INICIAR SESIÓNCASSIAN'S POV The wind hums softly through the dark, but I haven’t slept—not with Nina in my arms and too many things I’d rather not feel clawing their way to the surface.My gaze is fixed on the ceiling, at how a blink of an eye can blind one to the tiny crack in the wall.I count the rise and fall of Nina's naked chest, and I wonder how someone so delicate can hurt so much. She looked me in the eye and lied to me, then confessed like it was nothing. Did she do that so I could punish her?I don't know anymore. My mind is a collision of past and present, and when she moves against me, I'm reminded of every moment, every gasp, every clench of her walls around me—all while lying to my face. This hazel eyed demon with a sharp tongue and eyes that light up at my misery. If she could lie to me in a heartbeat, what else is she lying about? Try as hard as I could, she wouldn't tell me why she ran. And it fucking kills me that I had to stop before I broke her completely. Now her thigh i
CASSIAN'S POVShe’s shaking, but not as much as I am.If only she knows the violence it took to be this still, this gentle.I should let her go, by god, I should. Instead, I tighten my grip.“You can't keep me tied up here forever.” She tugs at the leather binding her wrists, eyes glistening with unshed tears. Let. Her. Go.Now.Her wetness drips from my fingers, and I want to taste her. I can't stop now. Not until she's a trembling, squirting mess, and I have the answers to quell this rage inside me.“Tell me why you ran from me, and I will set you free.” I gaze down at the way she chews her lower lip nervously, casting her gaze away from me so all that's left is her hair pooling over the pillows. Too much light. I walk towards the light switch and flick it off, letting darkness cloud the room…and her sight. I'm aching, every part of me, and she gets to lie there and hide things from me?My cock throbs in protest as I approach the bed again, chest swelling at the way her eyes sea
NINA'S POVI don’t know what scares me more—what he might do, or how badly I want him to do it.But I can't think, not when he's holding open the door for me, like he didn't just promise to cause me pain. The air smells of rain and dust, wind flapping through my hair as I follow him up the stairs leading to the front door. Warmth creeps up my skin when we step into the foyer, but it does nothing to ease the pounding of my heart. Déjà vu hits me in rapid waves, and I look down at the small puddle of water forming at my feet. The first time I was here, I stood in this exact position, making a puddle on this same spot. I hear the front door lock behind me, and I turn to find Cassian standing a few feet from me, gaze burning into my skin. His words bounce around in my brain like razors, cutting through all my restraint. “Nina…” he takes a small step closer, vein ticking in his forehead like he's about to explode. Maybe he should punish me. Push me far enough that I have no option b
CASSIAN'S POV Call me reckless, call me obsessive, call me toxic. But don't call me stupid, because we both know you'll just be grasping at straws. The moment I left the bowling alley, I had called Nina five fucking times, and each time it went to voicemail, the bells in my head chimed louder.So I did the only logical thing. I had parked a few feet from her apartment building, telling myself that I was just being paranoid. That she was probably not back from her cosy date.I thought about going up to meet her, but I restrained myself. He could have been up there, or worse, claiming her.I couldn't trust myself to not break his fucking jaw.I had almost given up, almost driven off. That's when I saw her hauling boxes out of the building, like a prey on the run. That's when I snapped. Now, she's shrinking deeper into the backseat of the taxi, eyes wide like she's just seen a ghost. “Where to?” my grip on the door tightens.“What are you doing here?” She blinks rapidly.“Do you kn
CASSIAN'S POV Lucas knocks down all ten pins on his first throw—and then looks at me like I'm the real target.“Your turn, Cross.” He holds out the ball, daring me to let him win. The floors squeak under my shoes when I stand, music humming in my ears from the overhead speakers. The balls drops into my hands, and I slip my fingers into the holes, aware of the pair of eyes peeling away my skin. “Ever played before?” Lucas asks, hovering like a cloud. “If you come any closer, people will assume we're a couple.”“Sorry.” He flashes his palms and stands back for me to position in front of the lane. Ball weighing on my wrist, I narrowed my vision and counted the glossy pins at the end of the lane. I'm like an animal on display, with Lucas as my zookeeper. He wants something. It's clear in the set of his jaw and the way his eyes dart to the leather watch on his wrist.I shift my focus back to the polished lane, and let my hand fall limp as I release the ball. It rolls down the lane w
CASSIAN'S POVI always knew Nina Cross would ruin me.I just didn’t expect another man to be standing there when it finally happened.Make that two, because Lucas is walking straight towards me, halting only when he sees Nina.“Oh…Nina. You're here…” His voice trails off when his eyes fall to Nina's hand still hooked in Axel's.Nina's eyes dart to me and back to Lucas, pulse throbbing in her throat. “Detective, what an unpleasant surprise.” I step forward, jaw tight.He looks almost normal in his purple shirt and brown jacket—until I see the badge on his hip.He ignores me, eyes trained on Nina and the subtle shrink of her shoulders. She sucks in a sharp breath, rubbing Axel's arm gingerly. Come on, Nina…“We'll get out of your hair. Have a good day.” “Sure.” Lucas nods curtly, but my eyes follow the soft billow in her hair, and my lungs suck in air, searching for traces of her scent like an addict in need of a fix.There it is. Vanilla.“What do you want?” My attention flicks to
CASSIAN'S POVThere is a special kind of silence that exists when you’re about to confront the man who taught you how to lose.It settles in my chest and spreads throughout my body, leaving me numb.Maybe it's the jet lag, or maybe it's my body shelving away every emotion. Anything that can be used
CASSIAN'S POVSleep eludes me just like peace.My unblinking stare is fixed on the ceiling.Dinner was horrible. Not the food, but the memory of Sloane's leg constantly brushing mine under the table.I told myself this was temporary, manageable even, but lies are easier to swallow when they don't l
NINA'S POVBy 4:30pm, we touchdown.By 4:35pm, I realise how replaceable I am.He climbs down the airstair but doesn't reach for my hand like before. A black Audi sits just off the tarmac with headlights on.I stumble on the concrete when the passenger seat yawns open and she climbs out.Sloane Whi
NINA'S POVIt takes me a full heartbeat to accept that this man is my brother.Sitting across the table from him in the small cafe, all I can think is that he is taller, older… and real.But nothing else has changed. He still has his boyish smile and deep stare. His eyes still hold the same quiet s







