Page 9

As soon as the elevator dinged open to the garage, I exhaled, relief flooding through me. My feet were screaming, my arches on fire, the price of trying to impress the board members with designer heels I had no business wearing all day. I rounded the corner, already reaching for my keys, and froze.

Cassius was leaning against my car like a scene from a movie. He looked too good—casually put together in a fitted shirt and surf shorts.

His eyes lit up when he saw me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, not bothering to try and hide my surprise.

"You said you never watched the sunset on the beach. Me either. We’re about to do it together," he said with a grin.

I blinked, thrown off by the fact that he’d remembered such a random detail about me, and that he was acting on it like this was… a thing we did.I shook my head. "I can't go to the beach in a thousand-dollar suit and Giuseppe heels."

"That's why I bought you these," he replied, holding up a bag. "You can change in the bathroom five feet away."

I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. "You know I'm not leaving until I get my way."

I sighed. "Fine."

In the bathroom, I changed into the outfit he’d chosen. The white shorts and tank top made me look like a Hooters waitress. He’d bought me white Nike slides too. Everything fit perfectly. How did he even know my size?

When I stepped out, Cassius's eyes lingered.

"Next time you buy me clothes, consider my taste and not yours," I said, trying to sound annoyed but failing.

He smirked, clearly pleased with himself. He led me to his SUV—I wondered how many cars he had because this was the third I’d seen.

The sky was already starting to shift, streaks of orange and pink stretching across the horizon. I stared out the window, the tension in my shoulders easing with every mile. Sade played softly in the background. I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d put it on for my benefit. He didn’t seem like the “Your Love is King” type.

We pulled up to a private bungalow in a gated community, the air thick with salt and the sound of waves crashing against the shore.

“This place yours?” I asked as he guided me down to a private stretch of beach.

“Nah,” he said, grinning. “A friend’s. But I come here when I need to breath.”

The beach was pristine, the sand cool as we reached a blanket he’d set up. There was food—a spread of sandwiches and drinks—but my focus was on the ocean, the horizon glowing with hues of orange and pink as the sun dipped lower.

I sighed, letting the salty breeze wash over me. “This is nice,” I admitted.

Cassius sat on the blanket, his long legs stretched out in front of him. He didn’t say anything, just patted the spot in front of him, motioning for me to sit.

I hesitated for a moment before lowering myself onto the blanket. I pulled off my slides, wiggling my toes in the sand and sighing again at the relief.

“Your feet hurt,” he said, his voice low, almost like a statement instead of a question.

I waved him off. “It’s fine. They’ll be better tomorrow.”

Cassius leaned forward, reaching for one of my feet before I could process what he was doing. He pulled it into his lap with a fluid motion, his large, warm hands wrapping around my heel.

“Cassius, what are you—”

“Shh,” he said, his voice a quiet command. “Let me take care of you.”

I froze, my body tense as his thumbs pressed into my arch, kneading slow circles that had me swallowing hard. His hands moved with a kind of expertise I hadn’t expected—his thumbs sliding up to the ball of my foot, his fingers squeezing gently along the sides, coaxing every knot out of my muscles.

A soft sigh escaped my lips before I could stop it, and Cassius’s lips twitched into a small, knowing smile.

“You’re always working,” he murmured, his voice low and smooth. “When’s the last time someone did something for you?”

I didn’t answer. Couldn’t answer.

He moved to my other foot, repeating the same slow, hypnotic rhythm. I bit down on my lip, heat pooling low in my stomach as his hands slid higher, past my ankle, up my calf.

My breath hitched when his fingers brushed the back of my knee, lingering for a moment before moving up to the soft curve of my thigh.

I made a sound—low, soft, somewhere between a sigh and a moan. His hands stilled for half a second, his gaze snapping to mine.

“Angel,” he said, his voice like smoke, curling and settling over me.

I swallowed hard under his gaze.

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes locked on mine, and my chest tightened at the intensity in his expression. “Do you know how badly I want to kiss you right now?”

I didn’t move, didn’t breathe.

“But I won’t,” he said, his voice soft but sure. “Because I want you to be sure about me when I do.”

I exhaled shakily, unsure of how to respond, unsure of what I even wanted to say.

He didn’t say anything either. Just continued rubbing my feet.

We watched the sun sink quietly.

In the dark, Cassius finally spoke again. “You remember when you told me you were so sad you could cry sometimes?”

“Yes, I do,” I said softly.

“I know how that feels. After my parents died, it felt like it would choke me. It’s better now, but it kind of lingers.”

“Have you ever tried to talk to someone about it?” I asked, my eyes fixed on the sky.

“No,” he admitted, his voice raw. “You’re the first person to ever make me think about it long enough to put it into words.”

“You can talk to me anytime about it,” I offered gently. “Maybe we can find a way to heal together.”

He didn’t say anything, so neither did I. The night enveloped us, and the stars came out.

Before I knew it, I had drifted off to sleep. The next thing I felt was Cassius rubbing his knuckles gently against my cheek to wake me up. “Come on,” he whispered, helping me to my feet.

We walked back to his SUV in silence, the night air cool against my skin. He drove me home, the ride quiet but not uncomfortable. When we arrived at my condo, he walked me to my door.

“I’ll pick you up and drop you off in the morning since your car is still at the office,” he said, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

“Thank you,” I whispered, resisting the urge to invite him in.

He smiled, a soft, genuine smile that made my heart flutter. “Goodnight, Angel.”

I opened the door and sank to the floor against it. I liked Cassius. Really liked him. And that was starting to scare me.