Chapter 80 - Experience and Maturity

Chapter 80 - Experience and Maturity
The house was silent, but the air felt heavier than normal. Cassie left her coat on the chair and took a deep breath, trying to hide the whirlwind that Kallias had awakened inside her.

Uriel, who was leaning against the counter, merely observed her — his gaze calm, almost analytical, but too attentive to be distracted. He held a knife and cut herbs with precision, without breaking the silence.

Cassie busied herself with the fruit, pretending to be natural. But she knew his wolf could sense every spark of tension she was trying to hide.

“Was the picnic good?” he asked, his voice deep, husky, as if he had just woken up.

“It was, yes.” Cassie smiled, relieved he had changed the subject. “Tyler and Taylor were impossible. They laughed the whole time, filled me with jokes... and kisses.” She laughed to herself, shaking her head. “They looked like two boys competing to see who could make me blush first.”

Uriel let out a sound that was half laugh, half sigh.

“Young ones with too much energy,” he murmured. “That almost always ends in trouble.”

Cassie shrugged, still smiling, and only then noticed how he was dressed. Or rather, how he wasn’t.

Just light cotton pants and an apron tied at his waist. Nothing covering his torso. His body was wide and firm, the muscles in his back moving under his skin when he leaned to reach for something. His scent—wood, smoke, and a hint of wine — spread through the warm kitchen air.

She looked away too late. Uriel raised an eyebrow, the shadow of a smile touching his lips.

Cassie watched Uriel carefully as he handled the platters, the apron wrapped around his waist, his firm body exposed under the kitchen light. Every movement of his seemed measured, but natural, and she caught herself admiring the contained strength in his arms and back. Heat rose to her face when she realized she couldn’t stop staring.

“You’re quiet over there,” he commented, raising an eyebrow, already noticing the effect he was having.

She chuckled, trying to play it off. “I’m just... helping you not burn lunch.”

“Hmm,” he murmured, a slow smile appearing on his lips. “Bart isn’t here to steal kisses while we cook, huh?” he said, feigning distraction. “It’s strange to see you so... well-behaved.”

Cassie blushed, remembering all the times he and Bart had exchanged teasing remarks and knowing glances while she laughed or hid. But now it was different. She approached him, with the lightness and grace of a feline, feeling the tension in the air between them.

“You know... it’s good to be alone with you too,” she said, a smile playing on her lips, her voice low, almost confidential, slightly trembling.

He paused for an instant, staring at her with that deep look, assessing the weight of every word. “Is it?” his tone carried suggestion, measured, confident. “Is that really what you want?” Uriel asked, slowly turning around. His gaze enveloped her entirely, slow, deep. “Alone time with me?”

Cassie chuckled, her heart beating faster. She bit her lower lip, teasingly.

“It felt strange at first, you know? Being surrounded by you all... each with your own way. But I learned it’s always good to be in the company of one of my handsome men.” The choice of words, light and provocative, made his shoulders rise, amused.

Uriel’s brow arched.

“Your men?” he repeated, with gentle irony. “I thought I was too old to fall into that category, that you didn’t see me that way. I’m the oldest one here, you know?” His gaze challenged her, deep, making the air between them feel heavier.

Cassie took a step forward. Then another. The distance between them vanished in seconds. She looked up at him, her eyes steady, feline, the tips of her fingers brushing the fabric of his apron.

“Each of you is different, Uriel.” Her voice was almost a whisper, but it carried a conviction that made him stop breathing for an instant. “And just like Hendrick and Kallias, you carry more than just strength. You have experience, maturity... you know more than just how to touch. You know how to take a woman.”

His eyes narrowed, his jaw tight. Cassie tilted her face, her lips dangerously close to his.

“And I’m just waiting for you to make a move. Because with the younger ones, I’m the one who teaches them...” she let her voice drop, husky, provocative, “...but with the older ones, Uriel... I’m still just a girl.”

The silence that followed was almost palpable. The sound of the knife falling onto the cutting board seemed like the only noise in the world.

He didn’t say anything, just watched her, his breathing slow and controlled, but his eyes betraying every reaction, every fascination.

Uriel succumbed to the desire. His hands encircled her waist, pulling their bodies together. He took her lips with intensity; their mouths clashed, and Cassie melted.

It was different from the younger ones’ kisses; she was right about the experience his touch held. The hunger was different.

He knew how to elicit sighs and moans, devouring her with precision, swallowing everything he could. Cassie sighed and moaned, surrendered.

She knew it would be good. She let her hands run over his strong back, tracing the muscles with her fingertips.

With a quick impulse, Uriel lifted her, making Cassie wrap her firm thighs around his waist. She grabbed the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling him closer.

When the kiss broke, he chuckled huskily near her ear, which made her tremble. Her breathing was a mess.

Uriel placed a few quick kisses on her pale neck and took a deep breath of her sweet, alluring scent.

“You tease too much, girl.”

He said as he looked at her, his eyes fixed on her swollen, red lips. His irises overflowed with lust.

Cassie smiled, circled his neck, and stared at him suggestively.

“I like it when you call me that.”

“I’m too old for you.” He didn’t seem to care much about it, although he commented.

The brunette chuckled. “Aren’t they all?” She raised an eyebrow, amused. “You might look old enough to be my father, but well... you’re not, and you don’t see me that way, do you? I want you, you want me... seems pretty simple to me.”

Uriel clicked his tongue and slid his hands from her thighs to her butt, squeezing it. “Simple?”

Cassie leaned in and nibbled his ear.

“You don’t want to see me beg, do you? I didn’t know that was your style.”

To be honest, she had been wanting this for a while. She remembered when she went to the waterfall with Kallias and found the wolves; Uriel had been quick to cover himself, but there was no ignoring his body wrapped in that towel.

Or when they bumped into each other on the trail, and he wasn’t in such a hurry to hide. Even when she went to the workshop, or they cooked together, she could see the muscles stretching beneath his shirt.

Uriel was the only one there with a full beard, and Cassie discovered she loved it. The streaks of gray hair among the brown gave him a unique charm. Something about him, perhaps all that masculinity exuding from his pores, made her desire him.

However, she had always been respectful of the distance he kept from her. He always acted more paternal, and Cassie wasn’t one to cross the line to force a situation.

Yet, what a pleasant surprise. He wanted her, just as she wanted him. She could feel the blood vibrating in the bulging veins of his arms and couldn’t help but sigh at the thought of what it would be like to have all that strength on her.

“Ah, that is my style.” He smiled crookedly, his gaze filled with promises. “But now let’s finish lunch; you’re not on the menu this time.”

Uriel winked and set her down on the floor. Cassie was breathless and her mind blank. Her body craved more, but this was not the time.

She could barely wait.