Page 100 of Tower of Ash and Darkness (Tower of Ash #1)

His laugh is rich and dark, and I feel him shift behind me, his teeth grazing my neck in a playful nip.

“Do you want to feel how little I am?” he teases, his hands tightening around my waist.

I moan softly at the feeling, my body already aching for him, craving his touch.

His gaze darkens with approval, and without warning, he pulls me closer, his lips capturing mine again in a heated kiss.

I feel him, hard and insistent against me, and the desire within me flares.

The thought of the sunlight outside, so close and yet so dangerous for him, seems distant as we lose ourselves in each other.

But it’s not just about the physical. It never has been.

There’s something deeper here. The way he touches me, the way he looks at me with such intensity, as if he’s afraid to lose me, as if he needs me in a way that transcends the physical world.

I feel it in every caress, every glance. This isn’t just passion.

It’s love.

Casper’s tongue brushes against mine, drawing a soft moan from me. His teeth catch my bottom lip, tugging lightly before his arms wrap around me, guiding me to lean back against him. My bare breasts, with their hardened peaks, betray the heat coursing between us.

Casper’s fingers trace languid patterns over my skin, light yet purposeful.

His hand moves to my left nipple, pinching it gently, coaxing a whimper escapes my lips.

He kisses my cheek softly, the tenderness of the gesture contrasting with the pressure building within me.

Then, as if to shield me from the intensity of the moment, he pulls a blanket over us, wrapping me in warmth and holding me close .

But confusion stirs within me. I had hoped he would claim me again, that we’d let the raw passion consume us once more.

Instead, he pulls me into a tender embrace, his face buried in my hair as though he’s trying to keep things gentle, restrained.

I roll my eyes in frustration, craving more, my body aching for him, even as he holds back.

“Do you want me to make love to you again?”

I shake my head, unable to find the words, but my hands betray me as they reach for him, craving his touch, his heat.

“Hmm,” he hums in approval, his lips twitching slightly.

I turn to meet his gaze—just in time to see his hand wrap around his length. He’s already hard for me, the head flushed and slick, precum glistening at the tip like temptation made flesh.

Heat floods my core.

Casper watches me bite my lip, his eyes gleaming with wicked intent, and his mouth curves into that dark, devastating grin that undoes me every time. He leans in close, his breath brushing my skin before his teeth graze my jaw—slow, teasing—then he bites, just enough to make me shiver.

I push him back.

Dropping to my knees, I meet his eyes as I wrap my hand around him, stroking once, slow and tight, before taking him into my mouth.

The taste of him hits instantly and I moan low in my throat, letting the sound vibrate through him.

His groan is ragged, his fingers twisting into my hair as I take him deeper, tongue swirling, lips wrapped tight.

He twitches against my tongue, and I hollow my cheeks, sucking harder, reveling in the way his control begins to unravel.

His hips jerk, the muscles in his thighs flexing as I work him with my mouth—slow, wet, hungry. I feel him pulse, and I want more. I want all of it—his taste, his sounds, the way he curses under his breath like he’s on the edge of losing himself.

And gods, I want to be the reason he does.

“Fuck,” he moans, his voice a low growl as his hand finds the base of my neck, guiding me as I take him deeper .

His length nudges the back of my throat, and tears spring to my eyes, but I don’t look away—I meet his gaze, unflinching, surrendering to him.

His eyes darken, a devilish gleam flashing through them as his thumb brushes away the wetness trailing down my cheek.

Then he grips my hair tighter, possessive, reverent.

“You take me so well.”

He begins to move—slow at first, letting me feel the weight and stretch of him with every stroke—then deeper, more deliberate, until my breath shortens and my throat burns in the most exquisite way.

But before I can surrender fully, Casper pulls back and lifts me into his arms like I weigh nothing, like I belong there.

There’s a tenderness in his strength, a quiet reverence in the way he holds me—protective, as if even now, he would shield me from the world if he could.

He presses me against the cool stone wall, water glinting off the rocks as sunlight ripples faintly through the entrance, illuminating the cave in fragments—but we remain hidden, wrapped in shadow, in heat, in us.

His cock drags against my clit, teasing me with slow, deliberate strokes that make my head fall back against the stone. I can’t breathe—I don’t want to. Not with the way his hand wraps around my throat, just enough to make me feel it. Just enough to make me moan.

“You like that, don’t you?” he breathes, lips grazing my ear.

I nod, barely able to speak, my body trembling beneath his touch. His grip tightens, and then he pushes into me, inch by inch, filling me so completely I can’t think.

“Gods, yes,” I gasp, the pressure blinding, overwhelming, perfect.

He begins to move—slow, grounding strokes that build and build until his control shatters.

His rhythm turns punishing, relentless, every thrust slamming me into the wall.

My hands clutch at his shoulders, my legs wrapped around his waist as the stone at my back turns into nothing more than a place to hold the fire.

His grip on my throat tightens again, stealing air, sharpening each sensation until every part of me is aching and desperate. My vision swims with stars. My world narrows to the drag of his cock, the heat of his mouth, the possessive way he stares at me like I belong to no one else.

“More,” I whisper, broken, breathless.

He growls in response, slamming into me harder, deeper. The sound of us echoes off the cave walls, raw and animal, until I feel the pressure inside me snap. My orgasm crashes through me, stealing my breath as my body arches into his. My cry tears through the cave, echoing in the dark.

He releases my throat just as air floods back in, and with one final thrust, he groans—deep, ragged—as he spills into me, warmth blooming between us.

His forehead falls to mine, our bodies trembling, locked in the afterglow.

For a moment, there is nothing but the sound of our breathing and the pulse of him still inside me.

And gods, I never want to forget the way this feels.

For a moment, we remain tangled together, his forehead pressed to mine, our breaths mingling as we come down from the high.

Eventually, he withdraws, the motion unhurried, and I feel the absence of him like an ache in my core.

His hands stay firm at my waist, fingers curling gently into my skin as if anchoring me in place, refusing to let me drift.

His gaze drops between us, watching with dark satisfaction as his release begins to slip from me. A low growl builds in his chest, deep and possessive, vibrating through the space between us with primal intent.

Without a word, he brings his hand between my thighs and presses two fingers back inside, pushing his seed deeper, sealing the claim he’s just made.

The sensation pulls a shiver from my core, making my knees falter, but he doesn’t let me fall.

His grip tightens, keeping me open for him, holding me steady with the same control that unraveled me moments before.

There is something reverent in the way he touches me now—not soft, but certain.

"Is it always like this?" I whisper, my breath warm against his shoulder, barely trusting my voice.

"It's never like this," he murmurs, the words low, certain, meant only for me .

Casper lowers me to the ground gently, but the tremble still running through my body does not go unnoticed. His arms are around me again before I can fully settle, and he lifts me without hesitation, cradling me like something precious.

He carries me toward the pool near the cave’s mouth, where the shadows stretch long across the stone and the water glimmers faintly in the fractured light.

The quiet surrounds us as he carefully lowers me into the pool, the cool water soothing my still-flushed skin, but a deep sadness creeps in.

I don’t want to lose his scent, his mark, fading as the water washes over me.

Casper brings my face to his, his concern clear in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

I shake my head, knowing it sounds foolish.

“Tell me,” he urges, his voice anxious.

I turn to face him fully, my gaze drifting to the water below.

“I just... didn’t want to wash away... you .” My voice is soft, almost lost in the stillness.

Casper’s fingers gently lift my chin, guiding my eyes to his. He leans down, pressing his lips to mine in a kiss that feels like reassurance.

“I’m not going anywhere, Lailah.”

His voice is soft, a promise wrapped in his touch.

“I promise.