Page 28 of Heartless

By the time he’s left at least six marks on my neck and shoulders, I’m a fucking mess under him. I can barely focus on my ceiling, or anything other than the pleasant sting of the bites and the way he’s admiring his handiwork with his fingers and tongue.

“So pretty,” he murmurs. “You’ve always been so gorgeous, Winnie. And finally,all mine.Just like you should be.”

“All yours?” I parrot, trying to remember why that makes the hair at the back of my neck prickle.

“All mine,” he repeats confidently, kissing the hollow of my throat. “And I intend to prove it to you as many times as it takes.” I shiver under him as he kisses a path down my chest, lifting his head to flick his tongue over my nipple as his hand comes up to cup my other breast. The dueling sensations are enough to have me shuddering, and my back arches off the bed as I bite back a needy whine. His words and my protests to them slide out of my mind like oil when I feel the tease of his teeth on my sensitive skin, but before I can do more than suck in a breath he’s sitting up, fingers hooked in the hem of my running shorts.

Then he stops. Just…stops.I open my eyes, surprised to find them closed, and gaze up at him in utter confusion as I wonder if I’ve given him a sign that I don’t want this. With my eyes on his face, I see the small twitch of a smile on his lips, and he shifts to press his fingers to my hips. “I just wanted you clearheaded for a moment,” Cassian murmurs. “I want to make sure you want this, Winnie.”

“I thought I was being pretty obvious with the embarrassing noises I’ve been making. None of which I’ll never admit to, by the way,” I ramble. “Even under torture.” I shift slightly, nervous at his scrutiny, only to stop when his fingers press down on my waist.

“I need you to tell me you want this,” Cassian states. His eyes never leave mine, and the weight of his gaze is unnerving enough to make my stomach twist. “I need you to tell me that, because once you say yes, you don’t get another choice, Winnie.”

My mouth twists in a nervous grin. “No takesy-backsies?” I joke weakly. “I’m not sure that’s how it works.”

“It is with me.”

“What if I say no?” I’m curious, more than anything. Will he really just…leave? “Will you leave?”

He smiles fully, looking both predatory and mischievous. “If you say no, I’ll help you put your shirt back on and go back to just kissing you. If you say no, I’ll pull you into my lap and watch reruns ofBridezillaswith you.”

It’s a little unnerving that he knows my favorite show, but I push that thought away. After all, we’ve already established that this isn’t quite normal.

“But I won’tleave. No, that’s not on the table anymore.” He drops back down to his elbows over me, brushing his lips sweetly to mine. “You opened the door for me, sweetheart,” he murmurs. “You let the monster in, so closing it now won’t make me go away.”

This time, a shudder trails down my spine, but I can’t decide how much of it is from fear and how much of it is from something way less appropriate for the situation.

“You make it sound like a threat.”

“Oh, it is one,” Cass assures me, burying his face against my throat to kiss and nip at my skin. “It’salwaysbeen a threat.”

“You make it sound like…” I trail off when he bites down, causing me to shiver. “Like you’re the bad guy or the villain here.”

He chuckles softly, but doesn’t reply for a few moments. His tongue licks a line up my shoulder, curving around my neck,until finally he licks up my jaw. “I am the villain here, Winnie,” he murmurs in my ear. “So, what’s your answer?”

“I suppose it would be rude of me to tell you I’m tired or would rather watchBridezillas,” I hum thoughtfully, as if it’s a decision. “But if I say yes, do I get to see you with your shirt off? Seems only fair.”

Without hesitating, Cassian sits up and tugs his shirt off over his head, tossing it to the floor near the bed. My eyes immediately fall to his chest and abs, lingering on the sharp cuts of his hips my fingers ache to touch.

At least, until I see the scars that slice across his skin. I reach up without thinking, only to stop with my hand hovering just centimeters from him. My eyes flick up to his, and in response, Cass reaches out and grips my hand, pressing it to his warm abs over one of the worst slashing scars.

“They don’t hurt, and I’m not shy,” he murmurs. “You can touch them all you want. If this is you saying?—”

“Yes,yes. This is me saying yes,” I tell him arrogantly, rolling my eyes in exasperation. “Yes,oui, si, ja—”He tackles me to the bed with a laugh rumbling in his throat, fingers gripping my hair to yank my face back up to his.

“You’re such a brat, you know that?” he growls, nipping at my bottom lip.“Fuck, Winnie.” His hand finds my shorts, and he yanks them and my underwear down without any struggle. Hell, he makes it look easy, considering I can barely get pantsonwithout both hands and falling on my face. “Next time I’ll make you pay for what comes out of your mouth, but?—”

I cut him off with a yelp when he suddenly thrusts two fingers into me and curls them upward. “Oh,fuck,” I whine, my hands flying up to grip his shoulders. “Cassian?—”

“Too much?” he teases softly. “Don’t even try. I bet you’ve been wet for me since I leaned over you against the wall. Yourother boyfriends never knew that, did they? The way you’re just begging to be pinned and fucked and put in your place.”

“Myplaceis?—”

His other hand grips my throat and he snaps his teeth together inches from my lips. “Shut up, Winnie.” He laughs lightly. “I want tofuck youright now, not teach you a lesson for your mouth.”

I want to push him. I want to see what he’ll do if I don’t shut up…but his fingers are a damn good argument against me doing that. At least for now. I moan in appreciation, arching my hips into his hand as he adds another finger. “Fuck,” I sigh, opening my eyes to gaze up at his face. “Has anyone told you that you’rereallypretty, Cass?”

“Maybe.” He shrugs. “But I’ve never really cared about what anyone else thinks. I only care whatyouthink.”

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