Resisting Cassidy (A Forbidden Romance)

Tate

As a surgeon, there are things I've trained myself to do, first and foremost, pay attention even to the smallest of details.

And that was what I found myself doing early the next morning when I returned home from work and saw Cassidy in the kitchen. My gaze travelled to the shape of her strong yet delicately curved calves up to the flawless skin of the back of her thighs and god help me, the apple-bottom shape peeking out of her much too short pyjama shorts. There was a freckle on the right cheek, an enticing little mark that called up to me. Come closer, find out where this could lead you.

I better come up with rules fast before I commit the ultimate Bro Code sin. I released a heavy exhale and it alerted Cassidy, head turning to me, a slightly surprised side glance and parted lips.

"Tate!" She turned her whole body around after closing the refrigerator door behind her, like I'd caught her doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. If she only knew...

I'd returned home late last night only to be called back to work again due to an emergency. I didn't have the chance to check in on her last night. In all honesty, I thought she'd changed her mind. Maybe I even prayed a little she would, although a large part of me also hope she wouldn't.

"I was just checking to see what I could make for breakfast. I thought you'd be home later." She kept her hands behind her back, an action so simple, yet, inviting at the same time. To me, at least.

Thankful for the large kitchen island between us, I composed myself, and adjusted my stiffening cock under my jeans, hidden by the marble slab. "I received a call from Cindy...my ex-wife. They want me on an earlier flight." Yes, talk of bitchy exes before breakfast could ruin a hard-on.

"Oh that's great. You must be excited." She stepped forward and leaned on the counter, and propped her chin on a closed fist. Such an innocent action. Enough to remind me she was much too young for me and if I wanted my balls to remain attached to my body, I'd stay far the fuck away.

"Yeah. I haven't seen Maddy in a couple of months." I scrubbed the beard I'd forgotten to shave yesterday.

"Oh." I was sure she'd follow that with a few questions but all she did was stare at me, at the hand on my jaw, possibly waiting for an explanation.

I scratched at my jaw again. My ex hated facial hair, but I wondered how Cassidy felt about it. I imagined her skin flushing as I lightly scraped it with the coarse hair on my jaw, as I took in her scent, and kissed along her quivering stomach down to her...

"If you tell me what she likes to eat I can do the groceries before you guys come back." It took a long second before I realized she had spoken.

"Yeah that would be great," I replied a little belatedly, squeezing my eyelids shut as though it would erase my dirty thoughts. When I opened my eyes, I focused on the refrigerator door behind Cassidy. "She's allergic to cinnamon, and that's it as far as I know. Not anaphylactic. She gets hives. Her mother doesn't give her a lot of sugar, but my Maddy has a sweet tooth. Just pick up whatever. She's not picky."

"I should make a list." She turned and grabbed the magnetic notepad off the fridge door. "How about you? What do you like?"

Fuck me. I wished she'd asked that without biting down on the tip of the pen and looking up at me through her lashes, like she was inviting me to show her what I liked, what I wanted to do to her. I was tired from work. I was imagining things. She wasn't flirting with me. But her tits told a different story, her nipples practically boring holes through her pink shirt.

"I like what you like." Whatever the fuck that meant. I needed to escape this conversation, and get my shit together. Cassidy was here for one reason, to take care of Maddy. I didn't agree to this because I wanted her to take care of my needs too. Nope. Not. Fucking. At. All. "I'm gonna shower quickly then head out." I slipped my wallet out of my back pocket, picked out one of my cards and slid it towards her. "Here. Use this. I'll write down the pin for you. If anyone gives you problems for using it, have them call me."

I practically ran out of the kitchen to my bathroom for a much needed iceberg-cold shower. My only hope was that I could get rid of these desires once Maddy got home.

***
I arrived in Miami a few hours later and right away, I wanted to go back. It wasn't the heat, and it wasn't the instant craziness surrounding me. It was the people.

Miami had been home for seven years. Before I had Maddy, I was much like every other person in this city. Having been a partner in Fillion Group, one of the best cosmetic surgery clinics in the country, I'd operated and partied with the famous. A number of celebrities had been my loyal patients for years. I had more money than I needed and had no qualms showing it off. And I had a beautiful wife. A wife who had once been so devoted to me, who supported my every decision as long as she saw the benefits. I belonged in Miami. I was young, smart, talented, and had more money than sense.

Everything changed the night I first experienced love at first sight. Five years ago, when my darling daughter was born. Suddenly having wealth wasn't enough, or in my case, it had been too much. I wanted to give her the world, and all the love I could give. Since I had the power to change my work schedule, I spent as much time as I could with Maddy. Cindy, my wife, wasn't too happy about it. She had preferred me at work. Later on, I learned she wanted that because having me around at all times meant zero play time with whichever guy she was cheating on me with.

Maddy was all that I cared about and I wanted something better for her. A life that wasn't surrounded with false smiles and fake affections. I wanted to give her the life I had growing up, the fun in the sun outdoors--playing in the mud, swimming at the lake with friends, having picnic at the park. When I expressed this to Cindy, our marriage immediately fell apart.

It wasn't a surprise to her when I dissolved my partnership with the Fillion Group as soon as I heard Bar Harbor's rural hospital had a chief of surgeon opening.

"Daddy!" Maddy greeted me as soon as I folded out of the rental car. She ran down the steps to the gravelled driveway in front a house too big for two people to live in. But my ex-wife would rather die than leave the eight-bedroom oceanfront I'd bought for us.

Maddy jumped into my arms, and I kissed her hair. "I missed you," she murmured on my shirt.

"I missed you, too, sweetums. Let's see how much you've grown." She stepped away from me and presented herself with a curtsy and a twirl, the skirt of her layered tutu swishing around her knees. "Very good. I bet you're eating all your vegetables."

Her sweet smile turned to a grin. "Ahmmmm. I have a new doll!" was her not-so-slick, change-of-subject response to my comment.

"Is she coming with us?"

"Yup. I go get her." I stood and she grabbed my hand.

"Where's mommy?"

"Inside." When she tugged at my hand, I leaned down so she could whisper in my ear. "She has a headache."

I pressed my lips and nodded. Inside, I was keeping my anger at bay. Cindy having a headache meant something else to me. She'd been partying, which had never changed, but as I'd suspected a long time ago, she'd turned to taking heavier drugs. The effects turned her almost zombie-like even the day after and meaner if it was still in her system. And it was another reason why I was fighting to have full custody of Maddy.

I gave my daughter a smile and a peck on the cheek before stretching to my full height. The muscles on my back and shoulders tightening from the hopefully avoidable fight. If I played my cards right, Maddy would be able to live with me, but Cindy felt I'd done her wrong. And she was going to make me pay at all cost. And so right now, I had to play nice with the ex-wife.

***
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