Nathan frowned at the smell of smoke. His eyes flew open and blinked away the remnants of sleep. His face contorted into shock at the sight of red flames. Fire.
He sprang up from the ground and immediately went to the door to open it, but it was locked.
“Shit!” he cursed and went for his bag. A flaming stick almost fell on his head. Fear coursed through every part of his body.
He rushed to the door and tried to insert the key into the keyhole, but his trembling hands wouldn’t let him.
“C’mon!” he exclaimed when he saw the fire drawing closer. Finally, he opened the door and dashed out of his hiding place, coughing hard. He wheezed and fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
After catching his breath, his eyes settled on a pair of black, shiny shoes. Slowly, he looked up, and his eyes met his nightmare again.
Nathan gritted his teeth in frustration. He had found him.
“Please,” he croaked. This torture should end. He was beyond humiliated with no one to help him.
The man crouched before him, his eyes cold and his lips curled up slightly.
“I can’t hear you,” Cassius stated, and Nathan sniffed.
“Please stop tormenting me. What else do you want? You’ve destroyed my career, taken my company, and made me the latest most wanted man in Australia. What else do you fucking want!?”
Cassius chuckled and stood. He slid both of his hands into his pockets. “It’s not me you offended, Nathan. Certainly, a monster like you should not be in the industry. You got what you deserved. Not enough, though. Even if you’re caught by the police, I’ll find you and still torment you.”
“What do you want? What do you fucking want? Should I go to the media and confess everything? I’ll do that, okay? Just let me be!” Nathan yelled.
Cassius stated what he wanted, and Nathan scoffed.
“Over my dead body,” Nathan growled, and Cassius grinned like a devil.
“Take him,” Cassius ordered his men, and they approached to take Nathan.
“Why must I do that!? Why would I fucking kneel to a woman!? That’s a- Argh!” One of the men punched him and gagged his mouth.
If ego were a person, it would be Nathan.
___
“Why aren’t you letting me help? This is my war to fight,” Tatiana asked Cassius in his room after putting Dylan to bed.
“And mine too. I despise men like Nathan. I don’t want you near him,” Cassius replied, stepping forward. He stopped when he was close enough.
“I said help me find the killer. I never said help me drag him down. Now I feel like I’m taking advantage of you…”
“Little Rebel, you’re worrying too much. I’ll hand over Nathan to you once he is ready to leave my wrath. I’m called King for a reason, and Nathan is just reaping what he sows,” Cassius said.
“You’ve done everything I wanted to do.”
“It was your idea to dig into the artist. I wouldn’t have known if it weren’t for you. Now quit being jealous.” Cassius crossed the distance between them and held her face gently. “You’ve done well, Little Rebel.”
Tatiana’s eyes were fixed on his. Her mind reeled from how he had been helping her. All this time, she had wondered what kind of man Dylan’s father would be. She had made up her mind that if they met one day, she wouldn’t let anything come between them, but she was wrong.
Everything about this man made her heart flutter. She couldn’t stop thinking about him all day. And she felt…
She didn’t deserve him. He was too perfect.
“What are you thinking, Little Rebel?” he asked huskily, breaking her train of thought.
Tatiana swallowed. “What do you mean when you said I don’t know you completely?”
Cassius stared at her for a while and responded, “It means you don’t trust me.”
Tatiana shook her head slightly. “I trust you with everything, Cash.”
His nickname from her lips sounded like a fucking melody.
“I’ve been betrayed, yeah, but- everything just feels so right around you. I just feel like I don’t deserve it. It feels like a dream getting to meet you. I do trust you, and I’ll always do,” Tatiana continued, and the man’s gaze remained fixed on hers.
“And?” he asked, as if he wanted to hear something more.
“I-” Tatiana’s heart pounded hard in her chest as she concluded. She whispered, “I want to be yours.”
After those words, Cassius froze for a moment. He suddenly held her face on both sides and leaned close.
“Say it again,” he demanded, his eyes crinkled on one side as if he had just heard the most amazing words.
“I want to be yours. Cash,” she repeated, and he slammed his lips on hers briefly.
“Fuck, say it again,” he demanded, and Tatiana chuckled.
“I’m all yours,” Tatiana declared, and his lips returned to hers.
___
He shoved his tongue deep into her mouth, his lips moving demandingly and roughly against hers. Her declaration rang over and over in his head, and he pulled her slim waist closer.
The dip and swell of her body were perfect-so perfect for him to touch, tease, kiss, and claim.
“I’m all yours.” Her words rang in his head again.
Cassius’s hand trailed down from her waist to her ass. He lifted her body, and her legs wrapped around his torso. Her moans filled the air as he took her to bed.
He placed her on the bed and hovered over her.
When she became breathless, Cassius broke the kiss, and their eyes locked.
“Little Rebel,” he called softly. He saw the need in her eyes. Fuck!
“Once I claim you, there’s no going back,” he whispered.
Tatiana leaned closer, her expression firm. Her hand trailed down to the top of his trousers.
“You’ve claimed me that night already, Mr. King. I’ve always been yours,” she whispered, and the tearing sound of her dress followed.
After a while, they were both naked. Tatiana’s legs were wrapped around his torso, his firm hand holding her waist in place as he prepared to enter. Tatiana saw his member and was shocked by its size. Firm, ready, and huge enough to make her wonder if she was going to take it.
His tip teased her folds before he slowly plunged in.
A gasp escaped her lips, and a low grunt tore from Cassius’s throat. She whimpered at the pain, and Cassius didn’t rush her.
“Mine,” he declared and pulled out only to thrust in deeper than before. As they moved together, Cassius’s hand roamed over her skin. The pain eased, replaced with waves of pleasure.
“Always mine,” he whispered again, his voice husky with desire.
Their gazes locked as he thrust into her with a slow pace.
“My man,” Tatiana said, the first thing that came to her mind. Hearing this, he gave her a hard thrust that made her scream.
“I fucking like the sound of that,” he whispered.
Tatiana leaned up to his ear and bit it seductively. She whispered, “MY MAN.”
Cassius smirked and sealed their fate with a kiss. Hard. Deep. Full of desire. Like she was his last fucking meal.
“Mine,” he whispered and thrust harder.