Anxiety had a grip so tight on her brain that she couldn’t make sense of what was going on. Logic told her it wasn’t bad. Cassian wouldn’t cheat on her.
It was just…if there was nothing going on between them, why was he always so comfortable…so intimate with that woman?
Gigi moved closer, trying to overhear their conversation.
Was something going on between them? That would make Cassian a fucking liar.
Seeing her, Amie twisted around. “Hey, girl.” There wasn’t even a hint of cattiness in her voice. Not even the slightest sense the woman was trying to make her jealous. Nothing even possessive.
But Gigi only had eyes for Cassian.
He shot to his feet, as if she’d aimed a gun at him. “Gigi.”
“All right, I’m out of here.” Amie stood up, water cascading down her voluptuous body. She was every inch the sexy cheerleader. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” The woman didn’t even cover herself with a towel, just grabbed a white cover up and slid her feet into leather sandals. As Amie passed her, she gave a little smile. “’Night.”
Cassian climbed out of the Jacuzzi and reached for a towel. “Hey. Surprised to see you here.”
“I’ll bet.”
He looked defeated. “It’s not what it looked like.”
“Do you always end your day in a Jacuzzi with Amie? Murmuring sweet little nothings in her ear?”
“No. Today, some shit went down at camp.” He gestured to the door. “Dean left a minute ago.” He had none of his usual confidence. “You can ask any of the guys.”
“That would be a really crappy way to start a relationship, don’t you think? Me checking your story with your friends?”
“Well, you’re not trusting me right now.”
“Would you trust me if you came to my parent’s house and found me in the Jacuzzi with a hard-bodied dude that you’d already seen me snuggle with?”
“I’ve never snuggled with Amie, but yes, I’d trust you. That’s not to say I’d like it.”
“Well, I more than don’t like it. Know why? Because your explanation makes it a hundred times worse. You had a bad day, and it was Amie who comforted you? In a bikini?”
If it was possible to be patient and exasperated at the same time…Cassian nailed it. As much as he wanted to ease her concerns, he seemed one hundred percent convinced there was no problem. “She wasn’t comforting me. I’ve been worried about a decision I made. She was part of it, so I was discussing it with her.”
“In the Jacuzzi. Half-naked.”
He drew in a deep breath, stroking his jaw. “I feel like shit, okay? I don’t like that you walked in here and saw that, but you have to know there’s nothing going on between me and Amie.”
She took a step closer. “What I just saw? That is something going on.”
“This afternoon, for the first time since I started this camp, I sent a kid home. I’ve been second-guessing myself ever since. Amie walked in not even ten minutes ago, and she wanted to chill out after a stressful day. Her hair got stuck in the ties behind her neck—”
“Oh, my God. Do you even hear yourself? You’re making it worse. The problem isn’t whether you and Amie were having a romantic moment, but the fact that you get caught in these moments with her at all. And not just her, but with other women. This isn’t a one-off thing. How do you not see this?”
“My focus was on sending a kid back to a bad family situation. She asked me to help her out, so I did. I don’t see the problem.”
“You can’t be this clueless. Trust me, she wants something from you. I can tell you from experience, because I have long hair, and it’s gotten caught in my ties, too, but I’ve never needed a big, strong man to help me fix it. You see what I mean?”
“I do.” He gazed down at his bare feet. After a moment, he shook his head. “All I can tell you is I know when women are hitting on me, and Amie’s never made a move.”
“That was a move. Striking a pose against your car outside the air strip was a move. Snuggling with you on an airplane is a move. I’m a woman. I know.”
“She has a boyfriend. They’ve been together a long time. He’s one of the reasons she got kicked off the reality show. He’s in IT, not a football player, so that made her less interesting.”
“Okay.” Hitching her purse higher on her shoulder, she turned to go. “Have a super great night.” She strode away.
“No.” He said it firmly.
She whipped around. “Excuse me?”
“I don’t care how long it takes to make me understand where you’re coming from, you don’t walk away.” He came up to her. “We only have a few weeks before life pulls us in separate directions, so every minute counts. How we fight, how we work things out, is going to determine whether we make it. Look, I’m not some boy with a crush who’s going to ask ‘how high’ every time you tell me to jump.” He looked exhausted but not defeated. “I’m a man with my own experiences and perspectives, but you never need to question my motivations when it comes to you. Do you understand that?”
She knew he didn’t want Amie or anyone else. “I do. But this thing with Amie is not going to work for me.”
“I understand, but you need to hear me when I say I don’t see her like that, and I never will. If I’d never found you again, I still wouldn’t have a sexual or romantic relationship with her. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” She believed him, she did. And he really did seem down about sending a camper home. “As long as you hear me. I don’t trust her intentions, and if you continue to be oblivious to them, that’s going to be a deal-breaker.” She dumped her purse on a nearby table. “You want to tell me what happened today?”
“Are we good?”
She pulled out a chair, its legs scraping on the concrete. “I’ll be honest with you. I don’t know what we are. I just think we’ve got enough issues going against us, we don’t need to add Amie’s shenanigans. There’s a part of me that still wants to keep my distance.”
“Yeah, I know that, and I’m working on it.”
“I believe you, which is why I’m still here. For the other part, the one that feels like you’re the one for me. The only one.”
He sat across from her, gripping her thighs. “I am.”
This man. She found his passion irresistible. Still… “Even if you are the only one for me, it doesn’t mean we’re going to be together.”
They sat so close their knees touched. “Amie doesn’t know about us. She thinks I’m single, so she’s not worried about boundaries. If you want, I can tell her.” He gave her a searching look. Is that what you want?
She shook her head. “I don’t trust her.”
“But you can trust me.” He reached for her hands.
As much as she wanted to believe him, his words couldn’t erase what she’d walked in on. Not tonight. “I’m tired. I think I’m just going to go home.” She got up. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Guys.” His deep voice quieted the enormous room. “Thanks for a great day. I’ll see you in the morning.”