NOAH
I woke up exhausted, and not in the simple, manageable way that came from a bad night's sleep. This was the kind of fatigue that seeped into my bones, the kind that made even the smallest movements feel heavier than they should have been, like my body was carrying around a debt it hadn't finished paying yet.
Everything hurt. My neck throbbed where Cassian had bitten down hard enough to leave marks I couldn't hide with a collar no matter how carefully I adjusted it. The ache felt deliberate, like a reminder etched directly into my skin.
And beneath all of that, simmering uncomfortably, was frustration.
Because last night, Cassian had worked me up with methodical precision. He had touched me slowly, deliberately, whispered into my ear until my pulse had been racing and my body had been tight with need.
He had made me hard enough that it hurt, had kept me right on the edge until every nerve was screaming for release, and then... he had walked away.
Just like that.
