Page 4 of Worthy: Cassius and Faith

So I’d tried to push Faith away. I’d sent her out to the club—thrown her to the wolves. I’d watched her, obsessing over her every move, until I couldn’t take it anymore. Every time a member went near Faith, I broke my word to myself. I went after her.

Last night, I’d tried one last time to push her away by taking her to a private room in the dungeon. There, I’d shackled her to the spanking bench and paddled her luscious ass while taking her from behind.

I thought Faith would be afraid of rough sex. I thought she’d shy away from it and think me a monster. Instead, she’d showed herself to be a natural-born sub. She loved being spanked. She loved it so much that she gleefully brought the paddle back to my house when I invited her over. When I used the paddle on her at home, her orgasms shook my bed.

Last night was when I’d known for sure. I lost myself in Faith’s arms. The sex was explosive, and I loved that she wanted to explore, but it was so much more than that. When I’d taken her to Boston—after she’d tried to run away from me—I’d seen her as a person. Her mother was awful, but Faith managed her well. And she’d been so loyal to her brother that she’d agreed to come back to work to make sure he could maintain his treatment.

Faith possessed a selflessness and loyalty I rarely encountered in others. I felt like I’d found what I’d been searching for since my youth—someone pure, with a good heart. Someone who could become my whole world. Someone I could… trust.

So I was absofuckinglutely going to send her away.

That was the decision I came to as I reached my house. I would buy out Faith’s contract, pay her the money I owed her, and send her back to Boston. She’d be a multimillionaire. She’d be safe.

And so would I.

There was no room in my life for an attachment like the one I felt for Faith. If I let things progress and she broke my heart, I would never recover. I had a duty to my brothers and our dead parents to put my family first.

Once was enough. I remember how crushed I was when my nanny showed her true colors. She never loved me; she loved my inheritance. Money was a blessing in many ways, but it was also a curse. Everyone wanted something from me. I’d learned long ago that remaining within myself was the only way to stay safe.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t see Faith waiting for me on my porch. She looked as though she’d been crying.

“Cassius,” she said, “we need to talk.”

CHAPTER THREE

breaking

Faith

The last thing I wanted was to tell Cassius the news. But if I didn’t, Gina would. I couldn’t bear to have any more of my personal business discussed without me, as though I was a mere transaction.

I suppose I was a mere transaction—at least to Cassius. But this was my life, too. So I was nervous as the billionaire approached the house, but I was also resigned.

“Cassius, we need to talk.”

His icy gaze drifted over me. “Come inside.”

He led me to the brand-new, bright, and sunny kitchen—the opposite of how I felt.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he said. “I need to talk to you, too.”

I took a deep, shaky breath. “Me first.” If I didn’t get the words out now, I might never say them.

“Go ahead.” Cassius started pushing buttons on his fancy coffee machine, making us each a drink.

“I met with Gina this morning. I had to get tested.” My face felt hot. My ears started ringing, and my hands got clammy. “Cassius, I’m… I might be pregnant.”

He almost dropped his coffee cup. “Might be?”

I nodded. My whole body was shaking. “I took an early detection test, and it came back positive. But Gina said sometimes they’re wrong.”

Cassius Blackwood seemed flabbergasted for the first time since I’d met him. He gaped at me. “We just had sex for the first time a few days ago.”

“I know. These new tests can detect things right away,” I said. Misery welled inside me. I hadn’t known what to expect from him, but it was clear this wasn’t welcome news.

“I thought… I thought you took a contraceptive shot.”

“I did,” I said quickly. “All the girls did—we had to when we signed our contracts. But Gina said that one in one hundred women still get pregnant on the shot.”

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