by Amelia Jade
By the time he’d completed his lazy motions, the room was empty.
With careful precision, he grabbed the front of his dress pants and adjusted himself, shaking it all out.
“Attractive.”
He spun at the voice that sounded from near the doors behind him.
“Am I being pranked?” he asked, looking around the room. “There is no way that this happens in real life.”
Cassi just laughed silently, her arms crossed in front of her as she leaned on the wall next to the door.
“It’s been a long day,” he said with a shrug. “I’m not going to justify what needed to be done, nor am I going to be embarrassed by it.”
She rolled her eyes. “At least you didn’t fart, I suppose.”
“That was coming next,” he shot back, and this time her laughter reverberated inside the empty room.
“I’m going to walk back today,” she said as the noise died away.
Blaine considered that sentence. The Fenris Consulate wasn’t that far away, but it was a solid fifteen- to twenty-minute walk. It was much easier to fly there, especially after a long day, when all one would want to do is get home. So why mention that she was walking?
Because she’s giving you the option to escort her there, in public. Knowing full well who she is this time.
Well, he had told her he was more concerned about not having a say in things earlier than he was about any reputation hit he might get from being seen with her during the trial.
Plus she looked very pretty in her formal attire. Gray pencil skirt with black stockings, paired with a traditional white blouse that, on Cassi at least, fit tight around her bust. The heels enhanced her legs in a way that stirred blood in him, and the smooth, clean ponytail she wore was enticing for some reason he couldn’t quite understand. There was just something about the outfit that worked for him.
“Would you like someone to walk with?” he found himself asking.
Cassi looked down, but not before he saw the excitement in her eyes. “I was hoping you might ask,” she said softly, batting her eyes at him twice, though he didn’t think she realized it.
“Lead on,” he said, gesturing out the large double doors.
They headed up the stairs, not saying much. The rest of the administrative building was still fairly busy with people walking the hallways and having conversations. It wasn’t until they were outside that the crowds—such as they were in Cadia—melted away, leaving them almost entirely alone as they walked. By unspoken consent, they maintained a very proper six inches between them, though more than once he caught his hand and pulled it back as it reached out to take hers.
Damn thing has a mind of its own. Normally it’s only another part of me I have a concern with doing that. What the hell is going on with me?
Things got worse the longer they walked. His dragon desired to reach out and touch her, to caress the exposed skin on the back of her neck, to stroke her arm with his fingertips, and most of all, to touch his lips to hers. He was burning up inside.
It was stronger than the other day when he’d kissed her, as if the knowledge that he shouldn’t be touching her now made him want to do it even more. Except he wasn’t sure things would stop there. Blaine wanted to undo every button of her shirt and pull it from her, to see just what she was hiding. His hands longed to run up her legs, bared for him as her skirt fell to the ground, clothing all but forgotten as they gave themselves over to the passion.
He felt himself swell within his jeans.
What the fuck! I haven’t even touched her, nor me.
That was just it though. The idea of it was growing within him. His head turned slightly, and he saw Cassie looking over at him as well, her eyes lingering for a few moments, then returning to the path in front of them. Never long enough to be called a stare, but frequent and wandering enough to make it very clear that her mind was running along a similar path.
His throat went dry at the thought that she wanted him as well. Nerves crept up in him, threatening to dampen his spirit as he questioned whether he could perform well enough for her. Would she like the way he was if they were intimate? Would she be as fun as he thought?
Their eyes met, her lips pursed slightly, and all doubt fled his mind. Oh yes, he could please this woman. Or at least, he would do everything in his power to try.
Something blossomed in her eyes. It took him a moment to figure out what it was. But then he understood.
Recognition. She had just realized he was thinking the same thing as her. She couldn’t imagine the things running through his head that he wanted to do to her, but Cassi was no idiot. She had figured out his dragon was fired up, that it desired her desperately. And hers was reciprocating.
“The Consulate won’t work.” “My place is this way.”
They both spoke at the same time, expressing the same thoughts.
Blaine laughed and this time when his hand went for hers, he didn’t stop it.
That didn’t prepare him for the jolt of excitement that exploded inside of him as he made contact with her at long last. It was fingertip to fingertip, and yet as a precursor to what was ahead, it awoke every nerve in his body, blood singing as it rushed through his veins courtesy of his quickly beating heart.
He pulled on her hand gently, guiding her into a left turn as they started off on their new track toward his apartment within the city. He could have taken her back to his place at Top Scale. It was roomier, but Daxxton would be there, possibly along with Rhynne. He wanted to avoid them both, so that neither of them could chastise him for his decision.
This was the right thing to do for him, even if it might not be the best thing to do for Cadia as a whole. Right then though, he didn’t care. All he wanted was to explore every inch of Cassi’s skin, to touch her, to kiss her. He wanted to learn what she liked, and to provide that to her however she wanted it.
“Should we be doing this?” Cassi asked as they neared his place.
“Probably not,” he answered without hesitation. “But for most of my life, I’ve done what was expected of me, what others needed and what I was told was right. This time, I’m going to do what I want to do, and damn anyone who says otherwise,” he told her fiercely.
Cassi’s fingers tightened over his as she squeezed his hand, and he smiled. “If nobody sees us, then it won’t even be an issue.
“And if they don’t hear us,” she murmured in return.
An evil grin split his cheeks. “Oh, should I turn some music on?” he asked, his eyebrows raising suggestively.
Cassi’s cheeks colored slightly. “Depends on whether you want to hear or not,” came the reply.
Blaine almost lost his balance as blood surged between his legs at her words, and the tone with which she spoke them. The thick, sultry voice of seduction was a weak point with him, and it would seem that Cassi knew just how to use it for full effect.
“It’s more the neighbors I was wondering about,” he replied as quickly as he could, which was still several steps after she’d spoke. It had taken him that long to regain his composure.
“They aren’t allowed to join in,” she told him in her best serious voice. “Just you. That’s all I want.”
His dragon’s anger flared inside of him. Not at Cassi, but at the idea of what she’d just joked about.
“I’m not good at sharing,” he said in a deep, protective voice.
Cassi shivered visibly and slid closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder. “Good. I only want to be yours.”
Blaine’s jeans, already snug, shrank another size as she rubbed up against him in a blatant attempt to spur a further reaction between his legs.
“I am many things,” he growled at her. “But a voyeur is not one of them. I think, however, I might make an exception if you keep it up.”
“I think you’re just going to have to hold on a little longer,” she practically purred from his side, looking every bit as smug and content as a predator who’d just brought down its pri
zed prey.
“You’re going to pay for this,” he threatened.
Cassi’s eyes danced. “I am?” she asked innocently. “How is that?”
“Oh, you’ll see,” he growled once more.
“Well, better hurry up and get me home then,” she all but commanded.
Blaine snorted. Who was in charge of whom here, he wondered. She acted like he was in charge, and yet, he couldn’t help shake the feeling that he was being led along just where she wanted him.
He enjoyed being wanted, so it was okay.
“Well, there we are,” he said, looking his house over once more as they walked up to it, ignoring the scraggly garden he shared with his neighbor.
It was a modest semi-detached two-story unit that he’d purchased decades ago. Now that he was an instructor at Top Scale, however, he stayed there much of the time, enjoying the peace of the place outside of the city.
“Well, don’t keep me waiting. Are you going to give me the guided tour?”
“I wouldn’t worry. You’ll get to see every room,” he told her with a wink that made her eyebrows rise slightly in anticipation.
“I had better,” she teased.
He took his shoes off and then reached past Cassi to lock the door. Fingers wrapped around his arm as he tried to pull back.
“Come here,” she commanded.
For the first time with him she used her dragon’s strength and pulled him to her.
Chapter Eight
Cassian
Blaine didn’t fight her. In fact, he moved with her pull, catching Cassi completely off guard. She yelped in delight as he picked her up effortlessly and pinned her against the door with his body, while his lips mashed against hers with frenzied desire.
His touch brought heat roaring back into the fires that had cooled slightly as they entered his house. Blaine’s fingers grabbed her body and held it against the wall as he explored her mouth, and Cassi responded eagerly, urging him on as best she could. Her legs came up of their own accord and wrapped themselves around his powerful waist. Cassi once again marveled at the power built into his frame.
“This is the front hall,” Blaine said as they parted lips for a moment, before resuming their actions.
“Mm-hmm?” she said without audible words.
“Yeah, and over here is the kitchen,” he managed to get out, though it was broken up by several more fierce kisses as he swung her around.
Her rear encountered the slightly cool countertop—granite, a detached corner of her mind noted—as he set her down on it, freeing his hands to work on the buttons of her shirt.
“That’s the only one I brought, so be careful with it,” she admonished him as he fumbled with one.
“Damn buttons are so small,” he grumbled, pulling back from her face to concentrate for a moment.
“Here, let me,” she said, batting his hands away with a teasing grin.
“I had it,” he replied in a mock complaint.
Her reply died as he turned his attention to her neck instead, his lips brushing ever so slightly against her soft flesh, each touch raising fire from her skin. Gentle fingers brushed her ponytail aside from where it had fallen, exposing more of her to him. Blaine growled appreciatively, and this time, with no hair in the way, his teeth dug gently into her neck.
Cassi gasped at the slight explosion of pain, the sensation working its way slowly down her spine. Her nipples came fully to attention, covered as they were by her bra still. Between her legs the embers flared to life, each of his kisses and bites fanning them with oxygen until they burned bright.
And he had barely even begun to touch her.
His hands slid up her outer legs as he continued to tease her neck. Cassi felt her back arching toward him, craving more, always more. She couldn’t get enough of him.
The attention had distracted her from removing her shirt, but at last her suddenly weak fingers did away with the last button.
Blaine grabbed hold of the collar and slid the shirt down over her shoulders, before tugging gently on each wrist to remove her arms.
Now topless, she reached forward, and, ignoring his attempts to touch her and explore her, removed his shirt for him. Chiseled abs and thick chest muscles were revealed to her eager eyes, but it was what came next that she had been craving.
Cassi relinquished control, allowing Blaine to pull her in close to him. His skin burned so hot it nearly hurt to touch, but she reveled in his warmth nonetheless. Her bra fell aside, Blaine having undone it without her even noticing, and then there was nothing between their upper bodies except touching and warmth.
“Let me show you the entertainment area,” he purred, nipping gently at her ear as he picked her up once more, keeping her pinned against him easily.
Cassi’s fingers dug into his shoulders as she held on, though it was unnecessary. Blaine was more than strong enough to keep her aloft on his own.
He sat back into a leather couch, leaving Cassi to straddle him, even as he pulled her down to kiss her some more, seemingly never getting enough of her lips.
Her attention was riveted on what she could feel as her hips rested on top of his. The bulge between his legs pressed up between hers, rubbing nicely as she began to move her hips back and forth slowly.
“So this is where the entertainment happens, is it?” she asked wickedly, flicking her tongue up and around the edge of his earlobe in a move that made him groan with delight.
“It sure is,” he replied, and Cassi gasped as his hands grabbed her breasts, his thumbs gently tracing circles around her nipples.
At the same time his teeth found the soft skin of her neck once more and Cassi went weak at his touch.
Pushing herself back off of him, she fumbled with his belt momentarily before tugging his jeans down and swiftly off. His boxers followed right after, and at last she was able to see him, her hand wrapping around the base of his shaft.
It barely covered half of his length.
“Everything okay?” Blaine asked.
“Yes, why?” she replied, confused.
“Ah, your eyebrows. They just sort of shot up, and stayed there.”
Cassi blushed as she realized she’d been staring at him.
“Oh. No, just, um, imagining.”
“Imagining what?” he asked, leaning forward and lifting her to her feet so that he could finish undressing her while she answered.
“Um. Well. This,” she said, sliding her hand gently up and down his shaft.
Blaine bit his lip, eyes alight with jade fire as she touched him.
“Well, you won’t have to imagine for long,” he promised as he picked her up and laid her down on the couch next to him, his hands sliding up the insides of her legs now, stopping just short for her liking.
“Tease,” she complained, digging her fingernails gently into his shoulders in an effort to make him continue.
To her surprise, he did, his touch against her bare skin exactly what she needed just then. But when he lowered his face between her legs, she realized everything up until then had been a slow burn compared to the fiery rush that washed over her like a wave as his warm tongue made contact with her.
The angle on the couch had to be inconvenient for him. Blaine didn’t seem to care, judging by the way he paid her intimate attention, listening to her every whimper and moan, reacting until he found just what she liked. Cassi writhed against the couch, her fists squeezing the leather tightly as she tried to hold on while Blaine pleasured her.
Her efforts soon became useless, however, as Blaine continued to focus on her. His finger slipped easily inside of her, wet as she was from the way his tongue ran over her, or around in circles, or anything he did. Every touch felt like he was going to make her explode.
When his second finger penetrated her, she felt the edge come quickly. Her cries intensified and Blaine was forced to move with her gyrating hips, an action she could no longer control. His free hand came up to play with one of her breasts, but Cassi latched ont
o it, pulling it tight as she began to shake.
“Holy shit, that feels good. Right there,” she told him. “Don’t you dare stop!”
Blaine did as she asked and continued to move his fingers inside of her in time with his tongue, washes of pure bliss lashing out at her mind, fogging things over as the hill she was falling over quickly became a cliff.
And then without warning she hit bottom and exploded, her back arching, pulling her chest up and sticking it out even as she gripped his head in both hands. She pulled it tight between her legs, her arms shaking as she forced Blaine to stay where he was while her climax pounded at her relentlessly. Stars exploded behind her eyes as she cried out, a wordless sound that said so much.
Her muscles suddenly spasmed and she writhed violently, pulling herself free from his touch as suddenly every nerve ending in her entire body burst open with an intensity that made even the softest touch powerful. Her eyes locked on his even as she went through the final throes of her orgasm, the fire in his eyes turning her on even more, prolonging the moment.
“Blaine,” she said through gritted teeth as he sat back, exposing his muscular torso to her once more.
“Yes?” he replied, biting his lower lip at her tone.
“If you don’t get over here and fuck me right now, I’m going to kill you.”
In the blink of an eye his body hovered above hers, slowly spreading her legs apart with his hips as he descended, until his hard shaft lay pressed between her legs.
Cassi bit her lip as he came in to kiss her, teeth nipping gently at her bottom lip. She moaned softly as he moved against her. He was so close to slipping inside her it ached. She wanted him. Needed him.
“I want you,” she whispered, and fire flared in Blaine’s eyes at her words.
He pulled his hips back a little farther. His cock, now coated in her wetness, pushed gently against her opening. Cassi thrust her hips forward, trying to coax him inside, but Blaine grinned and pulled away slightly.
“No,” she growled, hands reaching around his back and pulling him strongly toward her.
