Isobel's fingertips rested lightly against his thighs as she waited for an answer, her deep blue eyes watching him. Cas felt himself straining against the front of his breeches, his body betraying how he felt about the prospect.

"Castel?" His name was a soft query on her lips, and he nodded tersely, not trusting his voice.

It was enough. A smile played at the corners of her mouth as she slid her hands up along his thighs to the laces holding his breeches together. He watched as she untied the knots, her knuckles and fingers lightly brushing against his erection. He might have forgotten how to breathe for a moment as the laces came undone and she could pull the fabric down to free him. When she tugged at his breeches, he lifted himself off the chair briefly to aid her, and she pulled them down to his knees, leaving his thighs and crotch bare to her touch.

Isobel's eyes fastened on his hardness, and it twitched in response. By the Gods, she hadn't even touched him yet, and he felt as if he was about to combust. She trailed light fingertips along the inside of his thigh, sending tiny sparks through his body. She did this several times, moving her hands slowly up and down, brushing against his desire but never quite touching it. Impossibly, he grew even harder.

The next time her fingers came back up, she trailed her fingernails over him, ever so softly, barely touching him, and he groaned. It was torture. Sweet and erotic, but torture nonetheless. Isobel switched her nails for her fingertips, tracing the outline of his erection before finally grabbing it fully with her hand. He couldn't quite believe what was happening, fighting tooth and nail to remain in control as she slid her hand up and down. His hands desperately grabbed the chair's armrests, holding on for dear life.

Isobel noticed and let her hands rest on his thighs again for a moment. Meeting his eyes, she smiled softly. "Relax, Castel. I won't hurt you, I promise."

"I know you won't," he grunted. "I'm not worried about that."

She kissed one of his hands, just above the knuckles, and then the other. His grip relaxed slightly.

"One might think you're going to your execution." She flashed a cheeky grin.

"No, it's just..." He groaned as she trailed her fingers along his erection again, twirling around the head. "No one's ever... I've never allowed anyone to..."

Her hands stilled, and she looked up at him in surprise. "Really? Never?"

He shook his head. "Never."

"Why not?" Her head tilted slightly to the side as she eyed him quizzically. He wasn't sure if she was doing it consciously or not, but she was moving her hand up and down his length again, making it incredibly difficult to focus.

"I... It's a control thing," he admitted. "As I said, I don't like losing control."

She seemed to mull this over for a moment, then nodded. "I understand." A smile touched her lips, and it made a warm feeling pool in his chest. "I'm grateful that you trust me enough to allow me to do this."

He nodded jerkily. His body was wound tight and he might snap soon. Isobel leaned in closer, and he could feel her warm breath fanning him. The anticipation of what she might do next was nearly killing him. Then her tongue touched him, sliding from the base all along the shaft, to finally flick over the tip. She swirled her tongue around for a moment before taking the head into her hot, wet mouth and sucked.

With a loud moan, Cas gripped the chair's armrests again. Nothing had ever prepared him for the sensation of Isobel's mouth on him like this. It was nothing like anything he'd ever experienced before. As she took him deeper, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back, loving the feeling while fighting to retain any semblance of control and sanity.

As she continued doing deliciously wicked things to him, Cas considered reciting a few of the hymns to the Gods to keep himself from finishing too soon. Because what she was doing felt amazing, and while he worried about losing control, he couldn't help enjoying it immensely. Maybe a little too much. Her hot, wet mouth on and around him was almost more than he could handle, and he had to exercise any control he still had to keep from thrusting his hips in response.

Relinquishing his grip on the armrests, he gently removed the pins holding her hair up, letting it tumble down her back. He loved the silken tresses of her hair and dared a glance down. It was a mistake. Seeing her lips around him was almost worse than feeling them. He closed his eyes, grabbed a fistful of her hair in his hands, and tried to remember the sacred hymn of the Gods. The words wouldn't come to him, his mind consumed by the woman on her knees in front of him and what she was doing to him.

"By the Gods." He groaned as she swirled her tongue around the tip before taking him in her mouth again and sucking, while one of her hands gripped the base. He wouldn't last much longer. The feeling was too intense and he could feel his muscles tighten.

"Isobel..." He was just about to warn her when someone knocked on the door. Opening his eyes, he stared at an equally stunned Isobel.

The door swung open and Isobel quickly crawled backwards underneath the desk. Cas moved the chair forward to hide the fact that his breeches were bunched around his knees. Fortunately, he had a sizeable desk, but even so, it must be a tight fit for Isobel, where she was squashed between him and the front panel.

Schooling his features into a neutral look, Cas looked up as Kairn entered the room.

"Good Afternoon, Commander." The other man looked around the room. "Any chance you've seen your sister?"

Cas shook his head, even as he could feel Isobel silently giggling under the desk. "N... No. I haven't seen her."

"No?" Kairn raised his eyebrows. "I saw the two of you enter not that long ago."

"Right." Cas watched as the Emissary took another few steps into the room, praying that he wouldn't come close enough to see his lack of breeches. And decency.

"She... Oh!" He stifled a gasp as Isobel's fingertips gently traced a line across the inside of his thigh. "She was here. But she left again."

"Do you know where she went? I wanted to ask her if she would like to join us for the masquerade ball in Anwar. As long as you don't mind?"

Trying to ignore Isobel's teasing hands under the desk, Cas nodded. "That's fine. She might enjoy that. I don't know where she went. She may have mentioned the library."

"Great! I'll see if I can catch her." Kairn crossed the room and opened the door, but before leaving, he turned around and grinned. "Oh, and say hello to your little friend under the desk."

Cas blanched, and even Isobel froze.

Kairn chuckled. "You need to work on keeping a straight face. Good on you though. We've all been saying you need to allow yourself to relax now and then. If you see your sister before I do, please let her know I was looking for her." With that, the Emissary turned around and left.

When the door closed, Cas scooted the chair backwards. Isobel stood and leaned back against the desk. They stared at each other for a moment before Isobel started giggling. Cas soon joined her. When they finally got a hold of themselves, Isobel grinned.

"Maybe this is an activity better suited for nighttime," she said with another giggle.

Pulling up his breeches and tying the laces, Cas smiled. "I'm just glad he didn't realise exactly who was under the desk."

"Now that would have been awkward."

Cas shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was still hard and chafing against the front of his breeches. Isobel noticed. Taking the steps separating them, she stood between his knees and slid her arms around his shoulders to bury her hands in the hair at the back of his head.

"You know," she said teasingly, looking down at him. "I could help you with that."

Groaning at the very thought, he grabbed her bottom and pulled her closer. She leaned down to press her lips against his, and he greedily kissed her, wanting to do so much more, his body aching with the need to touch her. But now was not the time. There was no lock on the tower door, and people came and went all day long. Forcing himself to stop kissing her, he gently moved her aside and stood.

"Not now," he said as he stole another quick kiss.

"Soon." She smiled as she reached up to brush a lock of hair away from his forehead. "We can dispel these terrible visions. Replace them. Anything you want. I will help you as much as I can."

"Thank you."

He watched as she walked to the door, reminded that she didn't feel the same way he did. For her, this was a way to help him get over his past. And while he appreciated the chance to do so, the simple need to be with her was so much stronger. She would never feel the same. Wasn't allowed to feel the same. But he could no longer resist her, and he would take what he could get until she had to leave.

Then he would deal with the wreckage that would be his heart.

~~~~~~