A High so Sweet (Thornes & Roses 2)

“I want this.” He jerks his hips, the notion clear of what he truly craves.

I lift my head to find his desire-filled stare on me. “Do it.” Two words send him over the edge, and he doesn’t ask again before thrusting deep inside me. A cry is wrenched from my throat, and I cry out his name so loudly, it echoes around us in the small glass enclosure.

It’s fast. Quick. And filled with passion.

Cassian fucks me deep, hard, and with abandon as he bounces me on his thickness, which stretches me painfully. My body tightens around him, pleasure soaring, sending me to the edge, and it doesn’t take me long to find my release. Seconds later, Cassian growls in my ear as he comes hard and loud, his mouth catching my lobe, and he bites down on the soft flesh, tearing another orgasm through me.

We stay under the water for a while longer before he lets me to my feet. Once more, he cleans me before washing himself. Once we’re wrapped in towels, Cassian leads me to the bedroom.

“I want you to get some rest. I’ll bring some food for you, and then we’ll get some sleep. Tomorrow,” he says, before turning to me, “we need to figure out the rest of Paulo’s plan. It’s not the end of him, not by a long shot, and I have a feeling he has more sinister reasons for wanting to play your fake fiancé.”

I settle on the mattress, the high from earlier slowly easing with the talk of the man I stood beside for far too long. The pain and heartbreak I went through by his hand steals my breath, and the tears burn my eyes once more.

“We will get through this.”

“You hated me at the party. When we stood there, you told me you’ll make me pay for my lie. How did you change your mind so easily?” My voice is croaky. I lift my gaze to Cassian’s, watching his expression change from affection to contemplative within a few seconds.

“For years, I hated what you did. I didn’t hate you. I could never hate you,” he tells me. “Deep down, you were always mine, and I knew it. When you left, I forced myself to be angry with you. I wanted to hate you so much, but even when I tried to, I couldn’t. And knowing the pain you’ve already endured, knowing what you’ve been through, my punishments I’ll bestow on you will be filled with pleasured pain.”

His words slowly sink in. I have no way of ever thanking him for what he’s done. Knowing that he’s paying for my father’s treatment, that he’s trying to remove Paulo from my life, is overwhelming. I blink, and the tears fall.

“I don’t know what to say,” I tell him earnestly because I truly don’t. For the first time in years, I’m utterly speechless, and Cassian smiles. “What?”

“There were so many times over the years I’ve wanted to kiss you, to touch you, to tell you how I felt, but I couldn’t because I knew it wasn’t our time.” His voice is husky as he speaks. “But this is our time now, and nothing is going to stand in our way. I’ll ensure you’re safe. And when I get the details of Paulo’s plans, I’ll make sure he can never go through with them.”

“My mother still works at one of his studios,” I tell Cass; the thought of her being stuck with Paulo makes me shudder.

“I’ll sort it out.” He’s on his feet and moving to the door in seconds, his phone in his hand. He glances over his shoulder at me, offers a wink, and then he’s gone. I don’t know what he’s planning, and I’m not sure I want to know. The Thorne family has connections that lead to dangerous men, and it’s never been a secret, but this time, I’ll happily stay in the dark about what’s happening.

I settle on the bed and snuggle into the sheets; the scent of Cassian’s cologne still lingers, and for a long moment, I breathe him in. It feels as if I’m in a dream, as if I’m about to wake up from a weekend-long high and find this was all just a fantasy gone rogue.

The fear of losing Cassian when I’ve only just found him again makes my chest ache. Even though he’s said he wants me, there’s still a small niggling of doubt that settles in my mind as my lashes flutter and I fall asleep with thoughts of my future.

28

Cassian

When I reach my office, the sun is rising on another new day. One that confirms I’ve gotten lost in Kalyn and not realized there’s work to be done. Even though I should be focused on getting Paulo out of her life, part of me just craves staying in bed and enjoying her body all day, every day.