Author's POV
Something inside Cassian snapped the moment she said his name like that…
"Cassian, please."
Her voice had been low, barely audible, but something dark and uncontrolled inside him shifted.
He had heard women beg before; he had heard desperation, fear…submission—every shade of it.
But this?
This wasn't any of those.
This was instinct.
And he didn't like what it did to him.
His gaze dropped to her fingers, which were clutching his shirt, and he saw how they were trembling.
Her grip wasn't strong; if anything, it was weak and unsteady, like she was holding on to the last thing keeping her upright.
His jaw tightened and he finally moved. He slid one arm beneath her knees, the other wrapping around her back, and in one clean motion, he lifted her into his arms.
She didn't protest; she didn't tense. If anything, she melted against him.
Her body collided with his, soft and burning, her breath uneven against his chest.
