Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Cassius
I held Naomi against me, her face tucked along my neck and her breath uneven. I’d seen the emotions pooling in her dark brown eyes.
No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she loved me.
And my dumbass self had fucked it up. But as I’d told her before, neither of us was innocent.
Well, technically, I was the bigger dick in the situation, but she couldn’t believe that her family not knowing a damn thing about me didn’t hurt like hell. I was her dirty secret.
I knew all the stories of her ultra-conservative family and how all the kids, cousins included, hid everything from their parents, which included everything from the parties they attended to whom they dated.
This held true for the traditional families in my culture, but when things grew serious between couples, they came out in the open about their relationship.
Maybe Naomi never telling her parents played on my insecurities about being the outcast Lykaios most of my life, but it hurt, nonetheless.
“We can’t keep doing this.” Naomi lifted her head. “You’re my boss. I can’t ruin my reputation.”
“Let’s get this clear. We’re partners in this endeavor. I’m not your boss. We hired your company for the build-out. It’s a contract. I can’t fire you, period. The arrangement only ends if there is a breach of terms.”
She glowered at me. “It’s still not professional to fuck you.”
“Well, it’s not going to stop. Especially since my cock is still inside you. I plan to fuck you at least once more before we leave this office.”
I pressed my weight onto her, preventing her from dislodging me or pushing me away.
“Cassius, why aren’t you listening?”
“I am. You want to make excuses not to be together. Well, I’m not going to let you. I hurt you. I own it. My name doesn’t change anything else about me but my finances. Everything else you see remains the same. You’re the only person who knows me.”
“So the stories about your childhood, your father, your mother, what’s happened between us, all of it wasn’t a lie?”
“You know more of the truth than the Vegas Lykaioses do. And everything between us was real.”
She stared at me, gauging the truth of my words, released a deep breath, and nodded as if accepting my statement.
However, instead of saying something, she pushed my shoulder, and for some reason, I let her move me to the side. I slipped from her heat and immediately reached for a tissue from a box on the corner of her desk to clean her.
The second my fingers grazed her sensitive folds, desire lit her eyes, and my cock jumped in response.
Fuck.
Even in the middle of a serious conversation, the woman could have me going from dead to hard within seconds.
She set her hand over mine, staying my movements. “Where do we go from here?”
“You mean besides round two?”
A smile touched her full lips. “Yes, besides that.”
“If I had my way, you’d already have my ring on your finger.” Ignoring her glare, I continued, “But since that isn’t an option, why don’t we build on what we already have.”
“What is it that we have?”
“Something that isn’t easily dismissed.”
“And the consequences to my career?”
“There aren’t going to be any. You do realize that when Henna and Zack fell in love, they were enemies running rival organizations? And Pierce and Amelia were promoters with fighters competing against each other when they got back together. We will be fine.”
She looked skeptical. “We’ll see.”
“Since we are laying everything out,” I added, “I don’t want you to hide our relationship from your family.”
“Cassius.”
“No more secrets. Besides, you don’t have the excuse of your business partner, your father, or his best friend anymore. Your sister is the center of that circle now.”
“Do I want to know how you found out that bit of information?”
“I didn’t snoop. Your partner informed us he planned a visit with his fiancée in a month or two.”
Something flashed on her face, and guilt hit my gut. I’d known about Mia and Tarak from the time Naomi suspected they were together. She’d told me the details. She’d shared everything with me, and I hadn’t with her.
“I only kept the Lykaios part from you. You know everything else.”
Her eyes widened. “How did you know what I was thinking?"
“Because I can read you.” I dropped my forehead to hers. “So what is the answer? Are you game to try this?”
“Why not. No more secrets. Maybe they’ll even be relieved when they hear I’m seeing someone”
“We can visit Elvis and fix that this very minute if it’s such a problem.”
“You really are serious about this marriage shit, aren’t you?”
I gripped her hips. “Did I give you any indication that I was kidding? I made it very clear I planned to make you the mother of my children. Hence the reason I’m never using a condom ever again with you.”
She lifted her head and glared. “You really are a fucking Neanderthal. Let me remind you. I’m not going to get pregnant. There is this thing called birth control. You may have heard of it.”
“Have you gotten your shot?” I countered.
“Not yet. It’s on the agenda for tomorrow morning. So your swimmers won’t ever get a chance to do their thing.”
“You’re already overdue, so for the first month, the effectiveness is reduced.”
“Seriously, Cassius. Do you realize that the level of knowledge you have about my contraceptive is creepy?”
“We’re in a very active sexual relationship. It only makes sense to know.”
“You believe knocking me up will get me to marry you?”
“Of course not. You’d never make anything that easy. There’s another reason you’ll marry me.”
“Okay, I’ll bite. Why will I marry you?”
“Because you love me.” I cupped her face. “Sooner or later, you’ll accept it. Our child will only be the result of that love.”
I’d caught her off guard again, and a deep emotion burned in her eyes, something that revealed more than she’d ever admit to at this moment.
I had no doubt she would have turned her face away if I wasn’t holding it.
She’d built a wall between us, one I planned to break away piece by piece.
“Don’t jump too far ahead. All I can give you is right now. You aren’t Cassius Dimitri, the club manager and card shark, but Cass Lykaios. You’re one of the infamous Vegas Lykaioses. That puts you in a league very different from where I come from. I may not fit with this new version of you.”
“How many times do I need to say this? I’m no different than I was in Greece.”
She shook her head. “If you believe that, you’re delusional. This is Vegas, and you’re a Lykaios.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“You’re prime real estate, Cassius Lykaios, and the second you step out with me, I become fodder for the masses, especially the media.
My job requires me to play nice, but I don’t put up with bullshit.
I have limits. I’m not a socialite and have no plans to become one.
If you expect me to fit into a box, walk away now. ”
“The fuck I’m walking away.” I pulled her thighs apart and stepped between them, tugging her flush against me. “Listen very carefully. I don’t give a shit about the media. I want you, the girl who plays on construction sites and then slides on sexy-as-sin dresses.”
My fully erect cock sat heavily between us. This woman drove me crazy. All I wanted to do was fuck her senseless until she submitted. But of course, she’d fight me every damn step of the way.
She held my gaze as she glided her palm down my abdomen and fisted my cock, pumping up and down. “If you’ve never publicly lived as a Lykaios, you have no idea what extent people go to invade your privacy.”
“And you do?” I cupped her breast, pinching the tip, and then leaned down to score my teeth along her shoulder.
“I-I’ve worked with Henna for years.” She tilted her neck, giving me access to her throat, and at the same time, positioned the tip of my erection at her swollen, soaked opening. “Also, I know how Akari lives.”
Thrusting into her, I said, “Haven’t you realized I have security with me all the time? I know what I am and who I am, even if the public doesn’t.”
“What do you mean security at all times?” She held onto my shoulders. “You can’t possibly mean Carlo and your friends. No matter how tough they think they are, they aren’t trained protection.”
“No. Others.” I rolled my hips, making her whimper.
“Others?”
“Yes, others. I do understand more than you believe.”
I lifted her into my arms, keeping my cock buried deep inside her, and carried her to a loveseat in the corner of the room. After laying her on her back, I caged her with my arms. “Stop glowering at me. Do you want to talk about my security detail or the cock ready to fuck you into oblivion?”
“I have a feeling there is a lot I still don’t know.”
I pulled out and slammed back in, making her gasp and arch up. “Only when it comes to the Lykaios side. Everywhere else, I’m an open book.”
“That’s a big part of you, no matter what you believe.”
“Then I guess you need to keep me so you can get to know that side of me.” I set a slow, steady pace, working her slick pussy.
She slid her fingers into my hair, scoring her nails along my scalp just the way I liked. “Is there even a remote chance of getting rid of you?”
“Do you truly want to be rid of me, psychi mou?” I stared down at her, continuing the pace of my thrusts, wanting her lost in the sensation.
She remained quiet, holding my gaze and lifting her pelvis to meet the pistoning of my hips.
Then after a few minutes, she whispered, “If you hurt me again, I will make you sorry. Now, you need to catch me up to speed.”
“No, right now”—I leaned down, covered her mouth, and at the same time, worked my hand between our bodies before stroking her clit—“I need to make you come.”