminating the room just enough for her to see.  Justin brushed a hand down Cody’s head and whispered something softly, then he pressed his lips to the boys forehead and stood up.

He had tears in his eyes again as he walked towards her.  “I’m not usually this sensitive, I swear,” he said as Cassidy shut Cody’s door all but a crack.

“Don’t worry.  I won’t tell,” she said.

Justin had this terrible urge to kiss her.  He wasn’t sure if it was because of his extreme jubilation or because she seemed extra flirty tonight—not to mention extra hot—or what.  But he was blocking the stupid feeling in every way possible.  It had just been confirmed that he was indeed Cody’s father, and that was the best news he’d ever remembered receiving.

He hadn’t felt so happy in years—so long he couldn’t even remember.

“Should we go finish our wine?” he asked.  “Maybe make a toast?”

“Sure.”

He followed her slender frame down the stairs and into the kitchen, eyeing her rear the entire time.  It probably wasn’t the smartest move—to ogle her so boldly when he was already fighting urges left and right—but he just couldn’t stop himself.  She looked extra cute in her comfy little pants and tiny little tee.  He really wanted to just scoop her up and carry her right back up the stairs to her bedroom.

Inwardly he sighed as he shoved the thoughts aside once again.  Back inside the kitchen, Cassidy refilled both of their glasses.  “Why don’t we go sit down?”

He nodded—sounded like a good idea—and followed her into the family room, where they usually spent most of their time together.  They sat down on her neutral colored sofa that was way too long for his taste, at least right now it was.   He’d liked to be forced to sit close, not that they were all that far away from each other.  But it still wasn’t close enough for his taste.

He felt himself wondering how come it had been so easy to be so straightforward with her some five years before?  Then he answered the question for himself.  He hadn’t known her then and they’d had no relationship and no ties.  Now they had both and things were slightly more complicated.

She raised her glass and said, “To being parents.”

Justin smiled and repeated it, raising his glass as well.  Then they both took rather lengthy sips.

The room got a little quiet and Justin wasn’t sure exactly what to say.  They usually had Cody close by, rarely were they alone together.  “So we’ll tell him tomorrow?” he asked, thinking of nothing else.

She confirmed it with a nod.   “Yes.  Definitely.”

With a huff, he took another drink of his cabernet before setting the half empty glass on the table.  “So what were you doing before I called, anyway?” It was the first thing that popped into his head.

“Actually?  I had just got into bed and was waiting for the news to come on.  Yeah, not very exciting.”  Why did her answer pain him in the worst way?  Just the mention of her in bed made him ache all over.  And the only thing that could have been more exciting to him at that moment was if she’d told him she’d just crawled into bed naked and had just started to get herself off.   That would have been so exciting he might have keeled over and died.  Luckily that wasn’t the case.

“You don’t sleep in all that, do you?”  He realized he was pushing at boundaries just a little, but he found that he just couldn’t help himself.

The look she gave him was one of curiosity and skepticism.  “No, I don’t sleep fully dressed if that’s what you’re asking,” she told him.  “And why you’re asking I’m not quite sure…” she drifted off.

He smirked and said, “Sorry.  I’m a guy.   I can’t help it sometimes.”

“Yeah, well being that you are a guy, which I’m very aware of, thank you very much.  I should warn you that if you continue with this line of conversation— Well, you should just know that I haven’t had sex in about six months now and—” she paused briefly.  “Why I’m admitting that to you I don’t know.”

“Yeah?  Well, you win.  It’s only been four for me, but that was just a mercy fuck.  Nothing too memorable…”

She let out just a little bit of a snort as she chuckled softly.  “T M I,” she finally told him.

“You asked.”

“No, not really,” she said, taking another big sip of her wine.  He picked up his glass and started drinking too.

“So I guess what we’re both trying to say is that we’re really horny.”

She held up one finger, pointing it towards the sky as her body was twisted in his direction.  “Yes, but not for each other.”

If he wasn’t mistaken, he was already noticing the effects that the wine was having on her and he felt himself smiling very widely.  “Who said that?”

“Me.”

“Why?”

“Because we don’t want to screw anything up for Cody,” she answered.

But really the only thing he could think about screwing at the moment was her.  “I wouldn’t dream of doing that,” he said instead and scooted just a little bit closer.  His chances were looking better all the sudden and desire was overruling all the more cautious thoughts in his head.

“If we have sex tonight,” she continued, “then you’ll end up wanting more and more and pretty soon we’ll be in a full blown relationship and then when that relationship ends, things will be weird between us and Cody might suffer because of it.”  She’d said it all very fast and he found himself trying to contain a fit of giggles that was now stuck in his throat.

“I’ll end up wanting more and more?  What makes you think you won’t want more too?”

She smirked overly confidently—definitely tipsy.  He was enjoying that fact very much.  “Woman have a lot more self control then men do.  Why do you think it’s always the man that cheats?”

He was understanding a little more all the sudden.  Cassidy’s ex-husband had definitely cheated, not that she needed to say it for Justin to know.  He’d known that before he’d heard they were getting divorced.  It was just one of those things you know—guys know.  “Well, I hate to tell you this, but it’s not always the man that cheats.  I have been cheated on more than a few times.”

“I am sorry to hear that,” she said.

He wasn’t sure why, but he took her wine glass away from her then, still a little bit left, and set hers and his both on the table.  She looked at him funny, her chocolaty brown eyes squinting at him with confusion.  “I want you to remember this,” he said softly and then he closed the distance between them and gave into the urge he’d been fighting off all night. 

At first touch, Cassidy wanted to push him away.  But then, as she let his smooth lips sink into her, she realized her resistance had completely vanished and the will to fight was gone.  Besides, the fact that his tongue had now slipped inside her mouth, as she let the kiss turn hard and deep, was a nice added bonus—to say the least.

She should have never told him it had been six freaking months!

But God she wanted him, especially as his body was inching closer and closer, heat radiating off him like a massive bonfire.  That tingle she’d felt earlier had turned into a full blown need and it was now sitting very low in her belly. 

Her hand slipped around to his side and memories shot to her brain of how good his skin had looked, felt, smelled, tasted…

Sensory overload!  There was no stopping it now!

“Justin,” she pulled back just enough to speak.  “I want you.”

He laughed.  “I know,” he said, and brushed his lips over hers delicately.  It was a touch so soft that she almost physically shook in reaction.

She finished, “In my bed.”

The laugh he gave off then was slightly evil.  “I bet you do,” he teased.

“I’m not fucking kidding.”  She had both of her hands braced at his ribs and somehow she’d twisted sideways enough that he was practically right on top of her.  And still she found herself opening up to him even more—as much as possible.

“Damn that turns me on.   Say fuck again,” he urged, his face just a breath away from hers.  His lips close enough to kiss.

“Stop playing with me,” she told him, “and take me to fucking bed.”

He literally groaned at the sound of it.  “Like you’d ever have to ask me twice,” he said, standing up and pulling her with him.  She let him guide her up the stairs, noticing that he did not look at Cody’s door as they passed it.  Something he probably didn’t want to think about at the moment.  She understood, as she didn’t really want to either.

They made it to the safe haven of her bedroom, the TV still playing quietly since she’d never turned it off earlier, and he shut the door.  She walked backwards towards the bed, keeping her eyes on him as she stripped out of her pants. 

“Not wasting any time, are you?” he asked, coming towards her.

Her head shook no.  “What’s the point?”

He shrugged and yanked his shirt over his head.  She did the same with hers and then slipped underneath the mounds of bedding.  The thought of release being within reach was so exciting she almost didn’t even need him there, but then of course the excitement would have been gone and the feeling would have been lost. 

Justin slipped out of his shorts and climbed in bed with her—on top of her.  He looked just as good as he had five years ago—no flab, no pot belly.  Just lean muscle and smooth flesh.  She was afraid that she was so desperate for him at that moment, he wouldn’t even have to touch her to get the job done.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this hot for someone in my whole fucking life,” she whispered as his body sunk into her, his mouth tasting her neck.

“You are pretty hot,” he agreed throatily.  “You want me more now then you did the last time?”

“Five hundred times more,” she admitted with a shaky gasp as his teeth scraped her flesh.  Then she changed it to “a thousand.”

His smirk was filled with conceit and approval.  His mouth sought her out, meshing with her own as lips and tongues collided in every way possible.  Her hands were all over him—down his back, up his sides, over his chest.  He felt—amazing.  Then he was slipping down the front of her chest, his hands fumbling with the back clasp of her bra.  Finally accomplishing the feat, he tossed it away carelessly, the heat of his mouth at her breast.  She inhaled sharply when he made contact—lips and tongue and teeth.  Her desire was through the roof.  She couldn’t handle it much longer.

Justin was enjoying her thoroughly.  He got the sense that she wanted him to rush, but that was the last thing he planned on doing.  This was something he’d wanted for almost five years—another chance with her.  That was quite a build up.  He wasn’t going to let it turn into anything quick or speedy.  He wanted to take his time and build more memories.

She pushed at his briefs and he shooed her hands away as he pressed moist kisses down the center line of her stomach.   “We are not rushing,” he said, his voice a hum against her.

“Please?  Just fuck me now.  I can’t take it.”

He stopped completely.  The sound of her begging was pretty much unbearable and exhilarating all at the same time.  It wasn’t so bad for his ego either—something she’d done not a whole lot for during their past experience.

Pushing her legs together he sat on her lap and leaned forward until his face was hovering just above hers.  “I seem to remember—”  He stopped himself, deciding not to rub it in her face.  “Never mind.  Tell me what you want.”

“You know what I want.   I want your big fat dick inside me.”  

He groaned, a burst of arousal popping inside his chest.  After hearing such talk, he was almost ready to give it to her.  “What you do to me should be illegal,” he told her instead, before kissing her as hard as he could. 

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she huffed, her hands reaching around and gripping on to his butt.

“You should.”  He breathed against her, and flipped them both so he was on the bottom.  If she wanted it so desperately—so soon—then she was going to have to take it from him.  For some reason he doubted that would be a problem—if he decided to let her.

And he was right as she instantly began attacking him with her lips, kissing his neck, his shoulders, his chest.  Her teeth scraping at one of his nipples.  He was so hard it hurt.  He couldn’t remember ever feeling so hard.  Bringing both his hands to her slim waist, he slipped them down to her hips, hooking his fingers inside the last little piece of clothing she had on.  “Let’s get rid of these.”

She rose and slithered out of them as gracefully as she could considering he was lying underneath her.  She pulled at his briefs and he scooted and kicked them off.   Then she settled against him, her slick heat throbbing against the root of his desire.  But he wasn’t ready for that yet and he let her know by grabbing her by the hips once more and guiding her up the length of his body until he’d positioned her right over his face.  Then he tasted her sweetness, nearly exploding as she moaned loudly in appreciation.

Cassidy’s knees were instantly weak.  She could only stand it for a moment.  It was too much for her to handle.  She was already so, so close, but when he touched her with those magnificent lips and that sensuous tongue, she had to do everything in her power to keep from bursting.

With shaky hands she reached for the headboard, knowing if she didn’t that her body would collapse.  She wanted to enjoy it for just another moment, because it was something he did incredibly well—too well, in fact.

She let out a rather vocal moan as the spring of arousal tightened and tightened.  Finally she pulled herself away from him, breathing heavily, her body trembling with need as she crawled backwards down his body until they were looking eye to eye.   He had the sexiest grin playing at his lips and she predicted that he was about ready to make some type of playful comment.

But he didn’t.  Instead he brought a hand to her jaw and brushed a thumb across her cheek, staring her straight in the eye.  He used his strength to out maneuver her, pushing her onto her back once more.  Above her, he braced his arms on either side of her body and dipped in for a gentle kiss.  Then he let their bodies touch just enough to torture her.  “This is something I’ve wanted for a really long time.”  His words were quiet, a hush above a whisper.  Then with one swift push he was inside her and she was reminded instantly how perfectly he fit.

It wasn’t long before she was gasping for breath, receiving each jolt of pleasure with a cry or a moan or a whimper—his name falling from her lips with weighted breaths.   His lips touched her cheek, her neck, her shoulder—as he continued with perfectly timed strokes, matching her body beautifully.  She felt something she hadn’t felt so many years before.

She felt a connection.

She cried out at as she finally peaked, probably louder than she should have, but she didn’t care.  She trembled and shook—her chest weighted without enough air, the rest of her completely spent.  The waves slowly calmed as he stroked her head and nestled his face in close beside hers.

All she could do was concentrate on breathing—and the fact that it felt really good with him touching her in every way possible.  She felt herself holding on to him for dear life and she wasn’t sure why.

He must’ve have realized how serious it all felt, as he let out a heavy breath of air and lifted off her enough for her to breath more easily.  He grinned wide when he brought his sight to hers—handsome and sincere.  “I feel better,” he stated simply.

She caught the contagiousness of his grin.  “Me too.”

A quiet chuckle fell from his voice.  “You gonna fall asleep now?  ‘Cause now that I know how you operate, I think I’d take it more as a compliment this time.”

“I think I need a snack.   Then I need you one more time.  Then I’m going to sleep better than I have in months,” she stressed the last part.

He kissed her cheek and rolled away.  “I can handle that.”

But inside she wasn’t as sure that she could.

© BrandyRae 2005