Elvie
My mission to avoid Cassian and stay safely out of his reach had officially failed. Last night only confirmed what I had been trying so hard to deny: I was hopelessly, dangerously attracted to him. It was insane. I was still nursing a broken, bruised heart from everything that had happened, yet the pull I felt toward Cassian went far beyond a harmless crush. It was a dirty, desperate kind of attraction.
I couldn’t stop thinking about how weak my legs had felt while sitting next to him on that piano bench. When he rested his hand against the small of my back, a shameless part of me had wished his fingers would slide lower down my hips, tracing between my legs to relieve the heavy, aching throb deep in my core.
After escaping to my room, I took a cold shower just to cool my burning skin, only for raw images of Cassian doing dirty things to my body to fill my head. I didn’t know how to masturbate. I had never tried it before. But standing under the water, I had touched myself, desperately trying to follow the fantasy of his hands on me instead of my own. I didn’t know if I had come—I didn’t even know how to make a sound, so I eventually gave up, threw on my clothes, and hid under the covers.
Now, it was Saturday morning. No school. I had no idea if Cassian was planning to leave the house today, but having him around all weekend was going to drive me completely crazy. I could head up to his study to paint since he gave me permission, but only if he wasn’t in there working.
The sharp click of the refrigerator door shutting made me jump, my heart instantly leaping into my throat.
Cassian was standing by the counter, lifting a glass bottle to his lips as he gulped down water. A shameless, reckless part of me stared fixedly at the rhythmic movement of his Adam’s apple moving up and down.
Right on cue, that familiar, heavy ache settled between my legs as I checked him out. When he finally lowered the bottle, his dark eyes locked straight onto mine. I could swear the very corner of his lips curved into a knowing smirk.
A fierce wave of heat rushed straight to my cheeks, setting my face on fire. He knew I was checking him out.
"G-Good morning," I stammered, quickly averting my eyes and wiping down the already spotless kitchen tabletop for the second time.
"Good morning, Elvie," his low voice rasped, the tone smooth in the quiet kitchen.
He didn’t move from the counter. Instead, he rested his hip against the edge as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was wearing a simple charcoal t-shirt that stretched tightly over his broad shoulders, revealing the hard muscle of his forearms making him look far too comfortable and far too dangerous.
I kept my eyes glued to the counter, scrubbing the clean marble surface so hard. "You’re going to rub the finish off that stone if you keep going," he noted calmly, an unmistakable thread of amusement laced through his words.
My hand froze. I bit the inside of my cheek, willing the flush on my face to die down, before slowly setting the rag aside. "I was just... making sure everything was clean."
"It’s spotless," Cassian said, his heavy footsteps sounding on the tile as he closed the small distance between us. He stopped on the other side of the island, leaning forward slightly on his hands. "Did you sleep well?"
The question sent an instant, searing jolt straight down to my lower stomach. Images of the cold shower, my wet skin, and the clumsy, desperate touches I had given myself while imagining his hands on me flashed vividly behind my eyes.
"Yes," I lied, my voice a fraction too high. "I slept fine."
I sure as hell didn’t sleep fine. It was a crazy imaginative night for me.
Cassian’s gaze narrowed, his dark eyes trailing slowly over my face, taking in the nervous way I was fidgeting with my fingers. He knew I was lying. The wicked curve returned to his lips, making my heart hammer against my ribs.
"Good," he murmured, his voice dropping into that quiet, velvet pitch that made my knees feel like lead. "Because I intend to hold you to your promise today."
I blinked, completely confused at his words. "My... my promise?"
"The canvas," he reminded me, tilting his head. "You said you wanted to practice your painting. The study is open, and I won’t be working in there this morning."
A mix of overwhelming relief and intense anticipation flooded my chest. He wasn’t going to be in there which meant I could hide away safely. But at the same time, knowing he had remembered, that he was actively encouraging me to use his private sanctuary, made that sweet, dangerous pull tug at me all over again.
"Oh," I breathed out, finally chancing a direct look into his eyes. "I... thank you, Cassian I will get my things when I’m done with the work."
"Take your time," he said softly, his eyes lingering way too much in my face. "And Elvie?"
"Yes?"
"I want scrambled eggs, toast, and black coffee for breakfast."
"Okay," I whispered.
He didn’t say anything else. With one last glance, he turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen.
The moment his footsteps faded, I let out a long breath and leaned against the counter. My hands were shaking. The simple fact that he had asked about my night made my thoughts spiral into crazy places. If he only knew what his question had made me think about...
I shook my head, quickly getting to work to keep my mind busy.
About forty-five minutes later, I was done making breakfast. I set the plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and black coffee down on the dining table. Cassian was sitting there with his laptop open on his lap, while the television played the morning news in the background.
"Breakfast is ready," I announced.
He looked up from his screen and gave me a quick nod. Before I could turn around and head back to the kitchen, the anchor’s voice cut through the room.
"In local sports, The Apex Vipers secured another massive win last night, largely thanks to their star forward, Asher Norman. Norman led the team to a decisive 4-1 victory, cementing their spot at the top of the standings..."
The screen flashed with a vivid action shot of Asher gliding across the ice in his dark blue team uniform, a confident, effortless smirk plastered across his face.
A sudden bitterness settled in my stomach. Seeing his face and hearing his name like that always drag me back to that awful night. It was a harsh reminder of how blind I had been, how completely I had let myself be fooled, and how easily he had moved on with his life while mine was completely turned upside down.
"Is everything okay?" The deep, calm voice startled me, and the sudden shadow falling over my face made me blink.
I gasped softly, snapping out of my trance. I hadn’t even heard him close his laptop, let alone step away from the couch. Cassian was standing right in front of me, his tall frame blocking out the TV screen, while his eyes searching my face with intense focus.
"Yeah... yeah, sure. Everything’s fine." I said way too fast.
Cassian didn’t look entirely convinced, but he didn’t press the issue. He pulled out his chair and sat down.
"I hope you made something for yourself, too," he said, taking his napkin.
"Yes, sir... I mean, yes, I did," I corrected myself quickly.
He raised an eyebrow, looking up at me. "Where is it, then?"
"It’s in the kitchen," I answered.
"Bring it over and join me," he said calmly, picking up his fork.
I stood there for a second, surprised. He was being unusually soft with me this morning, without even seeming to realize it himself.
"Okay," I murmured, turning around to head back to the kitchen to fetch my plate.
By the time I returned to the dining table with my plate, Cassian was already halfway through his food.
I couldn’t tell if he was starving or if he was just a fast eater or maybe I had just spent way too much time in the kitchen overthinking things. Pulling out the chair across from him, I sat down and picked up my fork.
My eyes kept involuntarily darting back toward the television screen, where the anchor was still analyzing Asher’s game highlights. I clenched my jaw, forcing my gaze back down to my plate. Get a grip, Elvie. Asher was a closed Chapter. He belonged to my past, and I needed to stop letting the mere sight of his face pull me under.
"Are you scared of me?"
"Huh?" Cassian’s question caught me off guard that my fork nearly slipped from my fingers.
He leaned back taking a measured sip from his black coffee. His eyes held mine over the rim of the mug, before he set it down with a soft click.
"You don’t seem comfortable around me," he said plainly.
If only you knew, I thought, a sudden heat coiling deep in my gut. It wasn’t fear that made me so tense it was the dangerous, overwhelming attraction pulling me toward him. My own body was making it impossible to stay calm anytime he was anywhere near me.
Forcing a small, tentative smile onto my lips, I shook my head. "No... I’m not scared. And I am comfortable."
Cassian lifted a single dark eyebrow, a slow, amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "You do know lying doesn’t suit you," he murmured, his gaze holding mine just long enough to make my chest tighten.
A wave of pure embarrassment flooded my face. Desperate to hide the crimson stain spreading across my cheeks, I quickly scooped up a bite of scrambled eggs and shoved it into my mouth, keeping my eyes fixed firmly on my plate.
A low, quiet sound almost like a soft chuckle escaped his throat. Cassian picked up his napkin, casually wiped his lips, and pushed his chair back. He stood to his full height, instantly filling the space around the table.
"I’ll be out for a couple of hours. You can work on your painting in the study, or watch television. If you want to invite your friend over, you can."
I sat frozen, my jaw practically dropping as I stared up at him. I was in complete shock. How could he be this soft? It felt so surreal coming from the same man who usually carried himself with such strict authority.
Before my brain could even fully process his words, he added casually, "As for dinner, make something simple. Pasta will be fine."
He turned on his heel and walked out of the room, his long strides carrying him toward the front door.
I remained seated at the table, clutching my fork in mid-air, completely wrapped in a mixture of total surprise and quiet amazement.