Ultimate Surrender

by Lydia Rowan

  Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Clearly because I’m a masochist. You know what? I’m going to go to my office and do actual work,” she said.

  “I’m here if you want to chat,” Sloan said, not at all deterred.

  Cassandra chuckled again and then went back to her office and settled at her desk, hoping work would keep her mind occupied.

  The blaring of her cell phone brought her out of her moment and she glanced at her watch, quickly realizing it had been a couple of hours since she’d returned from her showdown with Lucian.

  “Hello?” she said after she picked up the phone.

  She didn’t recognize the number, but that wasn’t uncommon, because she never knew where one of the guys would contact her from or when an old friend from her government days would reach out.

  “Hello?” Cassandra said again.

  She hung the phone up quickly and then put it back on her desk. It wasn’t uncommon for her to get telemarketing calls and random hangups because she made no secret about her contact information.

  She shifted in her seat and began to roll her shoulders, trying to stretch out the long-unused muscles, but a moment later she stood, stretched, and then decided it was time for a drink.

  It was well after three, far too late for tea, but Cassandra had several more hours of work yet, and the drink would give her the boost she needed to get through the afternoon.

  She turned down the hall and walked the couple dozen feet to the break room.

  When she saw the combination tea-coffee machine, she smiled.

  That machine brewed a perfect cup every time, and she always said a little prayer of thanks for Sloan having the good taste to pick it out and for Lucian paying for it.

  As her tea brewed, she leaned against the counter and waited. The office was quiet, but that wasn’t uncommon either.

  Silver took up three stories of the building, but only she, Lucian, and Sloan worked here consistently. The guys dropped in on the occasion when they needed an office, but the bulk of the staff worked on the other two floors.

  It was funny because the floor would be dead silent in the afternoon, but there had been more than a few two a.m. meetings where the break room had been stuffed to the gills with every manner of soldier.

  This afternoon was one of those quiet ones, so Cassandra stood, thinking about what she would do after work, when she heard footsteps approaching. She stood up straight, girding herself for whatever Lucian might bring her.

  She knew it was him. She didn’t know how, but she was always aware of his presence, even when he was silent, which he usually was, though Sloan often made a fuss about how the guys sneaking up on them scared them.

  When he turned and entered the break room she stood up straight, at the ready.

  “Getting your tea?” he asked.

  She wondered why Lucian was asking about something so mundane. In the years they’d worked together, he’d never made that kind of observation, treating her with distance when he wasn’t directly contravening her.

  “So, Cassie—Cassandra,” he said, walking closer to her.

  Even more surprising. He relished calling her that name, so she’d never heard him correct himself of his own volition, which was a concession in itself. Though she disliked it, there was something special about it coming from him, a little sign of the intimacy between them, a connection she found herself missing.

  “What’s up, Lucian?” she asked, wary but also concerned at the change in his behavior.

  He locked eyes with her and said, “I’m sorry. About earlier—I was out of line.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “I’m sorry, too. I overreacted.”

  “Well, having dinner with me tonight would be a good way to make it up to me,” he said, his hands tucked in his pockets as he watched her.

  “You asking me out, Silver?” she said.

  “Trying to,” he replied. “What’s your answer?”

  She covered the two steps between them, stood on tiptoe, and brushed her lips across his. Then she stared up into dark blue eyes that glittered with promise.

  “I’d love to,” she said.

  ••••

  “Dinner is served,” Lucian said later that night, presenting the tall glass to her with a flourish.

  Cassandra crinkled her eyes and looked down at the glass and then back up at Lucian. “Is that orange juice?” she asked.

  He nodded shortly, his face turned up in a smile. “Yup. Got it fresh for you. Told you that was my specialty,” he said.

  Cassandra reached for the glass and took a sip before she set it down and chuckled. The laughter died in her throat when she looked at Lucian, his dark blue eyes glittering with desire.

  “Looks like you’re done with dinner,” he said, his voice a rough whisper.

  Cassandra nodded and pushed the glass away. “I’ve had my fill,” she said.

  Lucian’s eyes glinted. “Not yet, but it’s still early,” he said.

  The next thing Cassandra knew she was lifted into Lucian’s arms and crushed against his chest. She giggled but didn’t protest as he carried her through his sleek penthouse apartment and deposited her in the middle of the biggest bed she’d ever seen.

  ••••

  He watched Cassandra as she quickly took in the surroundings. Lucian followed her gaze until, after she’d looked around the entire room, she rested her gaze on him. For a moment, Lucian simply stared at her, and though she was fully clothed, the sight of Cassandra in his bed, eyes dark liquid pools of desire as she blinked up at him, waiting, was enough to have his full attention and his body on the verge of exploding.

  He gripped his hands into tight fists and pushed out a breath. He’d waited for this time with her for he couldn’t remember how long, and he wouldn’t waste this experience by letting it pass too quickly. He would enjoy every single moment of this, make sure that she enjoyed every single moment of it, and he would start right now.

  He took off his buttoned collared shirt and kicked out of his shoes, and then began to step toward Cassandra.

  “T-shirt too, please,” she said.

  He looked down at her still watching him and laughed.

  “So demanding,” he said.

  “Not demanding, just consider it a friendly request by a guest,” she said.

  “Any particular reason for this request?” he asked as he pulled the shirt over his head.

  A surge of prideful desire hit him when Cassandra stared at his chest, eyes brimming with admiration.

  Then she sat up and crawled toward him, the intensity in her eyes, the shape of her body as she approached, enough to drive him to distraction.

  When she reached the edge of the bed, she stood up on her knees, centering her head at the middle of his chest, and a moment later she leaned closer, placed a soft kiss on his pec, and then laid her hand flat against his stomach.

  She kissed him again, her pillow-soft lips moving across his warm skin, leaving a trail of passionate fire, her fingers curled against his skin doing the same.

  On instinct he reached up, cupped the back of her head, and simply waited, the little tremors running through his body at her touch pleasant, intense reminders of what it would be like to touch more of her.

  She stretched up against him, her soft breasts pressed against his midsection as she began to kiss along his collarbone, and that was what he needed to keep them moving.

  He stepped away, smiled at her frown, but then guided her until she lay on her back, her legs edging off the bed. It was a beautiful sight, Cassandra’s short skirt exposing more than half of her thighs, and with his gaze focused on that amazing sight, Lucian removed her shoes and then sculpted his hands up the long length of her legs to her waist.

  He made quick work of unbuttoning her skirt and hooked his fingers in the waistband and pantyhose underneath, leaving her underwear intact.

  Cassandra, cooperative for once, lifted her hips and allowed him to slide both skirt and stockings down over her cur
vy thighs and lower over her knees, down, and off.

  Lucian paused, gazed at her, the rich darkness of her skin contrasting with the soft beige of her panties.

  But when Cassandra reached for him, he responded, and pausing to entwine his fingers with hers, he grabbed one calf and kissed it, her satin skin, soft flesh, and muscle an amazing contrast that Lucian wouldn’t ever get enough of. Cassandra laughed when he nipped at her knee.

  “Ticklish?” he asked.

  “A little,” she responded as he again kissed the crook of her knee.

  He didn’t linger there, but was amazed and excited about the prospect of knowing something so intimate about Cassandra, knowing what she liked, that she was ticklish behind her adorable knees.

  He moved up, the heat and intoxicating scent of her got stronger as he approached her center. But he moved as slowly as he possibly could, reveling in kissing the soft yet strong expanse of her thigh, up and over the curve of her hip. He nipped at the waistband of her underwear with his teeth and then went down, sticking out his tongue to trace the line that separated her leg from her core.

  When he was centered, he paused and breathed deep, taking in huge lungfuls of her intoxicating scent. Then he pressed a soft kiss against her cloth-covered mound.

  Then he kissed her again, and again, worked his tongue against the fabric, where he could feel her juices coating the material as they would his tongue.

  Cassandra alternately squirmed and went tense beneath his tongue, the idea of her responding so passionately to his touch urging him on even stronger.

  He kissed her again, but this time he let go of her hand and moved both of his up her thighs to hook his fingers in her panties.

  Again helpful, she lifted and he pulled her underwear down, smiling when he had to peel the soaked material away from her. He pushed the panties down her legs and off, pleased when he could finally see her manicured pussy, the trim hair matted with her cream.

  He moved forward, but instead of going directly for the treasure that awaited him, he kissed her lower stomach, smoothed one hand up her thigh to squeeze, and then began to work his way down, kissing the skin on the top of her mound, the smooth skin and crisp hair contrasting against his lips.

  Then he went lower, trailed his lips against hers, covering every millimeter of her labia.

  She squirmed harder now, so he anchored his arm across her waist and then nudged his lips against her center.

  Her labia spread, revealing just a peek of the soft, damp inside, so he did it again, revealing more as he worked her open.

  Unable to resist any longer, his own cock throbbing, the need to taste her overwhelming, Lucian lowered his tongue and pushed it inside her.

  The sweet, musky taste that was Cassandra skated across his tongue and had his cock throbbing even harder.

  It was the most intense, most wonderful thing he had ever tasted, and her heavy dew wetting his tongue only made his desire that much more intense.

  He let go of her hand and added a finger to the fray, his thumb hovering over her clit before he gently stroked it.

  She bucked against him, and he pushed down, teasing her clit with his thumb and then taking over with his tongue.

  He grunted as he pushed a finger in and out of her, mesmerized by her low, throaty moans. Her pussy was soaking wet now, the inside of her thighs, his face all coated with the proof of her desire, but Lucian wouldn’t stop, couldn’t until he made her come.

  He whispered that command to her. “Come for me, Cass.”

  As he spoke he blew on her clit, slicked his tongue over the hard nub. The second he made contact with her, she arched and then cried out, her entire body tense with her climax, her body growing ever wetter with the cream that flowed from her freely.

  He continued to lap at her, unable to get enough, but soon the insistent problem of his own arousal became too much to ignore.

  Lucian kissed his way up her body, taking Cassandra’s shirt with him.

  She helped him remove the garment and then quickly removed her bra, revealing her full, round breasts, the dark tips hard, protruding as he watched her.

  And he did watch her. Stared at her for a moment, taking in the glory of her naked body. Breasts that would more than fill his hands, hips that would too, a nipped-in waist, and a stomach to cradle him as he pushed inside her.

  She was perfection, and at least in these few moments, she was his.

  His.

  That thought spurred him on and he quickly discarded his pants and donned the condom he had been smart enough to put on his nightstand before she’d arrived.

  “I need you to touch me,” Cassandra said, her voice breathy, going deeper as he lay over her and nudged at her opening with his latex-covered cock.

  “I will,” he said, his own voice coming out a strangled cry.

  She smiled, and the sight of his beautiful Cassandra naked and under him made it impossible for him to wait a second longer. When he pushed at her opening, she gave, taking an inch then another of his length inside her.

  Her eyes went heavy-lidded, a feeling Lucian could understand because the first sensation of her tight walls closing around him stole his breath. It was intense, amazing, unlike anything he had ever felt, and that didn’t change as he pushed into her deeper, harder, until he was fully seated.

  Cassandra held on to his shoulders, looked up into his eyes, and though both of their bodies were slicked with sweat, their breathing heavy in the twilight of his bedroom, Lucian couldn’t think of a more peaceful moment.

  His cock inside her, he cupped her head with his hands, looked into her eyes.

  There were things he could say, things he probably should have said, but looking into her eyes, seeing the emotion in them, made it impossible for him to do anything but push inside her, kiss her, again and again until they were both shuttering messes.

  “Can’t hold on,” he said in a tight voice.

  Cassandra pulled him closer, her hands warm against his neck.

  “Don’t,” she whispered, her own voice tight, her pussy clenching around him.

  “Come with me,” he said as he reached between their bodies and strummed her clit.

  It didn’t take much, and with that stimulation she went off and clamped down on him tight, the sensation enough to send him over the edge as well.

  And then, connected with Cassandra in a way he’d never thought he would be, he rode out his own climax.

  11

  Two days later, Cassandra sat on Lucian’s low couch, watching him as he stood in front of his balcony windows shirtless and sipping coffee. It was that view that had convinced Cassandra to stay an extra day, and it was doing a good job of convincing her now.

  Still, caffeine called, as did the need to decompress away from Lucian’s overwhelming presence. She cleared her throat to get his attention.

  “Lucian, I need to go,” she said.

  He took another sip of his coffee and shifted to give her a view of his perfectly formed pecs, the sight enough to distract her, at least for a moment.

  “You don’t like it here?” he asked.

  She looked out of the forty-story window, then gazed at his bare chest and smiled as she met his eyes. “The view’s not so bad, but I’d love some tea.”

  He frowned. “I have tea.”

  “Yeah,” she said, frowning herself as she thought of the four desiccated tea bags of unknown age and origin he’d offered her.

  “My tea’s not good enough for you?” he said as he put his mug down on the floor and came over to her, wrapped his arms around her waist.

  His touch was easy, comfortable, as was the way she melted into his arms.

  “Your tea is sufficient,” she said, smiling at him.

  “Just sufficient?” he asked as he leaned forward to kiss her, planting soft caresses against her neck.

  “Yes, just sufficient, and there’s a great place near my house that has exactly what I desire,” she said.

  He broke the kiss
off and stood upright, stern, and so damn sexy her sex began to dampen, an effect that increased when he lifted the corner of his mouth. “I’m pretty sure I have exactly what you desire,” he said.

  Her already shaky resolve weakened even further. More time with Lucian was appealing, almost irresistible, but Cassandra stayed strong. She needed some distance, some space, because she was getting far too used to having Lucian’s undivided attention. Getting far too used to spending time with him, making love to him at every spare moment. And it’d be too easy for her to come to crave this, to become addicted. She couldn’t let that happen.

  Besides, she really wanted tea.

  He stared at her intently, and Cassandra stared back, determined to keep her eyes off his bare torso, which was no easy feat. “You gonna give me a proper good-bye?” he asked as he reached for her and filled his palm with her hip.

  “I think I can come up with something,” she said, curling her fingers against his muscled chest.

  Two hours later, she finally made it down to her car.

  ••••

  “Yes!” Cassandra exclaimed as she turned in to the parking space just outside of her favorite café.

  She’d stopped at home for a quick shower and grabbed her ereader, hoping there was a spot on the café’s rooftop where she could enjoy her tea and read. Cassandra got out of the car and walked toward the busy café, pointedly ignoring how much she missed Lucian’s strong body and solid, comforting presence.

  But she welcomed the space, time to process the changes that were happening. As she stood in the long line waiting, Cassandra felt happy, satisfied, and hopeful about the future, and the potential of a future with Lucian. She wouldn’t examine that thought too deeply, wasn’t yet in a position to explore what these new feelings meant, or contemplate what might happen. She’d just enjoy the bubble of happiness her time with Lucian had wrapped her in.

  For a moment, she allowed herself to imagine what it would be like if Lucian were here, if they were together, having a nice normal coffee date. Maybe one day, she thought whimsically. The person in front of her finished his transaction, which was a useful interruption to Cassandra’s wishful thinking.