Chapter Twenty-Two #2
“They will laugh at me,” she whispered. “At us.”
Cassian shook his head, eyes never leaving hers. “Let them laugh. Let them choke on their gossip and their bile. Their voices mean nothing. You have done nothing wrong.”
He could see how vulnerable she felt, and a tidal wave of tenderness washed over him. |I feel so exposed,” she whispered, “so foolish, so… ugly.”
“No,” he said softly. He reached up, brushing the back of his fingers gently along her cheek. “You are not ugly, Charlotte. You are the most breathtaking woman I have ever seen. You have strength, and grace, and a heart capable of feeling more deeply than most dare dream.”
Her breath trembled. “You cannot mean that.”
“I do… Tonight, you walked into that ballroom, and the world noticed. I noticed. And I have not looked away since.”
Cassian stepped closer still, his hand moving to the nape of her neck, cradling it with protective tenderness.
“Whoever tries to destroy you must answer to me,” he murmured. “You are not alone, Charlotte.”
The final wall he had held between them gave way.
“Cassian…” she breathed.
Slowly, giving her every chance to pull away, he lowered his forehead to hers. She closed her eyes, and he felt the warmth of her breath brush his lips. His thumb stroked her cheek, and she leaned into his touch.
Then, he kissed her. Charlotte’s fingers curled into his shirt, pulling him closer, and Cassian’s hand slid to her waist, holding her as though he feared she might shatter.
His fingers weaved into her hair as he angled her closer. The tenderness didn’t disappear, but it transformed and grew. His lips tasted her, savoured her, as though he had been starving for a long time.
Charlotte trembled, and he felt her melt into him. Cassian’s arm wrapped around her waist, steady and sure, pulling her flush against him as the kiss grew more intoxicating, turning into slow fire, spreading through blood and breath and bone.
Gently, he moved them back toward her bed, relinquishing her of the rest of her hair pins. He pulled the tied ribbons that held her gown in place, and the gown slid down her naked body.
Her skin prickled with goosepimples as the cold air met it, but he pressed himself against her to warm her back up. Her hands stayed locked around his neck, keeping him close, refusing distance, even as he lay her down upon the bed and shifted between her legs.
He couldn’t remember unbuttoning his trousers, only the taste of her lips, the soft gasps that escaped her mouth, and the way her body arched toward him like it had been waiting for this moment all along.
“Oh…” she moaned loudly as he pressed his manhood against her wet heat.
The sound went straight to his core, nearly undoing him. He pulled away only for a moment, wanting to drink in the sight of her. He had never seen her more beautiful than she was now: her eyes dark with yearning, her lips parted, and her entire body trembling with need.
Cassian let his fingers trail down her stomach, over soft, heated skin, until he reached her centre.
She was already wet, aching for him. He wanted to taste her again, to lose himself between his thighs, but he couldn’t pull away from her mouth.
Instead, he slipped a finger inside of her, groaning softly at the way she clenched around him.
“You are so wet for me…” he murmured against her lips and felt her shiver at the words.
When he added another finger, she gasped. Pleasure and pain tangled in that sound, the sweetest thing he’d ever heard. Her nails dug into his shoulders, sharp enough to sting, but he welcomed it. He bit her lower lip, then soothed it with his tongue, unable to stop himself from pressing closer.
When he finally positioned himself at her entrance, he paused. Their foreheads touched, and their breaths mingled. Her eyes found his.
“I’ll be gentle,” he promised softly.
She nodded, and he pushed inside, slowly and reverently.
The tight, silken heat of her made his breath catch.
He could feel her body yield, stretch, welcome him.
Every instinct in him screamed to move, to take, but he forced himself to go slow, to memorize every inch, every sound she made as he filled her completely.
Her legs wrapped around his hips, pulling him deeper.
The rhythm they found was raw and consuming, their bodies moving harder, faster, until he couldn’t tell where he ended and she began.
Her hands clutched at him like she was afraid he’d vanish, and when she tightened around him, he knew she was close.
Cassian drove into her once more, again and again, grinding against her, kissing her like he was starving.
When she came, it was with a cry that undid him completely.
Her body convulsed around him, and the sensation tore through his control.
He followed her over that edge, shuddering, thrusting once more before stilling inside of her.
For a moment that seemed eternal, there was only breath. He pulled her into his arms, with the wild rhythm of her heartbeat against his own.
“I love you, Cassian…” he heard her say sleepily.
The words felt like a blow, too soft to defend himself against. He wanted to say it back, but it caught somewhere in his throat. Instead, he just held her tighter, pressing a kiss to her hair as her breathing evened out, and let the silence swallow the things he could not yet say.