Chapter 29
CASSIAN
Finn’s eyes are drooping by the time I notice.
We’ve been building for two hours straight, and he’s fighting sleep, rubbing his face with the back of his hand while trying to place another Lego piece on the tower. Liam’s already slumped against the couch, half-asleep.
Aurelia walks in and sees them immediately. “Alright, boys. Bath time.”
Finn protests. “But we didn’t finish the tower!”
“We’ll finish next time. Say goodnight to your da.”
They both hug me, Finn squeezing tight around my waist while Liam just leans against my side. Then Aurelia herds them upstairs, and I’m left alone in the sitting room with their half-built Lego tower.
I can hear water running. Their voices carrying down from upstairs. Aurelia’s patient tone when Finn argues about brushing his teeth. Twenty minutes later she comes back downstairs. Hair slightly damp from bath time. A tired smile on her face.
“They want you to tuck them in.”
“What?”
“Finn asked. Said Da should say goodnight too.”
Something in my chest tightens.
I follow her upstairs to their room. Both boys are in matching pajamas, already under covers. Finn’s fighting sleep. Liam’s eyes are half-closed.
“Night, Da,” Finn mumbles.
I sit on the edge of his bed. I don’t know what to do, haven’t done this before.
Aurelia’s watching from the doorway.
I lean down and kiss Finn’s forehead. Then move to Liam’s bed and do the same.
“Goodnight, boys.”
“Night,” Liam whispers.
By the time I’m out the door, Finn’s already asleep.
Downstairs, I catch Aurelia in the hallway.
“My lawyer sent custody documents to my apartment. Needs both of us to review them tonight. He’s waiting for confirmation.”
She looks at me. Knows it’s probably a lie. “Tonight?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of documents?”
“Expanding visitation. Overnights eventually. School involvement.”
She studies my face for a long moment. “Let me get my coat.”
In the car, my driver pulls away from the estate and heads toward Manhattan. Aurelia sits on the opposite side of the back seat. Far enough away that we’re not touching. Close enough that I can smell her perfume. The partition is halfway down. My driver can see us in the rearview mirror.
Neither of us speaks.
The city passes by outside. Streetlights and traffic and people living normal lives that don’t involve lying to get someone alone in a car.
I look at her. She’s staring out the window. Jaw tight. Hands folded in her lap.
“Aurelia.”
She turns to face me.
The space between us disappears. I don’t know who moves first. Doesn’t matter. My mouth is on hers, her hands fisting in my shirt.
I pull back just long enough to reach for the partition control. “Keep your eyes and ears on the road,” I tell the driver.
The partition slides all the way up and clicks into place.
The back seat feels suddenly smaller, the air thicker.
Aurelia’s hands are already on my belt, fingers working fast, metal buckle clinking softly as she pulls it open.
I’m hard, straining against the fabric, and when she frees me her palm wraps around the length with a grip that makes my breath catch.
She slides down between the seats without a word, knees sinking into the thick carpeted floor.
The leather is cool against my thighs as she pushes my trousers lower.
Her mouth is on me in the next second with no hesitation.
She takes me deep, lips sliding down until I hit the back of her throat, tongue pressing flat along the underside.
I grip the edge of the seat, knuckles whitening, forcing myself to stay quiet. The driver is only feet away, separated by glass and privacy, but every small sound feels too loud. She pulls back slowly, sucking hard, then sinks down again, hand twisting at the base in perfect rhythm.
“Fuck,” I whisper, barely audible, head falling back against the headrest. “Just like that.”
She hums around me, the vibration shooting straight through my spine.
Her free hand braces on my thigh, nails digging in just enough to sting.
She sets a steady pace. Deep, wet pulls that have my hips twitching up involuntarily.
I thread fingers into her hair, not guiding, just holding, feeling the movement of her head.
“Look at me,” I breathe.
She glances up, eyes dark, lips stretched around me, and the sight nearly undoes me. She hollows her cheeks, sucks harder, tongue swirling over the head on every upstroke. My stomach tightens.
“Aurelia,” I warn, voice rough and low. “I’m close.”
She doesn’t stop. Takes me deeper instead, throat working around me, hand stroking faster. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep silent, pleasure coiling vicious and fast at the base of my spine.
I haul her up before I lose it completely, hands under her arms, pulling her into my lap. She straddles me quickly, skirt bunching high around her waist. I shove her panties to the side, and she sinks down onto me in one smooth, desperate motion.
We both exhale shakily. She’s tight, hot, clenching around every inch as she takes me fully. Her forehead presses to mine, our breath mingling.
“Move,” I whisper against her lips. “Quietly.”
She starts rolling her hips, slow at first, rising just enough to feel the drag before sinking back down. The car is spacious with plenty of room, but every small shift of leather, every soft gasp feels amplified.
I grip her hips, guiding her harder, deeper. She bites her lower lip to stifle a moan when I thrust up to meet her. The rhythm builds. Her hands are braced on my shoulders, my mouth on her neck, sucking quietly at the skin just below her ear.
“Still so perfect around me,” I murmur, barely sound. “Like you’ve been waiting for this.”
She answers with a sharper roll of her hips, taking me deeper, inner muscles fluttering. Her breathing is ragged against my ear. “Cassian,” she whispers, voice trembling. “I need—”
“I know.” I slide one hand between us, fingers finding her clit through the damp lace, rubbing tight circles. She jolts, thighs tightening around me.
The pace quickens. She rides me harder, grinding down on every stroke, chasing the pressure. I thrust up to meet her, angling so I hit that spot that makes her breath hitch. The car sways gently with the motion, suspension absorbing most of it, but the intimacy feels reckless anyway.
Her nails dig into my shoulders through my shirt. She’s close, and I feel it in the way she clenches, the way her movements turn desperate.
“Come,” I breathe against her throat. “Quietly. Let me feel it.”
She buries her face in my neck, teeth grazing my skin to muffle the soft cry as she comes hard, pulsing around me in long waves. The clench drags me over with her. I thrust up once more and stay deep, spilling inside her with a low, stifled groan against her shoulder.
The car slows smoothly—my building approaching.
She stays on my lap, body still trembling from the aftershocks, inner muscles fluttering around me in soft pulses.
I’m not ready to let her go. My hands slide up her thighs, under the bunched skirt, thumbs tracing the crease where leg meets hip.
She exhales shakily against my neck, but doesn’t move to climb off.
“Stay,” I whisper, voice rough and low. “We’re not done.”
Her breath hitches. “We have to be.”
I roll my hips slowly, grinding deep without pulling out. She’s sensitive, oversensitive, and the motion draws a quiet whimper from her throat. “Feel that?” I murmur against her ear. “You’re still clenching around me. You want more.”
She grips my shoulders tighter, nails biting through the shirt. “Cassian…”
I slide one hand between us again, fingers finding her clit—swollen, slick, easy to circle even through the soaked lace. She jolts, thighs tightening around my waist. “Quiet,” I remind her, barely making sound. “Driver’s still up there.”
She nods against my shoulder, teeth grazing my skin to keep silent. I start moving—slow, deliberate thrusts upward, barely lifting her, just enough to drag along every inch inside her. The angle is perfect this way, deep and grinding. Her skirt hides most of it, but I feel everything.
“You feel incredible,” I breathe. “So wet. Still taking me like you never left.”
She answers by rolling her hips forward, meeting the slow rhythm, taking control of the depth. Her hands move to my neck, fingers threading into my hair, pulling just enough to sting. The pace stays measured, but the intensity builds in the quiet.
I keep my fingers on her clit, light steady pressure, matching the lazy roll of my hips. She’s breathing faster now, warm puffs against my collar. Her body starts tightening again, inner walls gripping in warning flutters.
“Again,” I whisper. “Come on me again. I want to feel it.”
She shakes her head slightly, like she’s fighting it, but her hips grind harder, chasing the touch. I angle my thrusts to hit that spot inside, short and precise. Her nails dig deeper into my scalp.
“Please,” she whispers, so quiet I almost miss it.
I press my fingers firmer, circling faster. “Let go. I’ve got you.”
The second orgasm rolls through her slower but deeper—her whole body tenses, breath held in a silent gasp against my neck, inner muscles pulsing in long, milking waves. She clenches so hard it drags a low, stifled groan from me.
I thrust up once more, deep and grinding, and follow her over. Pleasure surges sharp and hot, spilling into her in thick pulses while I bury my face in her hair to muffle the sound. My hips jerk through it, riding the waves until we’re both spent.
We stay like that, breathing hard but silent, her weight fully on me, my arms banded around her back. Eventually the car slows further, and pulls into the garage under my building. Reality creeps back in.
She lifts her head, eyes dark and unreadable. Slides off my lap carefully, wincing slightly at the loss. Straightens her skirt with steady hands, tucks hair behind her ear.
I tuck myself away, fasten my trousers, adjust my shirt. “Let’s go inside and finish what we started.”
Her reply is a sly smirk.