“And?” she asked, which earned her another short bark of a laugh as he pulled her skirt up and pushed her panties down, revealing her sticky-wet cunt to the air.
“And I’m going to fuck you with my fingers while I do it,” he said.
As if to prove his point, he pushed a hand between her thighs, smiled when his fingers made contact at the wetness that greeted him. Or maybe that smile was for Cassandra’s harsh groan, one she hadn’t been able to keep back as he touched her.
She found words somehow, though. “What will I do?” she asked.
Lucian kissed down her chest, teasing at a fleshy breast as he talked. “You’re going to take my cock out and stroke it with your tight fist. And when I’m about to come, you’re going to move your hand so I can shoot my seed on you.”
Cassandra was reaching for his belt before he finished, and, using deftness she hadn’t thought herself capable of, she unbuckled it and opened his pants, pushing them down enough to free his cock. His shaft was hard, the skin smooth and hot and slick with precum. She wrapped her hand around him, squeezing him and then stroking him from root to tip and back again, feeling a sense of feminine pride when she heard the hitch in Lucian’s breath.
But he rallied, and after Cassandra had started a steady rhythm, Lucian began to move, threading his fingers through the stickiness that coated her sex before he pushed his fingers against her puffy lips, and then extended his finger and thrust it inside her, spreading her walls. A single finger eased some of the achy emptiness but didn’t take it away. The second he added took more, and when he started to move his fingers in and out of her, she cried out, her grip on his cock loosening as she rode out the waves of pleasure that crashed at her from each direction.
Their heated, harsh breaths filled the air, both of them clinging to the other. Lucian’s hand on her wrist made her look up, and as she met his eyes, he let out a low grunt. A moment later, Cassandra felt the first splash of his hot cum on her skin. The second triggered her own climax, and Cassandra held him the entire way through.
When a few moments passed, Cassandra began to calm and looked up to Lucian’s eyes. He stared back and then he moved forward slowly and caught her lips with his, kissing her hard, his lips against hers strong, yet soft, demanding and giving. Cassandra clung tight to him, and when he finally broke the kiss and smiled down at her, her heart thumped hard.
Yet, as wonderful as she felt, as the seconds ticked past, she felt an increasing sense of uneasiness. Things had changed, and she wasn’t sure how they would navigate it.
The look in Lucian’s eye told her that he knew the direction of her thoughts, but instead of responding, he pushed her stockings and panties down her legs and then settled her skirt back to its rightful place. She was still bare-chested, her nipples still beaded tight, but his actions were sweet and filled her with a welcome warmth.
“I, um, would you like to…?”
She gestured over her shoulder to the staircase, and Lucian shook his head.
“No. I’d be inside you before we hit the bed,” he said.
“So you’re leaving?”
He shook his head. “Nope. I’m staying downstairs. Get some sleep, Cassie. We’ll talk in the morning,” he said.
That warm glow intensified as she said, “It’s Cassandra.”
His smile was swift, breathtaking, and demanded that she return it. Then she nodded, and with that, she turned and made her way to her bedroom.
After a quick shower, she curled under the covers of her king-size bed. Her empty bed, the one she wished Lucian was in. He was right to stay away because she didn’t trust herself either, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want him there. She’d rarely given any thought to the emptiness, too focused on her career, but in the last year or so, the thought of someone to share her bed with, her life with, had cropped up more and more. Now, with Lucian downstairs, it was impossible not to think of having someone—him—with her here now.
This crazy day had started so ordinary, but now, she was in her bed, the warm afterglow of Lucian’s touch cocooning her in comfort. And when she heard him moving downstairs, she sighed out and then let her eyes drift closed.
Chapter Seven
About an hour after she’d retired upstairs, Cassandra was silent and Lucian figured she’d gone to sleep. He considered going to check, but decided against it.
God, how he’d wanted her. Still did. His hands burned with the need to touch more of her soft skin; his cock throbbed with the need to be inside her warmth.
That she was only a flight of stairs away was a temptation, one nearly impossible to resist, but he wouldn’t give in to it. There would be time later, but for now, he’d stay where he was, Cassandra’s scent on his fingers, his body tingling where he’d touched her, and get some sleep.
* * *
He was still there.
It was dark, but the moon and streetlights illuminated Cassandra’s driveway enough that the vehicle occupying it could be clearly identified as one other than hers. When that vehicle had stopped in front of Cassandra’s house and she’d gotten out of it, there hadn’t been much cause for concern.
Cassandra’s tire had been flat, and there hadn’t been time to change it, so maybe that man was simply doing her a favor. A reasonable enough explanation, but one that got harder and harder to believe as the hours slipped by.
When the sun broke through the night sky, the truth was undeniable.
He’d stayed the entire night.
Done who knew what to and with Cassandra.
Cassandra should have been past this. It had been more than four years since a man had spent an entire evening at her house, and there’d been hope she had finally seen that there was no one else for her.
Crushing disappointment filled the car but was quickly beaten back by the hope that always lived.
Cassandra didn’t understand. But she would.
Chapter Eight
When Cassandra descended the stairs the next morning, she was perfectly put together, her jacket and skirt discreet and sexy, her thick dark hair swept up into a high ponytail. And there was certainly nothing about her that suggested what had happened in the middle of her living room the night before.
At least until she met his eyes and gave him a slow smile that managed to be sexy and shy at the same time. Lucian was ready for a repeat, but instead he picked up the glass he’d set on the coffee table and extended it toward her.
“I made breakfast,” he said.
She laughed. “Orange juice. A specialty of yours?” she asked, and then she grabbed the glass and took a sip.
“My only,” he replied.
Her eyes flashed and she set the glass down and put her hands on his chest. “I know for a fact that’s not true,” she said, her lips turned up into a small smile, one that deepened as she moved closer to him and pressed her lips against his.
The first brush of her lips against his was like a spark on gasoline, and he was soon consumed by the flames. He teased her lips with his, coaxing her to open, and when she did, he slipped his tongue into her mouth and traced the warm cavern as he let his hands explore her body, the barrier of her clothing keeping him from touching her skin but only slightly decreasing his pleasure.
She broke away on a harsh breath, her fingers gripping his T-shirt tight. Lucian anchored his hands on her waist and pulled her lower body toward him so that the hard ridge of his erection was nestled against her soft stomach.
Cassandra sighed and then melted against him, her breasts grazing his chest.
“Good morning,” he said, whispering against her ear.
“Could be better,” she said.
He laughed. “Probably. I got your tire changed and had the car brought over,” he said.
She stretched up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his. “Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome,” he whispered.
Her eyes were bright as she stared up at him and blinked. “Did you get condoms?�
� she asked, hopeful.
Lucian was rarely struck speechless but Cassandra’s question pulled off the feat.
“No. An oversight I’m regretting,” he said when he finally recovered the ability to speak.
“Not as much as me,” she replied.
He laughed. “I doubt that, but it’s probably for the best,” he said.
She snorted, looked at him skeptically.
“When I take you, I won’t be rushed. Besides, we should probably get to the office,” he said.
At the mention of work, her expression changed, some of the light leaving her eyes. She tried to step back, but Lucian kept her in his grip.
“Don’t worry, Cassandra,” he said.
She smiled tentatively, though it wasn’t as brilliant as the others this morning. “What are you talking about, Silver?”
“You’re transparent, Cass, but I understand where you’re coming from, and I don’t want you to worry. We’re still figuring out what this is between us, but that won’t change anything at work. We’ll keep it easy, okay?”
She looked at him skeptically but then finally nodded. “Okay.” Her expression turned serious. “Thank you for being there last night.”
“Anytime. Now give me a kiss,” he said.
Chapter Nine
“Cassandra?”
Cassandra glanced at Sloan, who again stood in her doorway.
“Don’t start, Sloan,” Cassandra said, looking back at the document on her desk.
“Don’t start what?” she said as she entered the office and sat down.
In the week since the flat tire, Sloan had been circling Cassandra but hadn’t yet raised the topic. One look at Sloan told Cassandra her time was up.
“So…” Sloan said.
“You’re going to drag this out?” Cassandra said.
“There’s something worthy of being dragged out?” Sloan said, tilting her head quizzically.
“Sloan, you’re terrible at psyops. Spit it out!” Cassandra said roughly, though she was sure the grin she couldn’t bite back took the intended sting out of the words.
“I just…have it on good authority that you and Lucian left together last week. I simply want to put the rumors to rest,” she said.
“More like Seth told you a story and sent you in here to confirm it,” Cassandra replied, knowing Seth was her main partner in crime.
“Even if that were true—and I cannot confirm that it is—I can’t reveal my sources. So what happened?”
“I had a flat tire. Lucian was kind enough to assist me with that,” Cassandra said.
Sloan arched a brow. “This is a new spirit of cooperation?”
“As far as you’re concerned, yes,” Cassandra said, flashing Sloan a quick smile.
Sloan studied her, and Cassandra saw the moment she relented. “Vanishingly light on details, Cass,” she said.
Cassandra started to ask if she wanted a drawing, but knowing Sloan, she’d say yes. “Is there some business issue I can help you with?”
“You’re no fun,” Sloan said. “But, as a matter of fact, there is. Can you remind Lucian to sign that document? Maybe when you see him later tonight?”
Cassandra chuckled at both Sloan’s brazenness and her ham-fistedness.
“I’ll talk to him,” Cassandra said.
Sloan nodded but made no move to leave. Cassandra sat still as well. After a few seconds, her friend relented.
“I’ll be back later,” Sloan said.
“I’m sure you will,” Cassandra replied.
Sloan laughed and then exited, leaving Cassandra alone with her thoughts. She hadn’t really expected to keep the new connection between her and Lucian a secret. Between Sloan and the guys, that was an impossibility.
But what she had expected was something. What, she couldn’t say, but, as Lucian promised there had been no change at all. She hadn’t even seen him since that night. He’d been on a trip for several days and she’d been in the midst of preparing the report for the shareholders, so there hadn’t really been time for them to connect again.
All perfectly reasonable, but disappointment still nagged at her. She hated that, but couldn’t deny it nonetheless.
She flipped through the file Sloan had brought, and a flash of anger, hot and unexpected, hit her. That hadn’t changed either. Lucian was still blowing her off, ignoring the simplest request.
Cassandra was on her feet and stomping down the hallway in seconds.
* * *
“You summoned us, fearless leader?” Adam, who sat at the conference room table with his legs thrown over it, his posture deceptively casual, asked.
“Yeah, I have more intel on the next thing,” Lucian responded.
“South Asia is heating up?” Seth said.
Unlike Adam, he sat up straight, feet firmly planted, trying to do his best to stay cool, though Lucian could still see the excitement that he tried to hide. For a moment, Lucian wondered if he had ever been so young, and so eager, and doubted that he had. Still, Seth’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Lucian appreciated the reminder of what it was like to still be excited about the prospect of doing their work, and doing good.
He knew Silver Industries and the former soldiers it employed were valuable and provided an excellent service. Having Seth around was a great reminder of that fact.
“This might involve Tremaine,” Lucian said.
The mention of the former admiral’s name made Adam sit up straight. “What’s that asshole up to?”
“Nothing good. I’ll bet on that,” Seth supplied.
“We aren’t entirely sure yet, but there’s something brewing. Both of you should be ready to take a vacation,” Lucian said.
“He would choose some tropical ‘paradise.’ I fucking hate the beach,” Adam said.
“Wouldn’t be Tremaine if he wasn’t fucking it up for everybody,” Seth said.
“You know the guy?” Adam asked, looking over at Seth.
Seth nodded, none of his usual friendliness apparent. “He was my CO for three very miserable years,” he said.
Even Adam, who took a little bit more pleasure than all the others in needling Seth, nodded sympathetically. Lucian had never met Tremaine, nor had Adam or any of the others save Seth and Saint, but his reputation preceded him. It was an open secret in the tight-knit community that Tremaine was not to be trusted, something Damien’s experience slammed home. The only question was whether the former admiral’s activities went beyond immoral and into illegal.
Lucian had no definitive proof, but Tremaine and people like him gave all mercenaries a black eye, and Lucian made it his personal mission to put guys like him out of business whenever he could. One look at Seth and Adam, and he knew they felt the same.
“Pack your Speedo, kid,” Adam said, snickering at Seth.
“At least I can still get into one, old man,” Seth shot back.
Adam looked momentarily wounded, but couldn’t keep up the facade and began to laugh.
“I’ll let both of you know what comes of it.”
Adam and Seth nodded and then stood, walking out of the conference room trading barbs.
Lucian gave himself a moment to laugh but then began to look over the file. This would have been a great case to consult with Damien on, and exactly the kind of thing his brother would have loved. Even though Damien had stepped away from Silver Industries, giving Lucian control of day-to-day operations, he still remained chair of the board of trustees, and they’d always conferred about missions, as much as they could anyway.
But his brother was no longer himself, so that valuable resource was not open to him.
Lucian stood, turning over the Tremaine problem in his head.
That was unfortunate—he still missed his brother’s insight and experience, but he and the team would get the job done no matter what.
A moment later there was a knock at the door.
“Enter,” Lucian said.
There was a fifty-fifty chance of who the visitor
would be, and Lucian couldn’t decide which would be the better option.
Sloan, who had worked for him for years and was great at her job and wonderful to have around, or Cassandra, who would no doubt have come to harangue him about some subject or another, piss him off, and at the same time, remind him he was alive.
Last week had only added another layer of complication. He’d touched her, had let her touch him, would have fucked her until neither of them could move if he’d been prepared.
He hadn’t been, and commitments had kept him from picking up where they had left off. Which might have been a good thing. He hadn’t seen her in days, but if anything, he only wanted her more. His desire for her, once an amorphous thing, had been solidified, made real. There was no doubt what the outcome would be. He and Cassandra were going to end up in bed; it was simply a matter of time and logistics.
But that certainty didn’t change the nature of their working relationship, which was still as contentious as ever if Cassandra’s pinched expression was anything to go by.
Still, he could confess that he was more than happy to finally see her again.
“Lucian, do you have a moment?” she asked.
He wondered what she’d do if he said no, because though she had asked the question, she walked toward him, her stance telling him she expected him to say yes.
“For you, Cassie, anything,” he said.
Her “it’s Cassandra” came out without her missing a beat.
Lucian laughed softly, cut off when she looked at him quickly. “What can I help you with, Cassandra?” he asked, making sure to emphasize her full name.
He watched her face for any sign of change, any hint of what she was thinking about, any sign she was as enraptured by him as he was by her, that what had happened between them affected her as much as it had him.
“Did you read my report? Have you read any of the last three I sent?” she asked.
As she spoke, she settled into one of the conference room chairs, and Lucian tried, and failed, not to stare at her as she crossed one leg over the other. To his relief and dismay, Cassandra was always tastefully dressed, her shirts never low-cut, the jackets she wore daily without fail, including Fridays, tailored to show the curve of her waist, the fullness of her hips, while managing to keep her classic tastefulness.
Mafia Romance Page 82