I pulled my head back slightly. I hadn’t expected that. If my ears weren’t playing tricks, it sounded like a rare moment of vulnerability. But no. Hell no. I wasn’t about to start feeling sorry for him. “If your plan is to make me fall for you, then you’d better go back to the drawing board. I might as well toss my heart in a blender.”
He didn’t say anything for a full minute, which gave me an unfortunate amount of time to think about how close we were.
How alone we were.
Sitting here like this with Clint would’ve made me feel warm, like fireflies were swirling around me. But being with Cassian was more like fire. It screamed “danger” as surely as if I was holding my palm over an open flame.
Cassian scrunched up his forehead. “What was that thing you used to say? I was your Queen’s Guard? You always wanted to play that stupid game. You’d hand me a stick and sit on a tree stump, acting like the world was out to get you. But as long as I had my stick, I could keep them back, right?”
Embarrassment crept up my neck and cheeks in hot waves. I couldn’t tell if he was making fun of me. But I figured subtle mockery was better than open hostility and decided to play along. “It was almost as dumb as when you’d play the one where you had to hug me to wake me up from ‘eternal slumber.’”
I had to be imagining it, but I thought I saw a shade of red staining his cheeks, too. “You remember that, huh?”
I smirked. “I remember we used to be friends. Yeah. And when I came back, you were the one thing about Silver Falls I was most excited to see again. Imagine my disappointment when I found out what you’d become.”
His big body rocked with a single, short laugh. “The beast of Silver Falls, huh?”
“I was thinking demon, but yeah.”
“You know, I almost got the nerve to kiss you when we played that game, once. I had a feeling you wouldn’t stop me. That you’d like it.”
For some reason, my heart was pounding. “I would’ve stopped you.”
“I think you’ve always wanted me to kiss you. I think even right now. Even when you probably hate me so much it hurts… I think you’d still let me kiss you, Charli.”
Charli. I swallowed, feeling like my mouth was suddenly dry to hear him say my name like that. He was suffocating me with his eyes, too. They were like pools of cool, icy water on a blistering hot day, practically begging me to close my eyes and dive in.
“I wouldn’t,” I said quietly.
“Then tell me to stop.”
His mouth was inches from mine, moving closer.
I searched for the words but found nothing.
My lips parted and my head tilted up.
And then we kissed. It was like being back in the burning building. Like my skin was too hot and the air was shimmering from the heat.
His mouth was warm velvet against me, his tongue a wet relief as it found mine.
Cassian’s hands engulfed me, roaming my back and shoulders and my face like he had every right to touch me there.
Moment by moment, I felt the resistance rising up in me.
Fight back.
Don’t let him win.
Don’t let it be this easy for him.
“Cassian,” I breathed between kisses.
He cupped my chin between his thumb and his forefinger, eyes still hungry with lust. “Say it.”
I pressed my teeth together. Stop. Stop making me want this. Stop making me hate myself for wanting you. I looked down.
Cassian’s grin was victorious as he leaned in and planted one last kiss on my mouth.
Once it was done, he stood and fished his keys from his pocket. He twirled them once on his forefinger and then caught them with a metallic clink. “Come on. Let’s get back home.”
I followed him to the car, not knowing how I was supposed to feel. My breaths were coming in quick, rapid bursts. My head still swam with a light, fuzzy warmth, and the memory of his lips burned against mine.
He turned and caught the look on my face. “I guess I was wrong. Impressing you didn’t take thirty minutes. More like thirty seconds.”
I wished I could think straight enough to reply to that, but all I did was get in the car and hang my head.23CassianI chewed on a bagel as I headed out to the backyard. It was Saturday morning, and it was still dark.
Charli was wearing a pair of dark blue leggings and a cropped white shirt. She had her hands on her hips as she walked in a slow circle, trying to catch her breath.
I took another bite of my bagel, considering her. “Do you do this every morning?”
She shot me an annoyed look but said nothing. She crouched down and pushed off in a short sprint. I took the time to notice how her obsession with track was doing wonders for her body. There were new curves in her thighs and her already impressive ass was looking spectacular.