Chapter 6 Hate
The moment the words left her mouth, something changed in him.
Cassian went completely still.
The look in his eyes darkened instantly.
It was as though something sharp had suddenly pierced through his mind, stirring emotions he had spent years burying deep inside himself. For a moment, he simply stared at her, his jaw tightening as he fought to keep whatever was raging inside him under control.
Then suddenly, he turned away.
His hand shot out and gripped the wooden bedpost behind him. His fingers curled around it so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Juliet watched as his shoulders became rigid beneath his shirt, every muscle in his body tense as though he was holding himself back from doing something reckless.
Several long seconds passed before he slowly straightened.
Then he turned back around. His dark eyes locked onto hers, heavy and unblinking, as he stepped closer.
One hand came down onto the pillow beside Juliet’s head, sinking into the fabric as he braced himself over her. The mattress dipped under his weight, closing the small distance between them until there was almost no space left to breathe. His shadow fell over her completely.
Juliet’s breath hitched.
Cassian hovered above her, his face only inches away now. She could feel the warmth of him, the controlled tension in his body, the faint scent of him that made her heartbeat stutter in spite of herself.
His gaze didn’t waver.
“You can hate me for the rest of your life, Juliet,” he said quietly, his voice low and rough, like it was dragged out of him against his will. “But you’re never going back to Vincent.”
Juliet’s throat tightened. Her fingers curled slightly against the bedsheet without her noticing.
Cassian’s eyes dropped for the briefest second to her lips, then returned to her gaze, darker now, sharper. As if something inside him was straining to break free, barely held back by sheer control.
Juliet’s breath caught again.
The look in his eyes sent a chill racing through her—dangerous, consuming, almost desperate. As though every instinct in him was fighting the same battle: to pull her closer, claim her, keep her there.
It terrified her how much she could feel it without him even touching her fully yet.
She stayed frozen, shoulders stiff against the bed, as if movement alone might shatter whatever this was between them.
‘I don’t hate him. If I tell him… will he believe me?’
Her lips parted slightly.
Cassian saw it.
His gaze sharpened instantly.
Before she could form a single word, his hand moved.
It slid to the back of her neck. His fingers tightened just enough to anchor her in place, thumb brushing faintly against her skin as he tilted her head up toward him.
A soft gasp slipped from her lips.
That was all the warning she got.
The next second, Cassian lowered his head and kissed her fiercely.
He kissed as though he had been holding himself back for far too long.
His hand remained firmly at the back of her neck, keeping her close while his lips moved insistently against hers.
The familiar scent of him surrounded her completely—a fresh, earthy fragrance that reminded her of gardens after rain, of trees and damp soil after a storm.
It was overwhelming.
His lips claimed hers again and again, lingering before shifting, leaving her breathless. Juliet could barely think. All she could taste was him. All she could feel was him.
Then she felt a slight tremble in his fingers.
It lasted only a moment before he shifted closer.
One leg slid onto the bed, settling between hers as his body covered hers almost completely.
His free hand slipped beneath her head, lifting her closer while he deepened the kiss, holding her as though he couldn't bear even the smallest distance between them.
He kissed her like a starving man who had finally found what he had been searching for.
Juliet was completely lost.
The kiss both soothed and unsettled her, leaving her shaken in a way she couldn't explain. Her body gradually relaxed beneath him, surrendering to the moment as her eyes drifted shut.
The taste of him lingered on her lips, his scent surrounding her entirely.
She could barely breathe without feeling him everywhere.
The pleasure was overwhelming at the same time. He wasn't letting her breathe at all, as if he was afraid that if he broke the kiss even for a second, she would hate him.
His hand, which had been beneath her head, slowly slid down to her neck and then lower, stopping at the side of her breast. His thumb rested just beneath it as he held her side, pulling her even closer to him.
The kiss deepened.
At the same time, he became even harsher. His breathing turned ragged, and Juliet could feel every hard inch of his body pressed against hers.
Suddenly, he pulled away from the kiss, breaking it so abruptly that she was left gasping for air. Confused, she looked up at him, her brows knitting together. But she couldn't form a single word. She could only stare at him.
Before she could say anything, he spoke.
"Are you going to stop me?" he asked hoarsely. "If you are, stop me right now. I won't stop unless you ask me to."
He swallowed hard, his entire body tense.
"This is your chance, Juliet. Ask me to stop right now."
Juliet stared into his dark eyes. Only then did she notice the struggle in them. He looked like a man in extreme pain, as though he was holding himself back with every ounce of self-control he possessed. He was trembling.
His shirt buttons had come undone at some point, exposing part of his chest, and he looked completely disheveled in front of her.
Before he could move away, Juliet suddenly grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down.
He was caught off guard.
Wrapping one leg around his, she used the opportunity to flip them over.
The next second, Cassian was lying beneath her, and she was on top of him.
She didn't hesitate for even a second.
Her mouth crashed against his.
Her lips moved desperately against his, as though she couldn't bear to part with the taste he had forced upon her moments ago. She kissed him fiercely, refusing to give him any chance to pull away.
Neither of them stopped to breathe.
He kissed her hungrily and roughly.
Every second was filled with her taste, every breath he took completely consumed by her scent. She smelled faintly of blackberry blossoms. He wasn't sure whether it was her perfume or simply Juliet herself, but whatever it was, it left him wanting more.
Now that he finally had her in his arms, he didn't want to let her go.
The moment she climbed on top of him, he was already lost.
Their mouths moved desperately against each other, hungry and impatient. Her lips were beginning to ache beneath the intensity of his kisses, yet he still kissed her as though he were afraid she would disappear if he stopped.
For years, he had dreamed of this.
In his dreams, he had kissed Juliet countless times, only to wake up gasping in the middle of the night, tormented by desires he could never satisfy. But reality was even more overwhelming than any dream he had ever had.
Her taste was far sweeter than he could have imagined.
The dream he had held onto for so long was finally becoming real.
He tried to calm himself, tried to rein in the hunger raging inside him, but the intensity was too much.
The next second, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist while his other hand slid to the back of her head.
With a swift movement, he flipped them over.
Juliet landed softly against the mattress, and Cassian immediately climbed over her. The sheets tangled around them before slipping carelessly onto the floor, forgotten.
His mouth moved to her neck.
He kissed her there again and again, unable to get enough. His movements grew rougher, more desperate, as his lips traveled along the delicate skin of her throat and down to her collarbone.
Every inch of skin he touched seemed to drive him further out of control.
Red marks were already beginning to bloom across her neck, yet he still wasn't satisfied. After giving one side the same devoted attention, he moved to the other, kissing and marking her there as well.
Then his hand moved to the neckline of her dress.
He was in complete chaos now, driven entirely by instinct and impatience.
The sharp sound of silk tearing suddenly echoed through the room.
Juliet gasped, her eyes flying open.
“Ah!”
But surprisingly, it wasn't because he had ruined her dress.
His mouth moved lower, and then he bit the top of her breast so harshly that a gasp escaped Juliet's lips.
The next second, she shuddered violently.
She tried to hold back the sounds threatening to spill from her mouth, instinctively trying to pull away, but he didn't let her.
“Mmhh… Hah…!”
His gaze dropped to the black bra she was wearing. The dark color against her pale skin created such a striking contrast that he almost trembled with need.
Impatiently, he pushed the fabric down.
Juliet grabbed the back of his neck, sucking in a sharp breath as his hot mouth closed over her sensitive flesh. She could feel his warm breath against her skin, and pleasure shot through every part of her body, leaving her completely rigid beneath him.
At some point, his hand ripped the rest of her dress all the way down. The silk tore apart completely, leaving her clad only in her black undergarments.
He stared down at her with such intensity that she couldn't look away.
The moment her body arched, his hand moved to her chest, squeezing the soft flesh.
Whatever little self-control he still possessed shattered.
His mouth returned to her skin, kissing, licking, and marking her hungrily as rough breaths left him.
"I want this," he murmured hoarsely.
His eyes remained fixed on her, filled with such deep hunger that it left Juliet breathless.
He refused to give her any control. His entire body was rigid with restraint as he continued showering her skin with desperate kisses.
Juliet's hands moved to his shirt, trying to undo the buttons, but her trembling fingers weren't working fast enough.