by Melody Anne
Slipping his fingers inside her tight heat, he sucked on her flesh again, feeling her begin to tighten beneath his expert touch. He knew what she needed, what she wanted, and what she didn’t even know she desired. He knew all of this about her, and she’d still left him. That thought made him clamp his mouth around her bundle and suck hard, causing her to scream as she neared completion.
Anger and pleasure rode side by side inside him, making him have something to prove. She was his, had always been his, and he was more than determined to prove why. He’d been the first to take her, and something primal was overriding his normal senses.
He added two fingers and pumped them inside her body as she said his name over and over again. She screamed as he lapped up her release, but he didn’t relent. He wanted it all; he wanted her too sated to ever fight him again. She was his, and he owned her pleasure.
“I . . . I can’t,” she cried out as he sucked her flesh, pumping in and out of her.
“Give me your pleasure,” he demanded when he let go of her flesh long enough to speak. She cried out again when his lips clamped over her quivering mound again and his tongue lapped at the sensitive spot.
She writhed on the bed beneath him and then cried out as her core clamped hard and fast over his fingers, making it difficult for him to move them within her. She whimpered as he kept going, kept giving and giving until she couldn’t possibly take another second.
Roxie whimpered and tried to pull from him, her body too sensitive. Kian wouldn’t let her go, holding on to her thigh as he tasted her over and over again. He’d never get enough of her taste, never be done with her. This was far from over.
He took his time tormenting her, building her pleasure again until he was nearly out of his mind. And then he couldn’t take it another second. He had to be buried inside her.
At this moment, he was grateful there were condoms in the room. A lot of people used this space, which was why they had fresh linens you had to change the beds with when you were done. He’d never before used it, but he was grateful now.
Reaching into a small drawer, he pulled out protection and quickly slid it on, never taking his eyes from Roxie as she twisted on the bed, seeking out his touch, her legs still wide open, her body knowing it needed the ultimate fulfillment of him buried deep inside her.
Kian wouldn’t disappoint her. He pushed her back on the bed and climbed over the top of her, lining their bodies up perfectly. Her face was damp and flushed, her hair wet with her hot pleasure. He buried one hand in her hair, and the other gripped her hip as he positioned her perfectly.
He was too out of his mind to make this slow and sweet. “Look at me,” he demanded, and her eyes slowly lifted open.
Kian pushed forward, burying himself deep within her heat, making her eyes flash the rest of the way open as she gaped at him in awe and wonder. It was the same look she’d given him the first time he’d buried himself deep within her. Then, there’d also been a flash of pain, but she’d slowly adjusted to his girth, and then it had all been about pleasure. So much pleasure.
The next day when he’d seen her walking funny, he’d been concerned. She’d turned shades of red he hadn’t known were possible, and he hadn’t left her alone until she’d explained what was wrong. She’d told him she was sore from the sex. Pride had filtered through him as he realized he’d pleasured her so deeply, she’d been marked. He wanted to mark her again, make sure when she walked away, her body screamed his name.
Kian was nearly delirious as he moved faster, his body pounding into hers as he said her name, as he looked at her flushed face, as he leaned down and ran his tongue over her swollen bottom lip she’d been biting.
Then, with a gentleness he didn’t think possible, he closed his lips over hers. He moved them, firm and demanding and then gentle and soothing. He told her without words what she had meant to him, and the hold she’d always had over him. He was hers in this moment as much as she was his, and this one woman had the power to destroy him. He hated her a little for that, and he loved her, too, but it wasn’t something he’d admit.
He could have her body anytime he wanted. That knowledge was heady in its intensity, and it made him lose the last grip of control he had. His lips clamped over hers as he possessed her mouth and her core.
He drove inside her over and over again until she shattered, until her body gripped him without yield. And then he let go with her, each of their cries consumed by the other as they shook in each other’s arms. The orgasm went on for an endless time, and Kian felt close to passing out when the last of his pleasure faded.
He sank against her scorching flesh, his face buried against her neck. Their breathing was erratic and harsh in the quiet room. It was a perfect moment in time before the storm of reality could hit them.
Both of them dozed in and out of consciousness for the next few moments, and then Kian felt her squirm beneath him. He knew his weight was too much for her to take for long. He shifted over to his side, his hand drifting against her hot flesh.
She squirmed beside him, then placed her hand against his. He felt more than heard her intake of breath, as if she was trying to come up with the right words to say. He was silent, deciding he wasn’t going to help her worm her way out of this. She’d wanted it as much as he had.
“Kian?” she said, his name coming out a question.
“I would hope you know the name of the man you just got done having sex with,” he said with humor.
“Of course I know it’s you.” She sounded slightly irritated. “I was just trying to find the right words, and you’ve helped me,” she added.
“Oh, really. What are the right words?” he asked. He was too sated to care about whatever complaint she planned on making.
“I’m not going to pretend I didn’t want that,” she began, and he chuckled, feeling her tense beside him as she sat up and jumped from the bed as she searched for her clothes. He didn’t move much, just enough to watch as she struggled with untangling her clothes so she could put them on. Her hands were shaking, so she was having trouble.
“I wouldn’t think you’d deny it. You were pretty involved,” he said, chuckling more when her eyes flashed fire at him. “Need some help with the clothes?” She didn’t seem pleased with his offer, but he thought he was being quite the gentleman.
“I’ve got it,” she said. She finally got her pants fixed and slipped them on—minus underwear. That had him all hot and bothered again, his body firming back up. She didn’t miss that, and he enjoyed her sharp intake of breath.
“You’re an animal,” she muttered, but she ripped her gaze away from him. He lay there on his back as he eyed her lazily.
“If I were truly an animal, I’d jump up and mount you,” he threatened. That thought had him all the way hard again. He’d have no problem bringing them both to satisfaction again.
“As I was saying, I’m not going to deny I wanted that, but it won’t happen again,” she said through clenched teeth, but he noticed her looking at his erection from the corner of her eye, so he reached down and grabbed himself, slowly stroking his fingers up and down his thickness as he gazed at her chest. She was beginning to breathe heavily again, but much to his disappointment, she threw on her bra and shirt. He continued stroking his thickness from base to tip as he stared at her.
She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, then closed it again and went silent. Then she moved to the door.
“Can you go ahead and lock the door? I’m not quite finished with the room,” he said when she reached for the knob.
Her body stiffened, but then she opened the door and slammed it shut, not locking it. Kian knew he could get ticked, knew he could choose how to react. He chose to chuckle. The two of them were nowhere near finished with each other. He just wasn’t exactly sure what that meant.
Now that she was gone, he had zero desire to keep touching himself. He let go and cursed a little when his swollen flesh stayed hard. He’d just had a mind-numbing orgas
He got up and saw a flash of red just under the bed. Stooping down, he found her delicate panties, and his grin couldn’t have gotten any bigger as he reached down and picked them up. He quickly dressed and threw them in his pocket, glad he was off shift now. It certainly wouldn’t be sanitary for him to carry dirty underwear around to his patients’ rooms. And he wasn’t willing to toss them.
Kian left the on-call room in a hell of a good mood. He didn’t even notice when he passed by the nurses’ station and stopped the young girl at the desk from what she’d been doing. His happiness was contagious, and it was enough radiation to affect the entire floor as he continued walking.
If only every moment in life could be this perfect. He didn’t need to think like that, though. He decided to just enjoy each piece of time as it happened. Kian left, a little disappointed when he didn’t run into Roxie in the parking lot. He somehow doubted she was going to show up for their lunch meeting.
That was perfectly okay. He’d had a much more enjoyable meeting with her in the on-call room than he would’ve had in a crowded café. Kian figured he’d be smiling for a long time to come.
Chapter Sixteen
Lucian was on his feet as he paced back and forth in his office. Joseph and Sherman were sitting back, sipping on fine glasses of bourbon as they waited for him to gather his thoughts. He paced a few more times, and they knew they needed to give him space.
“Why hasn’t that boy given an official marriage proposal yet? Too much time is wasting!” Lucian grumbled.
Joseph smiled. He knew well how this worked. They were strong men, and they had equally strong-willed children. Joseph wouldn’t have it any other way. He loved his children and grandchildren. He was now itching to have great-grandchildren. Yeah, he knew he was greedy, but he could admit to that and even smile about it.
“I think it’s amusing when he comes around, because you can clearly see his frustration. He wouldn’t be happy with a weak woman. Roxie is certainly his match made in heaven,” Sherman said.
“It’s easy for you both to be calm; you get to be with your grandkids every single day,” Lucian pointed out. “I’m trying to be patient to wait for Kian to get to know his child and convince Roxie he isn’t a rogue so she’ll marry him before I’m insisting on seeing Lily on a daily basis.”
“That’s true,” Joseph admitted. “But you do want the boy to do this right. We’re pushing all the buttons we can and throwing them together. Roxie is a stubborn girl, and that’s a positive thing.”
“That’s why I’ve always loved her,” Lucian admitted.
“Anyone with less backbone would never be able to handle Kian,” Sherman said.
“That’s true. My boys and my girl aren’t easy to handle. We raised them to be strong and independent,” Lucian said with a hell of a lot of pride.
“That’s why it’s worth it to be patient,” Sherman told them.
Lucian glared at the two men. “Again, I tell you it’s easy for you to say. I think we’re going to have to either push Kian into moving quicker, or we’re going to just have to talk directly to Roxie. She’s in love with him, and when she can admit it to herself, we can all be one big happy family. My wife needs to hold her granddaughter.”
“Ha!” Joseph said on a bout of laughter. “We all know you’re just as anxious.”
“Yeah, I really am,” Lucian said with a beaming smile. “Lily looks just how my precious Dakota did at that age.”
“I love all of my grandchildren equally,” Joseph said before he looked around to make sure no one was sneaking up on them. Then his cheeks flushed a little bit. “But I have to admit there’s something special about the first. Jasmine stole my heart from the moment I held that girl in my arms. There’s no other that will ever take her place.”
“She’s going off to college, isn’t she?” Lucian asked.
“Yep, she got accepted into Yale, of course,” Joseph said, beaming so big it was a wonder his cheeks didn’t split.
“That’s a long way away,” Sherman pointed out. Joseph’s lips turned down.
“I know. I was excited she got into her first choice, but bummed she was going so far, but she promised I can visit anytime I want, and I will hold her to that. Don’t tell Katherine, but I already bought a house close to the campus,” he said. Sherman and Lucian laughed. “It’s an investment,” Joseph said in defense.
“Sure, the billionaire needs an investment in a small house,” Lucian said sarcastically.
“It’s not exactly small,” Joseph said, puffing out his chest.
Both Sherman and Lucian laughed again.
“Thanks for that, my friend. I needed it,” Lucian told him.
Joseph sat back and grumbled. He didn’t like being the butt of the joke with his friends. He liked being the one dishing it out. So, he was a little overprotective of his favorite granddaughter. There was nothing wrong with that. Oops, he’d thought of her as his favorite again. He had to be careful about that.
“Well, let’s talk about Kian, Roxie, and Lily,” Joseph said, deciding it was time to change the topic.
“What should we do next?” Sherman asked.
Lucian smiled. “I have an idea or two.”
The men grew quiet as they put their heads together and once again got up to no good. Their wives would kill them if they knew what they were planning. A little jealousy always seemed to help a romance move right along, though. And the guys knew just what to do next.
Chapter Seventeen
Lily’s scream woke Roxie from a dead sleep, and she was on her feet and running before she was fully conscious. Rushing through her niece’s bedroom door, she found Lily sitting up in bed, tears streaming down her face.
“What’s wrong?” Roxie asked as she moved forward and sat on the bed. Lily scrambled into her lap, practically crawling up her neck as she buried her face against Roxie’s neck and sobbed.
Looking around, Roxie didn’t see anything indicating danger. Her skin was tingling, with the fight-or-flight mode fully in place. She rubbed Lily’s back as the child shook uncontrollably and mumbled nonsensical words.
“It’s just a nightmare, little one,” Roxie assured her.
Roxie rose from the bed and carried Lily with her to her bedroom. She propped a pillow up and leaned back against the headboard as she continued mumbling comforting words to the terrified child.
After what had to be a half hour of sobs and muttered words, Lily gave a few hiccups and finally began to settle down.
“Do you want to tell me what scared you so much?” Roxie asked. She was almost afraid to do so. She didn’t want Lily to fall back into a panic.
“Someone was knocking on my window. He’s trying to get me,” Lily said in between hiccups.
Roxie’s entire body froze at her niece’s words. She tried telling herself it was just a bad dream, that Lily hadn’t truly heard anything. But what if . . .
“I’m sure it was just a dream, sweetie. Some dreams feel very real,” Roxie assured her.
“No!” Lily cried. “He called my name,” she said, leaning back, terror still clearly in her eyes.
Roxie’s body froze in fear. Though she didn’t want to think the man who’d killed her sister was still out there, was still wanting to finish the job he hadn’t completed, she would rather err on the side of caution.
Without really thinking about it, Roxie found herself lifting her phone and dialing Kian. He answered before the first ring was even finished.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, no trace of sleep in his voice.
“Lily thinks someone was knocking on her window,” Roxie said, her words barely audible.
“I’ll be there in five minutes,” he said.
The call disconnected.
Roxie was sure not even five minutes had passed when Kian rushed into her house, finding her and Lily in the same spot they’d been in for the past thirty minutes. There was a wild flare to his eyes as he looked in all directions before his gaze landed on the two of them.
He nodded, then rushed from the room, and she heard each door open before closing again less than a minute later. She was sure he was checking all the locks on the doors and windows. Then she heard the front door open, and she felt her stomach tighten. Within five minutes he was back, his eyes still alert, but a bit calmer now.
“My brother and the sheriff will be here soon,” he told her.
“What? Why?” she asked.
Lily had fallen asleep in the last few minutes, and Roxie truly felt comforted by having her in her arms.
“Someone could be here,” he told her.
“It also could have been nothing but a bad dream,” she insisted.
“I want you to move in with me.” His voice was firm, as if that was going to get her to do what he was so foolishly commanding.
“We’re fine. I shouldn’t have called you,” she told him.
Though she was reluctant to let Lily out of her arms, she had to use the bathroom, and she could really use a drink. Being careful not to stir her too much, Roxie laid Lily down in her bed, tucked her in tight, then stood over her for a few moments to make sure she wasn’t going to wake up. Once she was sure, she moved to the bathroom and shut the door without bothering to tell Kian.
By the time she came back out, his brothers Declan and Owen were in her living room along with the sheriff. The four men were standing close, whispering. She approached cautiously.
“I’m sorry to have spooked you all. I’m sure it was nothing more than a dream,” Roxie said.
“There are footprints outside Lily’s window,” Declan said. A new shiver of fear ran down her spine.
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