Welcome to the Cassadines: Book II of Kismet

Chapter Twenty-five

*Baby Steps*

The overhead bell rang loudly as the garage door swung open. Sly glanced away from the mess Lucky had made of his desk to gape at the brown-eyed beauty's approach. Her gorgeous eyes blazed with fury and Sly knew there was cause for concern. Yet, he couldn't help but admire how beautiful Allyson looked when she was angry.

"You went behind my back." She tossed her keys onto his desk and planted both hands on her ample hips.

He nodded. "I did. I don't like being a secret." He took her keys and twirled them around his index finger. "Besides, your dad would have found out sooner or later. It was better that he heard it from me."

"No!" She wagged her finger just inches from his nose. "I should have told him. Do you know he spent half the night--"

"Screaming and shouting?"

A warning cloud settled on her features. Her voiced dropped to a near whisper. "He expressed how disappointed he was in me. Not once did he scream or shout. He was hurt that I didn't tell him myself. You shouldn't have gone over there."

He stopped swinging the keys and clutched them in the palm of his hand. "He doesn't think I'm good enough for you, Allyson. What was I supposed to do? Hide behind your skirt while you fought this battle for me."

"This isn't your battle. It's ours." She slumped onto the chair across from his desk. "Why are you so pigheaded to see that?"

"I don't have the best reputation," he stated quietly. "Most people think I'm worthless and destined to kill or be killed. Talking to your dad was one way to prove them wrong. I'm not the punk most people assume I am. I sincerely care about you. The only way this is can work is if people understand that."

"By people you mean Bryan Philips," she murmured.

"For starters."

She rose, came around the desk and squatted in front of him. Her fingers raked across the stubble on his jaw. Her thumb did crazy things to his bottom lip. "You're not worthless. True, your rep sucks, but I don't care about that as much as I used to. In fact, I don't care about it at all because after all these years, I'm finally getting to know the real you."

He hitched a breath and mumbled, "Oh, boy."

Her gentle laugh rippled through the air. "I dig the real you."

"I dig you, too." He pulled her onto his lap, careful to settle her on his uninjured leg. His fingers drew tiny circles on her bare midriff. Was that a belly ring peeking out? His eyes widened then he met her gaze for confirmation.

She grinned. "Daddy doesn't control me, Sly. His opinion matters, but I'm not a kid anymore. I know a good thing when I see it."

"So do I." He pressed his lips against hers, then gently covered her mouth. The taste of her soothed his restless spirit. The kiss deepened. The tip of her tongue caressed his. Sly released a groan. Her eager response gave promise to their future.

~*~

Emily laughed as Lucky hopped from the tow truck and jogged toward her. He graced her with an irresistibly devastating grin. He plopped onto the wrought iron chair and grimaced as he rubbed his hip.

"Ow. I need to talk to Aunt Bobbie or LuLu about these chairs," he said. "Mm, are those chili cheese fries?" He grabbed a couple from her plate. "I've been to a lot of places, but Kelly's has the best chili on the planet."

"What are you doing in that truck? I thought you had a lunch break."

"I do," he said between bites of her food. "Sly asked me to keep the truck just in case there's a call. You don't mind, do you?" He glanced over his shoulder. "I guess it is an eyesore, but Sly's proud of it. He did the detail himself. I told him to think about adding that as a side business."