Page 52 of Howl for Me
She doesn’t back down, of course, she doesn’t. Naomi walks in, holding a hanger with one of those silk lingerie pieces they use for shoots like this. Something tiny, blue and lacy. My heart tries to punch through my ribs.
“I’ve got something for her,”
“Take that back,” I snap. “She’s not doing it.”
Cassidy crosses her arms, brow lifting. “You refusing to work with me?”
“Yeah,” I say, without hesitation.
She shrugs. “Too bad.”
She takes the outfit from Naomi like I didn’t just say no, like I don’t matter. And maybe I don’t right now.
“Cass, I’m serious,” I warn, stepping closer. “I’m not doing this.”
She breathes in deep, slow, steady, and then, with maddening calmness, pulls off her shirt. My brain flat lines. My mouth keeps moving, but no sound comes out.
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter.
Because she’s… stunning. Painfully beautiful. That soft black lace clinging to her curves, the swell of her breasts in a way no camera could ever do justice, the way she doesn’t flinch or hide or even look away; just stares me dead in the face like this is war.
And then she drops her pants. I die. I fucking die right here. She stands in front of me in nothing but that lace underwear that could be illegal for how goddamn good it looks on her. She’s glowing. She’s strong. She’s everything.
Naomi lets out a low whistle. “Well, damn.”
Understatement of the goddamn year.
“You are… stunning,” I say, the words ripped from me. “For fuck’s sake.”
But even as the words slip out, I’m shaking my head. “No. No. We can’t do this.”
Cass looks down right at my cock. My very, very hard cock.
“Well,” she says, voice edged with mischief, “he disagrees.”
I already know what she sees. I’m not even going to pretend. He’s hard and straining against the front of my pants like he’s ready to ruin both our lives.
Her eyes flick up to mine. That wicked glint in them… but underneath it, I see it. The nerves. The quiet terror she won’t show anyone else.
“It’s just sex, Johnny,” she says, a voice dipped in teasing, trying to play it off. “Don’t go all virgin princess on me now.”
She’s taunting me, but I can see through her. She’s scared. This isn’t her usual. She’s about to dive headfirst into something that could shatter her… but she’s doing it, anyway. Because that’s who she is. When Cassidy says she’s going to do something, she fucking does it. And I’m not sure I can stop her. I can’t take my eyes off of her. I’m frozen, stunned, shaking my head like it’ll clear the fog of lust from my brain.
I whisper, “Cass, please.” My voice is strained, barely hanging on. “I’ll have to shift. You don’t understand what that means. ”
Her hands slide behind her back and unclasp her bra. It falls away, revealing the curve of her breasts, and my cock twitches, hard and urgent and aching to be inside her.
Her eyes don’t waver. “You’re forgetting I’ve watched you shift, Johnny. I don’t care.”
I squeeze the bridge of my nose, the pulse behind my eyes matching the one in my cock. My voice comes out harsh, laced with panic and something worse; fear. “Would you just fucking stop? You don’t understand.”
And then… the panties come off. And I am done. She is divine. Every inch of her is carved into my memory like a curse I’ll never escape. She stands proud, unflinching, stunning in her skin, and I can’t breathe.
Naomi chuckles under her breath, and it snaps me out of it just enough to register Cassidy grabbing the lingerie from her andslipping it on. Silk slides across her skin and I can’t look away.. When she’s finished, she walks right up to me, so brave, and touches my face with fingers gentler than I deserve.
“I care about you,” she says softly. “All of you. I don’t care if you shift. I don’t care because I love this.”
Her hand moves to my chest, right over the ache that never really stops when she’s around. The ache that marks her as mine even if I don’t deserve her.
