Chapter 216

Chapter 216
WREN

My own hands were busy, yanking his linen shirt open, buttons scattering across the teak floor with a sound like falling rain. I ran my palms over the hard planes of his chest, down the defined ridges of his stomach. I fumbled with the buckle of his shorts, my urgency matching his.

He shifted, kicking them off, and then he was just as bare as I was. Skin to skin.

The feel of him, all warm, smooth muscle and hot, eager flesh pressed against me, was almost too much. I could feel the hard length of him against my thigh, and a fresh wave of wetness soaked through my already damp panties.

"These need to go," he breathed against my neck, his fingers hooking into the waistband of my panties. He slid them down my legs, his touch scorching a path along my skin. He tossed them aside, and then there was nothing left between us.

He settled between my thighs, and for a long moment, he just looked at me, his gaze so intense it felt like a physical touch. He kissed me again, deep and slow, and I felt the head of his cock nudge against my entrance. I was slick, ready, aching for him.

"Look at me," he commanded softly.

My eyes, which had fluttered shut, opened and locked with his.

He pushed inside, and a moan was torn from both our throats. He filled me completely, stretching me in that perfect, breathtaking way that only he could. He held himself there for a heartbeat, buried to the hilt, letting us both adjust to the overwhelming sensation.

And then he began to move.

It started slow, a deep, rolling rhythm that had me clutching at his back, my nails digging into his skin. Each thrust was deliberate, hitting a spot inside me that made me see stars rivaling the ones outside our window. But the slow burn quickly ignited into an inferno. His pace quickened, becoming harder, more frantic. The world narrowed to this bed, to the sound of our ragged breathing, the slap of skin on skin, the creak of the bedframe. He shifted my leg higher over his hip, changing the angle, and drove into me even deeper. A broken cry escaped my lips.

"Cassian... please..."

"What do you need, my love?" he grunted, his own control fraying. "Tell me."

"You. All of you. Harder."

A groan ripped from his chest, and he gave me exactly what I asked for. His thrusts became powerful, piston like, each one jolting me up the bed. I met him thrust for thrust, my hips rising to meet his, our bodies moving in a primal, perfect sync that we had spent years perfecting.

The coil of pleasure in my belly tightened, unbearably taut. I was hurtling toward the edge, my cries becoming incoherent pleas. He sensed it, his hand sliding down between our sweat slicked bodies, his thumb finding my clit.

That was all it took.

The orgasm shattered through me, violent and breathtaking. My entire body seized, clenching around him as wave after wave of pure, white hot ecstasy crashed over me. I screamed his name into the tropical night, my vision whiting out.

My climax triggered his own. With a guttural roar, he drove into me one last, final time, pouring himself into me as his body shuddered with the force of his release.

He collapsed on top of me, his weight a comforting relief, both of us gasping and trembling in the aftermath. For a long time, we just lay there, our hearts hammering against each other's chests, slowly coming back to earth.

Eventually, he rolled to the side, gathering me against him, pulling the light sheet over our damp bodies. He pressed a soft, lingering kiss to my forehead.

Outside, the lagoon still whispered against the stilts. The stars still blazed.

But the most brilliant light, the most powerful magic, was right here, tangled up with me in these sheets.

I curled into his side, breathing him in, and knew without a doubt that I had already memorized the feeling. I had it etched in my memory already.

.................

I woke to the sound of waves crashing softly against the shore, warm sunlight spilling across the sheets. Cassian’s arm was draped heavily over my waist, his chest rising and falling steadily against my back. For the first time in a long time, I felt… free. Jusst the two of us, tangled together, with nothing else demanding our attention.

I turned slightly, watching him sleep. His hair was messy, strands falling across his forehead, his jaw relaxed instead of clenched with anger or stress. He looked younger this way, peaceful, almost boyish. I smiled to myself, brushing a stray lock away.

His eyes fluttered open and caught me staring.

“You’ve been watching me,” he murmured, his voice still thick with sleep.

“I wasn’t watching,” I lied quickly, heat rushing to my face. “Just… looking.”

He smirked, tugging me closer. “There’s a difference?”

“Yes,” I said firmly, but then softened, placing my hand against his chest. “You look… different here. Relaxed.”

“That’s because you’re here,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

I melted against him for a moment before sighing. “We should get up. Breakfast.”

He groaned. “Or we could stay in bed all day.”

“As tempting as that sounds, I want to see this place in the daylight.”

Cassian finally sat up, running a hand through his hair. “Fine. But I’m not moving until you promise you’ll come back to bed later.”

I laughed. “I promise.”

..........................

We walked barefoot to the open-air restaurant by the water, the smell of fresh fruit and coffee filling the air. The waiters greeted us with wide smiles, seating us right by the sea. I glanced around at the endless turquoise waters, the white sand glowing in the sun.

“This place is beautiful,” I whispered.

“Not as beautiful as you,” Cassian said casually, picking up a piece of mango.

I rolled my eyes, though my cheeks burned. “You’re insufferable.”

“And yet you’re smiling.” He leaned closer, feeding me the mango slice himself.

I bit into it, laughing. “You’re ridiculous.”

We ate in peace, but every now and then Cassian’s hand brushed mine on the table, or his knee nudged against mine under it. I couldn’t stop staring at him, he looked so perfect. And relaxed.

..................

Later that day, we went snorkeling. The ocean shimmered with colors I had never imagined, schools of fish darting around coral reefs, rays gliding silently along the sand.

When I surfaced, gasping from laughter, Cassian popped up beside me, water dripping down his face.

“You’re beautiful underwater too,” he teased, brushing wet strands from my cheeks.

“You can’t even see properly down there!” I protested.

“I don’t need to. I always find you.”

My heart stuttered. I tried to cover it with a splash of water. “You’re so cheesy.”

“And you love it,” he said with a grin.

Maybe I did.

..............

Later that day, back in our villa, Cassian’s phone rang. He frowned, pulling away from me as I curled up on the bed.

“It’s Reed,” he muttered.