16

16

Apollo

A small voice in the back of my head whispers that I’m doing something unforgivable, but those warnings are washed away on a tide of desire so intense, it’s a wonder my knees don’t buckle.

Having Cassandra naked and kneeling at my feet is an experience I never thought to have for myself. I’m tempted to simply look at her for hours, but our time is limited.

Duty comes with the dawn.

I intend to have her coming plenty more times before that happens. I tug on her hair, careful to keep it tension rather than pain. “You can keep trying to provoke me, but I’ve told you what I like, Cassandra. Be a good girl and give it to me.”

She shivers. “I hate it when you do that. Enough talking. Let’s get to the foreplay.”

“Talking is the foreplay.” I prefer my kink with a softer touch, but anyone who’s experienced knows you can cut a person right down to their vulnerable center with words as easily as you can with a flogger. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing my submissive fight between their pride demanding they stay silent and their knowledge that giving in will ensure I do exactly what they’re craving.

What we’re both craving.

She glares up at me, but it’s nowhere near her usual cutting expression, not when her eyes are heavy-lidded and she’s allowing herself to rest against my hold. Trusting me not to let her fall backward.

People tend to fill silences. It’s an impulse I’ve never shared. Silences can serve all sorts of purposes, and they are valuable for a number of reasons. Like this one. I can see the argument she’s having with herself. She wants to submit, but she’s not the type to hand that over freely without a fight.

I have no interest in fighting.

Cassandra will give me her submission, and she’ll do it gladly. She just needs a few moments to realize it.

She doesn’t make me wait long before huffing out a breath. “Okay, fine.” She stares up at me, a challenge in those big dark eyes. “I would very much like to suck your cock until you blow in my mouth.”

It takes everything I have to hold perfectly still and give her no reaction. “And then?”

“And then…” Her lips curve. “Then when you’ve had sufficient time to recover, I would very much like you to fuck me.”

Gods, this woman.

I tug her hair a little. Even if I can contain the majority of my reaction, the fact remains that she’s affecting me deeply. I like that even her submission has thorns. My voice is more than a little hoarse when I finally reply. “Earn it.”

“Excuse me?”

I jerk my chin down. “Suck my cock well and I’ll consider fucking you.”

Her jaw drops. “I don’t know if I want to tell you to fuck right off with that nonsense or come on the spot.”

“You want to do both, but you won’t tell me to fuck off, because you want me to make you come again.” There’s reward in the submission freely given. I could nudge her easily into doing what I want—what we both want—but this is significantly more satisfying. “Remember how well I rewarded you in the sitting room.”

She licks her lips, her eyes going hazy. “You barely asked anything of me there.”

“I wanted your words. Now I want your mouth.” I pull her hair a little. A reminder of what came before. A promise of what comes next. “And you want to please me, Cassandra.”

She reaches up and hooks her fingers in the waistband of my pants. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“Always with the smart comments.” I allow her to tug me closer and ease my pants down my hips enough to free my cock. “Clever, spiteful Cassandra. Let’s put that mouth to good use.”

She wraps a fist around the base of my cock and licks her lips. I can hardly believe this is real. I’ve fantasized about this woman more times than I care to admit, but having her bend down and drag her tongue along the underside of my cock when I can still taste her on my lips?

I have to tilt my head back and stare at the ceiling while I fight for control. Cassandra, the little troublemaker, chuckles and then closes her mouth around my cock. She sucks me deep, not giving me a moment to adjust. Fuck, I’m not going to last long.

Even knowing it will fray my control further, I look down. She’s staring up at me, and the sight of her sucking my cock… I don’t mean to tighten my grip on her hair, but she moans in response and sucks me harder, faster.

“Gods,” I breathe. “You really want to earn that fucking.”

She eases off me and brushes my cock against her lips. “Fuck me, Apollo.” She flicks her tongue against me. “But not yet. I’m enjoying this.”

“I know.” I hardly sound like myself.

Cassandra looks up at me, something wicked in her eyes. “Would you like to know what else I want?”

“You’re going to tell me.” The order lashes out of me.

“Come in my mouth.” She doesn’t give me a chance to respond. She simply sucks me down as if her very salvation lies on the other end of my orgasm.

I hold out as long as I can, making her work for it. Cassandra seems to be good at everything she does, and this is no exception. But I don’t want it to end too soon.

It’s going to end too soon no matter what happens tonight.

I ignore that thought. I don’t have forever, but I have right now. It will have to be enough. She sucks me deep, until her lips meet my base. Even if I was determined to hold out longer, this is too much pleasure to deny. It washes away the last of my control and I cup her face and begin thrusting into her mouth. Cassandra relaxes instantly, submitting as I fuck her mouth. I’m not rough, but I don’t give her time to decide she wants to retake control.

“Take it,” I grind out. “You’ve more than earned it.”

She hums a little in response, her expression entirely blissed out. The trust she puts in me, her willingness to submit, tips me over the edge. I curse and come, pumping into her as she swallows me down. On and on it goes.

When I finally ease out of her mouth, she licks her lips and smiles up at me. Without thinking, I go to my knees in front of her and kiss her. She meets me halfway. Of course she does. Cassandra is my equal in every way that matters. A perfect partner…at least for now.

“Apollo.” She leans back and bites her bottom lip. “Fuck me tonight. Please. I need your cock so much. Please don’t make me wait any longer.”

It’s a struggle to rise to my feet—to leave her—and move to my suitcase and pull out a string of condoms. I toss them onto the bed. Cassandra is still kneeling, still looking a bit dazed. I circle back to her and lean down to cup her elbows so I can lift her to her feet. I intend to kiss her lightly. But those intentions vanish the moment she wraps her arms around my neck.

Suddenly, I can’t get close enough. Can’t touch her enough. Can’t taste her enough. I grab her hips and jerk her against me, closing the last miniscule distance between us. Her breasts and stomach press to my chest, shorting out what little thought I had to go slow.

My recovery time is usually longer, but none of the usual rules apply when it’s this woman in my arms. My cock goes hard as I back her toward the bed. She tastes of me and need and I’m drunk off the feeling of her tongue against mine, of the knowledge that I can kiss Cassandra as much as I want to.

At least for the next few days.

I break the kiss enough to say, “Lie down.”

“Apollo, if you don’t fuck me right now, I might actually die.” She hooks the back of my neck and gives me another searing kiss. “I’m wet and I’m aching and I need your cock. Now.”

I push her down onto the bed and the sight of her stops me in my tracks. She’s soft and beautiful and, gods, I want her to be mine in truth.

Stop it. It’s too much to ask.

Cassandra makes a whimpering sound. “Stop staring at me and come here. Don’t make me beg.”

Another time, I would. Another time…

I grab a condom and make quick work of rolling it down my cock. Cassandra spreads her legs as I climb onto the bed, giving me a devastating glimpse of the perfection that is her pussy.

I need to be inside her, but I can’t stop myself from dipping down and dragging my tongue up her center. She gives a cry and digs her hands into my hair. “Get up here.”

Despite the fact that I’m having a hard time breathing through the sheer wave of desire bearing me along, I manage a laugh. “Always so impatient.”

“Don’t act like you’re not.” She wraps a fist around my cock and squeezes a little. “That recovery time was, what? A minute?” She smiles against my lips. “You want me so badly, you’re shaking.”

I kiss down her jaw and nip her earlobe. “Are you expecting me to deny it?” I hold my breath as she guides my cock to her entrance. “Now, be a good girl and take this cock.”

She shivers. “I hate that I love that so much.”

“No, you don’t.” I have every intention of going slow. But like with the kiss, my wires get crossed somewhere between the intention and the doing. I thrust into her, sheathing myself to the hilt.

Cassandra cries out. I tense, reason warring with desire, but she makes the decision for me. She drags her fingers down my back and sets her nails against my ass. “Deeper. Harder.”

I thrust deeper. Harder. All thought leaves my head. There is nothing but her soft body wrapped around me. Nothing but how good her pussy feels. Nothing but her words, urging me on. There is no slowing down. No teasing this out until we’re both shaking and desperate for each other. There is only a rough fucking that fills the room with the sounds of our bodies coming together again and again.

I try to slow down, to regain control, but Cassandra arches against me, crying out as her pussy clamps around my cock. Sheer pleasure wrenches a curse from my lips and then I’m pounding into her, chasing my own release. I come so hard, I get light-headed. “Cassandra.”

We end up in a tangle on our sides. Distantly, I’m aware that I need to get up and deal with the condom, but I don’t quite have control over my lower body at this point.

She presses a light kiss to my nose. “Damn, Apollo. Just…damn.”

I want nothing more than to lose myself in this woman, to forget the rest of the outside world and make her mine for as long as she’s here. To do whatever it takes to convince her to stay. It’s the wrong call, the selfish one. Just like letting this escalate was selfish in the extreme. Maybe I’ll regret it later, but I can’t seem to right now.

I catch her chin and kiss her deeply. “You’ve pleased me greatly.”

She grins against my mouth. “Well, with you I actually want to earn the good-girl title. Who knew?”

Me. I knew. I ease off her and take a few minutes to dispose of the condom. Walking back into the room is surreal in the way that dreams are.

Cassandra has crawled beneath the covers and she smiles sleepily at me. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be up for round two.”

What she needs now isn’t another round of sex. It’s a soft easing down into sleep. This week is far from over, and we’ll need all our wits about us for whatever is coming. I don’t know what Minos is planning yet, but one thing is certain: I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure Cassandra remains safe and that her trust in me isn’t betrayed.

No matter the cost.