Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
“And this side of the corridor holds His Grace’s own work,” Isabella barely caught the words, which subsequently returned her to reality as she blinked, confused.
The housekeeper gave Isabella a thorough tour of the grand estate.
Not that she had not already frequented the halls, but she had been confined to more public areas during her visits.
The manor was far larger than she had imagined, but not nearly as large as the townhouse with its endless hallways, polished floors, grand staircases, and an array of rooms each decorated with elegance and quiet pride.
“His work?”
“Yes, Your Grace. Most of the wooden furnishings within the manor were crafted by His Grace’s hand. Quite the talent he possesses,” The older woman said proudly.
Isabella moved closer to a side table, beautifully carved and refined. She had known he was into carpentry, but she didn’t know his creations were displayed in his house.
Her fingers brushed the smooth surface. Not merely skill but also heart and patience had gone into them. She felt her chest tighten.
Evening crept upon the manor like a soft shadow, and soon, Isabella found herself seated at the long dining table opposite Cassian.
A pair of tall candles glowed between them, their flickering light dancing across his features.
He looked devastatingly handsome, dressed in dark evening attire, his hair slightly mussed from the day.
Yet his posture remained rigid, his gaze unreadable.
The silence stretched until Isabella could bear it no longer.
“Is the lamb to your liking, Your Grace?” she asked, attempting conversation.
“It is acceptable,” he replied without looking up and forked another sliver into his mouth.
She tried again. “Mrs. Linton informed me that many of the furnishings here were crafted by you. I must say, I am impressed. The craftsmanship is exquisite.”
At that, his eyes flicked up.
“It is a pastime, nothing more.’’
“I think it is far more than that,” she said gently. “It takes dedication, patience, and a sharp eye. I admire it.”
His jaw tightened, as if her praise unsettled him.
Isabella drew a breath.
“Cassian… must we speak as though we are strangers forced into a room together? We are married now.”
His fork stilled. Slowly, he lifted his gaze, dark and unreadable.
“What exactly is it that you want from me, Isabella?”
“I want to know you,” she said simply, but she was holding back, and perhaps, he could tell because he stood so abruptly, she startled. He came around the table, his boots silent on the carpet until he stood beside her chair, towering, imposing, shadowed in candlelight.
“If you want something from me,” he said quietly, dangerously, “ask for it.”
The words thrummed in the air between them.
She felt heat spread across her cheeks because she knew precisely what she wanted, and she also knew he already sensed it.
“Cassian…” She swallowed. “I only wanted conversation.”
“That is not all,” he murmured, leaning closer, his breath brushing her ear.
“You look at me as though you expect something of me. As though you want something beyond polite conversation. I am your husband now. Ask it of me,” His voice growled from deep within his chest.
Her breath hitched, and he drew back just enough to study her, his eyes darkening as her blush deepened.
“Isabella,” he said softly, almost with reverence, or warning.
Her lips parted. Her cheeks burned. Her heart pounded.
“I…” She swallowed hard. “I thought you might… kiss me.”
The change in him was instantaneous. The air thickened. His eyes darkened with unmistakable intent.
He lifted her chin with his fingers, slowly, deliberately.
“You want my mouth on you again?” he asked, voice low enough to unravel her.
On you, and not on yours…
The subtle nuance in his statement did not pass her by as her breath trembled, and she couldn’t deny it.
“Yes.”
A sound escaped him, half groan, half curse, and then he lowered his head, capturing her lips in a kiss that stole her breath. It was claiming and passionate, the kind of kiss that melted her bones and set fire to her blood.
His hands framed her face, then slid down along her neck, her shoulders, her waist, drawing her closer, deeper, until she felt utterly consumed. When he finally pulled back, she was trembling.
“Isabella… if you keep looking at me like that, I will not be able to stop.” His voice was husky.
“Then don’t,” she whispered.
A muscle tightened in his jaw. Desire flared in his eyes, raw and unrestrained. He swept her into his arms before she could gasp, lifting her with ease.
“Cassian—!”
He silenced her with another kiss, deeper, hungrier than the last, and she clung to him as he carried her out of the dining room, up the grand staircase, the candlelight flickering shadows along the walls.
Her heart thundered, her breath unsteady, anticipation twisting in her stomach like a knot of heat.
He pushed open the door to her chambers, stepped inside, and kicked it shut behind him.
He placed her gently on the bed, the mattress dipping beneath her weight as he straightened, breathing hard, looking down at her as though he were fighting every instinct not to take her at once.
The heat in his gaze made her tremble, and his ragged voice only added to the thrill.
“Isabella… this is your last chance to tell me to stop.”
She met his gaze, her cheeks warm, her breath soft.
“I do not want you to stop.” She almost hissed in anticipation.
Something inside him broke beautifully and dangerously as he bent over her, kissing her again, deeper this time, his hands tangling in her hair. The world narrowed to the heat of his mouth, the weight of his body, the heady rush of knowing he wanted her just as fiercely as she wanted him.
When his lips left hers, he murmured against her skin,
“You look even lovelier when you blush for me… my wife.” His finger trailed between the clefts of her breasts, followed by his gaze.
Her breath trembled.
“Cassian…”
He kissed her again, slow and heated, before reaching to extinguish the last candle burning in the room. The flame flickered once, then vanished, plunging them both into darkness. Then the mattress shifted beneath his weight, with his warmth pressed against her.
His breath found her ear, fanning her sweetly before he bit it, although not enough to draw blood.
He guided her back down to the pillows, then stood and began giving the buttons of his trousers their freedom.
The first, then the second—
Her gaze shot up to his eyes, the smoldering depths watching her as she watched him. By the time she dropped her gaze, his task was done, his clothes on the floor.
He then leaned forward, peeling her layers of garments off her body, replacing every layer with a kiss until his lips were on her hardened nipples, and she was gasping for air at the sensation.
Heat from the fire warmed the room as it crackled behind the grate. Yet the warmth spreading through her loins had little to do with the embers. She was responding to his touch, to the gentle caressing that was guiding her every breath.
The hot feel of his tongue on the puckered flesh sent bolts of lightning over her skin. He moved first from one breast, then to the other, taking his time to make her moan as he licked and suckled.
His tongue moved in circles over one nipple while he used his free hand to pinch the other.
Marvelous sensations of pleasure shot over her skin as he whimpered beneath the onslaught of his tongue. She knew exactly what his tongue could do to her; he had shown her his talents that night on the balcony, yet she still felt a jolt of surprise at the pleasurable sensation.
Pleasure escalated, and he moved down her body, kissing a path down her abdomen and between her legs, wedging himself at her apex.
Hot pleasure shot through her loins as his tongue collided with the small bud of pleasure. She had dreamed of him licking her again, even imagined how it would feel, yet nothing had prepared her for the onslaught again as he lapped at her like a starving animal.
“Cassian…” She whimpered over and over again as he first slowed his pace, then picked it up with haste.
His mouth closed over her core with a well-timed suck, causing her to suck in a sharp breath. Her body began to tremble repeatedly when he used his tongue and lips at the same time, making her lose her mind.
Her pleasure threatened to spill over and rock her core when he suddenly drew back, leaving her cold and confused. “Why… Why did you stop?” She breathed heavily, wanting to cry from the lack of release.
Kissing a path back up her body, Cassian took his time, nipping and teasing her flesh until his strong form was positioned over her. “That is just the start of the fun, Lady Everthorne… the best part is yet to come.”
Something about the way he said her name title made her shiver with pleasure.
I am his.
Her breath halted again when she felt him beginning to position himself between her thighs, lifting her legs slightly until her knees were bent.
She could feel him nudging at her entrance, a place that only his finger had ever ventured before. She skimmed her fingers over his damp chest, his breath coming short and hard. Holding her gaze, he began inching himself in.
“Tell me if it hurts,” he commanded gently, his voice carrying through the darkness surrounding them.
As though she would, as though she would ruin this moment of their joining with complaints or whimpers.
She gritted her teeth and shut her eyes as what felt like an intense pressure, rather than a sharp pain, flared through her loins. It started as a dull ache at first, but began to ease off into soft whimpers of pleasure that escaped from her throat.
He sheathed inside of her, growing bolder as he held her ankles at an angle, allowing himself support as she focused on the incredible sensation of fullness.
“Isabella…” He groaned deeply, sounding huskier than she had ever heard his voice before.
She began to pant, focusing on her breath as the pleasurable sensations, not unlike those given with his mouth, rippled through her body. The pleasure felt different somehow when he was moving inside of her. It was just as intense, but slower in its buildup.
Her head began to spin as she lost all concepts of time and place. All that mattered to her in that moment was the movement of their bodies, shared pleasure, and the feeling of fullness that somehow made her feel as if they were becoming one.
He sighed with deep satisfaction, groaning loudly above her with every thrust of his hips.
Her body curled and tightened around him, moving as if it possessed a mind of its own. He slid out, slipped back in. Short thrusts, hard thrusts, teasing ones, determined ones, all while he caressed and kissed and whispered that she was beautiful and perfect.
His tempo gained momentum, and the deep thrusts dominated. Liquid sensations began swirling through her.
She dug her fingers into his shoulders, scraped them down his back, and curled them into his firm buttocks as all of the desires she had been harboring for him finally came to fruition.
They moved in unison as one.
Her sighs turned to cries as the pleasure intensified. Fire consumed her as the sensations exploded, ripping through her and then bringing her back, gasping, stunned, and utterly replete as she fell back on the pillows.
Above her, Cassian grunted, moaned with a long, drawn-out groan, and then withdrew from her, and spilled his hot seed on her thigh.
Breathing heavily, he bowed his head, and they both collapsed into each other.