My blood pounded at the raw need and desire that crossed her face.
I slowly removed her shirt and those tiny fucking shorts, watching and memorizing as I revealed more and more of her until she was completely bare.
Dipping down, I pressed a kiss to her mouth and then brushed my thumb across the same place. “You’re fucking beautiful.”
Sutton blinked up at me, completely taken aback, but I was already climbing off the bed and gripping her legs, pulling her closer to the edge so she was nearly hanging off.
Surprise crossed her face, and I couldn’t help the grin that tugged at my mouth at the way her eyes widened when I went to my knees.
I took my time spreading her and teasing her with my thumb until she was shaking and her breaths were coming in sharp jerks. Then I leaned forward and licked her from entrance to clit.
Her sharp inhale filled the room, and she arched away from the bed. I did it again, and she slammed back down. Again, and her fingers twisted into my hair and pulled tight.
And again—my name left her lips on a needy sigh.
Sweetest fucking sound.
I pressed two fingers into her, pumping her slowly as I devoured her until she was a trembling, panting mess, arching away and pulling me closer.
“Conor—oh God, oh God.”
Her fingers tightened in my hair as she fell apart against me. Her hushed, pleasured cry made something deep inside me roar.
With a need to claim her.
To make her come again.
To make this last forever.
I continued moving my fingers in and out of her until her shaking was nothing more than little tremors, and then I slowly made my way up her body, leaving a trail of kisses as I did.
Once I was on the bed, I wrapped an arm under her and hauled her limp body closer to the center, my smile wide as I took in her satisfied expression.
After one last kiss to the base of her throat, I started rolling to the side when she stopped me with a hand on either side of my face. Then she was pulling me toward her and pressing her mouth to mine, moaning against the kiss and teasing me with smallest flick of her tongue.
“Please.”
I shifted only enough to look into her pleading eyes. At the desire there. At the fear.
Only, this fear I knew. I had seen this. She was afraid of what I would say. Of where I would draw that line.
She sucked in a shuddering breath and released my face. Her hands quickly trailed down my body and gripped the top of my pants.
We can’t.
“Sutton—”
“Please.”
We shouldn’t for reasons I couldn’t remember.
“Sutton . . .”
But I was already so far gone . . .
“Fuck.” The word was nothing more than a growl in my throat before I was kissing her and she was pushing my pants down and gripping my length in her hand. “Fuck.”
“She’s it, or she isn’t.”
“She’s it, or she isn’t.”
“She’s it . . .”
The words faded away when Sutton curled her legs around my hips and guided me to her entrance, stroking me as she did.
I wanted to take her. Claim her.
But I took my time sliding in, inch by inch, savoring her gasps as she stretched around me.
Nothing had ever felt so damn good.
And then I was moving.
Slow. Controlled. Each thrust more powerful than the last. Each one forcing a whimper from her lips.
I dipped down and passed a soft, teasing kiss across her mouth, keeping in time with the rocking of my hips. Loving the way she arched to meet me. The way she moaned into my mouth. The way her entire body responded when I dragged my teeth over her bottom lip and bit down before releasing it.
Pushing up on the bed, I curled my hands into the comforter and drove into her harder and harder still, never taking my eyes away from hers as I pushed us both toward the edge.
Her fingers dug into my shoulders as she lost herself, exploding around me. Her mouth opened on a silent moan. Each shockwave that passed through her felt like my own, gripping my cock and bringing me closer and closer to the end that felt more like a beginning.
I pushed in once . . . twice . . . and then curled an arm underneath her, holding her close and savoring every part of this as I moved inside her.
The way she felt against me.
The way her lips parted the harder my movements became.
The way her fingers slid into my hair again and gripped tight when I finally found my release inside her.
The way she was studying me in fascination when I opened my eyes.
So far gone.
I gently curled my hand around her chin and brushed my thumb across her swollen lips. “Jesus, Sutton, what are you doing to me?”
Zachary
Two Months Ago . . .
I paced back and forth, arms folded over my chest, eyes on the floor as I tried to tell myself it was enough.
But I had to be sure.
I stopped and stared at Sutton, who was sitting on the bed and watching me with tired eyes. “Again.”
Her shoulders sagged and full lips fell open in protest.
“Sutton, I need you to know this as if it’s real. I need you to see it in your mind.”
“But I know it, I do.”
“If you could just cry.”
Her head was already shaking. “I can’t. You know I can’t fake crying.”
I ground my teeth and spoke slowly so she’d hear every word. “They’re unlike anyone you’ve encountered. They’ll ask again and again even though they already know everything and they will know if you’re lying.” I dropped to the floor in front of her and raced my hands up her thighs. “Let’s go over it one more time, all right?”
“What does it matter if this is only to be used as a last resort?”
“Because, if it comes down to it, that means we’re failing and this will be the most important story you ever tell.”
After a few seconds, she nodded warily.
I stood, took a few steps back, and demanded, “Show me that it happened.”
“Lexi and I were playing out back. Zachary wasn’t supposed to be home, so it surprised me when I heard his voice coming from the guesthouse.”
“Show me, Sutton!”
“Lexi was already headed that way, but she stopped just outside the window,” she continued, her body trembled and her voice wavered. “She just froze. She looked so scared. So, I hurried over there and saw these men inside. One was on his knees, and Zachary was in front of him with a gun aimed at his head.”
My mouth curled into a slow smile.
Perfect.
Sutton
I woke in Conor’s bed alone.
Traces of heat still lingered in the empty space beside me, but there wasn’t a sign of him in the room or adjoining bathroom.
And it didn’t bother me.
Last night had been the first night he’d actually slept in a bed, and his residual body heat told me he hadn’t been gone for long.
My mouth pulled into a smile as last night played out before me in flashes.
Searching lips. Learning hands. Whispered words and pleasured cries. Highs I’d never experienced before.
Conor loved the same way he did everything else—affectionately . . . powerfully. Shows of strength woven in gentle touches and brushes of his lips.
It was intoxicating.
Addicting.
Hard and soft, as if he’d known exactly when I needed more and how to drive me insane with barely there teases.
He’d called me beautiful . . . and it had been so honest and raw and powerful that it’d felt as if the words had branded on my soul.
I’d wanted to hear those words my entire life. When Conor whispered them, I was thankful I hadn’t before that moment.
They wouldn’t have meant as much.
They wouldn’t have meant everything.
I sat up when
I heard Conor’s deep, muffled voice, which was quickly followed by the even softer voice of my daughter, and then hurried from the bed.
Once I shrugged into my clothes, I started for the door but paused when I reached it.
I didn’t know how I was going to explain to Lexi where I’d slept. I didn’t know how to deal with this in front of my six-year-old when Conor and I hadn’t even talked about it, and I was mar—
“Oh God.” I pressed a hand to my churning stomach and let my forehead drop to the door as guilt spread through me like a sickness.
I was the worst kind of person, and I didn’t know how to sort through my warring thoughts and emotions.
Last night had been the best of my life, and until a minute ago, I’d wanted it to happen again. I wanted Conor’s gentle soul and no-bullshit attitude. I wanted his warm personality and easy smile.
But that didn’t change the fact that I was married. It didn’t matter if Zachary fueled and filled my nightmares or that I never wanted to see him again.
He was still my husband.
How did I let this happen?
I swallowed back the guilt and sadness and stepped away from the door so I could open it, my head so conflicted that I forgot what I was walking into until I looked up and saw Conor and Lexi having their morning stare-down.
My heart skipped a beat before taking off in a wild, beautiful rhythm.
Conor’s eyes flicked in my direction, heat and raw desire filling them as he watched me walk through the suite.
It stole my breath.
The entire thing.
The way he connected with my daughter in a way Zachary never could—refused to.
The way he made my body come alive with one look, even from across the room.
The way it felt wrong not to go to him.
I hadn’t just let this happen. I’d been powerless to stop it.
I paused behind Lexi and tilted her head back so I could press a kiss to her forehead. “Morning, sweet girl.”
Her eyes danced, and her giggle warmed my soul as she hurried to focus on Conor again. “That doesn’t count, Mr. Conor. Momma made me stop looking.”
“I’ll let it slide. But next time, you owe me breakfast.”
I used the opportunity to slip away to our room, but I couldn’t stop from sneaking glances at them as I did.
His animated expressions and the way he spoke to her.
Her eyes, which were narrowed, and her smile, which was stretched to the max because she clearly adored him.
It was all so perfect in a surreal way.
This was the perfection my mother should’ve strived for. Should’ve wanted me to strive for.
My steps faltered, and I hurried to push that thought away. This was all too much to be thinking about with a man I hardly knew. Especially when . . .
My fingers automatically sought out my naked ring finger as that guilt swirled within me, thick and suffocating.
I took my time in the shower, trying to sort through my dizzying emotions, and dressed in my remaining clean clothes in a daze.
After setting out something for Lexi to wear, I gathered the rest of our things in the hotel’s laundry service bags and left them by the door of our room before going out to face the source of my torment.
Lexi came bounding over to wrap her arms firmly around my hips, nearly knocking me over in the process. “Did you fall asleep without the dreams?”
My hand stilled where I’d been running my fingers through her hair. “What?”
“Mr. Conor said you had trouble going to sleep after your dreams last night and you thought you were going to wake me up. That’s why you went to the other room.”
“Did he?” I lifted my head to find him watching me with a guarded expression that didn’t ease even when I sent him a thankful smile. “He’s right. And yes, I did sleep.”
“Without dreams?”
“Without dreams,” I said softly. “I put your clothes on the bed. Why don’t you go change? You can leave these clothes in one of the bags by the door, okay?”
She ran off without a word, but I didn’t have time to worry about what to say to Conor or what to do with the need racing through my body to just be near him. Because, as soon as the door shut behind Lexi, Conor was stalking toward me with a look of frustration.
“Bags?” The word was nearly a growl as it ripped from his throat.
“Yeah, we don’t have any clean clothes.”
His head jerked. “What?”
“We don’t have clean clothes. The resort has a laundry service.”
I hadn’t realized how tense he was until he let his body relax.
I took a step closer and reached out to take his hand in mine. “What did you think I was talking about?”
He rubbed the back of his neck and studied me for a second before nodding to my bedroom. “You were in there a long time. When you came out, it was clear as day what you were thinking. Feeling. And I fucking get it, Sutton. I do . . . but then you said bags. Even if last night hadn’t happened, that would still be cause for alarm because clients can’t up and leave.”
“Is that all you see me as?” I asked carefully, preparing myself for his response. “Just a client?”
He wrapped our joined hands behind my back and pulled me against him. Then curled his long fingers against my neck, gently cradling so he could brush his thumb across my lip in that way I was quickly falling in love with.
“Nothing changes why we are in this situation. And because we’re in it, last night never should have happened. It also never would’ve happened if you were just a client.”
It was the right and wrong thing to say.
I had no doubts that Conor spoke with absolute truth, just as I had no doubts that he had never done this before. It wasn’t only that he didn’t seem like the type of guy, it was all the times he’d tried to stop it from happening. It was the connection between us that was more than carnal need.
In his answer, he drove home the reasoning for my torment.
I maneuvered out of his hold and started for my bedroom, struggling to control the burning in my eyes and tightening in my throat before I made it there.
But I didn’t make it there.
I hadn’t made it halfway before Conor started after me, quickly eating up the distance and pulling me into the kitchen, his mouth at my ear. “I wasn’t trying to upset you.”
“We’re in this situation because of my husband,” I said as soon as he turned me so I was facing him, my voice soft and strained. “My husband, Conor. I’m married.”
The worry covering his face melted into a hardened mask as he released me.
“There are so many conflicting feelings inside me that I can’t think straight. I’m still legally bound to him despite what he’s done and the situation. And how do I explain it to Lexi when that’s her dad, even though—Jesus.” I loosed a ragged breath. “Even though he scares her.”
I gripped my stomach and stepped back until I was pressed to the counter.
“Sutton,” Conor murmured, his nervousness and worry clear on his face. “There’s something—”
“I feel like the worst kind of human,” I continued, speaking over him. “And I’m not sure why, or if I even should. Then there’s you—” I looked over when the door to my room opened and Lexi came skipping out.
“I brushed my teeth, and I brushed my hair.”
“Good,” I said with a tense smile. “Hey, I need to finish talking to Mr. Conor. How about you go decide what you want for breakfast? You can turn on the television too.”
Her eyes widened with excitement. “Yeah!”
Conor lunged for her and snatched her into his arms before she could take a step.
Lexi’s amused scream was cut short by his hand clamping over her mouth.
Paralyzing fear slammed into my body as I watched the entire thing unfold in a second, unsure of what to do.
I wanted to grab Lexi from Conor and pull her against me, but his eyes we
re unfocused and his head was tilted to the side as if he were listening for something.
The possibilities of what could be coming were making it hard to breathe.
He moved toward me, keeping his steps silent and Lexi facing away from the entrance to the kitchen as he did.
Once they were beside me, he lowered her to her feet and waited until my arms were wrapped around her before quickly going back the way he’d come. His hand went to the back of his pants before he suddenly relaxed and called out, “Warning.”
A wild, feminine laugh came from the front of the suite, making Lexi and me jump.
Conor twisted and relaxed against the counter a few feet away from where we stood. With an irritated look in my direction, he said, “Close your eyes.”
Lexi slapped her hands over her face without hesitation, but I stood there, still frozen.
I wasn’t sure what my expression looked like, but Conor’s softened.
“Close your eyes,” he said again, his tone coaxing.
With a jagged exhale, I did.
“Do you feel that?”
I felt Lexi’s arms leave her face and stretch forward. “What are we feeling, Mr. Conor?”
“Not with your hands. Just listen and feel.”
I wasn’t sure I could feel anything other than the fierce pounding of my heart. The pressure on my chest. The way my body felt all kinds of wrong after that adrenaline spike.
“You see how it’s hard to breathe?”
I almost cracked an eye open and asked if he could hear my thoughts.
Lexi giggled when she asked, “Because Momma’s squishing me?”
Conor made an amused sound. “Do you feel heavy and on edge?”
Even though Lexi was claiming that she felt as light as a feather, I did feel heavy and on edge, so I opened my eyes.
And standing near Conor were Kieran and Jess.
Conor’s eyes were locked on mine as he slanted his head to the side and said, “Kieran.”
“Yes, I know. Good morning.”
“No, it’s Kieran,” Conor corrected. “What you’re feeling.”
Lexi must have finally opened her eyes, because Jess did a little wave in her direction and Kieran dipped his head.
“What do you mean?” I asked, keeping my tight hold on Lexi. I knew we weren’t in danger, but I couldn’t shake that feeling and needed her close until I did.
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