The Highest Bidder by Sommer Marsden Read Free Book Online Page B

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Chapter Seven

    THE THOUGHT OF AUCTIONING him off to another woman, even for a night, was enough to make her see red.
    ‘You need to get over that, you dingus.’ Casey fit her key into the door.
    It was just past three and she hadn’t eaten all day. Annie and everyone else had eaten at the hotel and then Annie had headed off to her shift at the book store. Casey, once again, found herself grateful that Brendan’s life insurance had left her in a position to do charity work for now. She wanted to work but wasn’t sure at what just yet. This gave her time to think and be productive.
    One of her dreams had always been to open an antique store or just a second hand store. When she pondered it, the Jiminy Cricket in her head said, and then Nick can refurbish things for you and you can live happily ever af–
    ‘Shut it, Jiminy.’
    She pulled a container of parmesan noodles from the fridge and put the leftovers in the toaster oven. She washed her hands and started making a small salad as her stomach growled angrily.
    She’d have to auction him off. It was for charity, it wasn’t like she was pimping him out for stud service. Casey snorted and rolled her eyes. ‘You have gone mental,’ she said.
    She sat in front of the afternoon talk shows and ate her noodles and salad. Then she kicked off her heels and pulled off her thigh highs. Her body still thumped and quivered whenever she let herself remember him moving behind her, flipping her skirt up, fucking her as she pushed her hands to those rough cinderblocks.
    Casey took a long hot shower and then dressed in leggings and thick wool socks. The fall weather was truly turning toward cold because the house read 67 degrees. Her favourite navy blue pullover swathed her in warm thick cotton from neck to mid thigh and she decided that a salted caramel hot chocolate was just what the chill weather ordered.
    With whipped cream.
    She’d taken her first salty-sweet sip when the doorbell rang. Casey hurried to answer. ‘You’re here!’ she said, licking her lips.
    ‘Annie gave me your address,’ he muttered. His gaze was locked on her lips.
    Nick leaned in and licked her upper lip with the tip of his tongue and her heart quickened. ‘Sorry,’ he whispered, running his thumb along her lower lip. ‘You had something …’He licked his lips and looked intent. ‘Whipped cream? It was on your lip.’
    ‘It is whipped cream. I just made a hot chocolate. Want one?’
    ‘Can I come in for it?’
    She gasped and took a step back, letting a bit of the rain and a few dead leaves sweep in with him. ‘Sorry – sorry. You turn my brain to mush, you know.’ She said it to her wool socks. It was too big a statement to say it right to him.
    ‘You pretty much do the same thing to me. And I’d love a hot chocolate.’
    ‘Walk this way.’ She led him to the kitchen and when Casey turned he was behind her mimicking her walk by swaying his hips like a woman. Lean hips shimmying and his upper body rotating and his stance a bit girlish.
    Casey covered her mouth as hysterical laughter bubbled out of her. ‘Oh God.’
    ‘You said, walk this way.’ He grinned and she felt the urge to smash herself up against him and kiss him until their clothes fell off.
    Casey turned from him, rattled by her urgent need to touch and kiss him. She set the water on to boil and measured out the dark cocoa, the sea salt, a few squirts of caramel. She added a touch of cream to give it that really decadent richness and waited for the water.
    ‘Are you OK with the auction? You often look like you want to run away.’ She wanted him to feel comfortable and here was as good a chance as any to let him off the hook.
    ‘Well,’ he sighed, seating himself on one of the high stools. ‘I came here to ask you a favour.’
    ‘What’s that?’
    ‘Will you bid on me if no one does?’
    ‘What do you mean if no one does?’ she asked, laughing. Casey could hear the water starting to jump and simmer in the