"But now that you're here…"
Cassian was already on the bed.
Not sprawled. Not relaxed.
He sat at the edge, forearms braced against his thighs, shoulders tense like a man holding himself together by will alone. The lamp beside him cast low, amber light across the room, throwing sharp shadows over his jaw, his neck, the lines of restraint carved into his posture.
Mira stood just inside the doorway.
The air was heavy. Pressed tight around her chest. It felt like the room itself had been waiting for this moment—like it had been holding its breath.
Cassian lifted his gaze slowly.
Deliberately.
"You don't walk into my space unannounced," he said, calm but edged, "and look at me like that without expecting a reaction."
His voice wasn't loud. It didn't need to be.
Mira didn't move. Her fingers curled lightly into the fabric of her dress, grounding herself.
Cassian leaned back a fraction, hands gripping the mattress behind him.
"That wasn't impulse," he continued. "That was intention. Whether you admit it or not."
She opened her mouth—
"Oh," Livia's voice cut in brightly from behind her. "So this is where all the unresolved tension decided to live."
Mira stiffened.
Cassian's expression changed instantly.
Not softened.
Controlled.
He stood in one smooth motion, dominance settling over him like armor snapping into place.
"Ms. Serrano," he said evenly.
Livia grinned. "Relax. If I'd interrupted something serious, there would've been shouting. Or broken furniture."
Cassian's eyes flicked—brief, sharp—to Mira.
"Nothing was happening," he said. "Yet."
Livia clapped her hands together. "Perfect. Movie night survives."
Mira turned. "Livia—"
"Don't," Livia warned cheerfully. "You look like you need distraction, and he looks like he needs supervision."
Cassian exhaled through his nose, slow and controlled. He crossed the room, poured himself a glass of water, and drank it like he was steadying something dangerous.
"You have remarkable timing," he said flatly.
"I pride myself on it."
Against every instinct screaming otherwise, Cassian agreed.
They settled into the living area.
The movie played.
No one watched.
Livia narrated loudly, made commentary no one asked for, laughed at scenes that weren't funny. Mira nodded when spoken to, smiled when expected, but her awareness was elsewhere.
On Cassian.
Every shift he made registered. The way he sat too still. The way his jaw tightened when she crossed her legs. The way his attention never quite left her even when his eyes stayed on the screen.
Cassian, meanwhile, felt every second stretch like punishment.
Her presence was a constant pressure. A test. A distraction he refused to indulge.
Until he did.
He stood abruptly.
"I'm taking a shower," he said.
His gaze dropped to Mira—not soft, not casual. Heavy with warning.
"I suggest you both stay exactly where you are."
The bathroom door closed with a firm, final click.
Minutes passed.
Steam curled beneath the door.
Livia leaned closer to Mira, whispering, "He's absolutely losing his mind."
Mira didn't answer.
She managed to get Livia to leave not long after—jokes, dramatic sighs, exaggerated pouting—until the penthouse finally fell silent.
Too silent.
The bathroom door opened.
Cassian stepped out.
Damp hair pushed back from his forehead. Water traced slow paths down his chest, disappearing beneath the towel slung low at his hips. His presence filled the room instantly—unapologetic, unguarded, devastating.
He stopped when he saw Mira still there.
"You didn't leave," he said.
"No."
He studied her for a long moment, then moved.
Slowly.
Measured.
Each step deliberate.
"You test my restraint," he said quietly, "without saying a single word."
He stopped inches from her. Close enough that she felt the heat of him, smelled soap and something darker beneath it.
"You don't look away," he continued. "You don't retreat. You stand your ground."
His hand lifted—paused—then tilted her chin up with two fingers.
"That's not innocence," he said. "That's challenge."
Her breath caught.
"If I kiss you," Cassian said, voice low and steady, "this stops being controlled."
His thumb brushed her lower lip—light, deliberate.
"And I don't stop halfway."
She didn't answer.
Didn't need to.
Cassian leaned in, his forehead touching hers, breath warm against her skin.
"You walked into my space," he murmured. "You stayed when you were told to leave."
His voice dropped lower.
"Now.." he said, "you don't get to act surprised by what happens next."
His mouth hovered just above hers.
Close enough that one breath would close the distance. Her pulse thundered.
And then he pulls her more against his chest, his face pressing into her neck. He's barely holding onto his control."Fuck," He hisses, nuzzling his face against her neck.
His hands slide under her dress, roaming over her stomach possessively. He realizes he's getting harder by the second, his control slipping away.
The towel wrapped around his hips is barely hiding anything. He pulls her even closer, his voice dropping lower. "feel that?" He presses his hard cock against her core.
She tries to move move back "Cassian.."
"Don't fucking move," He warns, his voice strained. His hands slide up her stomach, gripping her ribcage. His thumbs brush against the undersides of her breasts, making her gasp softly."Shh.. stay still." He presses his whole face into her neck, breathing heavily.
His hands slowly slide up her chest, finally gripping her breasts over the fabric of her dress. He squeezes gently, his fingers brushing over her nipples. He nuzzles his face into her neck, inhaling her scent deeply as he loses the last bit of his control. "Fuck it,"
she squirmed.
He chuckles darkly, his hands sliding down to her hips as he starts grinding his erection against her slowly. His kisses turn more passionate, more desperate as he loses himself in her. The towel around his waist falls away completely, leaving him completely exposed against her.
His voice drops to a dangerous whisper, his hands gripping her hips tightly as he stops grinding and presses firmly against her ass now. "Get. On. All. Fours." He says each word clearly, his self-control completely shattered. "Now." He smacks her ass lightly.