Chapter 25
ADELINA
The sound was deafening, and my heart raced. My eyes shot open, scanning the room for any sign of danger. The wind hammered the house the same way it had that night—rain hitting the walls, wanting to rip them apart.
Anxiety ran through my veins, irrational but vicious. The memories tangled together, clawing at me, pulling me backwards. I clutched the covers tighter, seeking solace in Cezar’s peaceful slumber beside me.
It wasn’t enough.
The wind howled harder—the kind of sound that made the world feel like it was about to cave in. My thoughts spiraled into flashes of things I never actually saw, but still lived with. I tried to get out of bed. The fucking panic hit too fast. My legs buckled, and my vision tunneled.
Couldn’t see.
Couldn’t fucking breathe.
Couldn’t even call for him.
Cezar…
“Petal, hey—hey… fuck—”
He flicked the light on and scooped me up like I weighed nothing, settling into the nearest chair with me curled against him. His words were muffled beneath the pounding of my heartbeat and the ache pulsing through every part of me.
Then he started singing.
“Hush now, close your eyes,
Rest your head beneath the skies.
Though the thunder roars and lightning strikes,
I’ll be here to hold you tight.”
His voice felt warm. The melody was simple. It seeped through the panic and pulled me back piece by piece.
“So let the rain fall, let the winds blow,
In my arms, you’ll safely go,
Dream sweet dreams, let worries flee,
For you’re safe and sound with me.
The lightning’s flash is but a spark,
Guiding dreams through the dark.
And when the storm has passed us by,
We’ll wake to clear skies, you and I.”
As Cezar held me, his singing filled the room with a hushed melody, soothing and comforting. In that moment, it felt as though nothing could harm me again. He lied to me when I asked him if he had any other talents. What a beautiful voice he had.
As the fear dissipated, I clung to him, finding comfort in his embrace.
When I finally managed to open my eyes, I saw him looking at me as if I were the most important thing in the world.
He kissed my forehead and repeated the last few lines before asking, “Petal, I’ve got you…
I promise, but are you all right? Do you need anything? ”
I blinked, still trying to steady myself. I never expected anyone else to calm me the way Dorin always had.
But Cezar knew exactly what to do. He knew how to touch me. How to pull me back from the edge. “Cezar, this is everything I need. Thank you… But where did that come from?”
“My mom used to sing it to me,” he said.
“When things were bad and she couldn’t protect me, she’d wait until everyone was asleep, sneak into my room, and sing this.
Every time I am unable to control the past, I go back to the song she taught me.
” He held me tighter, showering me with kisses.
And in that moment, wrapped in his arms, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time—safe.
“It was absolutely beautiful.” I smiled, kissing him. The way he kissed me made me feel like a goddess—almost worshipful. I wanted to melt into him. His hands moved up and down my back until another crack of thunder shattered the moment.
“Ah, fuck.” Cezar jerked slightly, wiping blood from his lip with his thumb.
My stomach dropped. “I—”
He cut me off with that ridiculous bright smile of his. “Are you purposefully turning me on?” he joked, a low laugh rumbling out of him.
I still wanted to apologize. I didn’t mean to bite him, but of course, he would have liked it.
“Hey, look at me, it’s ok. You don’t like storms? You wanna tell me why?” he asked gently, his arms still providing me security.
“Yeah, I don’t like storms,” I confessed.
“And I have a hard time talking about it. But the night my parents died, I was really young, and I woke up to a storm like this. Dragged out of bed in the middle of the night to the news that they were just… gone.” I burrowed myself deeper against him, trying to breathe past the memories.
“You know, sometimes I think I would like to forget my past, everything that I’ve been through. But then I wouldn’t have the wonderful memories of my mom. Just like you wouldn’t have the wonderful memories of your parents,” Cezar mused.
He rose to his feet, taking me with him. “Lina, will you let me try something?”
“All right,” I replied, mirroring his caution.
The French doors at the back of the room led to a small deck overlooking the garden. I picked this room because I paid for the damn house, so I took the best one—but during storms, it always looked like the kind of place where people wandered out to die. Charming.
“Close your eyes, please,” Cezar urged, and without hesitation, I complied. This was certainly an unexpected turn of events.
I trusted him. For some fucking reason, I trusted him.
I heard the door open, and my nails dug into his skin. I didn’t know what he was doing, but I kept my eyes shut and clung to him like he was a parachute, and I just jumped out of a plane. He stood still for a moment, coaxing me to breathe with him.
The air smelled refreshing. Memories crept in.
I used to love nights like this. My mom and I would sit on the deck, with blankets, watching the sky unravel in the most beautiful way.
My dad would show up with some bizarre drink he swore was ‘innovative’—and it was always awful.
Except for the last time. The last storm.
He brought hot cocoa instead. Real cocoa from a box, not whatever chemical sludge he usually made.
I remembered him picking me up and setting me in his lap. Despite growing bigger and thinking that I was such an adult back then, I didn’t protest. On stormy nights, I became their little girl again, and they were my protectors, my everything.
Cezar carried me further out into the rain, and when the drops hit my face, they were freezing against tear-soaked skin. Then he started singing again. He felt like a shield I’d somehow earned. Like maybe I could be who I was before everything was taken from me.
“Cezar, can you, maybe, make me some hot cocoa?” I whispered, terrified the moment would fade away if I spoke too loud.
When was the last time I even dared to think about my parents?
When was the last time my thoughts weren’t consumed by the night they were fucking murdered?
The reality of Cezar and how he made me feel was where I wanted to exist.
Please don’t take that away…
“Of course, my Petal,” he said, briefly attempting to put me down before realizing his mistake. He led us back into the house, not bothering to close the door but instead instructing me to stand on the bed. What was he thinking?
I did, water dripping from our clothes. He turned around, giving me a once-over, his eyes taking in my soaked appearance. “Hop on,” he directed, tapping his back.
Am I a fucking bunny? Hopped on anyway. This man was giving me a god damn piggyback ride because he knew, he knew what it was like to be all alone with the fucking thoughts that just wouldn’t shut up, and he didn’t want me to feel that way.
We made our way to the kitchen, not wanting to wake anyone or trip. He spent more than enough time here to know his way around. I was so happy that we had hot cocoa, and it wasn’t expired. I couldn’t wait to savor the sweetness again.
Cezar took the cup and led us back into the room. He didn’t stop there. He continued outside, placing it on the small table before maneuvering me until I was clinging to the front of him.
Once seated, he acted as if what he had just done was nothing, reminiscent of the time he had picked me up when we first met.
I loved how he could effortlessly handle me like that.
As we settled in, he brought the cup to my mouth, allowing me to take a careful sip.
It was hot, and it was fucking delicious.
Taking it, I welcomed the warmth against the chill of the outdoors. His hand supported my back, while the other squeezed one of my thighs. “You’re wet,” he stated the obvious, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at his observation.
He was a pervert through and through. I could see the desire in his eyes. I wanted his touch as much as he seemed to want mine. “How do you feel about getting a little dirty?” he asked with a grin playing on his lips.
I wasn’t sure what to say, so I kissed him.
What was he planning?
“Mmm, you taste sweet.” Licking his lips, he grabbed the cup from me to take a drink.
“You can have more than just one drink.” I averted my eyes.
“I am thirsty for something else.” His lips twitched upward, forming a jagged line that hinted at amusement. He lifted me from his lap, and we were standing in the rain again. “You know, you haven’t jumped at the thunder since we have been out here.”
It was like nothing mattered but the here and now. Here and right fucking now, I wanted this man to please me. “Cezar, touch me.”
He gently placed me on the wet ground. I took a quick, short breath at the cold of the water pooling around me.
He practically ripped my pants off. Good thing I didn’t love these pajamas.
Situating himself on top of me, his shadow swallowed me, his face right in front of mine, our noses almost touching.
He closed his eyes and kissed me. It was filled with so much love. At least that was how it felt.
Prying himself from my hold, he kneeled. For a moment, he hesitated, then his hands found the bottom of my shirt and lifted it to my collarbone, revealing my breasts. He stayed there, looking at me, studying me with an intensity that made it seem like he was committing every detail to memory.
Despite considering myself a confident person, when someone like Cezar looked at me the way he did, I couldn’t help but feel fragile.
I wanted to curl into a ball to shield myself from exposing any vulnerabilities.
As he got down on his knees, draping his arms around my legs and pulling me closer, my breath caught.
The first thing he did was bite me. Maybe I deserved that. My hands instinctively went to his head, pulling on his hair, but he never came up for air. His tongue licked my sensitive flesh, then he would suck on my clit, moving in a circular motion. I couldn’t contain myself.
Trying to ease the pleasure, I fondled the ground for something to hold onto, but there was nothing. I didn’t want to rip out his hair. My back arched, and I twitched. The moans that escaped me were loud and needy, chasing that release.
Cezar moved one of his hands to grab my breast, kneading it roughly. Even though his hands were big, he couldn’t hold all of me, pinching my nipples. The passion added stars to my vision as I stared at the sky.
Cezar then stuck two fingers inside me while continuing to savor the taste. His growls were primal, his need to ravage me taking over rational thought. He fingered me fast with no mercy, playing with my clit, until I fell apart, crying out his name.
The intensity made me spasm, my hands moving to rest between my legs, shifting my body to the side. Shaking, Cezar got on his knees and stroked himself to the sight of what he had done to me, painting me with his essence.
It was still raining, and he was toppled over me, each inhale labored as we drowned in each other. Faint kisses graced my cheek and neck, his arms on either side of me, keeping me there, with no escape.
“Did I do well, Petal?” he asked, eagerness shining in his eyes.
“So, fucking well, my good boy,” I replied.
It didn’t matter that the storm was still trying to turn this area into a graveyard. All I felt was peace.
Cezar bundled me into his arms, all muddied. He put me in the shower, running the water scalding hot, just how I liked it. After helping me undress, he cleaned every part of me. I almost fell asleep as he washed my hair. The care in his touch was everything.
My… Cezar…
He tucked me into bed, cuddling me once again. It wasn’t long before my eyes grew heavy with the night we spent together. So much had happened, but it was going to be okay. The past was resting now.