He stared silently at me for a long time.
He let go of me.
He let me walk away.
Tears filled my eyes as I reached the castle wall once again, and I slumped against the stone, defeated, hidden by the shadows. He was never going to change. He was too fucking stubborn.
I sniffed, wiping a tear away, furious at myself for crying over him.
“Snowflake.” I nearly jumped out of my skin at his voice, right behind me. I let him turn me around to face him, and our eyes met, his face blurry through my tears.
He let out a pained groan and grasped my face in his large hands.
The sob ripped from my throat.
“I’m not my mother. I wish you would see me when you look at my face. Not her. Me.”
“Winter.” He kissed away a tear trailing down my cheek and wiped the tracks with the pads of his thumbs. “I know I’m fucked up.”
“I can’t do this with you anymore. It hurts too much,” I whispered brokenly, shaking my head, attempting to move away from him.
“Don’t go.”
“Why?”
He was silent for a long moment.
“Because I want you, okay?” His voice was rough, low, and he wouldn’t meet my eyes.
My heart stuttered.
“Look me in the eyes and tell me that.”
I wasn’t sure if he would. My heart was racing, and I could feel his own heart beating wildly against my chest. I kept my arms pinned to my sides, needing him to do this of his own accord.
I held my breath.
His stormy eyes met mine.
He took a deep breath, moving his head closer.
“I. Want. You.” He rasped the words against my lips, his grip on my face tightening.
“Cade,” I breathed and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his face to mine.
I could taste the salt of my tears as he claimed my mouth, taking what he wanted, pressing me into the wall. I moaned into his mouth, his kisses sending need throbbing through me, straight to my core.
He released my lips and buried his face in my neck, raising my hoodie and sliding his hands across my stomach. “You’re wearing too many fucking clothes.”
I shivered violently, both from his words and the cold sea air that hit my bare skin as he exposed it. “Take me home. Or somewhere warmer.”
I felt his words vibrate low against my throat. “Home’s too far. I’ll keep you warm.” He picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me around the front of the castle. Lowering me to my feet, he grabbed my hand. “Come on. Climb over here. Careful.” I let him guide me over a teetering pile of rubble, through a small gap, and then we were inside the remains of one of the rounded towers—open to the sky and the sea, but sheltered from the wind. We must have been close to the bonfire—the tower we were in was almost warm, compared to the temperature outside, anyway. I could see an orange glow coming from high above us, through the arrow slits, and hear music and the sound of people on the other side of the thick stone walls.
“You deserve to be punished,” Caiden growled, pushing me up against the wall and nipping at my neck, then pulling my hoodie and T-shirt over my head in one go.
“No, you do,” I told him, unzipping his hoodie and sliding it off his shoulders.
“You let them kiss you. Touch you.” He undid my bra, ripping it from my body and throwing it to the side, then took my breasts in his hands and caressed them, his touch alternating between rough and punishing, and gentle.
“They weren’t you,” I gasped out between moans. “You’re the only one who makes—” I stopped talking as he licked a line up from between my breasts to my jaw, then sucked my bottom lip into his mouth and bit it gently.
“Oh fuck,” I moaned, wrapping a leg around him, grinding myself against him. I lifted the hem of his T-shirt, pulling it off, and the bandana with it. I scraped my nails down his back, and he shuddered, pressing his hard cock into me.
“I’m the only one who makes what?” He released my mouth, rasping the question against my lips.
“The—the—” I couldn’t think. “The only one who makes me feel this way.”
“What way?” He ran his teeth down the side of my neck, sinking them into my flesh as he bit me.
“Ow.” I bit him back, digging my nails into him, and he hissed. “Like I’m on fire. All hot and burning up.”
“Good.” He rewarded me by slipping a hand into my leggings, and then his fingers were inside me, and on my clit, and I was riding his hand, desperate for more.
“I need you, now,” I moaned, and he responded by dragging his fingers out of my wetness and using both hands to tug my leggings down.
“Get these off,” he commanded hoarsely, and I kicked off my boots, ripping my leggings and underwear off, careful to stand on my hoodie rather than the stone floor.
I slid my hands up to his powerful shoulders, then down over the hard planes of his muscles, following my hands with my lips, kissing across his golden, inked skin. I licked across his nipples, and he jerked under my touch, groaning.
“Your body’s so fucking hot.” My voice came out husky and breathless, as I undid his jeans, impatiently pulling them down, along with his boxers. I wrapped my hands around his cock, and he groaned again, so loudly that it seemed to echo all around us. “Caiden.” I stroked my hands up and down, and he thrust into my grip, pulling me closer. “I really want to suck your cock.”
“Not now,” he ground out. “Later. Now, I’m going to pound my dick into you until you forget your own fucking name.” With that promise echoing in my ears, he reached down into his pocket, pulling his wallet out and extracting a foil packet. He rolled on the condom, then lifted me and slid me down onto his hardness. I closed my eyes, crying out as he filled me completely.
“Fuck me, hard,” I begged.
He kept his promise. We fucked hard and fast, up against the wall, his hands mostly protecting me from the stone; then he spun me so he was behind me and I was supporting myself on a stone boulder, his fingers working magic against my clit. He sent me spiralling higher and higher until I came, the blinding orgasm tearing through me, obliterating all thoughts. As I fell apart, I felt him coming hard inside me, digging his fingers into me, pressing my arms into the stone as he held me in place.
“Wow.” That was the first thing I managed to say as he slid out of me and I tried to catch my breath, my heart pounding.
We both started pulling our clothes on, and he gave me a smile that was nothing like the usual expressions he sent my way, and it made my heart skip a beat. “Yeah.”
I dropped my gaze. Swiping my T-shirt and hoodie from the floor, I pulled them over my head. Once I was fully dressed, I turned back to him, unsure how to react, hoping he wouldn’t act like we’d just made a mistake.
He stared at me for a moment, biting his lip, then pulled me into him, wrapping his arms around me, and kissed my forehead. “Come on. Let’s get back to the others.”
Relief filled me. We made our way back to the main party, where the bonfire was now roaring, the smell of burning wood heavy in the air, smoke drifting towards us. Cade kept his hands shoved in his pockets, and we didn’t speak, but the silence was comfortable rather than hostile. It wasn’t like things were going to magically change overnight, but he’d admitted he wanted me, fucking finally, and that was good enough for now.