Maybe I would.
My hand tightened in her hair, angling her head back, deepening the kiss until there was nothing left but the taste of her, the feel of her, the overwhelming need to never let go.
But I forced myself to pull back. Forced myself to stop before I lost control completely.
I pressed my forehead against hers, both of us breathing hard, my hands still tangled in her hair, her fingers still clutching my shirt.
“I’m warning you, Cass,” I said, my voice rough and unsteady. “I’m watching you. Not just for the Bratva. For my baby. My blood.”
Her breath hitched. Her eyes fluttered closed.
“I know you’re in danger, but if you’ve said anything else to Vance, anything that’s going to come back and hurt you, hurt our child, I need to know.” I pulled back just enough to look at her, to see the fear and guilt swimming in her eyes. “Because I will burn this world down to protect you. But I can’t do that if you won’t let me in.”
For the first time since I’d known her, Cassandra didn’t fight back.
Didn’t throw out a sharp retort or a defensive wall.
She just stood there, trembling in my arms, her lips parted, her heart hammering so hard I could feel it against my chest.
“Drew….” Her voice broke on my name.
“Tell me,” I said softly, desperately. “Please, kitten. Tell me the truth.”
Her eyes opened, and the look in them—anguish, terror, guilt—nearly broke me.
“I can’t,” she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Not yet.”
I closed my eyes, my jaw clenching against the frustration and fear clawing at my insides.
Not yet.
That meant eventually. That meant therewassomething to tell.
And when it came out—when the truth finally surfaced—it was going to destroy us.
I knew it. She knew it.
But neither of us was ready to face it.
So I held her. Wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close, feeling her body shake with silent sobs against my chest.
“I’ve got you,” I murmured into her hair, even though I wasn’t sure if I was reassuring her or myself. “I’ve got you.”
She clung to me like I was the only thing keeping her from falling apart.
And maybe I was.
But deep down, I knew the fall was coming.
For both of us.
I just didn’t know if we’d survive it.
***
Later that night, after she’d cried herself out and fallen asleep curled against me on the couch, I sat there staring at the ceiling, my mind racing.
Cassandra was in trouble. Deep, dangerous trouble.
