Cassie slowly pulled her hand out from beneath her sweater, looping her pinky around mine—just like she had so many times before. Only this time, I didn’t let go. I used that small link to draw her closer until our lips met.
Our kiss was urgent and full of all the things we’d been holding back, the heat from each of us colliding intensely. I ripped the covers back, pulling her onto my lap so she sat directly on top of my hard length.
“Do you feel how much I want you? How badly I have to control myself around you, sugar?”
She bit her lip and nodded, practically begging for more.
“When you walked away from me at Colt’s wedding, and I had to watch your sweet ass swaying as you left, this is how I felt. The night you wore that damn costume, teasing me by sitting with that douchebag… I wanted to rip that costume off your body and take you right there in that bar to show everyone who you belonged to. This isn’t some high school crush, Cass. I can’t explain it, but you make me feel whole in a way that I’ve never felt. I used to drink alcohol to chase that feeling. Now I know all I needed to chase was you.”
Cassie’s breath caught, her eyes meeting mine.
This woman was going to break my walls down in all the best ways. Cassie Blake was trouble, and trouble was my middle name.
Still sitting on my lap, she pulled my cowboy hat off my head and placed it on her own.
“Careful, sugar, you wear the hat, yo—.”
“Oh, I know the rule. That’s why I took it,” she said, winking at me as she shifted her body in my lap, making me ache even more. I needed Cassie Blake and I needed her now.
Chapter 30 – Cassie
Jace’s fingers slid up my thighs, tracing a path under my shirt. I caught his hands, holding them still before they reached the part of me no one else had ever seen––my burns.
God, I wanted Jace so badly, but I couldn’t shake the fear of showing him the part of my body that I hated the most. Jace said he wanted forever with me, but if I hoped for even a small chance at a future with him, I knew I had no choice but to show him. I just prayed he wouldn’t look at me any differently afterwards.
I knew deep down I was lucky to survive that fire. But it left its mark—permanent scars that no amount of time or therapy could heal.
“Jace,” I whispered, my voice barely holding steady. “Before you go any further, there’s something I have to tell you.”
His brow furrowed as his eyes searched mine. “What is it, sugar?”
“The night of the fire… my injuries. It wasn’t just smoke inhalation.” I swallowed hard. “I was burned on my right side––badly. The doctors did what they could, but there are scars—ones I hate looking at, ones I’ve never shown anyone before,” I admitted, letting him know the extent of my vulnerability in this moment.
Jace didn’t say a word at first. His hands stayed right where I’d stopped them––his eyes didn’t waver from mine.
“Cassie,” he said finally, his voice low and rough. “You think any of that could change how I see you?” He sat up straighter, closing the space between us until our foreheads touched. “Youthink I give a damn about a few scars? They’re just proof your body was strong enough to overcome circumstances that should’ve killed you. Even more proof as to why you’re stronger than anyone I know.”
My breath hitched, eyes welling as tears threatened to spill, but he didn’t give me the chance to pull away. He brushed a strand of hair from my face and whispered, “Let me see you, sugar. All of you. Don’t be afraid.”
Slowly, my fingers curled around the hem of my shirt. My heart pounded, my chest tight with fear.
When I lifted the fabric, Jace’s eyes never shifted—not once. He didn’t flinch, didn’t gasp. He just reached out, his thumb tracing the edge of one of the scars like it was something sacred.
I lifted my head toward the ceiling, trying to hold in the rest of my tears.
Jace shifted his body, placing me gently on my back, everything from my waist up completely exposed under the glow of the lamps on the nightstands.
He kissed me gently along my neckline, his lips tracing a path down my chest, finding my nipples already taut and begging for attention. He trailed kisses down my stomach, kneading my nipples between his fingers. The burning between my thighs growing more intense by the second.
Instead of continuing downward, Jace placed his soft lips on each of my scars, kissing them as if they matched the flesh he had kissed just seconds before—as if the scars weren’t even there. He was proving what I hated most about my body was just another part of me that made him want me even more.
He pulled his body over mine, his hands on either side of my head now.
“Take those off,” he commanded. I stared deep into his eyes, sliding the sweatpants down my legs and tossing them on the floor. A thin lace thong the only thing covering me now.
“Your turn,” I said, smiling as he placed a kiss on my forehead, then on my cheek.
“Once you let the beast out, sugar, there’s no going back. Are you sure this is what you want?” he asked, his voice strong.
