The Gamma’s Second Chance (Crescent Lake #3)

18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

CASSANDRA

If someone told me when I arrived in Crescent Lake that I’d end up sleeping in Nolan’s bed with him, I’d have laughed myself to tears.

Now, several weeks later, as I snuggle further into the cozy plushness of his king-sized bed with his warm scent embedded in the fibers of the blankets and sheets, I can’t imagine being anywhere else.

The shower runs in the bathroom as Nolan washes off his sweat from the late run he went on after we left Haven and Wesley’s house. It’s the perfect background noise for reading, and I wrap the covers tighter around me, breathing in Nolan’s scent from them and his shirt I’m wearing as I read my book on my tablet.

It all feels so perfect. So right. Like I’m exactly where I belong.

The mattress cradles my body, making me feel almost weightless. The bedding is soft, and with both his scent and the blankets wrapping around me like a hug, I can imagine he’s here with me even though he’s not. It’s all soothing and satisfying and secure. It’s a private nest of safety to relax in while I read.

Plus, the chapter is getting steamy. My thighs clench, and my neck strains. I hold in a small moan as I grow more aroused with every sentence I read.

Not that I need to read about sex to get in the mood when Nolan is around and when his scent is invading all my senses. But damn, is it fun to imagine him doing all the things I’m reading about to me.

“What are you reading?”

I gasp and sit bolt upright in the bed, my heart pounding in my chest and my eyes wide. Nolan leans against the frame of the bathroom door, his skin damp, a pair of sweatpants slung low across his hips. My cheeks flush, and I lick my lips, dragging my eyes up his body to his face before they linger too long on his V lines and where they disappear beneath the pants. But then I get distracted by his abs. And his pecs. And his biceps as he crosses his arms over his chest and clears his throat.

“Daisy.”

I meet his eyes, dark but glittering with amusement, and I open my mouth, but no sound comes out. Nolan stalks towards me, slow and predatory, his arms lowering to his sides but not relaxing.

“I could smell your arousal while I was in the shower.” His voice is a growl as he moves closer to the bed. He leans over the edge, his weight resting on his fists, face drifting closer to mine. “Tell me what you’re reading.”

His command hovers between us, and I swallow, adjusting my position on the bed so my legs clamp together. “A romance novel.”

He chuckles, but it’s a darker sound than his usual soft laugh, more sardonically amused than actually amused. “I figured that much out based on how strong the scent of your arousal is,” he says.

He drags the covers down my legs, then trails his fingers up the insides, forcing them apart, stopping when they reach the hem of my underwear. His thumb brushes over the fabric, and he bites his lip with a groan. “You are fucking soaked, Cassandra.” A hiss of pleasure releases between my teeth as he continues to rub me through my underwear. “What’s happening in your book right now?”

“A sex scene,” I say, the words tumbling out of my mouth with no hesitation.

“Be more specific,” he says, his thumb and finger giving my clit a soft pinch through the fabric of my underwear, making me yelp. “Tell me what they’re doing. Every detail.”

I blink at him. “You want me to read it to you?”

“You can read it to yourself, but you have to tell me what they’re doing. Everything they’re doing, exactly as it’s happening while you’re reading it.”

I inhale sharply and reach for my tablet, fumbling with it as my hands tremble from excitement. His hands leave my underwear, and he watches me closely, waiting for me to find my place again. “She’s naked,” I say, scanning over the part I read before he interrupted me.

He grins, and his hands return to my underwear, thumbs hooking through the fabric on my hips and dragging them down my legs, tossing them to the floor without care. I set the tablet next to me and tear the shirt over my head, letting it join my underwear near the foot of the bed.

The cool air teases my nipples, and they harden under Nolan’s heated stare. My chest heaves, pushing my breasts up with each inhale, and he waits, staring down at me from where he stands at the side of the bed. My body tingles in anticipation as the seconds drag out into what feels like hours as I wait for him to touch me again. But he stands there, arms crossed and muscles bulging with tension, the veins in his arms jutting out and pulsing with his restraint.

“The book,” he says, snatching my tablet from the bed and handing it to me. “What else is happening?” he asks with a jerk of his chin.

My heart hammers out a speedy rhythm, and I find my place again. I read through the section, and then I graze my teeth over my bottom lip, butterflies swarming in my stomach. “She’s on all fours…” I say, lifting my gaze to his.

His brow raises expectantly, and I set the tablet on the pillow and roll onto my hands and knees, spreading my legs and arching my back, parallel with the edge of the bed, holding eye contact with Nolan the entire time. He leans forward and runs his hand down my spine to my ass, his eyes catching on my dangling breasts and hardened nipples.

“Goddess, look at you,” he groans, gripping my hip. “You’re so fucking sexy like this, Cassandra.” My chin tips up, and my neck arches at his praise, my fingers curling into the bedding as warmth pools between my legs. “What’s he doing to her?” he asks, swirling his fingers down along my outer thigh.

“He’s just teasing her right now,” I say, my voice shaky and breathy. “Playing with her breasts and her pussy, and…”

My sentence trails off into a moan, my mind going blank as he curls his fingers around my ass to my lower lips, running the tips of them through my entrance and to my clit. He chuckles, and Goddess, if that dark, resonant sound isn’t the most seductive thing ever. It twists my insides into knots and awakens my deepest desires for him. Combined with his commanding touch, his dominating presence, and his protective tenderness, I’m a goner when it comes to him.

He drags the tips of his fingers up and down my soaked pussy, spreading my arousal and drawing soft sighs and moans from me. His other hand caresses my breasts, tracing a figure eight around both of them, spiraling closer to my nipples with every turn of his fingers and flick of his wrist.

Before he can get to them, though, he reverses his path, twisting further from my nipples. I whimper as his hand travels away from the aching points of my breasts that are so desperate for his touch, but the fingers of his other hand play with my clit, turning my whine into a soft cry of pleasure. I rock back against his hand, searching for friction, my eyes closing as another little delighted noise leaves my mouth.

“What else?” he asks, the tip of a finger pushing into my pussy as his hand circles inward towards my nipples again.

“Hmm?” I hum in response, beyond words or thoughts, as he plays with my body.

“You said he’s teasing her breasts and her pussy and something else, but you didn’t finish your sentence.”

“He’s um…” I lick my lips, and my chin dips to my chest as he inserts his finger further. “There’s um…” I groan through my teeth as he keeps pumping it in and out, and he tweaks my nipple, finally giving it the attention it needs, my body shuddering in relief and my hips bucking.

“You can’t read with your eyes closed, Cassandra.” His fingers skate down my side, from the edge of my breast to the top of my hip, raising goosebumps in their wake.

“Wh-what?”

He removes his fingers from my pussy and swats my ass twice in quick succession, then rubs it to soothe away the sharp sting. “Open your eyes and read.”

His fingertips graze my entrance as he massages my smarting ass cheek. I snap my eyes open and blink through the lust-induced haze to find my place in the text of the book. His hands roam my body, and my teeth sink into my lip.

I force myself to keep my eyes open and read instead of giving in to the intense sensations rippling through my body as he caresses every inch of me and gazes at my exposed body with a crippling hunger. I’ve never felt more vulnerable, and yet, I’ve never felt safer, either.

“What else is he teasing on her body?” Nolan’s voice snaps me out of another trance and I whip my head towards him, my mouth hanging open as my breath escapes in quick, short exhales.

“Her ass,” I say, finally finding my voice.

His fingers freeze on my body, and his brow raises, his eyes flicking towards my butt and then back to my face. He glides the tip of his finger through my arousal again, spreading it along the outer lips of my pussy and up through my ass cheeks, where he circles my hole with his coated digit. “Like this?”

My jaw tightens, my thighs clench, and a low noise sounds in my throat as I rock back towards his finger. “Yes…”

The satisfied rumble in his chest matches the appreciation gleaming in his eyes. He brings more of my arousal up to my asshole and teases it, savoring my noises and expressions as he does. His other hand returns to my breasts, and he plays with both of them, switching between each as he massages them with rough squeezes and tugs on my nipples, the harsh touches on my breasts a delicious contrast to the light teasing of my ass. My body moves of its own accord, rocking between his hands on my breasts and his finger between my cheeks, seeking his touches, my eyes staying open and locked on him the entire time.

The tip of his thumb presses against the rim of my asshole, and I groan, shifting my hips to meet him, but he removes it before it goes any further. “I don’t have any lube nearby,” he says, drawing a circle around the sensitive, tormented opening. “Otherwise I’d give you more.”

I nod, and he gives my ass a squeeze, bringing his other hand to my pussy to continue fingering me. He pumps two fingers in while his free hand rubs my butt and the backs of my thighs.

“You’re something else, you know that?” he asks, leaning forward to kiss my hip bone. “So sensual, and soft, and sensitive.” He drags his nose along my side, inhaling, until he reaches my breast. He runs his tongue over the curve and groans. “So delectable too.”

“Nolan…” I drag his name out like a moan and a song, my body trembling and on edge, so close to an orgasm.

He kisses my shoulder and smiles against my skin. “Read,” he orders, nodding towards my tablet. “Tell me what else is happening.”

“Right now…” I sigh as he kisses my neck, and his fingers pump harder into my pussy. “Goddess…” I roll my neck, baring it for him to scrape it with his teeth, which sends a zing of pleasure straight to my clit. “Nolan, I can’t focus…”

“You’ve already read it,” he says. “You just have to say it out loud now.”

“It’s describing the moment,” I say, closing my eyes and allowing my body to sink into the pleasure he’s bringing me. “The sensations, the emotions, the sounds of the other people…”

Nolan freezes and stands straight, his hands no longer playing with my pliant body. He grips my chin, tugging me so I rise onto my knees and I’m eye level with him, his other hand resting on my hip. “What other people?”

“The other guests at the party. They’re all in a big room and—”

Every muscle in his body tightens, and he yanks my face closer. “Wait. You’re telling me others are watching them do all of this? They’re not alone?”

I shake my head. “No. They’re exhibitionists, and they’re at a sex party. They like being watched.”

His brow furrows. “And the male is just… fine with this?”

“No one else is touching her. They’re just watching.”

“Is that something you like? Others watching you while you have sex? Do you want me to fuck you in front of an audience? Because I don’t know if…” He shakes his head and exhales, his jaw clenching.

My eyes dart between his, scanning his face and taking in the growing possessiveness in his gaze. His throat works as he waits for my response. A mix of apprehension and willingness displays in his eyes and on his face, telling me what his words can’t—he would do it if I wanted it. But it would be difficult for him to let others watch us as we’re intimate.

My tongue darts out to wet my lips, and his sharp eyes track the motion. “Reading it is one thing,” I say, stroking his face with my fingertips. He nuzzles his face into my palm and I rub his cheekbone with my thumb. “But I don’t think I would enjoy inviting others into the bedroom with us.” I lean my face closer to his so our noses brush together. “I like it when it’s just you taking command of my body.”

He relaxes and breathes out a sigh of relief, his grip on my chin and hip softening, the fierce jealousy fading from his eyes. His touch turns tender, and he kisses the tip of my nose. It’s a gentle, sweet gesture that, while adorable, isn’t what I need or want from him. Not right now. I need the rough, possessive Nolan. I want the uninhibited male, the beast who gives me everything he has and more.

My lips twitch as I prepare myself to bring that male back, to provoke him so he’ll show me that side again and fuck me until my throat is raw from screaming his name and my body bruised from his hold on me. “Although, a long time ago, werewolves used to claim their female in front of—”

His roar echoes through the room, and his fingers dig hard into my skin before he storms away from me and over to my bags on the dresser. I collapse to the mattress in surprise, my heart racing, excitement flooding through me as his roughness returns.

He returns to the bed in a flash, something clutched in his fist, and tugs me to the edge of the mattress. He spreads my thighs as he kneels between them, his hand holding me so I’m completely exposed to his ravenous, possessive eyes. I prop myself on my elbows, my chest heaving as something tickles the skin of my inner thigh near my pussy, and my eyes widen as I watch him write his name on my skin with a permanent marker.

It’s an echo of the swirling dance of his fingertips from my dream and from yesterday when he worshiped my body from his knees as he pinned me to the front door.

“Are you… labeling me?” I ask, my jaw dropping open at the startling, naughty display of ownership from him. He’s given me his shirts to wear, but this is a different level of claiming, and I crave it.

I want to be owned. I want him to own me. All of me. My body and my soul.

“This pussy is mine, Cassandra,” he says with a rough growl, shoving the cap on the pen and keeping me spread for him. “I’m the only one who gets to play with it, touch it, or even see it. All of this”—he nods at my naked body, his eyes drinking in my flushed, heated skin and my wet, waiting pussy—“all of you is for my eyes only. No one else gets to see you like this. No one.”

He kisses the spot with his name, nipping it with his teeth, before pressing a kiss to my clit. Then he grabs my hips and rolls me to my stomach, planting my feet on the floor and pinning my torso to the bed with his hand on my lower back. He massages my ass roughly, his sweats falling to the floor as he lines his dick up with my entrance.

“You’re mine,” he says, and I moan and arch my neck as the head of his cock slips inside me. The heel of his hand digs into my lower back, and he runs it up my spine to the base of my neck, holding me in place on the bed. “All fucking mine.”

His hips punch forward, and my body jerks under him, but my movement is minimal as I’m pinned in place by his ironclad grip. He slams into me as hard as he can—just the way I like it, his dick hitting all the deliciously sensitive spots in my pussy—but only for three thrusts, and then he slows, dragging his dick out to the tip and sliding it back in, switching to unhurried, torturously gentle movements.

I try to push back against him, but his grip on me is infallible. I’m at his mercy, and my pussy clenches at that thought, a shudder running over my body. He can do whatever he wants to me, and I am powerless to stop it.

And I love it.

He continues his slow movements, dragging out every roll of his hips, and when I think I can’t take the torment of the slow, languid pace anymore, he rams into me again. His grip turns harsh and dominant, and he sets a bruising pace with his hips. But only for a handful of thrusts, and then he’s back to slow, romantic lovemaking.

I groan and slap my palm against the mattress, my neck flexing and my eyes squeezing shut in frustration. “Nolan!”

His sexy as fuck chuckle echoes around the room and sends a shiver down my spine. His touch softens, and he skims my ass with his palm, spreading my cheeks as he rocks into me in long, smooth strokes. “Fuck, I love how your pussy takes my cock. I love how you look with me inside you.”

He pounds into me again, then slows his hips, alternating between hard and soft, rough and gentle, fucking and lovemaking. Over and over, until I’m panting, twisting, and whining beneath him, my hands clawing at the bedding and my body fighting to maintain the brutal pace he keeps ripping away from me.

“You’re gorgeous like this.” He leans his massive, solid torso over my shaky body and wraps my hair around his hand, his other arm circling my waist. “Completely at my mercy, writhing and breathless, body spent and quivering…” He yanks my hair so my chin angles to the side, and he kisses my neck. I melt and submit, no longer fighting against his hold. He groans against my neck, and I quiver, his fingertips grazing my clit. “That’s it,” he says with encouragement. “Let go, Cassandra.”

I cry out and curve against him more, his mouth on my neck and his fingers on my clit as he slams into me again, finally letting me fall over the edge into utter bliss. “Fuck yes,” he groans, tugging my hair harder and holding me to him tighter. “Goddess, you’re exquisite when you fall apart for me.”

And then he lets go, too, loosening the intentional restraint he’s held onto this entire time. He pounds into me relentlessly, his pace almost unfathomable, guiding my body deeper into ecstasy with every wave of my orgasm. And I take it all, relinquishing full control of my body and our joint pleasure to him, surrendering to his dominance. Warmth floods me, bringing light and weightlessness to my heart, a sensation I’ve only found while in the safe circle of his possessive embrace.

Nolan finishes with a deep growl, his cock pulsing inside me and his body tensing above me. He buries his face in my neck and clings to me, rocking his hips with each wave of his release. “Cassandra…” He sighs and shakes his head, releasing my hair and caressing my back. “Cassandra…”

My name falls from his lips like the lyrics of a song, soft and melodic, and it’s never sounded more beautiful to my ears. I’ve never loved my name more than I do hearing him sigh it, hearing him breathe it like my name is life itself.

When we’ve wrung the last drops of pleasure from our spent bodies, he rolls to the side and gathers me in his arms. Cradling me against his body, he soothes my wonderfully sore muscles with his powerful but gentle hands. They caress and comfort, traveling over my skin with soft strokes, taking time to touch every inch of me and coax me into a relaxed, sated state. His fingers play in my hair, combing through the strands the way I adore, and I hum in contentment, snuggling in closer to his warm body.

“Cassandra…” He says once more, his voice rough as his lips brush my forehead. He swallows and hugs me to him, almost crushing me with his arms and his body, but I’ve never felt more secure. His body is my cocoon, my safe harbor.

I nudge him with my nose and kiss his lips, then lean away to meet his eyes. They’re soft and caring, and I fall into their gentleness, such a magnificent contrast to the lusty starvation displayed there earlier. His touch trails down my body and towards my inner thigh, caressing the place where he wrote his name, and one final wave of satisfaction pulses through my body as he traces over his claim. It may not be a mating mark, but it’s a claim all the same, a marking of territory, of what he views as his and only his.

I lick my lips and push up onto my forearms, scanning the mattress for the marker. My eyes light up when I find it, and I pluck it from the wrinkled bedding, uncapping it and maneuvering myself so I can access Nolan’s left forearm underneath my body. Pinning his wrist to the bed, I write my name on his arm in swirling calligraphy, adding a petite daisy at the end, right over the pulse point on his wrist, and I give the flower a tiny kiss.

“Now we’re both labeled.” I snap the cap back on and beam at him in triumph, but he stares at my signature on his skin, his teeth clenching as he runs his other hand over his jaw. I swallow and my smile fades. “Do you like it?”

He cups my cheeks with both his hands and dives forward to kiss me. “I love it,” he says, reassuring me, his eyes sparkling with humor as he gives me one of his rare laughs. “It’s perfect.”