"Tell me something," he said softly. "Something only Isabelle Quinn would know."
My heart slammed against my ribs, but I smiled.
Of course I did.
"What kind of question is that?" I ask back, obviously deflecting.
"The kind that has a simple answer," he replied.
I exhaled slowly, keeping my heartbeat steady and my emotions under control.
"The east wing library," I said. "Third shelf from the left. There’s a hidden compartment behind the false panel. Father used to keep documents there that he didn’t want anyone else to find. When I was seven, you and I saw it after we hid. We heard his voice before he entered."
The silence that followed my words was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Cassian didn’t react.
Not immediately... He wasn’t listening to what I said.
He was watching me, studying how I said it. How I breathed. How I held his gaze. And then his eyes darkened.
"You’re very good," he murmured.
My stomach dropped.
"Excuse me?"
"At pretending."
His voice was soft, almost gentle, but it hit like a blade.
I smiled.
Because what else could I do? "You’re not so bad yourself."
Something flickered across his face, and then he held my gaze.
"No," Cassian said quietly. "I don’t pretend."
How he said it, the way he said it... It made something in my chest tighten.
He stepped closer. This time, there was no space left between us, only the fabrics on our skin keeping our bodies apart.
My breath caught.
He slowly lifted his hand, his movements deliberate. And then—
He held the side of my face; his palm felt rough against my skin, but his hold didn’t feel forceful.
We stayed like that for what seemed like forever, and he didn’t let go.
My brain was in chaos? What was he doing? What did he intend to do?
Yet my body kept betraying me, responding to him in ways I’ve never experienced with anyone else before.
To anyone watching, we looked intimate... Natural... Expected.
To me—his actions felt like a chain locking me into place.
"Can I kiss you?" He whispered.
"W—what?" I blurted.
Cassian wants to kiss me? Didn’t he hate me?
"Yes," I let out breathily, before my brain caught up.
Cassian leaned forward, his lips grazing mine, and I parted my lips on instinct, my body betraying me.
"Stay close tonight," he murmured, his voice brushing against my lips, "I wouldn’t want you getting lost again."
And then he stepped back.
My pulse thundered, but I masked it with a glare.
"Jerk," I cussed.
He smirked.
My fingers tightened into fists, wanting to punch the smugness off his handsome face.
"I don’t take advantage of women who don’t know what they want."
"I know what I fucking want."
"Then why are you trembling?" he rasped. "The day you’re sure you really want this. There’s nothing that’s going to stop me from making you mine. I’ll ruin you so thoroughly for anyone else. You won’t feel your legs for days, and your lips will be so swollen from my kisses and everything I do to you until the only name you remember is mine."
I couldn’t breathe.
The way he said it...
The promise in his voice and imagination in my unhealthy thoughts cut through me, so much so that my knees nearly gave out.
He held me steady, his hand tightening on the small of my back in a way that made it worse.
He stepped back when he saw I could stand on my own, while I avoided his gaze with my cheeks flaming in anger and embarrassment.
Oh my God, what is wrong with me?
I could feel heated eyes trained on me; I lifted my gaze, scanning the room, and found him across the room.
Ryan was watching.
What was his problem?
Great, now aside from playing Isabelle, I was trapped between two men who have got something on me.
I was standing at the center of a war. And I had no idea who would destroy me first.
~~~
Everything after that was a blur; I wanted the party to end already. I was happier than everyone when people began to give their goodbyes.
I had avoided Cassian since what happened between us, acting busy anytime he was close.
Ryan had tried to corner me when I went to the ladies’ room, but Cassian appeared almost right at the time and made him leave me alone.
Except I didn’t know what Cassian would be thinking after Ryan’s stupidity and impatience.
I saw Cassian talking to the Quinn parents; maybe he was finally leaving.
And I could finally breathe easy, I thought.
"Isabelle, dear, walk Cassian out," Estelle said from the side.
Great.
"Of course," I said brightly, leading the way.
Cassian and I began to walk down the hall to the outer foyer.
"You seem angry," Cassian said from behind me.
I didn’t turn. I didn’t stop. Why would I?
"Could it be that you’re angry at something I did?"
I still didn’t speak. He could speak to the wind for all I care.
"Are you angry because I didn’t kiss you?"
That did it.
"Why would I? After all the experience I have, I don’t even think kissing you would be anything special," I snapped, turning to face him.
Cassian’s eyes darkened, stepping closer with his eyes like a predator.
Heaven knew I was only bluffing; he was my first real kiss six months ago at the club behind a mask, minus Lucas’s innocent pecks on the lips.
That night, after I returned from the club I felt so guilty for kissing a stranger when I saw Lucas.
"W—what are you doing?" I squeaked, instinctively taking steps back to get away from him until my back hit the wall.
He closed in, his hands placed by my sides and his body in front, caging me.
"If you touch me, I’ll scream bloody murder."
He leaned forward, his lips brushing my ear, his warm breath, "Scream, Isabelle. I want to hear it. It’ll be better than imagining it. Imagining how you’ll scream when I finally have you right where I want, on your back, on your knees, bent over every fucking surface in my house—"
A whimper escaped my lips, "Cassian...Please..."
"That’s it," Cassian hissed, cupping my face in his large palms before claiming my lips for a kiss.
Time stood still when our lips locked. I could feel him everywhere.
His body pressing against mine was the only thing I felt. He held the back of my head in one hand, grabbing fistfuls of my elegant updo, which I was sure was a mess now, and pulled me into him with his other hand.
The kiss was violence wrapped in hunger, mixed with cravings. There was nothing gentle about it, just fury, flesh, and heat.
I kissed him back with equal hunger, not wanting to pull away as his tongue explored my mouth, greedily tasting every nook and cranny, making me drunk with lust and desire.
I stiffened when a sound escaped our meshed lips and he swallowed it. It was a needy, broken sound—a moan.
And it came from me.
Oh god. How desperate have I become? Why can’t I resist him? This was all a lie. I’m not even Isabelle.
I bit him—hard.
He broke the kiss and pulled away from me, still looking perfect except for a little swell in his lips, while I was a panting mess... my hair and mascara probably all over the place.
"I...I...we shouldn’t have done that. This... This was a mistake," I said, and the temperature plummeted.
"Are you serious right now?"
"I am," I said. "This marriage is about a business alliance/ peace treaty, and we shouldn’t mix business with pleasure. At the end of the day, this marriage is just something on paper. We can’t blur the lines," I continued.
It was more about trying to convince myself than him.
Cassian didn’t speak, but his eyes never left mine.
His silence made everything feel even heavier. I couldn’t help the guilt that gnawed at my chest, and I lowered my gaze.
Cassian stepped back and began to walk away, not once looking back.
I stood against the wall on shaky legs, for a moment, I didn’t know what I really wanted.
I turned, walking back into the hall, trying to act like I was okay, but I didn’t understand why my heart refused to follow my brain.
I knew it was going to be a long night.
I was glad when I didn’t walk into Estelle or Joel, so I hurriedly made a beeline for my room, hoping to slip in unnoticed.
I opened the door and froze, on my bed, like a king who owned the place, sat Ryan.
"What the hell are you doing here in my room?" I asked. "Get out before I scream and tell Joel and Estelle whatever I know."
"You wouldn’t dare," he said.
"Try me."
"You can go ahead if you want the Swans to know their adopted daughter is still alive."
I froze. "What the fuck are you saying?" I asked, forcing a laugh and trying to mask my fear.
"Hello, Yvette Swan."