Page 88 of Pleasure & Prey: Vol. 2

Cassian certainly isn’t fooled. His look turns incredulous, one brow raising and making me scoff. “Not all the time!” I press, tapping my fingers against his stomach. Glancing down, I realize his shirt had ridden up when I pushed him, and the pads of my fingers are resting on the bare skin above his jeans.

Fuck, this is such a dangerous position to be in with him.

“So that’s a no?” His fingers shift slightly on my throat, and when I swallow, I feel the press of his hand more acutely on my skin. “You’ve never had someone call you out for your attitude?”

“I don’t have an attitude.” But my words are hollow, and I look away from him, unsure what to say.

“No.” His fingers tighten. “Look at me, sweetheart. I want to see your eyes while I talk to you.”

It’s so difficult to drag my gaze back to his, and when he reaches out his other hand to grip my thigh, the butterflies in my stomach put on jet packs to bang against my insides with urgency. “So if I leave right now, I should just never come back?” he muses, gaze holding mine in an iron grip.

“Yeah,” I breathe uncertainly. “Never to darken my doorstep again.”

“And what, exactly, will it take to earn myself a humble visit to your bed, hmm?” He drags my hips down until I can’t hold myself up anymore. My hand is splayed on his stomach, and when my body meets his, he arches up into me, grinding against my core.

I can’t help the small yelp that leaves my throat in surprise and, maybe, approval. My hand tenses on his stomach, fingers curling until I’m scraping my nails against his skin. “What do I need to do for you sweetheart?” I swear to god Cassian is purring at me. “Should I kiss you until you can’t remember why you want the last word?” The hand on my throat drags me down until I’m pressed against him, on my elbows now in an imitation of how he’d been when I’d been against the wall. But now it’s me with my forearms braced on either side of his face.

Except, I don’t feel like the one in control. He doesn’t relent, instead wrapping his arm over my shoulders to urge me the rest of the way down until his lips reach mine once more. He’s gentler this time. Sweeter. At least at first. He licks and teases at the seam of my lips, taking his time before he slides his tongue against mine. The hand on my thigh slides around to my lower back, and he holds me against him as his hips arch so he can grind against me once more.

“Should I make you come? Stay here all night with you on your back and my face between your legs to taste your pretty pussy? I’ll let you grip my hair and beg me for all the things your boyfriends would never do to you.” He licks at my lower lip and a shiver goes down my spine.

“You don’t know what my boyfriends have or haven’t done for me,” I mutter, just to have a say in this.

“Maybe another time I’ll tell you all the things I know about the two guys you’ve dated.” Cass chuckles, biting my lower lip before I can express my surprise. “Would that earn me the right to come back, Winnie? Or…” My breath falters when he pauses, and I’m ashamed to realize I’m hanging on every single word that comes out of his mouth.

“Or should I fuck you until you can’t remember your own name, and the only thing you can say is mine?” My stomach twists at his words, and I can barely remember why I told him he had to leave and not come back. Clearly, my brain cells have melted from the heat in his words.

Cassian watches me, humor written all over his face. “Oh, you’re too easy, sweetheart,” he chuckles at last. His hands move, going to my hips, and before I can question why, he’s rolling us over until my back is against my comforter and he’s on his hands and knees above me. “So what’ll it be?” he teases, searching my face. “But if you’re too overwhelmed by the options, I can just make the decision for you.”

“Where was the option to make tin foil hats, discussing our conspiracy theories, and drinking sparkling water?” I ask in a voice that’s way too breathy and much too unsure. “I wasn’t replying because I thought that one was still coming.”

His snort nearly cuts me off. “You hate sparkling water, Winnie,” Cass points out dryly. “But that’s okay. I get it. That’s your way of telling me to pick. Don’t worry.” His sudden grin is predatory, wolfish in its appearance. “I’ll get in your good graces. I’m sure of it.”

“How do you think you—” His lips crash into mine again, but this time his movements are urgent and rushed. His fingers grip my tee, yanking it up and over my head without ceremony and leaving me in just my running shorts that feel incredibly too short right now.

Cassian kisses down my throat, reaching up to grip my hair and force my head back so he can have unobstructed access to my neck. His kisses turn sharp, and I whine when I feel his teeth sink into my skin while he sucks a mark that’s sure to bruise. But he doesn’t stop with one. Or two.

Or five.

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?”