Cassian
"Am I permitted to come in?" My nephew voice echoed into the room. He was in his hockey uniform with a sports bag slouched casually over one shoulder.
Before I could even open my mouth to answer, he crossed the threshold and made his way straight toward my desk.
I shook my head at his lack of manners. Like father, like son.
Asher’s eyes raked around my office, before dropping into the leather visitor’s chair across from me, kicking his legs out and leaning all the way back with a cocky smirk spreading across his face. "Hello, Uncle."
A wave of irritation hit me. It made me wonder what brought the kid all the way to my office, or if he was just lost on his way to the ice rink.
I reached out and clicked my laptop closed, then leaned over the dark desk, locking my eyes onto my nephew. "What are you here for, Asher?" I asked, my tone flat and cold.
Asher gave a careless shrug, tilting his head back. "Do I need a reason to come see my uncle?"
The fake, sweet way he said uncle made my blood boil. We had never been close. So I don’t know what gave him the wings to think he can play jokes with me.
"I am going to ask you for the last time. Tell me why you are here, or get out."
Asher’s cocky smirk faltered. "Fine. Let’s drop the family reunion act,"
He pulled out a white small envelope from his bag and shoved it across the polished wood of my desk, sliding it right in front of me. "My parents anniversary is coming up next week," He said leaning back in his chair. "Dad is busy, so he asked me to bring over an invite."
An invitation? From Norman himself?
My eyes dropped down to the white folder resting on the desk, then slowly lifted back up to meet Asher’s gaze.
"I’ve never been invited to their events before," I said lifting a suspicious brow. "So what has changed exactly?"
Asher gave a shrug. "Well, the thing is my Dad isn’t like you holding grudges unnecessarily."
He leaned forward again, planting his forearms on the edge of the desk."Why did you drop the disciplinary measure against me?"
There.
I knew his visit wasn’t just like that. He isn’t here to deliver any stupid anniversary invite. That’s just an excuse. He came here to probe, to figure out why I let him off the hook, and to see if I’m planning to use anything else against him.
A light chuckle left my lips as I held his gaze. What do you think?" I asked, keeping my voice low. "Do you honestly think you’ve gotten away clean if the security footage of you bullying a student finally leaked to the school board?"
For a split second, the smug look on Asher’s face faltered and his tightened. But it was quickly replaced by a smirk. "What will happen?" He repeated shaking his head.
"I think you should be more worried about the consequences if words get out that a student is living in your house?"
So the kid actually figured it out.
Well....I know I was supposed to be shocked or even more worried. But instead, a low chuckle suddenly burst out of my chest. It wouldn’t be surprising that Norman told him about it.
Though the arrogance coming from him was almost funny. Did he really think this tiny piece of information was going to make me break?
I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest, "Oh, so you’re not just a bully. You’re stalking her now, too? Impressive. But so what?"
Asher blinked, clearly thrown off by the fact that I wasn’t sweating, panicking, or begging him to keep his mouth shut.
"So what?" Asher repeated. "You’re asking me that like you don’t know what will happen if the school board hears about this?"
I looked at him, watching the foolish pride blinding his eyes, and decided to drop the games. "Let me be frank with you, Asher," I said, locking my gaze straight into his. "I’m telling you this for free, and I’m definitely not saying it because you’re my nephew."
I leaned closer, lowering my tone until it felt heavy enough to choke the room. "A moth that flies too close to the flame doesn’t just burn its wings it destroys itself thinking it can control the fire."
Asher’s brows furrowed in confusion. "Is that a threat?"
Right on cue, my phone buzzed against the wood of the desk, lighting up with a message.
I casually picked up the phone, checked the screen, and stood up, towering over the desk as I looked down at him.
"I don’t make threats, little boy," I said smoothly, sliding the phone into my pocket and picking up my suit from the hanger. "I’m just stating the facts. So just make sure you thread very carefully."
I buttoned up my suit jacket, stepping out from behind my desk and walking past his chair toward the door.
"And..." I added, turning my head just enough to glance over my shoulder at him, "...You can go and deliver the message to your Dad that I have a busy schedule I won’t be chance to attend his anniversary." With that, I opened the door and walked out.
**
Lately, a completely foreign feeling had started taking over me whenever the end of the day rolled around. Coming home and knowing that someone was actually waiting for me inside—a certain someone whose presence and warmth could literally melt away all the exhaustion and stress of the day changed everything.
And today, more than ever, I needed that peace. My mood was already completely soured by everything piled on my plate, capped off with that useless confrontation with Asher.
My steps padded toward the kitchen expected to smell dinner cooking or hear soft footsteps moving around the kitchen.
Instead, absolute silence hit me. A small, fond smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. Right. Maybe she’s upstairs in the studio, getting lost in time looking at my work.
I climbed the grand staircase, heading straight down the hall toward the studio room. I pushed the door open, stepping inside only to find it completely vacant too. No Elvie.
My brows lifted to no one in particular. I turned around and walked over to her bedroom door. I raised a hand, knocked briefly against the wood, and listened. Complete silence. Without waiting, I twisted the knob and pushed the door open, peeking inside. Empty. The bed was neat and untouched.
Elvie mostly comes home before me. She cooked dinner, settled in, and never went anywhere without telling me first. And today had been chaotic—we hadn’t even crossed paths at school because my schedule was completely packed from morning till afternoon and I didn’t have their class today.
I fished my phone out of my pocket and tapped her contact straight away and hit call.
It rang. And rang. But there was no response.
Where could she possibly be? Was she still stuck at school?
I hung up, waited a moment, and dialed her number a second time. Still nothing. Just the irritating sound of ringing echoing in my head before it cut off to voicemail.
I let out a heavy breath, trying to calm the sudden spike of worry in my chest. Maybe she’s just on her way home.
Deciding to shake it off for a second, I walked over to my own room, stripped off my clothes, and stepped straight into the shower.
As the hot water cascaded down my skin, washing away the sweat and tension of the day, my mind drifted right back to Asher’s words.
What will happen if word gets out that a student is living in your house?
I don’t care about him and his father knowing Elvie was under my roof. But putting Elvie’s reputation on the line? That was a completely different story.
I stayed under the water for a long time, letting the steaming water soak into my sore muscles while my mind ran through a hundred different scenarios. By the time I finally killed the shower, my skin was flushed red and the air in the bathroom was thick with heat.
I grabbed a white towel, drying myself off quickly before wrapping it loosely around my waist. I pulled the bathroom door open and took two steps out into the bedroom, my hand raised to run through my dripping hair and my footsteps halted completely.
Elvie was lying right there on my bed, facing the bathroom, leaning her head against her palm. But what made my eyes darken was what she was wearing. A black lace lingerie that left almost nothing, hugging every curve of her body, her soft skin practically glowing under the dim bedroom lights.
A sharp, violent pull tugged at my gut, and my jaw tightened as my erection instantly twitched behind the thin fabric of the towel around my waist.
Fuck.
For a second, the raw urge to pin her down right there almost made me forget my anger. But I forced it down, recalling how I came home and found out she was not around.
Ignoring the sudden ache in my groin, I marched up to her. I loomed over her. "Where were you?" I asked, my voice dropping into a low, gravelly rasp.
Elvie slowly sat up on the edge of the mattress, looking up at me through her lashes. Her gaze held a quiet confidence that instantly started messing with my head.
"Gemma and I went out to have a quick drink after class," she said softly, her voice smooth and unbothered. "And my phone was inside my bag. I didn’t hear it ringing."
My jaw clenched even tighter. A drink. The thought of her sitting in some crowded bar with men casting eye contact her way made a dark, possessive urge twist sharply inside my chest. I hated the idea of anyone else looking at her.
"I see," I murmured. "And you didn’t think to inform me, little birdie?"
I was worried something had happened to her.
She didn’t look away. Instead, she slowly ran her fingers down her thigh, a deliberate movement that tested every ounce of my self-control.
"I’m sorry, Cassian," she whispered, her eyes locking onto mine with a subtle smirk that told me she knew exactly what she was doing to me. She had planned this entire entrance, and it was working far too well.
I looked down at her, the anger in my chest tangling with my cock growing more harder. I wasn’t about to let her off the hook that easily just because she knew how to push my buttons.
"An apology isn’t going to cut it, little birdie. You don’t disappear without a word, and you certainly don’t ignore my calls."
She bit her bottom lip as she muttered an apology again. "I will do better next time,"
I shook my head in disagreement. There was no way I would leave her untouched after testing my patience by sitting on my bed looking like a meal ready to devour with her round breast way too attractive not to look and feast on. "You’re going to be punished for this tonight. So get down on the bed and spread your legs."