A High so Sweet (Thornes & Roses 2)

“Where were you staying at the time?” Finn asks, causing me to finally look up at both men. Cassian looks like he’s barely holding onto his sanity at this point, so I focus on Finn.

“One of Paulo’s houses. He kept me there, night and day. If I was in the studio, on location or had an appearance, he’d take me, wait until I was done, and then drive me back to the house.”

“Where were your folks?” Again, it’s Finn who asks this, and Cassian sits silently, his teal eyes turning dark with anger at every word I utter.

“Dad was already in the hospital, and Mom was working night and day at the studio,” I tell them. “I was alone. And I thought Paulo cared, ensuring I got to work when I needed to be. It was…”

“Nice?” Cassian sneers; his hands are twisted on the table as he leans forward. “He was being nice?” I know he’s not angry at me because he would’ve said something to taunt me if he was. He’s angry at how Paulo twisted my perception of him, ensuring I was leaning on and relying on him for everything.

“Yeah,” I admit. “When I started getting sick, he took me to a doctor to get tests done, but now that I recall, the doctor didn’t say anything was the matter. But Paulo met with him alone, after I was done. They were in the office for a long while, and when Paulo took me home, he seemed agitated. I don’t remember much more of that day or the night.”

Cassian is on his feet, pacing back and forth as he tugs off his hoodie, and I get a glimpse of the man under the material. His shoulders are broad, muscled. He’s filled out so much from the boy I once knew. Veins line his arms, pulsing as he fists and releases his hands at his sides.

His torso is lean, but he’s sculpted; the way his body is tapered from his broad chest to his narrow waist makes my mouth water. The black jeans he’s wearing hug his muscled thighs. Everything about him is built for the hunt, a predator, ready to pounce on his prey.

When he finally stops pacing, those teal eyes, now dark as the ocean, pin me to the spot, and my breath catches in my throat. “What happened after that?” His voice is menacing, drenched with something dark, something dangerous, and it makes me shiver. I’m not afraid of Cassian hurting me; I’m scared that he’s going to do something he can never come back from. I’m terrified he’ll kill Paulo.

There are choices you make, things you do in life. You act out, and you don’t think of the consequences, the aftermath. And I pray with all I have that Cassian doesn’t do something stupid that will forever change his life. Not for me.

“I-I think that’s enough,” I whisper.

“Tell me what the fuck happened!” His voice booms across the room, and I expect the windows to shatter from the pure force of it. His hands slam down on the wooden surface, causing me to jump in shock. I’ve seen Cassian in every mood imaginable, but I’ve never seen him so filled with rage before.

“Hey, man,” Finn tries to placate his brother. “We know what—”

“Shut the fuck up, Finn,” Cassian throws back over his shoulder to his brother. “I want her to tell me. I want to hear the words uttered because when I take action, I want the reminder of this pretty little liar’s confession to be my fuel.”

He turns his attention on me once more, and then I see it. It’s only a flicker of emotion, but I read it in those eyes. He cares for me. It may not be love, but there’s something there, and if he cares, perhaps he’ll listen to me. Maybe he’ll hear me out and not do something stupid.

“I-I…” My voice cracks as agony shoots through my chest at the memory. At how callously Paulo had acted when I was admitted to the hospital. Tears burn my eyes, they linger on my lashes, and when I blink, they trickle down my cheeks.

I expect Cassian to laugh, to say something taunting to me. I am certain he’s enjoying my pain, but when he speaks, my heart catapults into my throat.

“I’m going to kill him.” There is no messing around, no humor in his tone, and it’s evident that he’s most certainly going to do as he says. “Tell me, Kalyn, you need to talk about it,” he says gently as he settles into the chair beside me.

His arm wraps around my shoulders as he pulls me closer to his body. I nestle in the crook of his hold, and his strong, firm touch calms me somewhat as he leans in to meet my gaze.