“Kieran, please . . .” I soundlessly whisper while his thumb and index finger tweak my diamond-edge nipple.
His smokey gray eyes twinkle. “Please? Oh, your second favorite word. Now, I’ll defer to your all-time favorite word. You’re begging me topleasemake youhappy.Is that what you’re asking?”
“I don’t want to be—” I bite my tongue, realizing I was shouting. Body deflated in his arms, my gander zips over his shoulder.
“Still sleep?” Kieran asks of his sister.
“Yup.” Half a smile slips past my defenses. My stomach twists into knots as conflicting emotions whirl inside of me. In less than a New York minute, I came to care for Kiera. Her genuine tears affected me like none other. Any emotion other than true passion is too much in Kieran’s brutal hands. Although, his sudden soft spot has enthralled and frightened me to the bone.
I turn my face away from his affection, only to breathe into his neck. Spice, testosterone, and a natural craving take over. I push against his chest. “You left me this morning,” I gasp softly. Yeah, that’s a petty ass line, borderline clingy too. I’m sending mixed signals like crazy. All there’s left for me to do is lift my chin and double down. “After I opened up to you last night.”Chica, you told him nada!
A taunting laugh falls on his lips before he grabs my face. A devout tongue slides over my mouth, begging entrance. Brain congealed like jelly, I’m unable to think. I cave to my body’s natural response to him. A moan zings through me from head to toe. Our hearts gallop against each other, and our lips tingle from asphyxiation. Kieran and I come up for air.
“Do-over?” he asks.
Do what now? Oye, last night or this morning? Him. Me. Us in bed.I assert, “Hell no.”
“Oh, ya know the denial means nothing to a man like me, little bird. When I say do-over, I was being polite by asking.”
“Whatever, Kieran.” I chuckle.
Kieran hitches on oxygen. Lust mesmerizes his sexy silver eyes. “Woah! That’s what I was looking for—yourfeckingbonny smile!”
Who’d have thunk it? I’m growing fond of my hatred for Kieran. He lifts me high toward the vaulted ceilings, catching my ass with me straddling him. This time, though, my shocked scream startles Kiera into an erect position.
Although I try to play it off, Kieran catches my slight disappointment.
“I’llfeckanother smile onto you later,” he whispers. Kieran kisses my forehead. Demanding more, I nuzzle my body against his. He slowly slides me down and takes on a wide leg stance to remove the attention from his hard-on and quickly buttons me up.
With a yawn, Kiera speaks. “Oh, I’m sorry. Can’t believe I fell asleep. I should check on Pearla and . . .”
She hawks a thumb over her shoulder, mentioning the illusive caregivers who have avoided us since arrival.
I laugh a little. “No, you should address your grievances with your brother.”
“What’s wrong?” His attentive demeanor centers on Kiera.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” she says.
“No,” I cut in, “Kiera was going to shoot the messenger—with his own gun.”
“Did he do something deserving of such a fate?” Kieran seems to be joking, though the keen hawk eye he’s viewing us through reads that he’ll complete the task.
“Well . . .” Kiera begins. I place a hand on my hip. Lowering her eyes, she jerks a shoulder. “Ava and I had plans to ride to the pub for breakfast.”
“Thefeckyou did, lassie,” Kieran tells her, folding his sculpted arms.
“See.” I give her a pointed look. “All the more reason to hash out your issues with the man who’s turned your life into this cookie-cutter—”
Now, Kieran’s snarling my name.
For a moment, I’m so stuck on playing devil’s advocate I loop an arm around his neck and kiss him. “Shut up. Your sister has something to tell you.”
Fire from the depths of hell shines in his dark eyes. My heart hiccups in my chest at the delicious yet scary reaction my body has for him.
Smoothing his hands over my waist, Kieran guides me to his side and addresses his sister. “Kiera, what is it?”
Nervous, her teeth cleave to her top lip.