Free How Cassie Got Her Grind Back by Heather Rainier

let him off while I get the silent treatment for two weeks? What the hell?”
    Ivan clapped him on the back and said, “Brother, it’s a whole lot easier to apologize when your mouth isn’t stuffed full of shoe. Now if you’ll pardon me, I’m gonna go dance with a beautiful lady.”
    And I don’t care if everyone knows I’m enjoying the hell out of it.

Chapter Five
     
    Cassie felt almost high on endorphins as she followed Ivan to the dance floor, which was odd, considering the unpleasant confrontation with Bill. But his rudeness paled in comparison to seeing Samson and Ivan again.
    There was something special about Ivan and always had been. He was every bit as rugged and handsome as his brother, but there was a gentleness about him that had always made her feel safe and comforted.
    Ivan’s personality wasn’t in opposition to his brother’s so much as complementary to it. Samson could be just as gentle and sweet to her, but there had been, and still was, an edginess and physicality to his presence that had always attracted Cassie, even though he’d never made an inappropriate move on her. She’d made it clear from the beginning she was waiting for marriage, and he’d respected her limit.
    Besides his brother, Ivan had always been one of her favorite people, despite the fact that her father, uncles, and grandfather had been vocal in their disapproval of her dating Samson and being such close friends with two “white boys.”
    She rolled her eyes, remembering her dad’s gruff intonation of those words, and how laughable the sentiment had been back then and was even more so in the present time. What saddened her, though, in the end, was that he’d succeeded in getting what he’d wanted all along: her close to home and in the clutches of family, married to a man he approved of—and miserable.
    Ivan brought her focus back to the present, drawing her against him as they settled into the rhythm of the song the DJ was playing. “Baby Be My Love Song” by Easton Corbin.
    He tucked her against him and gazed down at her. “I always thought you were gorgeous, Cassie, but you’ve only grown more beautiful with the years.”
    Cassie chuckled and felt heat creep into her cheeks at his generous words. “It’s the low lighting, Ivan. The crow’s feet and lines are there.”
    He shook his head and kissed her temple. “All I see is your pretty eyes. The sweet sparkle hasn’t left them, despite the years.”
    “Or the miles. I’m glad you think so.”
    His touch at her waist, just barely above her hip, was gentle but secure, like his grip on her hand, and he guided her around the dance floor with the same practiced ease his brother had earlier. Comforted by how easily they fit, she considered releasing his left hand and wrapping her arms around his neck and laying her head on his chest.
    Some of her happiest memories revolved around spending time with Samson and his brother. They’d both played for the Divine Vikings varsity football team, and she’d played the clarinet in the Vikings marching band. Whether it was a sports- or school-related activity, lunchtime, or in classes, it didn’t matter. She’d always felt centered when they were around.
    She was slightly above average in height at five eight, and Ivan and his brother were both over six feet tall, and she frankly loved the way it felt to be next to a man she could look up to, even in heels.
    He stroked up and down in a light caress from her hip to her lower ribs, and she inhaled softly at the tug deep within her core, responding to his touch.
    “I’m glad you and Samson were able to reconnect over the last few weeks.”
    She snorted and shook her head. “It was a little bumpy, but I’m glad, too. He still has a tendency to speak his mind.”
    Ivan grinned, and his chest rumbled as he chuckled. Her nipples took notice as she brushed against him in the dance. His hand slid farther around her waist and caressed up and down her spine and a wave a goose