-IT'S. Exactly how you make me feel. He sighed as he kissed her again.
How did he feel? It was far worse than she could have imagined. She wasn't going to be able to keep the whole truth from him for long. She tried to pull away to no avail. It was harder than she could have anticipated with the kisses he placed on her neck.
- Frustrating, isn't it? -She asked tensely.- Isn't the end of the world a simple ceremony... You know... every woman wants...
Morgan took a deep breath, stifling the hurt. She didn't trust him. Worse, she had run away when she should have been looking for him. Regardless of what might have happened. It hurt him more than he wanted to admit. He wanted her to need him and not have to make decisions that put her in danger. Even more so if they were blackmailing her as he suspected. She wanted and needed to know about Jack.She couldn't wait for the opportunity to confront Thalagar.
"What are you doing, man?" he asked himself perplexed
Kassuim tried to look away from him. It was awful. She was beginning to understand where he was going. It was clear that she was sorry more than she could say. "Damn it"
How was she going to explain?
-..., I... Please, Rick... I hate your brother. We've already discussed the matter, Richard Morgan. No weddings or ceremonies. He should have listened to Will and not Philip on the matter of the guardians' trial.
-Shh, quiet- he said, kissing her again.- Of course I knew the child was mine and...
The combination of stimuli was slow, sensual torture. The warm hand on her breast deposited there without doing anything. The cold that suddenly began to envelop her. He was intending to drive her insane and leave her in a daze, her body burning with desire and anticipation.
- I couldn't...- she started talking without realizing it.... no wedding.
Her kisses were soft and wet on her shoulder as he pulled away the least amount necessary to reach her skin. And that was just it, in a later cold, almost punitive way. Kassuim's body was becoming too sensitive to his proximity, feeling in spite of everything the way he was excited and controlled. Without touching her. He stopped once and looked her straight in the eyes.
-Very frustrating, don't you think? - he whispered low in her ear, nibbling her ear. - You promised me and you didn't keep it. Are you going to call me Rick again?
-Please...- she pleaded in agony.- No. Didn't trust me.
He lightly kissed her nose, tickling her.
-You're the most stubborn woman I've ever met. The most frustrating and betraying...
"No, no, no...!"
- You do not know what happened!
He unexpectedly pulled her to him, pressing his body against hers, his crotch rubbing against her skin making her tingle as he gripped her hips.
-I won't even know unless you tell me. You drive me crazy like that.
He was panting as he pressed her against him, moving his hips to let her feel his erection without any extra emotion in the gesture. Just to tease her.
Kassuim closed his eyes, biting his lip hard. He did it on purpose. The sense of punishment intensified. He was being ruthless and overbearing. Tears sparkled in her eyes again.
- I wouldn't leave...
She didn't know how far he intended to take this game. She would have been able to face him more confidently if it had been an argument.
- You didn't look for me and you knew where I was. – He was an accuser.
And what to explain to me about the curse?
He was just going to continue. Tease her just to punish and stoke her damn desire. She didn't know how long she was going to take it. She could expect his revulsion, but not the cold, vengeful way he treated her. She had no other choice. She wanted to scream it out loud. His hands moved down to her hips, teasing as he allowed her to feel how much she affected him.
Hurt. It was clear that he felt hurt that she had simply walked away. The dam was overflowing. How could he have believed that? Even more so after that night? The apprehension, grief, and anticipation of that encounter crushed little of his hopes. She struggled to get away from him. She was really crying and she didn't care. She just wanted to get away from him. That was just revenge, never love. He was not the caring man she had known.
-Let go of me now. - She whimpered, gasping with sobs. - Get away from me. Go away.
Morgan stopped dead. Shocked. What was he doing? It hadn't been his intention at first. He just wanted to show her that she could trust him no matter how bad the situation was. Everything had gotten out of hand when he let himself be carried away by frustration. There was Jack. He was just freaking out about it.
-Cassie, I...- he himself was stunned by her reaction. "Goddess, no.
-Not. No, sweetie. Please, I didn't mean...
In a quick gesture he would take her in his arms as he snuggled her against him and laid her on the bed. Kassuim didn't care and she just flinched, crying inconsolably and devastated, experiencing an emptiness in her chest. What exactly had she expected from him? God, and he didn't even imagine... she wanted to get away from there.
Masculine hands this time delved deep into her hair as they massaged the tense nape of her neck. He wrapped her in his arms, cradling and squeezing her lightly.
-Sorry, Cassie. Sorry, sweetie.
The night was cold. The bed beside her was empty when she woke up. Richard was not beside her. Even tired she could pick up on painful emotions around her, reaching her mind like a silent echo of pain.
Kassuim rose slowly, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders, and walked out of the hut into the cool night. She found her husband distracted and absorbed by the fire, standing leaning against a tree trunk.
He didn't turn around when he heard footsteps, he just sighed.
-You should be resting! – the censorship was brief.
His voice was strained and husky, muffled.
Slowly she stopped beside him, his hand tentatively touching her arm. Something was troubling him. He was generally controlled. Only she could see in the face of contracted expressions bitterness and pain.
-The bed was cold. What was there? she asked quietly.
He remained silent and still for a moment. It was all the hustle and bustle of those Pieces of Four and the damn spell cast on the wife. For a long time, Richard Morgan had banished those memories to the depths of his unconscious, keeping only the anger he felt burning. He just wanted revenge on them. He didn't allow himself to remember his parents' deaths or the attack on Scarlet.
- I lost sleep. – the answer was vague.
He was restless like a trapped animal. There was tension and anger surfacing in his instincts. He hated it. He let his hands pull the woman in front of him, hugging her as if she could banish the memories to oblivion. There was a gift. Cassie was his life now. There was a child on the way. It was time to leave the past forgotten.
-You're tense. – Kassuim observed cautiously.
Morgan stared at her, noting how easily she picked up on his emotions, not even the pack. He had learned over the years to block unwanted thoughts and memories from the collective. He forced an unsuccessful smile to hide the sadness that invaded him. His hand roamed over the corners of the blanket that covered the body of the woman in front of him. His wife. He sighed.
- You're not going to be quiet, are you? – She complained trying to dissipate the tension. She desperately needed to keep her attention centered on anything to block out the painful images. Her fingers slipped under the blanket, stopping at her breasts with a groan. "Are you wearing my shirts again?" he observed distractedly.
It was a sight he very much enjoyed. Knowing that the woman was only wearing her shirt, with nothing else to cover her body
She smiled.
-I like them. It has your scent.
Her smile was unexpectedly returned. Kassuim found herself lifted in her arms with surprising agility as she was carried into the hut. The gloom was still intense even with the light of the candles. Morgan laid her down on the bed, throwing back the covers as he rolled over her, resting his face in the valley of her full breasts.
-You are upset. - She commented, her hands sliding through his hair.
The young woman was also aware of the position they were in. His knee between her legs made way for him to settle next to her body, awakening more intense sensations. He hadn't looked for her in days.
-It was just a goddamn dream. - Morgan complained, his hand starting to roam her belly slowly.
-A dream?
He twitched, not wanting to talk about it. You just need to forget. He wanted to bury himself in the woman's body and find peace.
-Are you feeling well?
She sighed. She felt more things at that moment. The way he fit next to her. Everything was starting to make her body protest.
-You are not well. – she repeated very seriously.
Morgan said nothing. His mouth slid over her breast as he captured her nipple as his hand undid her pants. He was turned on by the way she arched her body as she greedily sucked on her breasts, struggling to get rid of her clothes. Her manhood was rigid as it pressed against her female body.
-I'm going to really enjoy feeling the taste of milk in them.- the sentence was said low.
Kassuim was surprised by the comment. She hadn't spoken about the pregnancy. His fingers were soft and magical and tempting reaching that heavenly spot as he caressed her. She tensed. The problem with her husband was that he always avoided conversation, stoking her desire before carrying her to bed.
The fingers continued in a searing rhythm in and out, the pleasure focusing deeper below.
Kassuim let out a groan of protest.
"Would you rather I make you squirm like this, coming?" I really like watching you melt in my hands.
-Not! She let out a muffled exclamation.
- Not!? - He smiled as he looked into her eyes, intensifying the caresses with more depth until he drew a new moan from her. - Are you sure, honey?
Kassuim stiffened in admiration.
-No, please! Not like this. she protested again. Her body was writhing in waves of pleasure that spiraled through her muscles, stoking her desire.
Morgan smiled, dark eyes admiring the woman.
-What do you want me to do? He sighed at the magnificent sight of his wife.
-Want you. - She is moaning low with the caresses, panting. -You.
-Oh, Cassie! He sighed doubtfully.
Kassuim prepared for his initiative to walk away before her husband could make any move. Her legs wrapped around his waist in mock protest.
The change in behavior was stark.
-I couldn't look for you.
The words made Morgan mentally curse. She inhaled shakily, panting without taking her eyes off his. She wasn't going to be able to talk about Jack.
He really had lost his damn control. He knew he had hurt the woman badly on instinct. It was hell. She made him feel terribly vulnerable and he didn't like that. Couldn't he look?
"It was Thalagar, wasn't it?", the thought froze him. Why the hell was her memory so vague about her?
His brow furrowed further as he furrowed his brow.
- And would you have looked for it if you could or did you simply give up on the promise you made me? - wanted to know. It didn't matter what had happened. That answer, however, was important. It was as if his life depended on it.
She held the piercing gaze that seemed to pierce his soul.
-I would have...- the answer was simple and revealed pain. Her eyes were huge and sad. His caresses reassured her.
He himself felt lost and vulnerable. He wasn't used to that. He had already lost her once. It all boiled down to the irrational fear that something would happen to her. If he couldn't protect her. How was he going to achieve that if he didn't know what was going on?
-Oh, Cassie! Morgan sighed. It was indeed fortunate that the unfortunate episode had not reopened the wound despite the superficial bleeding. The damned fever was starting to worry me again.
Without any warning, his hands were on her face as he sought her mouth. He kissed hard. His tongue invading and exploring in an expression of need and desperation. Her lips teased, glued to hers, barely giving her a chance to breathe. Releasing the sexual tension that dominated him, he kissed her face, her eyes, her cheeks and her chin hungrily.
-Cassie... - he repeated tormented by his own demons.
His low moan seemed to awaken all female need and tension. Their breath was labored and hot mingling together. Eager, his head rested on his chest as he curled into her, hugging her tightly.
-Please, I don't want you to hide from me. - He appealed persuasively and calmly. I want you to trust me. You know you can trust me.
Kassuim swallowed as she turned pale.
- I don't... I can't. Your brother is just... Richard, he's insufferable...
- I want you to need me. - Morgan appealed now showing her own insecurity when looking for her gaze. If something had happened, I...
-I need you. - She assured sincerely, understanding that it affected him as much as she did.
It wasn't a lie. For all her nervousness, she found that she felt safe there in his arms. She never wanted to leave or get away. The hands that roamed her face were light and delicate as if they were touching something precious. That's how she felt. She just wanted to forget the past and not remember everything that had happened.
Morgan cleared away the dishes as he pulled back the covers and kept her warm against him, settling into the pillow. Her proximity warmed him. It had just been a mistake that could have cost her her life. It was eating him up inside.