Chapter 28 Marcus

I paced back and forth a few times by the front door, cracking my knuckles as I waited. My heart rate was operating on overdrive, flickering steadily like a lightshow. Only a couple of minutes had passed since my doorman buzzed me and told me I had a visitor, but those minutes felt like years.

The doorbell chimed and I lunged for the knob, immediately surrendering any chance of playing it cool.

I didn't know who I was trying to kid though; Cass knew I wasn't cool.

"Hey," I said when I opened the door and saw her standing there with her hand still elevated—like she didn't even have time to lower it after ringing the bell.

Her expression relaxed when she saw me, slowly shifting from confusion to relief. The way her brown eyes surveyed me left me feeling warm. The recognition was palpable; the mere act of looking at me brought her peace. She smiled softly and released a protracted exhale before she said, "Hi."

"What are you doing here?" I asked, looking her up and down. I didn't know what I was looking for—maybe for signs of wear and tear. Luckily, I saw nothing. Just an exquisite woman in a pair of tight jeans and a form-fitting tank top, standing at my front door like the best delivery on the face of this earth. "Don't get me wrong," I continued, "I'm thrilled to see you, but I thought you would be out with what's his name."

Trevor. I knew his fucking name, of course.

Cass didn't answer my question. Instead, she raised her chin, eyeing the apartment behind me. "Can I come in?"

"You never have to ask," I replied before I pulled her into a hug. The familiar smell of her perfume hit me, making me wish I had the nerve to ask her what scent she wore. But it occurred to me she was smart enough to guess I would possibly consider buying a small bottle of it so I could smell it all the time, which even I knew was borderline creepy—but she just smelled so damn good.

"Why are you hugging me?" she muttered into my chest after a moment.

"Did something happen?" I questioned. My mind raced with the possibilities as I waited for her to respond. "Something happened, didn't it. That's why you're here with me and not with him." I broke our embrace so I could look at her, which made Cass roll her eyes. So flippant. So damn flippant. And still so right for me.

"Marcus—"

"Did he hurt you?" I demanded, still scanning her. I brought my hands to her shoulders and held her at an arm's length, appraising her. Beyond her inconceivable beauty, there was nothing remarkable about her at that moment. "Did he try something with you? Because let me be clear, Cass: If he hurt you, I'll fuck him up beyond repair. If not physically, I will ruin that man's credit score and identity to the point where he won't even be able to rent a pair of bowling shoes in this country."

"He didn't do anything," she insisted as she loosened from my hold and took a step forward so she could touch me. She put her hands on the sides of my neck and began to rub her thumbs along the corners of my jaw. I leaned into her touch, wondering why we didn't spend more time just touching each other like this. Her eyes met mine and stayed fixed, keeping us locked together in a lingering gaze.

"Then what are you doing here?" The words came out slow and uncertain. I cleared my throat gently, wondering if I should ask her again.

But before I could speak, she lifted one perfect eyebrow and said, "I was with him, and I realized I didn't want to be. I wanted to be with you."

Her expression was serious, slightly amused if anything—but clearly genuine. She still didn't remove her gaze from mine. And I let that gaze linger for a few more seconds, seconds that felt suddenly precious to me.

"Really?" I furrowed my brow just a tick. "I thought—"

"Does that surprise you?" she asked, her voice soft. She took another step closer, bringing her body against mine. Like they had minds of their own, my hands went straight to her waist. Her skin was warm through the fabric of the tight tank top she wore. When she breathed, I could feel her body tense.

I nodded. "A little."

Cass stood on her toes, bringing her face close to mine. "One of these days, you're going to get it into your head that you're so fucking sexy I can't even think when I'm around you," she whispered. She rose a little higher, just enough to plant a fleeting kiss on my lips. "You're the only person I want to be with."

"Me?" I confirmed, wishing I could just expel all the disbelief from my tone. But years in the cutthroat world of tech and finance had left me jaded. I knew better than to trust something that sounded too good to be true—and this was far and away the best thing I had ever heard. "You mean it. You're not just saying it because your night with Trevor was a bust—like I knew it would be."

"You, Marcus," she replied—no sass, no sarcasm. Her face was serious, almost determined. Her hands flexed on my skin, reminding me she was real—that she was here in the flesh, asking for me. "Not casually. Not platonically. Actually. I want to be with you and only you. And if you take another minute to try to process that, I might go out of my mind with need. So could you just—"

"Thank god," I said before I took her mouth.

The kiss seared and sent waves of relief and anticipation through me. It wasn't frantic like it usually was. For once, we had all the time in the world—no fear of one of us getting cold feet or letting doubt get in the way. I breathed her in, drawing her as close to me as I could. She fit well in my arms. I'd always felt that way, since the first time I held her like this at Shelf Atlas. There was a wave of frequency that pulsated along our bodies, and only along our bodies. It was an unseen recognition that something in each of us aligned in the other. It was probably there a decade ago; there was a reason why I felt an inexplicable impulse to talk to her, only her, on my last night at school. There was a reason why she lashed out at the thought of me leaving her. We didn't understand it then; we were kids. But it made sense now—it made all the sense in the world. We were part and parcel. Intrinsic. Necessary.

We parted just long enough for me to lead her over to my living room. We lingered in front of the white shearling couches, the ones that cost me a fortune—luxurious for no reason. When I bought them, it had been nonchalant. I didn't think twice about them. Now, I was grateful to have them. I wanted to lay her on them and to revere her body.

My hands slid along her curves, lowering to hold her ass. I pinned her against me and the implication was clear: I wasn't going to let go of her again.

She motioned for me to sit first, before she climbed into my lap, facing me. The sight was breathtaking and exciting, yet carnal all at once. Within seconds, she had shed her shirt and her bra, leaving herself topless in a pair of jeans—all while I looked on in total and complete admiration. Her dark eyes locked onto mine and something about the way her gaze flickered reminded me that what existed between us was longer than the twenty-six days that had passed since she walked into my office. No, we were ten years into this—three thousand, six hundred something days. All those days had led up to this night.

I wondered if she recognized that. I wondered if she had ever considered if that encounter changed her, like it changed me. She was the reason why I developed a shrewdness that had paid off in dividends—literally and figuratively. She was the reason I didn't have a trail of women in my wake. She was the reason for all of it.

Cass dipped low and kissed my neck while her hands pushed their way under my t-shirt. Her motions were steady and deliberate. Her intentions were clear—she wanted me showing just as much skin as she was. I was more than happy to oblige her.

Once we were both shirtless, I explored her—still feeling the same wonderment I did the first time I touched this immaculate body. My fingers pinched and kneaded nipples. My palms grazed soft skin that prickled with goosebumps when I slowed my pace. She smiled through our kisses, letting out nearly inaudible moans of approval whenever I came across a spot that she loved.

"Tell me I fuck you better than he did," I ordered, breathing hard as I undid the button on her jeans. I needed to hear her say it.

"You're so much better." She closed her eyes and her head tilted back as she grinned with pleasure, feeling my fingertips dip into her jeans to cup her mound. I wanted to see her lost in me, and she was well on her way. "And not just him, but everyone ."

"Yeah?"

She nodded, eyes still closed as she soaked in my touch. "So much better."

"I love hearing you say that," I murmured. My free hand traveled around her back and rested on the line of her spine, tracing the indent. "I want to wake up to you saying that every morning, Cass."

Cass blinked her brown eyes open and leveled them with mine. "Yeah?"

"Absolutely."

She did this thing where she rotated her head gently at the neck so she could shake her hair off her shoulders. The ends of her hair tickled my arm behind her. I floated my hand up to toy with a lock of it, tugging it gently. She smiled sweetly. "Record me then."

The thought shot right through me, igniting every part of me with want. Need. Desire.

"Yeah?" I pulled on her hair a little harder, holding it gingerly but firmly like I was stretching silk. "So I can watch you later? You'd love that, wouldn't you? You want to show off for me."

"I'm serious," she responded, tightening her eyebrows. Her eyes connected with mine, assessing my expression. "You don't believe me?"

For some reason, this felt like a trap. I released her hair and leaned back, canting my head to the side as I attempted to decipher if she really meant it. If she did, I wasn't even sure I knew how to process the suggestion. Filming her…it was one part a lifelong dream fulfilled and one part taboo. Exhilarating and forbidden all at once.

I grappled with one feeling: It was potentially a disaster in the making. I wasn't necessarily important , but I was notable enough that if my sex tape were to hit the internet, millions of people would probably watch it.

On the other hand, if she didn't mean it and this was a put-on, I didn't think I could handle the disappointment.

She raised her hand and began to rub the backs of her fingers along my abdomen, tracing the ridges with her knuckles. "I want you to film yourself fucking me." Her voice came out slow and sultry. When she raised her gaze to look at me once again, her eyes were hooded, but determined. I knew that look. It was that look of beautiful stubbornness. She was going to have me fuck her and it was going to be on camera—and it was non-negotiable. That look alone had me on the verge of losing all resolve and flipping her over before shoving into her without hesitation.

"Really?" was all I could stammer. Of course, my tone broke at the end, betraying what little confidence I had mustered.

Luckily, Cass smiled when she heard it. "And you can watch it later," she went on as she came closer to me. Her nipples tickled my chest as she pressed herself against my body. Seconds later, I felt her lips against my throat. A soft trail of kisses followed, working towards my ear. "Think about how hot that would be. Think about how risky that would be."

"You're sure?" I asked, using one hand to run my fingers through her hair. For some reason that act felt necessary—like I needed to remind both of us that no matter what I said and did, I adored her. No matter how filthy my words were and no matter how roughly I handled her, she was precious to me.

"So sure." Cass reached her hand into my pocket, where my phone was practically waiting for her. "I'm game if you are."

She held my phone loosely in her hand and passed it to me, nodding at me to encourage me to take it.

My entire body was aching with want.

Fucking hell .

"And you're positive," I asked as I took my phone. My thumb unlocked it as I spoke. "You're completely sure you want me to—"

"You have my consent and then some." She shifted her hands from my abdomen to rest them on my shoulders. She shook her head side to side, like she was about to get down to business. Cass raised both eyebrows and blinked before she stared deeply into my eyes. "Marcus Fitz, do I have your consent?"

"Of course. I'm just…" I shook my head before I allowed a breathy exhale to release. A note of disbelief escaped me simultaneously. "How are you real, Cass? How is it possible I could find a woman like you and I didn't even have to go looking for you?"

Her eyes lit up at my response. She let out a soft laugh and said, "Look, if I weren't sitting here, clothes off and wet for you, I would want to dig into this disbelief. But I'm a woman on a mission. You deserve me. Don't ever question that."

"You too." I hesitated for a second before I scooted myself higher where I sat. "Cass, I know you don't like it when I talk like this, but really…nobody has ever made me feel like you do."

To my relief, she eased her countenance. One hand moved from my shoulder to my cheek. "Really?"

I nodded. "I like the fact that you hate pickles, but inexplicably like to eat salt and vinegar chips. You know that makes no sense, right?"

Cass brought her hand up to her lips, covering her smile as she beamed at me.

I pulled her closer in my lap as I went on. "I like that you think my eyes are beautiful and that you love horror films. I like that you focus on what feels good, even when most of us don't know how to."

Pausing, I studied her expression. For the first time in my memory, I could practically feel the joy radiating off her. She removed her hand from her lips and she allowed herself to just smile as she watched me. It was infectious. I grinned back before I said, "I like that you're not perfect, Cass. I'm not either. And I'm so good at pretending I am…"

"I know." She brought her other hand up to my cheek so she was cradling my face in her palms. Her touch was delicate in the same way she handled her own body.

My hand went to her waist, stroking smooth, irresistible skin. She was slender and warm, made to fit in my hands. "I've waited so long for someone to just get it. I never, ever thought it would be you—but it makes the most sense in the world to me."

"I feel the same way." She kissed me, her lips grazing mine faintly…almost lovingly.

"Okay, I'm done," I assured her. "Thank you for indulging me and letting me release the backlog of sweet shit I've been storing for a couple of weeks. We can get back to the sexy stuff now."

"Oh dear," she mused, an eyebrow raised with mock intrigue. "What kind of sexy stuff do you have in store for me tonight?"

"Apparently I'm directing my first sex tape," I commented. I held up my phone. "And you're sure?"

Without a word, Cass took my phone and turned the camera on me. "It's recording," she announced, holding up the phone between us. She brought it closer to my face. "Marcus, tell me how hard you're going to fuck me tonight."

"Who says I'm fucking you?" I asked, faking a frown. "You think you can just show up whenever you want, asking me for sex?"

Cass laughed and handed me the phone. I switched the back camera so it was focused on her face, and that was when it truly dawned on me—she was letting me film her completely topless.

Scratch that. She was going to let me film her completely nude. As soon as the camera was on her, she hopped off my lap and stood in front of me, shimmying her jeans down her shapely legs. Denim passed over her soft hips and over her knees. I let out a groan as her tan skin came into view. Then I feasted on the sight of her body—this body I was allowed to touch and kiss and hold and feel however and whenever I wanted to. This body distracted me day in and day out. It captivated every part of me, at the best and the worst possible times. But most importantly, this body belonged to the woman who mattered more to me than any other. This body was nothing short of priceless.

"You're definitely going to fuck me," she replied, winking once at the camera. "How could you not?"

She was right, of course. I had zero power to resist her. She could have asked me to give her every share of my Libra stock at that moment, and my response would have been, When? I'm sorry I didn't think to do that sooner.

"You know what it's going to take," I said, staring at her image on the screen of my phone. I couldn't suppress a grin as she brought her hands up to her breasts and began to massage them slowly, hefting their weight in her hands. Her fingers circled her nipples, gently tweaking her piercings. In just a few minutes, I would have my mouth on those nipples—and that thought never got old.

"You want me to say it?" she asked as she continued to touch her own body, showing me how sensitive she was tonight. A sigh passed over her lips and it quickly shifted into a moan as she gripped her breasts, letting her nipples poke through the gaps between her fingers.

I nodded—and that nod held the overwhelming responsibility of telling her I wanted everything from her. I wanted her words and her body and her brain. All of it.

"You fuck me better than anyone else does. So much better, Marcus." She took a step closer to me, close enough that I could reach out and touch her. The temptation of that alone quickly outweighed the allure of filming her.

"That was perfect." I turned and placed my phone against the pillow by the armrest. This way, we were still visible when I flipped the camera around.

I motioned for her to come to me.

Cass climbed back onto my lap, looking to her left where my phone showed us both on the screen. I had to admit, the sight was surreal and downright illicit—and I loved it. It was the first opportunity I'd ever had to look at the two of us together. My hands gripped her thighs, pressing into her skin. My fingertips indented the surface of her flesh and highlighted how supple her body was.

Mine .

It was the closest I'd ever been to being on the outside looking in on myself, and fuck my confidence had never been higher. Cass was unflappable and dizzying and quiet and loud, and she was stunning and reckless and brilliant and illegible, and she was a million other things, but the best thing was that she was here. She was in my arms.

She leaned forward and she let her long hair cascade onto my chest. "That looks so good," she whispered as she kissed me. She sucked my lower lip into her mouth and moaned softly. "So, so good."

My mouth opened to invite in her tongue. When our tongues twined together, I let out a groan, whispering her name. That seemed to light a fire of need in her, and she rocked her hips against me, grinding her bare pussy onto my pants. Her hips moved back and forth, coaxing me to harden under her body.

"Needy," I whispered. I bit down gently on her plump lower lip. "You can't wait for my cock."

I tightened my hands on each of her thighs, spreading her legs wider. Her pussy lips opened against me, increasing that decadent contact around my erection. She shuddered when I fixed my hand on her lower back, urging her to grind harder. Her swollen lips rubbed over me, dampening the fabric because she was so ready for me—readier than she had ever been.

"I want it inside me," she panted, making no attempts to obscure the desperation in her voice. She pulled her mouth away from mine and pressed her forehead against mine. "Don't make me wait."

"Take it out then." I brought my hand from her thigh to her nipple. I wrapped my fingertips around it, pinching her piercing and her hard bud. She shuddered at first and then groaned loudly as the pain melted into pleasure. My dick surged at the thought of taking her roughly—at the thought of seeing just how much we could give and take from each other. "If you're going to be greedy, you're going to have to work for it."

Cass's hands immediately got to work on my button and my zipper. Within seconds, she tugged my hard cock over the band of my boxer briefs. She wrapped both hands around it, and her eyes focused on it as she gave me a few initial strokes. Her skin was soft against me, velvet against stone. I muttered out a few expletives before I leaned forward to take her mouth again.

Her grip tightened around my cock, jerking it faster before I brought a hand up to stop her. Surprised, her eyes met mine with alarm.

"Slow down, gorgeous," I cautioned, authority creeping its way into my tone. "You're not ready yet."

"I'm so ready," she protested.

Swiftly, I scooped her against me as I stood. Gasping with surprise, Cass clung to me with her arms looped over my shoulders. I dropped her back on the couch, putting her in the spot where I was just sitting.

"No complaints," I warned as I lowered to my knees in front of her. "Seriously. I don't fuck women who whine at me—even if they are asking me for my dick."

Frustration shifted to anticipation as she watched me kneel. Her eyes lit up when she realized what I had in mind. "No complaints here."

"Play with your tits," I instructed as I placed my hands on her knees. "I mean it. If you stop, I stop—and then it's going to take me longer to fuck you."

She didn't waste a beat. Her palms went to the swells of her breasts, working them—massaging them. I kept my eyes on those hands, fixating on them as I began to kiss a slow path along her inner thigh.

"Good job, Cass," I murmured, watching as she pinched her own nipple. "You're so horny for me that I knew you'd be a good girl. My good little slut."

Cass nodded, exhaling out with her lips pursed like she was actively steadying her breath to keep from panting. "I'll be good for you. Always."

"I know it's difficult for you," I continued. My lips paused right on one of her soft folds, nibbling gently. Her scent hit me. Tangy and heady. It called me to taste her. "I know how bad you can be. I know how bad you like to be—asking me to film you like this. Starring in a sex tape for me."

She flushed, her eyes heavy with need. She shuddered when I parted her pussy with my thumb, separating her decadent, pink lips. It was so close to my face. To my mouth. She looked so damn sweet, yet so fucking lewd with her legs spread wide open for me.

"You probably couldn't wait to fuck on camera for me, right?" I asked, my mouth now hovering right above her. I glanced down at her luscious folds. Her needy pussy glistened with her wetness, begging for me to relieve her and coaxing me to finally taste her. "Such a filthy little slut."

"Please," she murmured. "I'll beg if I have to. You know I will."

"Not tonight." Slowly, I leaned forward and planted a kiss right on her center. She bucked without warning, like she had been anticipating that contact all evening. "Just keep touching those tits—I'll handle the rest."

Cass let out another gasp as my lips wrapped around her clit. I gave it a generous suck just to get her going. She cried out and threw her head back. Her moans reached the ceiling, surrounding us.

"Don't stop," she implored, even though I didn't need her to tell me. I would never stop—not until she was coming.

Her taste was the sweetest thing that had ever been on my lips. She was responsive to my tongue, practically quivering with pleasure as I licked her from her opening to that gorgeous pearl of a clit. I wondered if she would pierce it if I asked her to. I wondered if she would pierce it like she had pierced her beautiful nipples, seeking more ways to heighten her pleasure. For her. For us.

My hand reached up and fixed on one of her breasts. I massaged her globe, gripping her soft skin and wondering how it was possible for any woman to have such an exquisite body. I felt lucky—downright privileged—to touch her. To have my mouth on her pussy, licking her from top to bottom? It was a fucking miracle.

"You taste so good," I gritted out, not even recognizing my own voice when I spoke. It was thick with lust and heat, transformed with the taste of her. I dipped my tongue into her entrance, reveling in the wetness that awaited me. Her body pulsed, eagerly asking me for more.

I dipped a finger into her, soaking it in her. I felt her contract around me, giving me glimmers of a powerful orgasm to come. That small preview spurred me on. I added another finger, remembering how much she loved the feeling of fullness. I would fill her soon. I would fill her with my cock, and eventually with my cum—with so much of it that she would feel it dripping out of her.

Her free hand, the one that wasn't yanking on her own nipple, fixed in my hair. She tangled it relentlessly in an act of possession and desire. My tongue stayed insistent. It lapped and flicked against her hard clit. I lavished it, wishing I hadn't waited so long to do this.

"So fucking wet," I told her, letting the words tickle her folds as I spoke. I added a third finger, stretching her around me. "Wet enough for my cock, I think…"

" Please ," she blurted out. She practically yanked my face up towards hers. "Let me come on your cock. I want it so much. I want you in—"

I cut her off with a heated kiss. She could taste herself and she loved it . She licked around my mouth, sucking hard on my lips as her hands coasted down my body to my throbbing length. If she was needy, I was on the verge of self-combustion. I needed to be in her—as soon as possible.

"Condom," I declared as I broke away from her. We probably needed to have a conversation about whether we could do without them sometime soon, but it wasn't the moment. All my critical thinking skills were out the window. My dick was running the show—and its only objective was to fuck Cass so thoroughly that she would never forget this night.

When I returned from my bedroom, Cass was lying on her back across the couch cushions. She was holding my phone over her body and staring up at it as she played with herself. One hand was working her pussy, the other held the phone over her. Silently, I thanked every deity in every religion in the history of the world for letting me walk the earth at the same time as this woman.

I made an appearance in the recording by bringing my lips directly to her breast. I felt her lips kiss the top of my head, right on my hair.

"Ready?" I asked as I straightened my spine.

Cass turned the camera to face me as I removed my pants. Stripping on camera would have terrified me at any other point in my life, but tonight she was more powerful than pure liquid courage. I wanted to strip for her. I could feel her filming me as I rolled the condom over my dick and the reality flamed my skin.

"Tell me what you're going to do to me," she requested, focusing on the screen. "What do you have planned for me?"

"You're so gorgeous," I murmured in response. "You have no idea how special you are to me." Then I paused, realizing what I had just said to her. The words had just slipped out—raced out, actually.

To my surprise, Cass didn't object. She didn't even flinch. To my magnificent fucking surprise, she smiled. "So are you."

I withheld my excitement, but the exchange felt monumental. We were about to fuck and Cass had let me say something that wasn't dominating or caustic—and she seemed to enjoy it. She seemed to love it, actually. I tried another one.

"I just want to make you feel as good as you make me feel," I said. "Let me worship you, Cass."

"I'd love that," she responded softly. This time, she looked past the camera as she spoke to me. She was looking right in my eyes, her gaze open—almost reverent. Without a word, she stopped the video and put my phone on the floor. "Come here," she said.

I climbed over her, naked and ready for her body. Skin met skin once again. I settled on top of her, where her legs were spread apart and waiting. She wrapped them around my waist, holding me against her. For once, this was intimate. Sensual. Nothing between us. Face to face.

She reached around my neck and drew my lips down to hers. I kissed her, exhaling contentedly as we settled into an embrace.

"I've wanted you for so long," I whispered as I began to lay a circle of gentle kisses around her mouth. That was an understatement, of course. I had wanted her for ten years, but even before that I wanted some version of her. I'd dreamed of someone who was just the right mix of perplexing and provocative. I'd dreamed of someone who would make me feel at home in my own skin. Even before I could comprehend love or companionship, I had wanted her.

Waiting beneath me, Cass's hips bucked against mine. I lowered my hand and fixed my cock at her entrance.

"Cass," I said as I pulled my face back. "Look at me for a second."

She did. We looked at each other as I slid my cock into her, slowly sheathing myself inside of her body. Her hard nipples pilled against my chest and her hands tightened their hold on my shoulders. Her perfume surrounded me, enveloping me in her scent. Warmth met me as I settled into her body, convinced that she was the safest place in the world for me. Her face twisted from pain to passion in the flip of a second. She looked at me adoringly—at the rare intersection of total admiration and wanting to eat me alive.

I began to move in her, building up a rhythm. Steam clouded between us. Sparks crackled. Cass began to moan, tilting her head back against the couch cushion as I kindled the heat where my body entered hers.

"That's it," I told her, savoring the sweet sensation on my cock. "Let me make you feel good. Let me make you feel wanted."

"Yes, Marcus," she gasped as I continued my motions, roughening them as her hands grasped and latched on to me, digging into my skin.

I drew back to the tip and plunged into her body, treating her to a full stroke. She was so wet for me, inviting me to move faster—to give her everything.

Cass's hands came down from my shoulders. They traveled over my body and latched on my ass. She tugged, motioning desperately like she wanted to force more of me into her. Always happy to please her, I thrusted harder and incited a groan.

"So fucking sweet," I growled as I pumped—fucking her now. "This luscious body deserves to be adored. Always."

"Only by you."

"Only me," I confirmed, spurred on by her sounds of need. I let my hand slide along her body, feeling skin damp with sweat and alive with warmth. I slid my hand under her, tilting her up so I could grip her ass. She nodded, encouraging me.

"Mine," I informed her as I worked her. "I want you to be mine."

"No question," she replied with a pant. "I was always yours."

Those words were blue fire. They lit up every carnal instinct in my body and I drew up onto one arm. At this angle, I was able to hold myself up and pump into her—fiercely this time. I filled her with long, deep strokes that felt better with every push. Her body began to bounce against mine, her breasts jiggling and shaking with every thrust. She looked incredible—like pure sex encompassed in one irresistible woman.

She was coming undone, gasping as I worked her into a fever pitch. I moved from admiration to obsession. My hand on her ass traveled low, sliding between her cheeks. My intentions were clear—filthy and entitled. I shifted a finger to her tight bud, coaxing out a moan from my girl.

"Does that feel good?" I asked. "Do you like it when I finger your asshole?"

"God, you're so fucking good at this," she gritted back, focusing to keep her orgasm at bay. "So good. So…"

She trailed off as I massaged her there, exploring her most intimate part. Muscles tightened around me as those building contractions emerged.

"You feel amazing, Cass. You're going to make me come like this." I was hanging on a thread, just a few strokes away from blinding release.

"Come in me," she requested, not missing a beat. She moved her hands up to her own body and began to play with her breasts. "Please, baby. I want it so bad. I want all of you."

I wanted her to have everything from me. I wanted to give her the world and more—and if my orgasm was what she wanted at that moment, I would give it to her. I lowered my lips to kiss her, our mouths working furiously as I pumped into her body. My groans mixed with hers. My hands grabbed any and every inch of skin they could reach.

Cass gasped and cried out as her body began to buck against mine. She practically vibrated as her climax washed over her, thrumming again and again as she rolled with pleasure. Her body jerked and seized. I held onto her, along for the ride as she melted into release. Her cries went right to my ear, fueling me as I tumbled over the edge as well.

My cock throbbed into my own orgasm, latching onto the final throes of Cass's release as I came. I clutched her naked body. I felt her chest pulse with heaving breaths. I savored her exhales against my cheek. The vibration of her throat. Hair. Sweat. Gasps. I felt her muscles relax as she descended into pure contentment. She began to scatter kisses across my face and neck, gripping my hair as I groaned with release. I repeated her name over and over again, eyes shut tight.

I felt hands exploring me, caressing me against her. I settled against the sumptuous body beneath me, exhaling as I regained connection with the rest of the world. My eyes blinked open. When I looked up, Cass was staring down at me and running her fingers through my hair. Her touch was gentle and her expression was almost…awed.

Our ragged breaths steadied and we lay there together in silence, neither of us daring to move. I continued to stare at her, watching her with caution that slowly faded away with each passing second. She wasn't going anywhere. She was exactly where she wanted to be.

Minutes passed. She never stopped stroking me. I never stopped stroking the velvet soft line of skin along her spine. My eyes grew heavy as we lay there together, our inhalations aligning until we respired in unison. I drifted off to sleep on top of her, my arms wrapped around her as she continued to plant kisses on the top of my head.

When I awoke not long after, she was still curled around me. Brown eyes stared at me and a small smile formed at the corner of her lips. "Marcus fucking Fitz," she murmured. "I never thought it would be you."

"What did I do?"

"You're the first person to tell me I was special…without that being a curse."

Something told me there was so much more to that story than she was letting on. This wasn't the right time to ask though. We had been through enough for one night.

"This was ten years in the making." I brought my hand up to her cheek and caressed her soft skin until she leaned into my palm and let me cradle her. "Nothing about that is a curse."