Iwantto see him.
The bedroom is empty when I open the bathroom door, and I deflate slightly.He wouldn’t have left, would he?
No chance.
The insistent beat of my heart pulls me out of the bedroom and back down the stairwell he led me up, peeking into each room as I pass, hoping I’ll catch a glimpse of his broad shoulders and dark hair. I don’t find him until I pad into the kitchen.
He’s shirtless, standing near one of the counters, and he doesn’t appear to notice me as I walk through the door. I can see bruises shadowing his torso, and there are various cuts and scrapes over his forearm. Are those from the rescue? Did he get hurt? He stands side profile, dabbing some sort of solution onto his injured knuckles with a cotton ball. There’s an open bottle of Whiskey next to him with a glass that has a hint of the copper liquid at the bottom.
He doesn’t react to my presence, even as I come closer. Nerves curl faintly in my gut, teasing at nausea.
“Killian?”
He flinches, clearly startled by my voice, and I’m surprised to see a flicker of something I don’t quite catch in his eyes as they dart to me.
I fight a small smile.He’s so cute,but I strangle that thought away. Killian isn’t the kind of man to react well to being calledcute.
“Good shower?” he asks, and I watch his steely gaze drift down my towel-wrapped form, his hands pausing their tending to his own wounds.
“Yes,” I say as I walk forward, coming to a stop a few feet away. Being in the same room as him now warms me to my bones. He’s an intimidating stature of a man and yet, being held under his gaze holds every other traumatizing event at bay in my mind. His presence is like that of a grumpy bear; sure, he’d kill anyone that got in his way, but the thought of sinking into those large warm arms doesn’t scare me like it used to.
Being this close I can smell the sandalwood of his aftershave and the slightly acrid scent of the antiseptic lotion he’s been using on his knuckles. I press my knees together as heat sweeps through me once more. My heart starts to beat faster.
Ineedhim. I need him to help me erase what I couldn’t clean with the soap. Fuck everyone else using me to get what they want. It’s time I take back control ofmylife.
I want him to help carve out a new version of me.
“Couldn’t find any clothes?” he asks casually, still holding me with those intense gray eyes of his with his hands poised, frozen from what I’ve interrupted.
Well, here goes nothing, girl.
I drop the towel.
“I don’t need clothes.”
Standing before him, completely naked with my skin dewy from the shower, my heart drops into my stomach as nerves take over. His eyes widen in surprise, and my skin ignites in goosebumps as they slowly skim down my naked body. My nipples peak in the slight chill of the kitchen air, and down further, his gaze travels to the heat nestled between my bare thighs.
It’s like he did the first time we met, but I no longer feel the urge to pull away from him. I’m naked and exposed, and Ineedhis hands on me before my confidence wavers.
“Ineedyou.”
8
CARA
I half expect him to reject me when I see his smug smile, and honestly, I can’t blame him. We’ve been here before, and it’s never gone as far as I need it to now. It’s why my words are slightly harsher than I intend. But there is no time for regret because without warning, his mouth lands on mine and he’s kissing me deeply.
With one hand encircling my throat like a collar, his grip tight enough that I’m alarmingly aware of my pulse but not tight enough to cause any kind of panic, and the other between my legs, each time he increases the pressure of his thumb on my clit I feel a little lightheaded. I tell myself it’s a feeling that should be alarming.
But it’s not.
I feel giddy. Like I’m floating.
And Ilikeit.
Every nerve in my body sparks as his tongue licks its way into my mouth, stroking my own with the taste of whiskey. He explores my mouth so greedily that I can’t bring myself to move. I stay there, bent slightly back over the counter, engulfed in the heat radiating from his body. My hands grip tighter at his forearm, and I feel him pause for a fraction of a second.
Why did he stop?Is he expecting me to push him away?