Rebuilding Forever Read Online Free PDF Page A
Author: Natalie J. Damschroder
muttered something with the glass up to his mouth. Cassie waited. He drained half the glass, cut his eyes to her, and apparently realized she wasn't going to let him skate on this. He thumped the glass back to the table.
"Hand job."
"Giving or receiving?"
"Receiving."
"And I assume you didn't come and woke up horny." She ate more sandwich, trying to come across more casual than she felt. Once was no big deal, but this was twice that she knew of. She wasn't the kind of woman to start angsting about how her partner really felt about her, and Seth had given her no reason to think he was having doubts about them. But...
"Are you having doubts about us?"
Seth's head came up and he looked shocked. "No!"
She chose a carrot and debated how delicate to be about this. She thought about the subject, Julian, and how in delicate he usually was.
"You've known Julian a lot longer than you've known me."
Seth stared at her. "So?"
"You're closer to him than you ever were to me."
"Again, so?" He held one palm up. "It's different."
"Not according to your dreams."
He shook his head. "I am not pining after Julian."
Relief made breathing easier. It was the first hint she'd had that this thing really scared her. She wouldn't expect anyone to be able to take Seth away from her--except Julian.
"Okay, then, there must be some other reason you're having these dreams."
He shot to his feet, his chair screeching across the linoleum. "I don't want to talk about it." He carried his plate to the counter. Cassie watched as he found the plastic wrap and covered the plate, then put it in the refrigerator.
"I'm going back to bed." He left the room without looking at her again.
Cassie finished her sandwich slowly, thinking. She didn't want this weekend to be stressful and difficult. It was likely that they wouldn't see each other again until the wedding. They'd timed things so that Blue Silver could finish recording and she'd have all her major work for Aquila completed before they went to St. Thomas to get married, then take a two-week honeymoon before settling in at home with no major distractions until the album was released. So she really wanted this visit to be positive and happy.
Which meant not mentioning Julian again. If it made Seth horny, fine. She was reaping the benefits, after all, and it was either a minor thing that would go away, or a major thing that wouldn't be resolved in one weekend.
So, good, she had a plan. Ignoring something always worked fine.
She rolled her eyes at herself and went back to bed.
* * * *
"That's a wrap, boys."
Seth and Julian clapped at the producer's announcement over the intercom. They'd been recording some final vocals for the new album, and wrapping meant they had a whole week to get ready for the wedding.
"I think it's the best one yet," Julian said as they left a few minutes later.
Seth grinned. "You say that every time."
"It's almost always true." Jules turned backward and skipped down the steps, squinting up at Seth in the bright afternoon light. "You gonna call Cassie?"
"Hell, no." They started down the sidewalk toward the pub where they were meeting the other guys to celebrate. "She's got this big conference thing tomorrow and is trying to handle all the last minute details with the resort. I'm not talking to her until I have to."
Julian laughed. "You're insane, mate. You should have just done it at the courthouse in little Harrisburg and been done with it. You know People tried to get me to give them exclusive photographs?"
"And?" Seth glared at him.
"And they weren't offering enough money. You're no Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, after all."
"Wanker."
"Ohmigodit'sSethGrahamandJulianManchesterOhmigod!"
The men halted as a trio of teenage girls jumped in front of them, squealing and bouncing and generally freaking out. They took a minute to sign autographs and give hugs--Seth carefully, Julian enthusiastically, while some paparazzo snapped a couple of shots.
"Still trying to make Georgie
"Hand job."
"Giving or receiving?"
"Receiving."
"And I assume you didn't come and woke up horny." She ate more sandwich, trying to come across more casual than she felt. Once was no big deal, but this was twice that she knew of. She wasn't the kind of woman to start angsting about how her partner really felt about her, and Seth had given her no reason to think he was having doubts about them. But...
"Are you having doubts about us?"
Seth's head came up and he looked shocked. "No!"
She chose a carrot and debated how delicate to be about this. She thought about the subject, Julian, and how in delicate he usually was.
"You've known Julian a lot longer than you've known me."
Seth stared at her. "So?"
"You're closer to him than you ever were to me."
"Again, so?" He held one palm up. "It's different."
"Not according to your dreams."
He shook his head. "I am not pining after Julian."
Relief made breathing easier. It was the first hint she'd had that this thing really scared her. She wouldn't expect anyone to be able to take Seth away from her--except Julian.
"Okay, then, there must be some other reason you're having these dreams."
He shot to his feet, his chair screeching across the linoleum. "I don't want to talk about it." He carried his plate to the counter. Cassie watched as he found the plastic wrap and covered the plate, then put it in the refrigerator.
"I'm going back to bed." He left the room without looking at her again.
Cassie finished her sandwich slowly, thinking. She didn't want this weekend to be stressful and difficult. It was likely that they wouldn't see each other again until the wedding. They'd timed things so that Blue Silver could finish recording and she'd have all her major work for Aquila completed before they went to St. Thomas to get married, then take a two-week honeymoon before settling in at home with no major distractions until the album was released. So she really wanted this visit to be positive and happy.
Which meant not mentioning Julian again. If it made Seth horny, fine. She was reaping the benefits, after all, and it was either a minor thing that would go away, or a major thing that wouldn't be resolved in one weekend.
So, good, she had a plan. Ignoring something always worked fine.
She rolled her eyes at herself and went back to bed.
* * * *
"That's a wrap, boys."
Seth and Julian clapped at the producer's announcement over the intercom. They'd been recording some final vocals for the new album, and wrapping meant they had a whole week to get ready for the wedding.
"I think it's the best one yet," Julian said as they left a few minutes later.
Seth grinned. "You say that every time."
"It's almost always true." Jules turned backward and skipped down the steps, squinting up at Seth in the bright afternoon light. "You gonna call Cassie?"
"Hell, no." They started down the sidewalk toward the pub where they were meeting the other guys to celebrate. "She's got this big conference thing tomorrow and is trying to handle all the last minute details with the resort. I'm not talking to her until I have to."
Julian laughed. "You're insane, mate. You should have just done it at the courthouse in little Harrisburg and been done with it. You know People tried to get me to give them exclusive photographs?"
"And?" Seth glared at him.
"And they weren't offering enough money. You're no Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, after all."
"Wanker."
"Ohmigodit'sSethGrahamandJulianManchesterOhmigod!"
The men halted as a trio of teenage girls jumped in front of them, squealing and bouncing and generally freaking out. They took a minute to sign autographs and give hugs--Seth carefully, Julian enthusiastically, while some paparazzo snapped a couple of shots.
"Still trying to make Georgie