Page 76 of King of Sin
Cassian froze.
Another followed.
Then another.
Three brief kisses in total, each one lasting only a second, yet somehow managing to steal every coherent thought from his mind.
His breath caught.
His lips parted slightly.
The world around him seemed to disappear.
His chest tightened so painfully that he almost couldn't breathe.
Instinctively, his arms tightened around her waist until it felt as though he might crush her against him.
Yet Juliet didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
If anything, she relaxed further into his embrace, completely trusting him to hold her.
When she finally pulled back, she blinked up at him innocently.
"Cassian."
Cassian sat perfectly still.
He looked like a statue.
Like a man who no longer trusted himself to move without making a terrible mistake.
His heart was pounding so hard he could practically hear it echoing in his ears.
For years, he had dreamed about moments like this.
Dreamed about her looking at him with affection instead of anger.
Dreamed about her choosing to be close to him instead of treating him like an enemy.
Dreamed about her willingly sitting in his arms and smiling at him the way she was smiling now.
And now it was actually happening.
Juliet was curled up in his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck, her soft gaze fixed entirely on him as she pleaded with him in the sweetest voice imaginable.
The sight nearly destroyed every ounce of self-control he possessed.
It felt as though every impossible dream he had ever buried deep inside himself had suddenly come to life.
For the first time, Juliet wasn't looking at him with resentment, hostility, or defiance.
And as she sat there in his arms, gazing up at him with pleading eyes and a soft pout on her lips, Cassian found himself fighting a rapidly losing battle against the overwhelming urge to give her absolutely everything she wanted.
For a long moment, Cassian simply stared at her. His dark brows slowly drew together as he struggled against the emotions twisting painfully inside his chest. The thought of letting her leave was enough to make every instinct inside him rebel, but the hopeful look in her eyes made it impossible for him to refuse her outright.
Finally, he released a slow breath through his nose and dragged a hand through his hair.
"Fine," he muttered at last.
