Page 177 of Scarlet Wars
His hand curled around the back of my neck, pulling me into him like he couldn’t stand another second apart.
His grip tightened at my waist, hauling me up against him like he wanted to feel every breath I took. His kiss turned punishing—ruthless, perfect—taking like he had every right to.
His hands slid beneath my thighs, fingers digging in with a rough kind of need, and in one fluid motion, heliftedme, effortlessly, holding me right where he wanted me.
“Wrap your legs around me.” His command was a low growl that scraped down my spine like a whip, and I obeyed without thinking, legs locking around his waist.
His hips flexed, grinding into me with brutal control, and I gasped. His mouth dragged down my jaw, his breath hot and uneven against my skin.
His tongue flicked over the pulse at my throat before his teeth bit down, hard enough to make me cry out.
One hand splayed across my back, fingers digging in as he held me there, completely under him, completely his.
His other hand slid up under my shirt—palm flat, fingers splaying wide—claiming every inch of skin like he owned it. He wasn’t gentle. He didn’t ask. He simply took, dragging his hand up my ribs, thumb brushing the underside of my breast, sending a sudden jolt of heat straight through me.
He kissed me again, deeper this time, hungrier, like he was devouring me one breath at a time. There was nothing controlled about it. His body pressed me hard against the wall, pinning me in place, every part of him hard and hot and aching.
A moan slipped from my lips before I could stop it, breathless, and needy. “Caden…” My fingers were clawing at his back, trying to pull him even closer. “More.”
“Fuck.” His grip on my thighs tightened, possessive and urgent, and then he was moving, carrying me across the room without breaking the kiss.
He laid me down on the bed, his hands careful, like he couldn’t decide whether he wanted to worship me or ruin me.
But then he paused—only for a second—hovering over me, eyes locked on mine like he was trying to memorize every detail of my face. His breath was ragged, chest rising and falling like he was barely holding himself together.
One hand brushed a loose strand of hair from my cheek, his fingers trembling slightly.
He leaned in and then kissed me again.
This time soft.
His lips moved over mine like a whisper, like a secret only we would ever know. His hand cradled the side of my face, feather-light, and gods, the tenderness of it nearly undid me.
When he pulled back, there was something in his gaze. Something raw and unguarded. Vulnerability, flickering right beneath the surface. It hit me so suddenly, I almost welled up.
His mouth claimed mine again, fierce and aching, like he needed the taste of me just to breathe. His hand slid from my cheek down to my throat, not to restrain, but to feel the beat of my pulse hammering against his palm.
I arched up into him, pulling him down with me, craving every inch of him. His weight settled over me, solid and warm, and I felt the shudder running through him when our bodies aligned, perfectly, and devastatingly close.
His lips left mine only to find the edge of my jaw, then my neck, each kiss slower, like he was trying to set fire to my skin with nothing but his mouth. My hands threaded through his hair, desperate to keep him close, to keep him real.
Everywhere he touched, I burned.
“You feel like fire,” Caden breathed, his voice rough, reverent. Like he was confessing a truth he hadn’t meant to say out loud.
My fingers tightened in his hair as I pulled him closer, and my own truth slipped out before I could stop it.
“You feel like home.”
Caden froze.
His body went completely still above mine, like I’d reached in and torn something open with those four simple words. Slowly, he lifted his head, eyes locking on mine.
And gods, his face.
The shock in his expression melted into something deeper, something radiant. The kind of happiness that didn’t just show, it lit him from the inside out. Like he'd waited his whole life to hear those words and couldn’t quite believe I’d said them.
His forehead pressed against mine, voice rough with emotion. “Say that again.”
