“Let me show you,” he whispered like a prayer to her, and without hesitation, he lifted her skirts and quickly worked his way up her thighs.
Isabella shivered, although she wasn’t sure if it was the cool winter air or Cassian’s tongue that caused it. His tongue tantalized her flesh, which sent currents of desire through her.
“You taste so sweet,” Cassian moaned from beneath her, and the sheer wantonness of it all became her undoing.
Under the overwhelming pleasure, her legs gave out, and she slipped, but Cassian caught her, chuckling darkly.
“Hold on to me.”
And she did, gripping the short locs of his soft hair as he drove her mad with desire. His tongue flicked and caressed in even strokes until she felt as if her body would explode.
“Oh, Cassian,” she cried out softly as she pulled his hair slightly, earning herself a groan that sent shivers down her spine as she pushed his head deeper between her thighs.
How had she lived her life without knowing such pleasure existed?
Her body bucked the faster his tongue went, setting her body in a rhythm until it gave a surprise jerk, and then her legs turned to liquid.
What was that?
She breathed heavily as she leaned her head back against the wall and allowed Cassian to support her weight. Every muscle in her body tingled as the explosion continued to carry her away.
Chapter Seventeen
For several long, unsteady seconds, Isabella could not breathe. Her legs felt as if they would not work, and her muscles continued to tremble.
The earth spun around her, and if it had not been for Cassian holding her thighs, she would have fallen.
She leaned back against the cold terrace wall, her gloved fingers gripping the stone for balance as her entire body trembled, although not from the night air but from the scorching intensity of what had just happened.
Her knees threatened to give way, her pulse fluttered wildly against her throat, and she drew a sharp, shaking breath that did nothing to steady her.
Kissing a path down the tender flesh of her thighs, Cassian moved away from her, leaving her feelings empty and cold where his tongue had pleased her.
It took her several moments to be able to open her eyes again, but when she did, the sight of him took her breath away.
Cassian stood before her, chest rising and falling in a rhythm that betrayed just how undone he was as well. The night wind tugged at his hair, and the moon carved the sharp planes of his face in silver and shadow.
His gaze remained locked on her, dark and hungry, and Isabella felt heat curl low in her belly once more. His lips were swollen and glistening as if he had been kissing her for a very long time.
“I cannot believe you did that,” she whispered, her voice trembling with outrage, disbelief, and something she could not name.
What exactly had just occurred between them? She could barely gather her thoughts coherently for long enough to decipher the matter.
“I can.” Cassian’s lips curved, slow, wicked, and devastating. “And it was,” he continued, stepping closer until she felt the warmth of him even through the cold air, “the easiest and sweetest thing I have ever done.” He placed one arm above her head again, leaning in as he dragged the pad of her thumb over her lower lip.
He finished with a swipe of his tongue across his lips, and a flush burned across Isabella’s cheeks, blooming down her throat. She hated that he saw it, hated even more how his eyes darkened when he did.
He reached out and gently pulled her skirt back into place, his fingers brushing her hips with care. Isabella tried, but failed, to steady her breathing as he smoothed the fabric down, his touch tender in a way that made her heart twist.
“Cassian—” she began, her breath still shaky.
But he leaned forward, capturing her mouth in one final, lingering kiss, slow, deep, and nearly undoing her again. Isabella’s hands caught his coat, pulling him closer, desperate for something she didn’t even understand, but he broke away first, his forehead resting briefly against hers as he tried to gather himself.
“I like the way you whisper my name. It is by far the sweetest sound I have ever heard.” He growled against her lips, dragging his hand up her side until he gently cupped her breast.
Was he going to do more to her?
Her legs began to tremble again at the mere thought of him touching her until she collapsed.
