A High so Sweet (Thornes & Roses 2)

“How?” I mumble, inhaling his breath and allowing him to steal mine. His lips touch mine, it’s featherlight, but enough to cause my thighs to squeeze together.

A flicker of warning dances in those pretty eyes. I should ask him why he wants me to stay at the manor, why he wants to keep me from Paulo, but all I can think about right now is kissing him. And wanting him to finally claim me as his.

But he pushes away and says, “You’ll soon learn. Come.” Cassian spins on his heel, leaving me heaving breaths to keep from passing out. His scent is all over me; the cedar and mint of his cologne have engulfed me, and as I rush to follow him through the trees, it’s the only thing I can smell.

I don’t know what he has in store for me, but I have a feeling his revenge will be nothing compared to what Paulo’s put me through. So, before I have time to rethink my actions, I slip into the passenger seat of the SUV and watch as Cassian joins me.

“What about my father? Paulo’s paying for his treatment.”

Cassian glances over at me, his right hand gripping the steering wheel while his left elbow leans against the door. He looks like the ultimate bad boy as he grins. “Don’t you worry your pretty head about that,” he tells me. “Your father is being taken care of by Thorne Industries.”

“I still don’t understand,” I say, imploring him with my gaze to tell me the whole story. “What about my car?”

“Don’t worry about that either,” he informs me. “I’ll have one of my men bring it to the house.” Cassian starts the engine, a song blares through the speakers cutting off any more conversation we could have. Instead of forcing him to talk, I settle in for the short ride back to the manor and pray that whatever his plan is, my family is safe.

18

Cassian

Her scent is all over me.

Even as I attempt to focus, all I can think about is just how close I was to her, so close I almost stole a kiss when her lips brushed against mine. I almost took her right there against the tree. It would’ve been a release I have craved for years, but I needed to clear my head. I needed to think about this logically because her penance will have to be deserving of her crime.

When I finally kill the engine, the silence that hangs in the air is thick with tension. I should say something. Perhaps I should tell her that I’m doing this to get her away from an abusive bastard, but I want to hurt her as well. Not like he did, I just want her to know that no matter where she goes in life, she’s mine, she always will be.

Nobody can make her feel like I do.

No other man, or woman, can make her want, desire, and yearn for them like she does for me.

“I don’t know what to say to you anymore,” Kalyn whispers, her hands twisted together. “Why are you bringing me here?”

I ponder her words, her question, for a long while before I glance at her. “I may want you to pay for what you did, but I’m no monster. That bastard…” I allow my words to filter into nothing because anything I say will have the rage boiling up inside me again. And the last thing I need right now is to get into a fight with him.

When I take him down, it will be with precision, with class, and I’ll make sure he never has access to vulnerable young women again. I’ve seen men like him, time and again, and they always get what’s coming to them.

“What will your family say if I’m here?” Kaly asks, dragging my attention back to her. I focus on her pretty face. She’s thinner than she was at school. But her beauty still remains perfectly in place. High cheekbones, full, plump lips that just beg to be claimed, almond-shaped eyes, and straight, button nose. She is every photographer’s dream. Her wild, curly brown hair has highlights of gold in strands that only add to her unique beauty.

“My father doesn’t mind,” I tell her before turning my attention to the front of the car. I’ve parked just outside the garage door, and I allow my focus to remain on the wall instead of Kaly. “My brother, on the other hand, he’s about as angry as I am.”

Honesty was what I always gave her. Even when we were still at school, even when I knew the truth would hurt, I would offer it up as a gift. She did the same for me, and that’s how our friendship bloomed, like a rose. The sweet bud of new possibilities blossomed until she lied. That’s when the petals fell, and the happiness I once knew came crashing down.