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“More than anything.” Nothing had ever felt so right in my life. Everything about Cassius made me feel safe.

He lined his hips with mine and kissed me hard.

“It’s going to hurt at first.”

He knew I had never done this before. And when I thought he would slowly sink into me, he did the opposite. Cassius thrust his hips so quickly that I cried into his neck as he shreddedthrough my virginity. He didn’t move as I adjusted to him. His lips pressed soft kisses on my neck, my lips, my jaw. He was distracting me from the sharp pain I was feeling.

He stayed still for a minute, then slowly lifted himself up on his hands, looking down at me with lust in his eyes. He then gave me a soft kiss before laying all his weight on me. I moved my hips, testing out how it would feel now. The pain had faded and, in its wake, left nothing but pleasure when I rocked my hips against his. Cassius took the hint when I started moving, and his pace increased into strong strokes. How had I never had the urge to see what sex was all about? No wonder everyone was so preoccupied with it.

“Fuck,” he whispered so softly that I nearly missed it.

His rough hand grabbed my thigh and adjusted it so I was wrapped around his hips. His fingers squeezed my flesh so tightly that I hoped it left bruises.

“Cassius,” I pleaded, but I wasn’t sure what for. I needed more, I needed less, and I needed to be somehow closer to him. His fingers grabbed my jaw tightly and forced me to look up at him. His eyes were black as night, beautiful and haunting.

“When you cum, don’t you dare hold back. I’ve dreamt about hearing your moans for years, Thea. I want to hear them all. I want to hear what I do to you.”

My eyes closed tightly as his words soaked deep into my bones and clawed out of me through waves of pleasure. A deep groan left my throat as soon as I felt the start of my orgasm racing through my veins. My hands fisted the blankets below me as if they would help me not fall into bliss.

“Yes,” Cassius ground out as unintelligible noises fell from me. His hips picked up tempo as they slammed into me. His breathing became shallow and short. I was a whimpering mess below him as his own release roared through him.

He collapsed on top of me and held me tightly. Wetness pooled in my eyes, and I wasn’t sure why. I wasn’t sad. I felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and happiness. Cassius rolled off me, and I turned my face away from him so he wouldn’t see the emotions I was having for no reason.

“My love?” He questioned me as I turned my head. “Did I hurt you?”

“No.”

I stared at the cloak on the ground. Well, I guess this is the part when I get up and leave. I slid off the bed and grabbed the cloak, slipping it on.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked, almost in panic.

“Leaving.” I looked over my shoulder at him. “We both got what we needed.”

Anger covered his face.

“You think that I was chasing you just to fuck you and send you away less than a minute later?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Is that all you wanted from me?”

I had turned so I could face him. The harsh lines of his face softened when he saw the worry all over my face. I didn’t know how to do any of this. Everyone always tossed me aside after they got what they needed or wanted from me. I wouldn’t blame him if he did the same thing. He stood up quickly and grabbed my face so he could give me a deep kiss.

His hands slid the cloak off my shoulders, and he lifted me effortlessly off the ground before setting me under the blanket on his bed. He crawled in next to me, rubbing his hands over my hips and thighs.

“Now that I know how fucking good we are together, little viper, I don’t think I can ever let you go.” He gave me a lazy smile.

“It couldn’t have been that great for you. I don’t have any experience.” I looked over his features to see if a flicker ofagreement would pass over them, but nothing did. Cassius’ fingers stopped rubbing my naked skin.

“You have no idea how feral it makes me to know that I’m the only one that’s done this with you, the only one who knows what you sound like when you cum, the only one who knows what you feel like. Nothing ever has or ever will compare to how good you feel. No one could ever hold a candle to you, Thea.” He stared into my eyes. “Tonight was better than anything I could have ever imagined, and I have imagined all the things I’ve wanted to do to you for years.”

I knew he meant it.

“I have not even looked in the direction of another woman since I first laid eyes on you, and I don’t plan to ever look anywhere else but right here.”

Chapter 23

Iwoke with a jolt, feeling oddly overwhelmed by my memory. When I went to sit up, I remembered where I was. I wasn’t with Cassius. He wasn’t kissing me or telling me things I wanted to hear. I was tied to the bedpost and bleeding from my punishment at the hands of Jesper. My body ached so badly from lying on the hard wooden floor.

I turned towards the door and waited for what felt like hours for him to come through it. When he finally did, he paused at the doorway and waited for my eyes to look at him.