LOGINCassidy’s POV “That’s the point,” he said, his tone warm. “You’ve had enough structure today—classes, texts, all that noise. This is about letting go. Breathing without an agenda.” The road responded to his words like it understood the assignment, loosening its grip on the city inch by inch, block by block, until the concrete skyline thinned into shadows and then into nothing at all. The towering buildings that had loomed like silent sentinels gave way to sparser suburbs, their manicured lawns glistening under the moonlight, front porches lit by soft yellow bulbs where the occasional late-night smoker puffed clouds into the air. Traffic lights disappeared one by one, their red-amber-green cycles replaced by unbroken stretches of highway. Billboards faded from view—those garish ads for fast food and lawyers promising justice—yielding to dense clusters of trees that lined the roadside like ancient guardians. The air itself felt different—cleaner, cooler, heavier with the scent o
Cassidy’s POVThe elevator ride down felt different than it usually did—less like a descent back into reality and more like a quiet transition, a soft breath between moments. The mirrored walls reflected us back at ourselves: me in his oversized hoodie, hair still slightly damp from the shower, cheeks flushed from the warmth we'd shared; him in casual jeans and a fitted black tee that hugged his broad shoulders, one arm casually draped around me. Dante stood close, one hand resting at my lower back, his thumb tracing lazy, absent-minded circles through the thin fabric, sending subtle tingles up my spine. It was a touch that spoke volumes—protective, intimate, a silent reminder that even in the mundane, we were connected. I leaned into him without thinking, my body already attuned to his gravity, to the way he anchored me without ever needing to announce it. The soft hum of the elevator filled the space, punctuated only by our steady breaths, syncing in that effortless way they always
Cassidy’s POVI lay there for a long moment, my cheek pressed to his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart as it slowed beneath my ear. It was grounding in a way nothing else ever had been—solid, present, unignorable, like the beat of a drum calling me back to earth after the whirlwind of pleasure we'd shared. Dante’s hand moved through my hair in slow, unhurried strokes, the kind meant to soothe rather than stir, his thumb occasionally brushing my temple as if checking that I was still here with him, still real in this cocoon of warmth we'd created.The penthouse felt different now, transformed by our intimacy. Quieter, warmer, less like a fortress of glass and steel and more like a place that had finally been claimed by breath and laughter and the small, human mess of living. My things were scattered here and there—books stacked crookedly on the console table by the window, their spines worn from late-night reads; a mug I always forgot in the sink, its rim stained with
Cassidy's POV “Don’t hold back, Dante. I need to feel you— all of you.”A low growl rumbled from his throat, primal and possessive, as he shrugged out of his jacket, letting it fall to the floor in a careless heap of fine wool. He yanked his tie loose with one hand, tossing it aside like an afterthought, his shirt following in a swift motion that left him bare from the waist up. God, he was magnificent—sculpted like a statue brought to life, broad shoulders tapering to a defined torso dusted with a fine trail of dark hair that arrowed down toward the waistband of his slacks. I traced it with my fingertips, feeling the heat radiating from his skin, the rapid rise and fall of his breaths under my touch, the subtle flex of muscles honed from years of discipline and power. “You’re staring,” he teased, a wicked smile curving his lips as he captured my hand, bringing it to his mouth to kiss my palm, his tongue flicking out to taste the salt of my skin. “Like what you see, love?” “Always,
Cassidy’s POV“To unbreakable teams,” I echoed, clinking my glass against his, the crystal chime ringing clear and bright in the quiet penthouse, like a bell tolling in a vast, empty cathedral. The Cabernet slid velvety across my tongue—dark cherry notes laced with a subtle hint of oak and black pepper, warming me from the inside out like a slow-burning fire. I took a lingering sip, savoring the richness, my eyes locked on Dante over the rim of the glass. He set his down on the coffee table with a soft clink that echoed faintly against the marble floors, his intense blue gaze pulling me in like an inescapable gravity, deep and unyielding, reflecting the city lights twinkling through the rain-streaked windows beyond.He didn’t sit beside me on the sectional, as I’d half-expected. Instead, he stepped closer, his presence towering over where I lounged against the plush leather cushions, one knee sinking into the seat next to my thigh with deliberate intent. The air between us thickened i
Cassidy’s POV Dante was the first to move, as always—decisive, unhesitating, like the world bent to his rhythm. The seatbelt clicked free with a soft, definitive *snap*, unnervingly loud in the sudden hush of the garage after the engine’s dying purr. He stepped out of the Audi, the driver’s door shutting behind him with a muted *thud* that echoed faintly off the vast concrete walls, rippling through the cavernous space like a whisper in a cathedral. For a second, I just watched him through the rain-flecked windshield—the way he straightened his navy wool jacket with a casual tug, rolling his broad shoulders once like he was shedding the weight of the drive, the emotional minefield of campus, my mother’s looming shadow. Streetlights from above filtered down in hazy shafts, gilding his dark hair, casting long shadows across the polished floor where puddles from earlier cars gleamed like spilled mercury. Then my door opened with a hydraulic sigh, cool air rushing in like a sigh from t







