Page 11 of His Aries Heiress (BLP Signs of Love #21)
An Aries woman is intense and passionate, burning with the brightest flames.
Grief hung in the air like a thick fog. Cassydie looked at Tato with sad eyes as he blankly watched the TV.
He’d been stuck like that, in the same position, for the last hour and some change.
Occasionally, tears streamed down his face, and she would reach over and rub his back or try to comfort him as best she could, but she felt like she was at a loss.
She needed comfort too.
She was hurting too.
She wanted back rubs and affirming words too.
It was so natural for her to push her own feelings to the side and tend to others, but this was the first time in her life she wasn’t sure she could do that. Everything around her felt heavy, even the air, and she only hoped it would start to lighten soon.
The front door opened, putting Cassydie on alert. Both she and Tato turned their heads, and a moment later, Marcellus came into view holding a couple of pizza boxes.
“Anyone hungry?”
Tato hopped up and rushed toward Marcellus. Cassydie’s heart melted when she saw Tato embrace him. “You’re back.”
With his free hand, Marcellus rubbed Tato’s head. “I told you I would be. You aight?” Tato backed away and put his eyes on the ground as he shrugged. “Aye, man. Look at me.”
Tato lifted his head. “You gon’ be aight, man. We’ll go to Pop’s house and get some of your stuff. You gon’ live wit’ me now, and I’m gon’ make sure you good. You hear me?”
Tato nodded, and Marcellus sighed. Cassydie could tell he was at a loss for words, just like she had been this entire time.
“Why don’t you go wash up, Tato? I can make your plate, and then we can watch a movie. All three of us,” Cassydie suggested as she made eye contact with Marcellus, who nodded subtly.
Tato’s eyes lit up slightly at that, and he ran out of the room. She stood and followed Marcellus to the kitchen. When he placed the pizza on the table, he caught her by surprise when he turned to her and asked, “You good?”
She opened her mouth to respond, but tears came instead because the truth was, she was absolutely not okay. She covered her face in embarrassment as she cried, and a moment later, she felt arms circling around her. It had been so long since she had a proper hug, and she melted into him.
Marcellus let her cry for a second before he pulled back. She tried to avoid his gaze, but he forced her chin up so he could wipe her wet face. She chuckled through her tears. “What happened to the mean nigga I met yesterday?”
He smirked sadly at her. “Seems I can’t be that way with you for real. I’m tryna figure it out too.” He shrugged, and then, as if he was searching for an excuse for his nice behavior, he said, “I heard death has a way of changing a person.”
That resonated with her. She didn’t feel like the vibrant person she had always been. The past few weeks had turned her into someone else completely.
They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, and it felt like a magnet pulled them together, because the next thing she knew, her lips were on Marcellus’s.
The kiss was sweet and soft at first, almost timid like they were unsure, but it got feverish real quick.
His tongue slipped into her mouth, and she gasped as she leaned further into him.
She felt herself getting lost, and she never wanted to be found.
Right here was the most exhilarating thing she’d felt in such a long time, and she never wanted to step out of this moment.
His hands explored her waist and then traveled down to her ass.
He squeezed gently before he lifted her and placed her on the counter.
In the back of her mind, Cassydie knew they needed to stop.
They were both vulnerable and grieving. She couldn’t find it in her to pull away though. This man had everything she needed.
The moment came to a halt when they heard little feet approaching the kitchen. Marcellus swiftly took a step back and used his thumb to swipe his bottom lip while Cassydie tried to gain her composure from her perch on the counter.
By the time Tato came into the kitchen, they stood several feet apart, but they were both breathing heavily.
Tato didn’t seem to notice. He looked at the pizza and then at Cassydie. “Can we watch the movie now?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Let me get your plate, buddy. Go on in the living room.”
He peered at her as if he didn’t believe she would actually make his plate. She couldn’t blame him. She should have been doing that in the first place instead of tonguing Marcellus down.
“Go ’head, man. Here we come,” Marcellus encouraged.
Tato looked between them and then shrugged before he walked out of the kitchen.
When he was gone, Cassydie slid off the counter and avoided eye contact with Marcellus. Emotions were high right now, and she honestly didn’t know how to feel.
“Look at me,” Marcellus said. She could feel him standing right behind her. Cassydie slowly turned around and gazed up into his eyes. She noticed it looked like he contemplated saying something heavy, but he cleared his throat and smirked instead. “You’re a good kisser.”
Shock registered on her face. Was he teasing her? Was he flirting with her? An easy smile formed on her face. Not long ago, that action would have never been possible. For a minute there, she wasn’t sure she would ever smile again. Here she was, proving herself wrong.
“You aren’t so bad yourself,” she muttered.
He stared at her for a moment longer before he broke eye contact. “Let’s go feed this boy.”
She nodded, focusing back on the task at hand. It was easier to do that, anyway, than focusing on the huge crush she was developing for a man she barely even knew.