Page 77 of Baby and the Beast

Nash turned to him, noticing the exhaustion etched in Casimir's face. "You need rest too. Those men roughed you up pretty badly."

"I've had worse," Casimir said dismissively, though he couldn't quite hide his wince as he straightened up.

"Cas," Nash said softly, taking his hand. "You don't have to be the strong one all the time. Not anymore."

Something in Casimir's expression crumbled at those words. He let Nash lead him to the bed, sitting down heavily on theedge. Nash stood between his knees, hands coming up to frame Casimir's face.

"Let me take care of you for a change," Nash murmured, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to Casimir's forehead.

Casimir's hands settled on Nash's hips, his touch reverent. "I'm not sure I remember how to let someone do that."

Nash's fingers traced the line of Casimir's jaw, feeling the scruff of his beard, the strong pulse beneath his skin. "I've never wanted anyone the way I want you."

Casimir's eyes darkened. "Nash—"

"I know what I want," Nash insisted, sensing Casimir's hesitation. "I've known since I first looked into your eyes." He bent and captured Casimir's lips in a kiss that was gentle but insistent, careful of his injuries but leaving no doubt about his desire.

Casimir responded with a groan that seemed to come from deep within his chest. His hands tightened on Nash's hips, drawing him closer between his knees. When they broke apart, both breathing heavily, Casimir's eyes were dark with want.

"Are you sure?" he whispered. "After everything you've been through..."

Nash silenced him with another kiss. "I've never been more sure of anything." He smiled against Casimir's mouth. "Besides, I'm a shifter. We heal quickly."

Casimir laughed softly, the sound transforming his face. Nash realized he'd never heard a genuine laugh from him before, and the knowledge made his heart ache with tenderness.

"I don't want to hurt you," Casimir said, his hands sliding beneath Nash's shirt to touch bare skin.

"You won't," Nash assured him, shivering at the contact. He stepped back just far enough to pull his shirt over his head, revealing his slender but toned torso. The marks of pregnancy were still visible—faint silvery lines across his lower abdomen,a softness that hadn't been there before—but he felt no shame under Casimir's appreciative gaze.

"You're beautiful," Casimir breathed, his hands reverent as they mapped Nash's body.

Nash helped Casimir remove his own shirt, careful of his bruised ribs. The larger man's body was a roadmap of scars both old and new—testament to the life he'd lived in the wilderness. Nash leaned down to press his lips to a particularly jagged mark on Casimir's shoulder.

"So are you," he murmured against warm skin.

They undressed each other slowly, each touch an exploration, each kiss a promise. When they were finally skin to skin, Nash pushed Casimir gently back onto the bed, mindful of his injuries as he straddled him.

"Let me," Nash whispered, taking control.

Casimir nodded, his throat working as Nash moved above him. Large hands settled on Nash's hips, guiding but not controlling as they found their rhythm together.

Nash had never felt so powerful, so cherished, as he did watching Casimir come undone beneath him. The hunter's usual stoic control fell away, replaced by naked vulnerability as they moved together.

"I love you," Casimir gasped as they neared the edge, the words torn from him like a confession.

Nash bent to kiss him deeply. "I love you too," he breathed against Casimir's lips as pleasure overtook them both.

Afterward, they lay tangled together, Casimir's arm protectively around Nash, their breathing gradually slowing. Nash rested his head on Casimir's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

"Stay with me," Nash whispered, tracing patterns on Casimir's chest with his fingertips. The weight of those words hungbetween them, carrying more meaning than just this moment, this night.

Casimir's arm tightened around Nash, his hand coming up to stroke the copper hair that had given their daughter her name. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised, voice rough with emotion. "Not without you both."

Nash lifted his head to look at Casimir, needing to see his face. In the dim light filtering through the curtains, he could make out the strong lines of Casimir's jaw, the curve of his lips, the scars that mapped his journey. The hunter's eyes were open, vulnerable in a way Nash had never seen before.

"When I was running," Nash said softly, "I never imagined finding a home would mean finding you."

Casimir swallowed hard. "I stopped believing I deserved any kind of home a long time ago."

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