REINA’S POVLucas had the audacity to smirk. Smirk. Like we weren’t about to be burned alive in a blaze of Morelli-glare. What is he mad about anyway?Cassian wheeled forward slowly, one hand gripping the edge of the chair like he needed it to anchor the storm brewing behind his cold stare.“You’re still here?” he said to Lucas, voice calm—too calm. The kind of calm that made your bladder nervous. “Shouldn’t you be checking on the new recruits instead of sitting around watching soap operas with my woman?”I choked on my spit.Literally.His what? Me?I squinted up at Cassian, his eyes met mine like he hadn’t just detonated my entire bloodstream.He didn’t blink.I looked away.Coward.Lucas chuckled under his breath, completely unfazed. “They’re already handled,” he said, turning the TV off with a soft click. “They’re all set. Just waiting for the green light.”Cassian’s expression didn’t shift. “Hm.” He began rolling forward, slow and ominous, like the villain reveal in a thriller m
REINA’S POVI stood there for a beat, tray trembling in my hands like it could sense the storm in my chest.Valerie.She collapsed like a ghost flickering out—and they all just… kept cooking. Like it was normal. Like seeing the ex-fiancée of their boss being carted off like yesterday’s trash was no more alarming than burnt toast.What happened to women supporting women?I turned, ready to drop the tray and flee to my room where the walls didn’t stare at me with judgment.But then—my stomach growled.Loud. Rude. Rebellious.“Traitor,” I muttered under my breath.Against the screaming voice in my head that said leave now, I clutched the tray tighter and stormed out of the kitchen like I hadn’t just witnessed a live horror scene. But just as I stepped past the doorway, I paused.Their voices had dropped to low murmurs now—sharp and bitter.I inched back. Just a few steps. Just enough to hear.“She’s lucky she’s still alive,” one of the women whispered.“After the way she treated everyone
Reina’s POVI woke to the predawn gray and the muted hum of a cell phone buzzing on the bedside table. Cassian hadn’t moved; he still held me impaled on him, grip iron-strong even in dreams. I craned my neck—his jaw was slack, lashes dark crescents against cheekbones carved from stone. He looked… human.The phone buzzed again. Ethan, flashing across the screen.Cassian’s brow creased, but he didn’t wake. I reached, snagged the phone, hesitated.Answer and risk ruining whatever fragile trust I’d carved out? Or ignore it and risk sabotage to the plan that might clear my name?The screen buzzed a third time.Decision sliced through the haze. I swiped to answer, pressing the speaker to my ear, my voice a whisper.“Ethan—he’s sleeping.”A pause, then a clipped reply. “He needs to know that we have eyes on Elias. I need him to make an urgent decision, and Lucas is also ready to see him.”I swallowed. My pulse kicked. “I’ll wake him and let him know.”But the arm around my ribs tightened p
Cassian’s POVHer body trembled in my lap, still quaking from the high I’m dragging her through with my fingers. She was panting, warm and flushed, her skin dewy with sweat, her lips parted in a breathless little gasp that should’ve been illegal.I stared at her like a man starved, as my stroke increased. Not just for her body—but for the chaos she stirred in me. A storm wrapped in soft skin and sharper wit.She moaned my name—“Cassian.”And that was it.Her voice—my name—it ruined me.She came again, body writhing against mine, loud and unfiltered.We stayed like that. Sweaty. Gasping. Alive.She turned to me, smiling like she’d won a war.I pulled her back down, kissed her mouth with all the hunger I still had left, wanting to ignite something else—but she pulled away.“I’ve paid my debt, Mr. Morelli,” she whispered, slipping out of my lap. “I do hope you keep your word.”She started to walk.“Reina,” I said.She stopped.“You sleep here tonight.”“I know,” she said softly, without
CASSIAN’S POV“Watch me touch what you own,” she whispered softly.Her hands slid back to her breasts. Squeezing. Caressing.Fuck.Then her fingers trailed downward, over her belly, between her thighs. Her moans began—soft at first, then louder, breathier, the kind that made my teeth clench and my muscles lock.“Stop, Reina,” I growled. My head tipped back, eyes closed. “What do you want?”She stopped.The moaning ceased.When I opened my eyes, she was walking forward again—this time slower, more purposeful. She stopped just short of arm’s reach.“I know you know I was sent to spy on you,” she said calmly. Too calmly.I stared, my jaw tightening.She didn’t wait.“And you know why I had to be in this situation to begin with. So now—I want you to clear my name.”Her voice had steel under silk.“Prove I’m innocent.”I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My eyes were still devouring her—every inch of that defiant, maddening body.“And what makes you think I can do that?” I muttered, my voice hoar
CASSIAN’S POVI turned my head slowly, narrowing my eyes at Ethan. "What do you mean?"He crossed his arms. “From what Miss Vale said before… Elias wasn’t after her for fun. He wanted something. Access. A way to get your attention.” His tone darkened. “She said he knew that she’s distracting you from the darkness he built. That hurting her was the best way to hurt you and snap you out.”My jaw tensed. That much was already etched into my marrow.“What if…” Ethan began carefully, eyes steady, “what if we give him exactly what he wants?”Silence bled into the room. My pulse stilled.“You’re saying we use Reina as bait?” I asked, voice low, a growl simmering under the words.Ethan didn’t blink. “Yes.”Every instinct in me rebelled. Every muscle clenched. My heart pushed against my skin. The thought of letting that psychopath get close to her again—of letting his hands within even breathing distance—made my blood boil.But then the fire behind my ribs twisted into something colder. Smarte