A High so Sweet (Thornes & Roses 2)

“Tell me what he is doing to you, Kaly?” Cassian asks, his voice cold, like ice trickling down my spine, and I can’t stop the shiver that trails from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

I want to lie. It’s my first instinct because I know Cass, and if I were to tell him about my life, something bad would happen. Not to Paulo, but to me and Cassian. Deep down, all I want is for the boy who once held my heart to take it once more and keep it safe.

“Nothing,” I finally lie to Cassian, and my heart cracks.

His anger is palpable; it’s a force to be reckoned with because the moment he moves, I’m nothing but prey in his eyes. His grip on my chin is unyielding as he tugs me to look at him. There’s no escaping the teal glare that’s holding me hostage.

“Don’t you dare fucking lie to me,” Cassian grits angrily, his teeth clenching in frustration as he regards me. The blaze in his eyes sends heat coursing through my veins, and my thighs squeeze together.

“I can’t talk about it with you,” I finally respond after a long silence. He doesn’t say anything; he doesn’t move, still holding onto my chin as if it were a lifeline.

“I want you away from him,” Cassian declares as if it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. I can’t just walk away from Paulo, not when he’s paying for my father’s treatments.

I shake my head slowly. He doesn’t understand. “Cassian—”

“Don’t fucking give me that. I don’t give a shit anymore.” Anger emanates off him as he releases me and turns his back on me. I watch him as turmoil so clearly twists inside him. I’ve never seen him like this, and I want to go to him, to wrap my arms around his waist and press my body against his. For so long, I’ve wanted to be his, to have him be mine, but it’s too late.

I shake my head and force myself to make my way to him. His heat sizzles through me as I near him. Reaching for him, I press my palm against his back. “There’s no way I can leave without him losing his mind. There are too many variables that hang in the balance if I were to decide to do it.”

“Then I’ll make you,” he threatens, his head turning, his gaze burning into me as he watches me. “I’ll find a way.” My chest tightens, and my heart thuds against my ribs. He’s always had it. Cassian has had my heart since I first laid eyes on him.

“There’s no way, Cassian. I cannot just walk away from promises I’ve made.” My plea falls on deaf ears when he chuckles. He’s beyond rational thought at this point, and I realize I should’ve stayed home. Cassian Thorne isn’t used to being told no, but right now, I’m defying him more than I ever have. “My life is difficult, complicated. And no amount of money is going to change that,” I add on, because I know he will throw out a comment about paying for something to be done.

“Oh, my little liar,” he whispers as he turns to fully face me. “When I want something, I always make it happen.” And there it is, Cassian’s overconfidence.

A small smile graces my lips. It’s true, and I know it. He’s always been someone who’s gotten what he wants. Most times, things are easy to capture, but this time, it’s different. I meet his gaze and say, “But this time, you’re too late.”

“Fuck being late, Kaly,” he murmurs, stalking toward me so quickly, I step back and slam into the wall of the mausoleum. The cold concrete ensures I can’t run away; I’m nothing more than a hostage to Cassian right now.

He stops when he’s inches from me, his large, looming frame caging me in, and an icy shiver of awareness trickles down my spine. Cassian would never hurt me, that much I know, but the way he’s looking at me right now makes everything I know about him fall into question.

My body heats at his nearness as it usually does, and the air sparks with electric desire. His eyes dance with need as he regards me, a smile slowly tilting the corners of his mouth.

“If you think for one second you can walk back into my town and tell me you’re not mine, then you have another thing coming, little liar,” he informs me confidently. “I’m going to ensure you’re in my possession soon, and when you are, you’re not returning to that piece of shit you call a fiancé.”

I want to scream at him.

I want to tell him to leave me alone.

But it would be a lie.

I’ve always wanted to belong to Cassian Thorne. For years, I prayed he’d wake up and finally lay claim to me. And now that I have a heavy diamond ring on my finger, he’s chosen this moment to finally declare I’m his.