by I. T. Lucas
He smiled to reassure her. “The suit absorbed most of it. I’m fine.” He wasn’t, but once he plucked out the shards in the bathroom, his wounds would heal right away, and no sign of injury would remain.
“I’m so sorry,” she murmured again. “I didn’t mean it.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” He looked at the pedestal and the crystal pieces that were strewn about. “Cheap, made-in-China crap. It must have had a defect, or maybe the frequency of our voices agitated it into exploding.”
She let out a shuddering breath. “I thought that I knocked it over by mistake.”
Taking her elbow, he led her to the couch. “Let me pour you a drink.”
She looked at his shredded sleeve and the tiny pieces of crystal embedded in his pants. “I should get those out first.” She reached for his sleeve.
Onegus caught her hand. “Don’t. You’ll only hurt yourself. I’ll get you a drink and then check the damage in the bathroom.”
Cassandra shook her head. “I’m coming with you. You might need help.” She lifted her small bag. “I have tweezers.”
Damn. He couldn’t let her see him heal faster than humanly possible. “I’ll tell you what. If you really want to be helpful, find a broom and clean up this mess while I’m in the bathroom.”
She opened her mouth, no doubt to argue, but then closed it and nodded. “I can do that.”
“Thank you.” Onegus leaned and kissed her cheek. “I’ll be right back.”
In the bathroom, he plucked out the bigger pieces from his sleeve and then carefully peeled the jacket off, wincing as the shards dragged over his skin.
Underneath, his shirt sleeve was soaked with blood. As he looked at the many tiny particles that were embedded in the skin underneath, he thought about Cassandra’s offer to use her tweezers.
Hopefully, Ingrid had included a pair in the basket of toiletries, and he wouldn’t have to ask Cassandra for hers. She would offer to do the plucking, and if he allowed it, he would have to thrall the memory of his fast healing away, and then he couldn’t thrall her again after biting her.
Not a good plan.
When he found the tweezers in the basket, Onegus let out a relieved breath.
It took him almost half an hour to dig all the shards out, and when he was done, he stepped into the shower to wash the blood away.
42
Cassandra
What a mess.
Cassandra’s damn temper had done it again. She should have told Onegus to take her home instead of going with him to his new shag pad.
He hadn’t lied when he told her that she was the first one he’d ever brought there, but that was only because he’d just gotten the place. And why the hell had he made up those ridiculous lies about showing apartments to potential clients?
Onegus might not be the head of his family’s international conglomerate, but his position in the organization was important enough that he wouldn’t have to do the job of a real estate agent. If he’d told her that he was selling the entire building to potential investors, it would have been somewhat believable, but to assume that she’d believe he was tasked with showing apartments to potential buyers had been an insult to her intelligence. It had gotten her so mad that she’d lost the battle of trying to keep her sizzling energy contained, and it had exploded into that crystal vase as if it had been drawn to it.
Even after all the years she’d been dealing with that power, Cassandra still had no idea why it chose certain objects and not others. It seemed that glass, crystal, and ceramic were its favorite conduits. Usually, only inanimate objects suffered the consequences, but that could be dangerous as well.
She shuddered. If Onegus hadn’t reacted as quickly as he had, both of them could have gotten seriously injured.
The guy had incredible reflexes.
Still shaken, Cassandra opened the bar cabinet and surveyed the selection. There was also a built-in fridge at the bottom, and it was well stocked. She mixed herself a tall glass of gin and tonic, added a few ice cubes, and drank half of it in one go.
It had way more tonic than gin, so getting tipsy wasn’t going to happen, but she felt a little better and went looking for a broom and dustpan.
She found both in the utility cabinet in the kitchen, along with the latest Dyson model. Sweeping in high heels and an evening dress felt ridiculous, but with all the little pieces of glass she didn’t dare take her shoes off. Once most of it was gone, she took out the Dyson and vacuumed the rest.
Altogether it hadn’t taken her more than ten minutes, but she was starting to worry about Onegus. Maybe he needed help getting the shards out?
If he got seriously injured because of her, she would never forgive herself.
There had to be a way to control those damn power surges. One way she’d found was to go on a run, but that wasn’t feasible in most situations. Self-talk didn’t help and trying to meditate only added to her irritation.
Should she knock on the bathroom door and ask if he needed help?
After taking another long gulp from the gin and tonic, she dug the tweezers out of her purse and headed to the bedroom. It was just as beautifully done as the living room. A massive four-poster bed took up most of the space and was covered with a cream-colored duvet and a mountain of pillows. Across from the bed, a matching dresser had a large screen perched on top of it, and a chenille settee with two decorative pillows sat in the corner. Even the colors on the area rug and the artwork matched. The room looked like it belonged in a high-end hotel.
In the bathroom, the water was running in the shower.
So that was what was taking Onegus so long. He must have gotten bloodied to need a shower.
As guilt assailed her once more, Cassandra felt the urge to flee. She could leave right now, call an Uber, and never see Onegus again.
A coward’s way out.
Eyeing the bed, she thought about all the ways she could make it up to him. Maybe she could kiss and lick all those nicks and scrapes better?
They had only shared that one kiss on the beach, but if that was an indication of the kind of lover Onegus was, Cassandra was up for one hell of a trip.
After she’d made up for the explosion, though. She didn’t deserve getting pleasured until then.
Sitting on the bed, she kicked her sandals off and sighed with relief. They were pretty and matched her dress, but they weren’t comfortable. Her toes were grateful to her for ending their torment.
Cassandra debated for a long moment whether she should undress or wait for Onegus to get out of the bathroom and peel the dress off her. Eventually, the soft duvet cover won the argument.
Pulling the dress over her head, she tossed it on the settee. The necklace and earrings were off next, and she put them on the nightstand. Leaving the tiny satin panties and matching bra on, she crawled under the duvet to wait for Onegus to come out.
43
Onegus
As he stood under the spray, Onegus wondered about Cassandra’s strange reaction to the vase shattering. She’d kept apologizing as if it had been her fault, but she’d been nowhere near the pedestal when the vase started rocking.
The scent of fear she’d emitted had been strong, but he’d also detected guilt. Had she really thought that she’d knocked into the pedestal? Or had something else caused it to move?
After the accident, Cassandra’s energy had seemed dimmed. Was it possible that it had been somehow released into the vase?
Other than Sylvia, Onegus had never encountered anyone with telekinetic ability. Sylvia could fritz out electronics with a thought, and most of the time she could control it, but sometimes her energy just got loose and caused havoc. Was it possible that Cassandra possessed a similar talent? If she did, it was probably on a different frequency than Sylvia’s, and she had no control over it.
It should be interesting to find out.
By the time Onegus finished showering, there was no sign of injury anywhere on him. His clothes, though, were ruined.
Thankful for Ingrid’s attention to detail, he pulled one of the two white terry-robes off the hook and shrugged it on.
It would do for now, but he needed a change of clothes to take Cassandra home tomorrow morning. She might want him to take her back tonight, but he had no intentions of being done with her before the sun came up.
A long text to Arwel took care not only of that, but also a change of clothes for Cassandra, courtesy of Jin. Onegus had known that she was staying with her mate at night, and even though it hadn’t been approved by him, he hadn’t objected.
In appreciation, Jin was more than happy to do him a favor.
Tucking the phone and the wallet into the robe’s pocket, Onegus turned to the door. When a soft rustling from the other side hinted at Cassandra’s presence in the bedroom, he smiled.
Was it too much to hope that she was waiting for him in bed?
Yeah, it was. She probably waited to see whether he needed help plucking out the crystal shards.
Nonetheless Onegus was hopeful, and as soon as he opened the door, he glanced at the bed. Only her head peeked over the duvet, but her shy smile was the best invitation imaginable.
“What a pleasant surprise.” He prowled toward the four-poster.
He wondered if Cassandra would be on board with putting those posts to good use. Imagining her nude and spreadeagled, her limbs tied with soft silk scarves to the posts, Onegus hardened, and his shaft tented the robe.
Commanding it to stand down, he uttered a soft groan.
It was a stupid idea on so many levels. First of all, games like that required complete trust, and Cassandra didn’t know him well enough or long enough to play. Secondly, he had no silk scarves on hand. And thirdly, he’d never played games like that before and had no idea why it had even popped into his head.
Smiling nervously, her eyes roaming over his body, Cassandra let the blanket slide down, revealing her small, satin-covered breasts. “You look good in a robe.”
“I look even better without.” He undid the tie and let the terry cloth part.
Cassandra’s eyes widened at the sight of his nude body and the impressive erection that he’d sprung.
Her tongue darted out to lick her lips. “Yes, you do.”
Lifting to her knees, she let the blanket drop all the way.
The two scraps of gray satin covering her breasts and her mound didn’t leave much to the imagination. Cassandra’s body was pure perfection. She was slim and athletically built, but she was all woman, nonetheless.
Her eyes darting to his erection, she walked her knees closer to the edge of the bed. Her intention was clear, but if she touched him, it would become impossible to keep his fangs from punching out, and he wasn’t ready to thrall her yet.
As she reached for him, he caught her wrist and lifted her hand to his lips. “Not tonight, sweetheart. I don’t want it to be over before it begins.”
A lie, but a handy one.
“I want to make it up to you.”
“You are.” He climbed on the bed and kneeled facing her.
As he reached with his finger and traced the outline of her mouth, her lips quivered, and as he wiped off the silvery, cherry lipstick and slipped the tip of his finger into her mouth, she licked it clean.
“That’s one way to take lipstick off.” She chuckled.
“There is still plenty of it left.” Dipping his head, he licked at her lips while drawing a circle around her satin-clad nipple with his wet finger. “I didn’t want to stain your bra.”
“Your consideration is much appreciated.” She reached behind her and unclasped it.
His breath hitched as it fell on the bed, exposing her perky breasts and stiff nipples. She had no tan lines, and for a brief moment, he wondered whether she tanned in the nude or just used a lot of sunscreen to protect her perfect skin from damage.
44
Cassandra
As Onegus stared at her breasts, Cassandra could barely breathe, waiting for him to do something, anything to ease the ache, to defuse the energy building up a new storm inside her.
Then his head dipped, and he flicked his tongue over her left nipple, nipped it lightly, and licked the small hurt away.
“Breathe,” he reminded her.
As she sucked a breath into her oxygen-starved lungs, he switched sides and licked her right nipple.
She couldn’t decide whether what he was doing was pleasure or torture. His tongue and his lips eased the ache but created a new one, and she wanted them everywhere and all at once.
His hands too.
Those large, masculine hands that were touching her so gently as he smoothed them over her back. Then he reached her rear, and the gentleness was gone as he kneaded her ass cheeks.
Letting go of her nipple, he lifted his head and angled his mouth over hers, and that too wasn’t gentle.
Her hands shooting to his spiky hair, she pulled him closer, her naked breasts pressing against his powerful chest. His skin was smooth, hairless, but he was all man. She trailed her hands down his back, tracing every muscle, every ridge and valley, learning him.
He was still kissing her when his finger trailed the edge of her panties, teasing.
Please. She was too proud to give voice to the plea.
Then he left her mouth and trailed kisses down her neck, nipping, licking his way down, and as he reached her nipple, his finger pushed the scrap of fabric aside and found her wetness.
He hissed, his wicked finger pressing against that spot at the apex of her thighs, and when he sucked her nipple into his mouth, she bucked her hips and groaned, her head falling backward.
More, she needed more, but Cassandra was too proud to beg.
They were both still on their knees, facing each other, when Onegus’s finger pushed inside of her, and the coil that had been tightening sprang free.
The sound leaving her throat sounded like a growl, and as she ground herself on his finger, riding out the orgasm, Onegus chuckled softly. “Greedy minx, aren’t you?”
In response, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down with her.
His magic finger had gotten dislodged by the maneuver, but having his heavy body on top of her was worth it. His weight on her felt just perfect.
Sturdy, strong, solid.
Cupping her cheeks, he looked into her eyes and smiled. “You are magnificent, my Cassandra.” He dipped his head and kissed her softly.
Given the fire burning in his eyes, the lust she’d sensed hiding behind the admiration, the guy had to have the self-control of a monk to kiss her so gently.
A lover’s kiss.
Don’t read too much into it.
And then he was sliding lower and taking her panties with him, exposing her to him unceremoniously.
“Just look at you.” He leaned back on his haunches. “A goddess.”
His hands smoothed up her legs, starting with her calves, going up to the outsides of her thighs, and when they circled in, parting her for his heated gaze, Onegus dipped his head and licked her where she needed it most.
A strangled moan left her throat.
It had been so long since anyone had touched her intimately that she felt like a virgin again, and for sure no one had ever touched her with such reverence and skill.
Plunging two fingers inside her moist heat, Onegus licked and nipped, kissed and sucked, and through it all, she wasn’t sure who was making more animalistic noises.
He sounded like a tiger as he growled against her flesh, a happy tiger, though. She’d never been with a man who seemed to revel in feasting on her, and knowing that he enjoyed being the giver of pleasure just as much as she enjoyed being the receiver unfurled something inside her.
A ravenous tigress who’d been too shy to purr for others, purred like a well-oiled engine for Onegus.
As the coil inside her tightened until it could tighten no more, Cassandra fisted Onegus’s hair, barely aware that she was probably hurting him, and as he closed his lips over her clit and sucked, the coil sprung. The release that barreled down her wasn’t a wave, it was an explosion, wresting a scream out of her that would have startled the neighbors if there were any.
Pressing a soft kiss to her folds, Onegus slid back up and cupped her cheeks. “I will never tire of hearing you scream my name.” He kissed her hard.
The taste of her was strong on his tongue, but surprisingly, she found it erotic rather than gross.
Cassandra had a feeling that everything this man did to her would feel right.
Heck, she couldn’t believe that she’d screamed his name without being aware of it. She’d never screamed a guy’s name before. In fact, she couldn’t remember ever screaming her climax at all.
45
Onegus
As Onegus looked into Cassandra’s eyes, he wanted to be the man she believed he was. There was awe in her gaze, a dreaminess, and it wasn’t just about the two orgasms he’d wrought out of her. There was trust and hope that maybe what they were sharing was more than just a hookup. That it was the beginning of something wonderful.
He wished he could give her that and much more, but for now, all he could give her was pleasure.
Gazing into her expressive eyes, he nudged her entrance, waiting as he always did for the final consent, but not really expecting to be denied.
“Stop,” Cassandra said to his great surprise, and put a hand on his chest. “You forgot protection.”
“Right.” Onegus reared up on his haunches. “Sorry about that.” He leaned down over the bed to retrieve his wallet from the robe pocket and took out a packet.
As he tore it open, Cassandra sat up. “Let me put it on you.”
If she touched him, he would probably explode in her hand, but he handed it to her anyway.