Chapter 92: Chapter Forty-Three

Stephanie

“I love you.” I pressed another kiss against his mouth as he ripped the rest of my clothes from my body, his hands sliding down my waist. Then he lifted me by the hips and tossed me roughly onto the bed.

I was a tangled mess in the sheets as I tried to pull myself up and give him my best glare. Instead, all I could do was openly gape at his naked body.

Nothing about Cassius was imperfect.

And it was so amazingly difficult not to stare at every plane of his body. His muscles bulged with every breath he took.

And like a knight from the fairy tales I’d read so long ago, his dark black hair cascaded over his shoulders in a magnificent fashion, he looked both wicked and heroic.

“I desire you.” His eyes fluttered closed. “More than you will ever know. And my love for you,” A silver tear ran down his cheek. “Would move mountains.”

Tears blurred my vision.

“His job was to watch life,” Cassius whispered pulling me into his lap. “And I plan on watching yours very, very carefully.” He kissed my lips hard. “Slowly.” His hands gripped my sides. “Thoroughly.”

Our bodies joined, there was no warning, nothing but him moving within me, watching me.

Loving me.

The moment was so beautiful, so perfect, I could have wept. Instead, I placed my cold hands on his body.

And felt warmth.

Gasping, I jerked back. “Why aren’t you cold?”

“A gift,” Cassius whispered across my lips as he moved languidly against me. “So that when you are tempted to fall to the darkness—you see light instead.” Our mouths tangled then broke free. “You’ll see me.”

Instead of closing my eyes, I watched. I watched him. I locked onto his light and held on for dear life as he embraced me, rocked into me, loved me with his words, with a language I didn’t understand as he pressed gentle kisses to my face.

And as my body released, the darkness dissipated as if it had never been there in the first place.

I had no strength to ask.

But Cassius must have known it was there because his next words were. “Where there is darkness there will always be light.”

Body still trembling, I whispered, “What are you?”

“The same.” He hesitated for a brief second then added, “Fallen, evil, a curse, abomination. I’m all of those things.”

“But—”

He silenced me with a kiss. “I’m just more angel than human now.”

“So seventy-thirty?”

He shook his head.

“Eighty-twenty?”

Another shake.

I opened my mouth again.

“Stop!” He laughed, the sound did funny things to me, making me want to kiss him and never stop. “More like ninety-nine to one.”

“Oh.” I felt my eyes go big.

“Still fallen.”

“By one percent.”

“Numbers.” He shrugged and raised one eyebrow. “What are they anyways?”

“Important?” I teased, licking his lower lip while a small growl erupted between his teeth. “I take that as a no.”

“I’m the same…” He smiled gently and captured my gaze. “I still hunger for you.”

“And the bird outside my window?”

With a burst of sunny laughter, Cassius threw me back onto the mattress and braced himself over me. “I won’t eat your blue jay.”

“Now,” I said.

“I love you.” He sobered. “Completely.”

“Stay with me forever?”

We linked hands, palm to palm, as our fingers clenched together.

“I can do that.” He brushed a soft warm kiss across my forehead. “I can do that.”