Page 176 of Tower of Ash and Darkness
Driven by my need, I guide him toward me, aligning him at my entrance. But before I can take him in, Casper moves swiftly, lifting me with ease and laying me on my back. He hovers over me, his eyes dark with desire, searching mine with a tenderness that makes my breath hitch.
“Are you sure?”
Longing and restraint are at war in his voice as he gives me a moment to decide. I tilt my head, a playful smile spreading across my lips at the tenderness of his question. Without hesitation, I lean in, biting his bottom lip softly before pulling him down against me. The sound of his growl deepens, vibrating against my skin. My lips brush against his ear as I nip at it, whispering breathlessly.
"I want you,onlyyou."
Casper's hand circles my neck as his mouth crashes into mine. Our tongues tangle in a desperate, frenzied dance, teeth clumsilygrazing in our shared urgency. His need matches mine, unrestrained.
I feel him against me, his length teasing my clit as he moves it slowly back and forth, igniting a fire within me. My body arches into him, aching for more. Then, finally, he pushes the tip inside me, forcing a sharp gasp from my lips. He pauses, his restraint palpable, before sinking another inch, moaning against the curve of my neck.
My lips find the curve of his throat, and I bite down, wanting to mark him as mine, to leave a part of me imprinted on him. The sensation seems to unleash something within him, and with one powerful thrust, Casper drives into me completely. The stretch is exquisite, a mix of pleasure and sweet ache that leaves me gasping his name, utterly consumed by him.
“Gods,” he groans through clenched teeth, his voice thick with hunger barely held in check.
His grip tightens around my hips as he thrusts into me again, each movement harder, deeper—driven by something primal. Every inch of him fills me, claims me in a way that makes the rest of the world fall away. My back arches instinctively, chasing every drop of pleasure that builds and builds until it becomes too much to hold.
“You were made for me,” he growls, his voice ragged against my ear. “The way you take me...gods, Lailah.”
My hands wind around his neck, fingers tangling in his damp hair, holding him close as my body trembles beneath him. Every drive of his hips sends another shockwave through me. My moans fall from my lips in broken pleas, and still, he gives me more.
“Casper...” I gasp, the sound of his name cracking in my throat, desperate and wild. “Don’t stop. Please?—”
He pulls me against him, his chest slick with sweat, our bodies locked in an unrelenting rhythm. I claw at his shoulders, needing more, needing all of him. My legs wrap around his waist as he drives into me again, harder than before.
“Let go for me,” he murmurs, his voice like velvet against my ear. “Come for me, Lailah.”
His words unravel me—no,detonateme. My body seizes withpleasure, violent and all-consuming. A cry rips from my throat, ragged and wild, as every muscle clenches around him, the orgasm tearing through me like a storm given form—merciless, unrelenting, holy.
Casper doesn’t falter. He groans like a man undone, dragging his mouth across my throat, open and hungry. His fangs graze my skin—not gently, not softly—but with the sharp promise of possession. And then, he bites.
The pain is exquisite—a jolt of fire ripping down my spine, colliding with the pleasure still wracking my body. My back arches. Another climax consumes me, sharper than the first—so sharp it’s almost cruel. My vision whitens. My nails score his back as I gasp his name like a prayer I don’t know how to stop saying.
He thrusts once. Twice. Then breaks with a guttural snarl.
His body stiffens as he comes, spilling into me with a heat that sinks into every aching part of me. His arms wrap around my body, holding me through the aftershocks that ripple like lightning beneath my skin. Then he collapses against me, our breaths tangled, his heart pounding like an echoing war drum.
I don’t want this moment to end.
I don't want to lose this connection that feels so absolute. I bury my face against his chest, pressing soft kisses against his skin, taking in his warmth as my own body slowly comes down from the fire he ignited. A shiver runs down my spine, and Casper’s fingers follow its path, his touch light and teasing. Without pulling out of me, he reaches for the blanket, pulling it over us and cocooning us in its warmth. We lay there, tangled together in every possible way, our bodies and souls intertwined.
In this quiet, intimate moment, I feel utterly his—safe, wanted, and whole.
He rests his chin on my head, pressing a soft kiss into my hair.
“Sleep, Princess,” he murmurs, his voice low and soothing.
And I do. Sleep takes me, and so does the comfort of this night. I know I’ll never forget this.
40
LAILAH
When I wake, it’s still dark. The faint crackle of the fire near the cave’s entrance provides the only light. For a moment, I’m disoriented, the chill of the cave contrasting with the warmth of Casper’s body still wrapped around mine. His arm is a protective weight over my waist, and I realize with a blush that he’s still inside me, his body perfectly entwined with mine.
A soft smile tugs at my lips as I glance up at him. Even in sleep, Casper looks impossibly serene, his features carved like marble but somehow softer in this quiet moment. He’s beautiful, and the thought of waking up like this every day leaves me aching.
But the tranquil moment is short-lived. A dull pang tightens in my throat—dry, persistent—pulling me from the stillness. Gently, I ease my hand from beneath his pillow and begin to lift myself off of him. Before I can make much progress, his eyes snap open, locking onto mine as though I’ve been caught in a forbidden act.
