“Blackberry Nojito.”
Her brows quirk up in surprise, but I offer nothing to explain why I’ve chosen a non-alcoholic drink despite the party atmosphere. It’s none of her business. With Cara so close, the urge to drink has vanished.
She’s perfect. Nestled under my skin and there’s no getting her out, something that used to alarm me, but now…Now I can see how she’s easing my life, how lighter I am when she’s around. There’s a word for how I feel for her, but I can’t say it. It scares me, even as thoughts of love tease around my mind.
I wet my lips slowly, taking the glass as the drink is placed in front of me, and I watch as the dance ends, but before I can move, Dante steps into the picture and takes her hand.
Tightness worms its way into my stomach then and my mouth runs dry. A large sip does nothing to ease it. Dante and Cara… such a thing would never occur, but for a split second, all I see is Dante and Blair. The last woman to have my heart, whisked away by my brother as she had always planned. A chill steals down my spine, settling like ice in my stomach as I watch them sway and move together. I turn, preparing to step in, and instead come face to face with Sienna, who has a wiggling, giggling Emilia in her arms.
“Would you mind?” Sienna asks and she looks a little haggard with her hair wild and her skin gleaming with sweat. She offers Emilia to me. I gather her up instantly with a grin, settling her against my hip as I brush her curls away from her forehead and nudge my fingers over her chin, giving Sienna a chance to right herself.
“Hey darling,” I tease and Emilia laughs, clapping her stubby little hands together as she squirms in my grip. Sienna slides a bag off her shoulder and drops it onto the bar with a light sigh, then she brushes her hair out of her face and smiles.
“I’m sorry. She’s been as good as gold all day, but it’s past her bedtime, and she knows it,” Sienna explains, wincing faintly as Emilia screeches excitedly in my arms. I don’t mind in the slightest. I step away from the bar to give myself a little more space, allowing me to rock Emilia back and forth as she shoves a sticky fist into her mouth and gurgles.
“I don’t mind,” I brush Sienna’s concern away, not caring for my suit as it crinkles under my movements. “We’re just happy to see you, aren’t we, Emilia? Aren’t we?” I coo at her and she laughs loudly, her legs kicking out excitedly as she bounces in my arms. I can’t hold back my laugh.
Suddenly the back of my neck prickles. I’m being watched. Such a thing shouldn’t alarm me on a night like this, but with Emilia in my arms, I’m a little tenser than normal. The tension swells as I glance around the room, then fades in an instant when I see it’s Cara that’s watching me from the dance floor.
Her dance with Dante has ended, and she’s back with Callahan as Dante heads toward us. Her eyes are soft and her ruby red lips parted slightly.Is she surprised to see me with Emilia?We’ve never discussed children openly, even though we both know it’s expected of us.Does this highlight that to her as much as it pulls at the deep hidden yearning in my own heart?
“Time to go?” Dante asks as he stops beside me. Sienna nods and Dante scoops Emilia into his arms. She screeches immediately and I offer my sympathies with a grim smile.
“Bye, Emilia!” I call as Dante and Sienna depart. I don’t envy them going home with an overtired toddler. Especially when I’m going home with mywife.
I turn back to Cara and lightly jog through the crowd to reach where she’s still seemingly trying to get away from Callahan, who has definitely had too much to drink.
“It’s so good of him, so good of him!” I overhear Callahan exclaim as I reach her and Cara’s eyes widen. Callahan spots me and grins widely. “It’s so good of you, Killian!”
“What is?” I ask, but I care little for the answer when Cara presses back against me, lining her body up with mine as she takes my hand and turns her dark eyes on me.
“He’s drunk,” she mutters with an air of distaste. I can smell the stark stink over the light hint of fruit from Cara. I glance over Callahan’s head, scanning the crowd for help, until my eyes lock on Archer. He catches me immediately and begins to head over to us.
“You, Killian,” Callahan continues, and he licks his lips, sucking in a wet breath and pointing a thick finger at me. “You’re a good man, letting things slide after everything. I was just sayin’ to Cara that—oh, hello!” Archer arrives seconds later and grasps Callahan by the elbow, taking his attention away from Cara and me. Cara relaxes into me immediately, and I duck my head down to brush my lips against her cheek, teasing up to her ear.
“What do you say we get out of here?” I whisper as I take her in my arms. A tremor moves through her, and she nods eagerly, turning her head into my touch until our lips brush.
“Take me home,” she murmurs.
I slide my arm around her waist and lead her through the crowd, completely missing the conversation Callahan and Archer have.
I hear Archer calling out for me, a short, sharp yell that pulls my attention slightly, but Cara’s hand skims lightly over the front of my trousers, and everything else fades easily into the background.
20
CARA
A single touch of intent and Killian has me weak at the knees. How we made it through the car journey with all our clothes intact, I’ll never know. It’s a blur that dissolves into nothing the moment we stumble through the threshold. Killian’s on me in seconds, his large hands firm around my throat as he pulls me close and kisses me with every ounce of desire he has in his bones. My head swims and my heart flutters as he teases his tongue into my mouth and walks me backward until my ankles hit the first step of the stairs.
“Killian—!” I warn around his tongue, clutching my hands to his wrists as he kisses me so deeply that my lips throb.His touch is electric, ignited by the charge that’s existed between us ever since the church, and I want more. I stumble slightly against the step, trying to focus through the fog of desire, but the step evades me and my fingers curl tighter into his wrists.
Killian pulls away, leaving the air around me so cold that I shiver and blink blearily through the dark of the hallway. A split second later, he scoops me up into his arms and carries me up the stairs. My heart soars, carried in muscles that manhandle me effortlessly, and I wind my arms tight around his neck, peppering kisses up the side of his face. My body thrums hot in his hold, and heat pools rapidly between my thighs.
His lips crash back against mine, meeting me halfway, and we clatter into the bedroom, before Killian kicks the door closed behind him.
“Fuck,” he growls deeply against my mouth, “I’ve wanted you all fucking evening.”
“What are you waiting for?” I tease as my skin tingles sharply at his words and my heart leaps into my throat. He drops me down so suddenly that my legs wobble, jelly just from kissing him, and crashes our mouths together in a brief yet biting kiss. I glance up as we part, and his eyes are so dark there isn’t even a hint of the stormy gray that usually resides there.