A High so Sweet: A Dark Enemies to Lovers Romance (Thornes & Roses Book 2)

by Dani René

  Tipping my head back, I lift my chin before I ask, “What does that mean?”

  His hands land on the door behind me, his arms caging me in. I want so much for him to kiss me. I can’t stop myself from lifting onto my tiptoes, so I’m taller. Even so, I’m still shorter than him.

  “Why are you acting like this?” I whisper, my words feathering from my lips to his. The tension in the room is heavy, my head spins from the weed, and while I try to appear confident, I know for a fact he can see past my act. He affects me. It’s never been a secret.

  “You’re fucking mine,” he confesses. “I don’t want other men looking at what’s mine.” His words wash over me for a moment, warming every inch of me, causing my thighs to once more squeeze together.

  Cassian doesn’t miss the movement as his eyes drop to my legs. “Does that make your pussy wet?” he taunts, lowering his voice to a gravely hiss. “Do you like that I’m so fucking obsessed with you?”

  “I-I…” No words come out because I’ve never heard him admit how he feels. Our friendship has been easy; we fell into sync as if we were made to know each other. Over the time I’ve known Cassian, I’ve shamelessly flirted with him, but he’s always kept me at arm’s length.

  He’s so close. His mouth is inches from mine. If I were to move forward, barely an inch, I would finally have what I’ve always wanted—a kiss. But I don’t. Because this isn’t how it’s meant to happen. Call me a girl with my head in the clouds, but I want Cassian to kiss me. Not the other way around.

  The air in the room is filled with sexual tension, and my stomach twists as he leans in but misses my lips by a hairsbreadth; instead, he runs his warmth over my cheek. “I thought so,” he finally says before pushing away from me. “Put your clothes on; I’ll be back.” He heads to a door to our left, which I’m guessing is an en-suite bathroom.

  “Will you?” I challenge from the door with my hands trembling and my knees weak as I try to keep from collapsing.

  Before he shuts himself inside, he glances over his shoulder, a smirk playing on his lips. “I’ll always come back for you.”

  24

  Cassian

  By the time I get to the living room, I’m still hard, still wanting to claim the girl in the bedroom down the hall. When I step into the room, Finn glances up from talking to Harris. Both men watch me as I settle in the chair overlooking the table where the laptops are set up.

  “She’s worried he won’t confess,” I say, my voice still scratchy from my talk with Kalyn. “I want this bastard taken down as soon as possible. Do we have the evidence?” This time, I lift my attention toward Harris, who nods.

  “I have video evidence from one of the partygoers. It clearly shows Morales injecting Kalyn with something. Obviously, we’re not able to know what was in the syringe, but later that night, more videos were taken by attendees showing her not in the best condition.”

  This piques my interest, but it also skyrockets my rage. “What do you mean?”

  He sets down an iPad on the table in front of me and taps play on the video. On screen, Kalyn is dancing with a few girls at a party. Her head lolling side to side, and she doesn’t seem to be with it. My blood simmers at the sight. I’ve seen her like that before, but at the time, she was a kid, and I pulled her into my car and took her home.

  Every time she lost her fight, I was there, fighting for her.

  “I want Morales locked up,” I tell Harris. “I want him downstairs, chained to the wall so we can question him.”

  “The team is here for you, Cassian,” he tells me. The older man, who I’ve known all my life, has seen me grow into the person I am today. He’s seen my heartbreaks, my anger, and he’s seen my rage. When my father wasn’t around, Harris was. I glance up at him, and I don’t have to tell him what I want done, because he already knows.

  The crunching of gravel outside is our evidence that Paulo is here. It doesn’t take long for Harris’s men to make a beeline for the BMW that’s pulled up at our door. I listen to the footsteps, then the door whooshes open with curse words flying from Paulo’s mouth.

  “What the fuck is this? What fucking bullshit are you planning here?” He struggles to get free, and I note that Harris has four men surrounding him. He’s not going anywhere. I push to my feet before making my way to our guest.

  “Mr. Morales,” I greet as I button up my suit jacket. With an image of Kalyn in a state of drunkenness in my mind, I rear my hand back and make contact with the asshole’s face, earning me a sickening crunch of bone under my knuckles.

  Blood drips from his nose when Paulo turns his attention back to me. “You bastard, I’ll fucking kill you,” he threatens, causing me to chuckle.

  “You can try,” I inform him. “But I think you’ll listen to me because I have enough evidence to take you and your organization down. And if you’d like to perhaps see the light of day again, you’ll accompany my men so we can have a little… chat,” I tack on the last word with a grin that is void of humor. Instead, I pin him with a hate-filled glare.

  “Fuck you.” His eyes burn with rage. It doesn’t faze me because I’m sure by the time this day is over, he’ll be a whimpering bitch on his knees before me. The men lead him down toward the basement, and I watch while standing beside Finn.

  “Did you enjoy that?” my brother asks, amusement clear in his tone. I know he’s talking about the punch I got in before we even had a chance to get the asshole downstairs.

  “I did.” Taking in the mess on the floor, I know Joy is going to be angry because she’ll have to clean it up. But I needed to let out just an ounce of aggression, or I wouldn’t be able to get through the interrogation.

  I make my way down to the basement, with Finn and Harris hot on my heels. With every step, I get even more anxious because as much as I enjoy doing this shit, it’s not easy.

  In the cold basement, I take in Paulo, who’s now bound against the brick wall, which has four metal cuffs that lock both wrists and both ankles in place. He’s mine, and I’m going to make him scream like a little bitch for what he did to my girl.

  “Now,” I start as I head for the cabinet against the one wall that houses a few implements we brought down here years ago. “I’d like to talk about your fiancée. I’m sure you remember her.”

  “Is that bitch talking about me?” Paulo sneers, and I’m tempted to end him right here and now, but I glance at Finn who’s shaking his head slowly in warning. We do need more of a confession than his hatred for the woman he’s engaged to.

  “Eight months ago, you did something that I’d like to talk about.” I grab what I need and turn to Paulo.

  His eyes are on mine. I can see the confusion dancing in his dark eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  I take a few steps, bringing me closer to him, but the distance is enough so that if I want to use the pliers in my hand, I can. “You know what I’m talking about because Kalyn is still healing from your lack of interest in her health and being more concerned with keeping her high.”

  “She’s nothing more than an addict. She likes it, begs me for it. Is that what you want to hear? When she drops to her knees and pleads for me to fuck her face like the whore she is.” His words send pure fury racing through my veins, and I nod my head to one of the men who grabs Paulo’s jaw. He opens it wide enough for me to get a good grip on two of the bastard’s teeth, and I pull swiftly. Blood spurts from the wounds and pours from his mouth, and pained cries bounce off the walls.

  “I think you need to truly consider your next answer,” I warn him as the echoes of his blubbering make me smile. Causing pain to bastards like him can be satisfying. However, this is a special case because I have an interest in the woman he’s hurt. I don’t doubt Kalyn wasn’t the first, and if I allow him to continue, she won’t be the last.

  “She’ll never survive without me,” he splutters, the words gurgled as his mouth fills with crimson liquid. He lifts his gaze, locking his dark eyes on mine. “She needs
me.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” Keeping my cool comes easy; I take a step back to take in my handiwork. Crossing my arms in front of my chest, I smile as I tip my head to the side. “Now. Are you ready to talk?”

  “There’s nothing to say,” he tells me. “She’s my fiancée, and I’ve taken care of her family since we met.”

  “That’s what I don’t understand. You chose a random girl, told her you’ll pay for her father’s medical treatment, and marry her. That sounds like a saint if I ever heard of one. It doesn’t make sense.” I’ve tried to figure it out since I heard Kalyn’s story. Yes, her addiction has been a pull for Paulo. But what doesn’t make sense is why someone like him would offer to help her father. Unless her father is indebted to Paulo in some way.

  “If you can’t figure it out, pretty boy, then you’re as stupid as you look,” Paulo mumbles before spitting a mouthful of blood on the floor right at my feet. He’s trying to anger me once more, but for now, I keep my cool.

  “I’ve been very nice to you,” I inform him before stepping closer. Another nudge of my chin, and his mouth is pried open once more. “But I’m getting tired of waiting for you to admit just what you did to Kalyn.”

  I don’t want to mention the pregnancy. If I do, the admission could be inadmissible because I’ve goaded him into it. I want him to admit it on his own accord.

  I clamp the tip of his tongue between the metal teeth. “I think you need to think long and hard about what your next answer is going to be because I wouldn’t think twice about cutting you to pieces. And even then, I think that’s far too good for you.”

  I open the grip of the pliers and step back, allowing my guy to release Paulo’s jaw. “That bitch was trying to trap me in some happy family,” he finally admits half of what I need. “I wasn’t having it.”

  Shaking my head at his words, I ask, “And what exactly did you think you’d do once you walked down the aisle? You were engaged to her anyway.”

  He grins. A sinister smile as his gums that are still bleeding cause him to look manic. His eyes are wild with animalistic rage. “She thinks I was going to walk down that aisle and make her happy.” He chuckles, spitting more blood in order to continue speaking. “The day of our wedding, my men would’ve ensured she learned the truth.”

  Rage explodes in my gut, and I swing the tool in my hand, making contact with his knee, which cracks under the metal of the pliers. Another scream of pure agony surrounds us as Paulo’s leg sways. I should’ve used the hammer, but that would mean walking away from him. And right now, it’s taking all my restraint not to murder him in cold blood. “What?”

  “I fucking killed that fetus she was so happily carrying so she could die with nothing but regret in her pretty white dress. Did you know blood looks so much better on white?” he sneers, and that’s when I lose all self-control. All I see is red. My vision is blurred. I lift my hand with the pliers, swinging it at his face, the crunch of bone, the scream of pain that fills my ears doesn’t stop me.

  I can’t stop.

  I don’t know how many times I hit him, but soon, heavy hands are dragging me away from the unconscious man hanging by his wrists that are bound in metal cuffs.

  “Cass,” Finn’s voice breaks through the dark cloud in my mind. “Cass, look at me.” He cups my face, and when I meet his worried gaze, I finally breathe deeply. The scent of iron is all I can smell. My hands are shaking, my body is trembling.

  “I-I’m f-fine.”

  Finn shakes his head, before helping me to my feet and dragging me up the stairs until we reach the foyer where we walk straight into my dad. His brows arch as he takes us in. I glance down and realize I’m drenched in blood. Paulo’s blood.

  I don’t know if he’s alive. But I don’t care.

  “Do I need to know what this is about?” Dad questions as he steps toward me, reaching for my face.

  “No.” It’s all I can manage as I look into my father’s eyes. He’s been around violent men before. My dad knows some of the worst assassins in the world, and Thorne Industries hires them from time to time, so blood and violence aren’t new to Dad.

  But it’s only one of a few times he’s seen me coming from the basement. I’ve questioned men down there before, but none have bled like this. None of them have fallen victim to my rage like Paulo Morales.

  “If you need help,” Dad says finally.

  “We’re okay; I need to get him cleaned up,” Finn says because I can’t find my words. Dad nods, allowing us to make our way up to my bedroom, but I want to see her. I want to go to Kalyn and tell her I’ve got all I need to ensure her safety.

  I want to tell her I’m the hero in her story.

  “Go shower. You can’t go see her like this.”

  “Why?” I challenge, turning to face Finn, who’s looking at me like he’s seen a ghost. “Because I’m wearing the blood of her fiancé?” My voice is dark, husky with frustration. Pushing by Finn, I ignore his pleas as I make my way down the hall, taking the stairs two at a time.

  Rushing down the long hallway that will take me to Kalyn, I stop outside her bedroom door and glance over at my brother, who followed me and is watching me with wariness in his gaze.

  “I’m done waiting.”

  Three words I’ve wanted to say in years. I expect Finn to tell me to stop, to not go inside, but with my admission, he realizes how much I need this, and he nods.

  “I get it,” he finally whispers. “Just… be careful,” he warns, and I know he’s referring to the moment I claim her. I’ve waited so long, I’m not sure how much restraint I can hold onto because, right now, I’m feral. All I want is to feel her, in my hands, underneath me, and I’m starving to get a taste of the girl who’s haunted my fucking dreams for eight long years.

  I unlock and push open the door. Leaving Finn in the hallway, I shut myself inside the bedroom. Kalyn looks up from where she’s sitting on the windowsill. Her attention was on the window, but now, it’s on me, and my blood heats for another reason than it was earlier.

  Right now, it’s burning with desire.

  “It’s done.”

  She’s on her feet at my confession. She rushes toward me, her eyes widening when she takes in my appearance. The blood that’s dried on my hands, my face, and clothes are a clear indication of what I did for her. I needed her to see this side of me.

  For years, I hid my desire for violence from her. From everyone except my brothers. But now, she’s seeing who I am. The part of me I’ve always kept at bay when I’ve been around her.

  “What happened?” she whispers, her hand reaching for me, and when her fingertips make contact with my cheek, I can’t hold back anymore.

  I grip her wrist, earning me a dick-hardening gasp. Spinning us around, so Kalyn is pressed against the door, I pin her with my hips, and another whimper falls free from her plump lips when she feels my hardness against her thigh.

  “I’ve saved you once again, little liar,” I murmur along her lips, but I don’t kiss her. Not yet. “It’s time for your payment.”

  “What payment?” Kalyn whimpers when I push my thigh between her legs. Her heat is the remedy to my bruises, and I know her taste will be the sweetest fucking drug I’ll ever take.

  “You know what you need to atone for,” I whisper before I tangle my fingers in her soft hair and tug her closer. Her plump lips part on a moan, and I finally steal what I’ve been craving for far too long. The suppleness of her body molds to me, my hardness against her soft feminine curves, and it’s as if I’m being tugged toward solace.

  Tonight, I’m getting high, I’m finally going to take everything this woman has to offer, and I’m not giving anything back.

  25

  Kalyn

  My body is his. Every inch of me has molded to Cassian’s sculpted torso as he finally kisses me, and as his tongue dances with mine, my mind goes blank, and my lungs struggle to work.

  His hands trail down to my hips, and he grips me so hard, I’m ce
rtain there’ll be bruises tomorrow. He moves his hands to my ass, lifting me against him, pinning me against the wooden surface of the door, as he steals every moan and whimper that he elicits from my body.

  My fingers trail over his soft, short, cropped hair in an attempt to pull him closer, to bring him nearer, but there’s no way to do so because we’re connected in such a way; it’s as if we’re one.

  When Cassian finally breaks the kiss, my lips feel swollen from his assault, my body is trembling with the need for more. I don’t know why he’s stopped, why he’s pulling away, but I try to tug him closer, but he slowly shakes his head.

  My panties are soaked. Instinctively, my hips roll in an attempt to find friction, causing Cassian to chuckle. “My little liar wants to come?” he taunts, his dark brow arching as he regards me with amusement.

  “Is this my punishment?” I whisper, my voice croaky with every word I utter, and my cheeks burn because he’s affected me so much, I’d do anything for him to finish what he just started.

  “This is not at all your punishment; this is my reward,” he tells me earnestly. “You see all this blood?” I nod in response to his question. “This is what I did for you. That bastard will not be hurting you again.”

  “What happened?”

  Cassian shakes his head. “You don’t need to know. All that matters is he’s out of your life, which means you’re now single,” he informs me, and I realize that’s why he’s finally come in here and kissed me. All this time, he’s been teasing, waiting, and biding his time until he wasn’t doing anything that would bring about guilt in either of us.

  I’m not cheating.

  I’m free.

  “What about my dad’s treatments?” I ask again. Even though I recall Cassian saying the Thornes will be footing the bill, I need to know; I need another confirmation.

  “Like I said, you’re mine now, little liar,” Cassian says, his tone warm yet calculated and serious. “And everything in your life belongs to me, whether it’s a bill that needs to be paid or a man that needs to be killed.”