Page 34 of To Ashes and Dust
“Oh! Wait.” She pushed to be let down, my grip slipping. I readjusted to lower her to the floor, surprised by her sudden burst of energy.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, turning to her.
She giggled, pressing her finger to my lips as she shushed me. I bit back the urge to laugh at her drunkenness. Her eyes were glazed over, her cheeks and the tops of her ears red, and she struggled to keep herself steady as she gripped my arms. She’d had way more than I’d expected, but I couldn’t stop her fun. I was relieved when Semele had intervened where I couldn’t. Barrett, for once, was right. She needed to let loose, take a real break from everything she’d been thrown into.
She pushed herself up on her toes to kiss my nose, her balance wavering, and I steadied her. “You can’t put me to bed just yet. I gotta take my pill.” She left me before I could respond, swaying into the bathroom. I stood there, blinking, brows furrowing as I processed her words.
Pill?
I stood there for a moment, confused. Was she on birth control? Immortals rarely conceived, and the odds of an immortal and human conceiving were even slimmer. I could tell her she didn’t need it, but perhaps there were other reasons she was on it—I wouldn’t pry.
I used the moment of her absence to head downstairs to fetch her a glass of water and some painkillers for tomorrow’s hangover. I lingered a moment, and when I returned, she was sitting on our bed, wearing—Gods... nothing but a shirt.
My shirt.
She sat watching me as I closed the door, and that sinful grin tugged at her full lips.
Fucking hell.
My gaze raked down the peaks of her breasts, her nipples already pebbling beneath the fabric, down farther to the fullness of her thighs under the hem of the shirt. My body tightened, and I wondered if she wore underwear, or if she were bare.
Her voice was a near purr as she spoke. “I owe you for last night.”
“Is that you or the alcohol talking?” I asked, smiling as I walked over to set the glass and medicine on the nightstand.
I lifted my eyes to meet hers as she shifted onto her hands and knees, crawling across the bed toward me. Gods bless the collar of that shirt hanging just low enough for a better view.
My breath caught in my throat, and I turned, standing at the edge of the bed as she pushed herself up onto her knees. The bedframe was high enough that she was almost level with me, those hazel eyes staring into my soul. While I knew she was still drunk, the playful attitude had dissipated, leaving behind something deliciously enticing and wicked in its wake. She was perfect... and mine.
“Does it matter?” she asked. Desire burned in those eyes, a flame so hot it might burn me, dancing under her skin.
And Gods, I’d dance in those flames, let them consume me.
I lifted my fingers to catch her chin, my thumb brushing over her velvety soft lips, dying for a taste. “No.”
She reached out, grabbed the front of my pants, and pulled me closer to her. Never had she been so bold, and I had to hold myself back from pushing her back and taking her.
I swallowed as her hands slid under my shirt slowly. I sucked my breath through my teeth at the whisper of her touch against the expanse of my stomach, higher and higher, the opposite direction of where I wanted her hands. My cock twitched in response, already hard against the fly of my pants, begging me to push her on her back, spread her legs, and bury myself inside her until she was crying out my name.
She lifted my shirt over my head, and I moved to help when it went above her reach, tossing it to the side. Her lips pressed against my chest, and I froze, my eyes sliding shut. Her tongue—Gods, her tongue left me teetering on the edge.
“Cas.” I exhaled a ragged breath, and a grin tugged at one corner of her lips as her lashes lifted, hazel eyes watching the reactions she brought out in me.
I inhaled deeply, her scent filling my lungs, the jasmine and citrus soap mixed with her sweet arousal. It shot through me, my cock pressing hard against my jeans, begging to feel her touch. I lowered my hands to her hips, her soft, warm skin dipping under my fingertips as I gripped her. Her body tightened in my hands, a rush of air filling her lungs, and I jerked when her warm breath spilled out over my skin.
She rose from the bed, hands slipping back down my sides. I released her hips and ensnared my fingers in her hair, tilting her head back to stare into her eyes. Her chest heaved, and her eyes glossed over. I wrapped my other hand around her waist and pressed my lips to her neck, feeling her pulse race beneath her skin. My fangs lengthened, throbbing and dying for a taste.
She grabbed my arms, and as if on cue, my body calmed, willed to heel at my mate’s signal as she guided me around until I was backed up to the bed. She reached up to kiss me, and her tongue slipped passed my lips. I groaned at how good she tasted; the hint of the pineapple from the cocktail she’d been drinking still lingered on her tongue.
Without breaking the kiss, her hands dipped to the front of my pants. She fought to undo the button, groaning in frustration as her trembling fingers couldn’t manage. I couldn’t help but grunt a laugh against her lips, and I reached down to guide her hands back to my waist. I undid the button and zipper, dropping my jeans to the ground and kicked them off. All that remained between her hands and where I wanted them were these boxers, which I wanted the pleasure of watching her remove.
13
CASSIE
My heart pounded, my head swimming in a drunken haze. Everything had been a blur until he grabbed hold of my hips and I sobered up fast.
I didn’t want to stop. My body was hot, blood molten in my veins. I didn’t feel like myself, and yet, I’d never felt so free of fear, of embarrassment—and God, I wanted him, wanted to feel every inch of him.
