Chapter 133
Chapter 133
ATASHA’S POV
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When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against mine, both of us breathing hard. His hands still gripped my waist, his thumbs brushing the fabric of my clothes as if he wasn’t sure whether to let go.
My lips tingled. My chest heaved. My mind was a blur.
Then he whispered, his voice rough and hoarse, “You really don’t know what you’re doing to me.”
I swallowed hard, still catching my breath, my fingers brushing the side of his face. “Maybe I do,” I said, my voice low.
Cassian’s eyes met mine. It looked wild, conflicted, wanting and for a second, I thought he would kiss me again.
And I wanted him to. Every part of me wanted him to.
Cassian’s breath brushed against my skin, ragged and uneven. His eyes searched mine like he was trying to find a reason to stop. I could feel his heart pounding through his chest, each beat echoing against my ribs.
And before I could lose my nerve, the words slipped out. “I need you.”
I didn’t wait for him to answer. My hands moved first, hesitant but certain, as I reached up and kissed him.
It wasn’t like the first one. This time it was me who started it, me who leaned in, me who wanted to know what it meant to want someone like this. His lips were warm and fierce against mine, and the second he responded, something inside me broke open.
My hands slid up his chest, feeling the hard lines of muscle beneath the fabric. Every rise and fall of his breath felt alive under my palms. For a heartbeat, he didn’t move. Then he did.
Cassian’s hand caught my waist, fingers spreading against my back as he kissed me back, harder this time. The pressure of it sent sparks racing down my spine. His other hand traced my side, following the curve of my hip before pulling me even closer until I could feel the heat of him everywhere.
I gasped against his mouth, the sound sharp. The world tilted when his hand slid higher, skimming along my ribs until his thumb brushed the edge of my chest. My breath hitched, and before I could even process the shock of it, his other hand gripped the fabric at my back and-
The sound of tearing filled the air.
I froze.
The soft fabric of my dress fell loose, sliding off my shoulders. I looked down, startled, my breath catching in my throat. My skin prickled under the cold air, and I could feel the tremble in my hands even as his gaze locked on me.
But his mouth found mine again before I could catch my breath, deeper this time, as if he’d decided that thinking was a waste of effort. His hands were warm on my bare back, steadying me, anchoring me. I felt
11:37 Wed, Oct 8
Chapter 133
every inch of his palms, every shift of his grip, and it sent a tremor through me I couldn’t hide.
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He broke from my lips only to trail along my jaw. I tilted my head without meaning to, giving him more. His breath moved over my skin, then the slow drag of his mouth along my throat made my knees tighten around his hips. A sound slipped out of me.
“Cassian,” I breathed.
He didn’t speak. He lowered his head again, kissing the hollow at the base of my throat, then the edge of my collarbone. Each touch was heat and pressure, a pull I couldn’t fight.
When his mouth dipped lower, over the top of my chest where the torn dress still clung, the air left my lungs in a rush. He lingered there, right above my heart. My hands slid over his shoulders, feeling muscle lock under my fingers, and the rush inside me sharpened into something hungry and unfamiliar.
I hadn’t known I could feel like this… like every breath depended on him.
His hand skimmed my side, learning the curve of my waist, the line of my ribs, then settled at the small of my back, holding me close. The other traced upward, slow enough to make my breath stutter, until his thumb brushed the top of me through what little fabric remained.
I hissed in a breath, my body jerking toward his touch before I could stop it. His jaw flexed against my skin, like he was barely keeping himself from losing hold altogether.
“Tell me to stop,” he said, voice rough against my collarbone.
“Don’t,” I whispered. “Don’t stop.”
He lifted me higher and turned, bracing me against the wall with his body. Stone pressed cool against my shoulder blade, all the rest of me was heat. He kissed me again, hard, stealing whatever steadiness I had left, and my fingers slid into his hair, pulling him closer. The world narrowed to the way his mouth moved on `mine, the way he breathed my name between kisses like a vow he didn’t mean to say out loud.
His lips returned to my throat, slower now, drawing a line that made my head tip back against the wall. He followed the curve of me with a patience that felt like torture, closing the space where fabric gave way to skin, and I realized I was shaking. Not from fear. From wanting. From the way every touch seemed to light a fuse I didn’t know I had.
“Cassian,” I said again, because it was the only word I could find.
He stilled. Just for a heartbeat. Then his forehead came to rest against mine, our noses brushing, our breaths tangling. His eyes were a dark red I could drown in, wild and focused at once.
“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” he said.
“I know enough,” I managed. My hands framed his face, thumbs brushing the heat of his cheekbones.
Cassian’s breath hitched. For a long second, he didn’t move. His hands stayed where they were, one at my back, the other at my waist, but the tension in his grip changed. It wasn’t hunger anymore. It was control. Barely.
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Chapter 133
Then, slowly, he pulled back.
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My chest rose and fell hard. The air between us felt like it cracked from the sudden space. I blinked, dazed, confused, still trembling from everything that almost happened. I thought he was going to kiss me again, he should have, but instead, he reached for something behind me.
The next thing I knew, a cloak was around my shoulders. The heavy fabric brushed against my bare skin, the warmth of it still holding his scent. I looked up at him, breathless, my voice catching. “Cassian…?”
His eyes flicked down, still red at the edges, his jaw tight enough to crack. “Not like this,” he said.
I frowned, gripping the cloak closer. “What do you mean, not like this?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he reached for me. Before I could react, he scooped me up effortlessly, one arm under my knees, the other supporting my back. My pulse spiked as the world tilted.
“Cassian, what are you-”
“Hold on.”
That was all he said before he turned toward the open window. My mouth went dry as I realized what he intended, but before I could protest, he jumped.
The wind hit me first, stealing my breath as we dropped from the second floor. He landed like it was nothing -barely a sound, his grip steady and sure. My arms instinctively tightened around his neck. He didn’t stop moving.
We passed the courtyard, the watchtowers, the frozen archway. The gates loomed ahead, half–lit by torchlight, and still, he didn’t slow down.
“Cassian,” I managed, my voice faint over the rush of wind. “Where are we going?”
His jaw flexed, his eyes forward. “Away.”
“From what?”
“From everything,” he muttered.
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