How to Rebuild (Hearts & Horsepower #4)

by A. K. Evans

  The drive back to my house had started okay, but the snow had reduced the visibility substantially. As we crawled along, I ordered, “I don’t care what plans you had for tonight, Kieran. If they involved you driving home, you better change them. You’re not leaving my house once we get there.”

  He let out a laugh and returned, “It’s a bit of a turn-on to see your bossy side come out.”

  “Just get us back safely,” I demanded, though there was no mistaking the nervousness in my tone.

  In a move that made me think he was insane, Kieran took one hand off the wheel and reached across the center console toward me. Giving my hand a reassuring squeeze, he promised, “I would never let anything bad happen to you, Elise.”

  The feeling those words gave me swept through me, and I was no longer worried about the fact that he’d taken one hand off the wheel.

  Though it took longer than it would have if there hadn’t been any snow, Kieran managed to get us to my home safe and sound. And when he pulled the truck to a stop and turned it off, he ordered, “Don’t you dare move. The last thing I want is to get you here in one piece and have you slip and fall walking to the front door. Wait for me to come and get you.”

  “Okay,” I agreed because I knew there was a pretty good chance I’d fall if I didn’t wait for him.

  And as he walked around the front of the truck to come to my side to get me out, I couldn’t stop my heart from swelling in my chest. He was such a good man.

  When he opened my door, he instructed, “Swing your legs this way and scoot over.”

  I did as he asked.

  A moment later, he leaned forward, wrapped an arm around my waist, and advised, “Watch your head.”

  That barely registered before Kieran lifted me out of the seat and over his shoulder. I heard him slam the door shut only seconds before he turned and started moving toward the front door.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Carrying your ass inside.”

  “I could walk,” I argued. “I could have just held on to you.”

  “Not in this snow with those death traps on your feet,” he assured me.

  Even though he couldn’t see me, I rolled my eyes and decided it was best just to enjoy the view. If I didn’t think it would have resulted in possibly throwing him off balance, I would have grabbed his ass. Instead, I let him do what he would do anyway without any additional distractions from me.

  Once we were at the front door, he requested the key. Somehow, I managed to pull it out of my bag, even though I was upside down and gave it to him. A minute later, he set me down on my feet just inside the door.

  “You’re crazy,” I declared.

  He grinned. “Only about you.”

  That was all it took. I stepped back into his space and pressed up on my toes to kiss him. When I pulled back, I rasped, “I think you should be rewarded for your efforts this evening.”

  Smiling against my lips, he urged, “Lead the way.”

  So, I led the way.

  Once I got us to where we were going, Kieran took the lead.

  And now we were here, recovering from our first round of sex. I knew it was safe to call it the first round because seconds after we came together, Kieran declared, “I’m liking the fact that you’re forcing me to stay here with you tonight. I’ve got a lot planned for you.”

  So, I knew more was coming. And I could not wait.

  But I thought it was smart to give ourselves some time to recover, and since I enjoyed talking to him so much, I decided to start the conversation by letting him know what I thought about what we just had.

  “That was nice,” I said.

  Yep. Those were the brilliant words I’d come up with to describe what we’d just experienced.

  “I’m not sure I’d say it was just nice,” he returned. “In my opinion, that was well beyond nice and worth the wait.”

  Considering I didn’t disagree with him, my arm that was draped over his chest tightened before I agreed, “That too.”

  His body vibrated with laughter. Wanting to see it, I lifted my cheek from his chest and watched. When his shining eyes came to mine, something moved through me. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew I liked the way it felt.

  And that scared me.

  Which is why I blurted, “It happened fast.”

  Kieran seemed slightly wounded by my comment and pointed out, “You came twice, Elise. And we got back here more than an hour ago. You think that was too fast?”

  Damn it. He thought I was talking about sex.

  Shaking my head, I explained, “No, Kieran. I’m not referring to that. That was not too fast at all.”

  Relief swept through him. “Good to know, lady. I was starting to worry about how I’d keep up with you,” he replied. “So, what happened fast?”

  “All the good stuff,” I answered. “My success hit hard and fast. Like a bullet. And in one instant, it was all threatened. I feel incredibly fortunate for everything I have and the success of Flynn Beauty, but I can’t help from feeling like this whole scandal was a warning or wake-up call.”

  Confusion washed over him. “A warning for what?” he wondered.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “Maybe I wasn’t supposed to have this much happiness.”

  “You haven’t shut down your business, have you?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “So, why would you ever think that the reason this whole thing happened was that you shouldn’t have what you worked your ass off for?” Kieran questioned me. “It happened because there are evil people in the world, Elise.”

  “I don’t understand why she did it,” I murmured.

  Kieran’s arm tightened around me. “And you may never know,” he advised. “But the thing you’ve got to realize is that it happened, you dealt with it, and you’re moving on. You’re still standing.”

  “But we haven’t recovered from it,” I told him.

  “It’s only been a few weeks. With a brand as big as yours, I’d imagine it’s going to take time. Besides, I already know you remember what I said.”

  Shooting him a questioning look, I insisted, “I remember nearly everything you’ve said to me, but I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

  “You have to know how to rebuild their trust in your brand,” he reminded me. “Building trust takes time.”

  I knew that. I felt like I knew that better than anybody for many reasons. That’s why I’d been struggling so hard to put anyone else in the position I’d fired Skye from. Because I knew I’d have to put my trust in the person I appointed, and I didn’t know if I could take that risk again.

  “This is all another reason why I didn’t want to go on a date with you,” I shared.

  “What do you mean?”

  I swallowed hard before I admitted softly, “I think I could be happy with you.”

  Something changed in Kieran’s face. His features softened, and he surmised, “And you thought that if you were, something similar would happen.”

  I nodded.

  “What changed your mind?”

  “I’ve never been someone who runs away from things that scare me,” I started. “When you said everything that you did to me on Monday, I realized I’d be a fool not to try.”

  “I have no intention of hurting you, lady,” he shared. “This is new between us, so I don’t know where it’ll go. But right now, I know that I like everything we’ve got here. And I think I could be very happy with you, too.”

  Hearing that helped me. I couldn’t very well expect Kieran to make me promises of forever. Only time would tell where things would lead. But knowing he liked what he had with me now was an excellent start. When I combined it with the things that he did, it made me realize just how great of a guy he was.

  “Kieran?” I called after some time had passed.

  “Yeah?”

  I lifted my body slightly, swung my leg over him, and settled myself on top of him. Lowering my mouth to hi
s, I whispered, “I want to be in charge for a little bit.”

  “What are you planning to do?”

  “I was thinking…” I began, trailing off as I wiggled my hips back and forth and started working my way down Kieran’s body. I kissed his chest and ran my fingers along the smooth skin. “… that I could…” I went on between more kisses. I finally reached the point where I could feel his hard cock between my breasts. Shifting myself so that my body was positioned between his thighs, I looked up at him, curled my fingers around his length, and finished, “… put you inside my mouth for a little while.”

  The blazing heat in his emerald stare was intense. He wanted this. There was no doubt about it.

  “Get to work, boss lady,” he ordered.

  I brought my mouth to the tip and pressed a kiss there before I swirled my tongue around the head, the metal from his piercing making the experience so much more exciting.

  My eyes shifted to Kieran’s face, and I nearly came at the sight. There was nothing but burning hot desire in his gaze, and if I wasn’t mistaken, there was a little loss of control.

  Taking the tip in my mouth, I kept my attention on him. I wanted to see him enjoying what I was giving him. And there was no doubt he was enjoying it.

  Bringing my opposite hand up to cup his balls, I massaged them while I ran my tongue along the length of him. Several times, I did that while I stroked him, my thumb stopping at the head to touch and play with his piercing. I loved listening to the sounds of his grunts and groans as I teased him until finally, I opened my mouth and sucked all of him inside.

  A deep rumble filled the room. My eyes returned to his face. I’d gotten so caught up in teasing him that I had dropped my gaze briefly, but hearing that sound come from him, I couldn’t help but want to see him.

  As I continued to suck him, I watched him.

  His eyes never left mine. Not even when I took him in deep, stayed there, and heard him groan.

  “Fuck, Elise,” he hissed. “You’re better than every fantasy I’ve had about you.”

  “Mmm,” I moaned, with him still at the back of my throat.

  I vaguely noticed the muscles in his abdomen tighten and his jaw clench as he groaned again. He kept a loose hold on his control, and I loved that I was the reason he was struggling with it. I loved knowing I could do this to him. It was the only time since we’d first had sex that I felt like I was in charge of what was happening.

  I enjoyed it a lot, mostly because I liked how much Kieran was affected by it. But deep down, I had to admit something I never thought I would.

  Everything was so much better when he took charge and led us wherever he wanted to take us. That, in and of itself, was a big deal to me. Because it required a level of trust that just seemed to be there from the very start with Kieran. It wasn’t until this moment that I realized it, though.

  For the next few minutes, I continued to suck and lick and tease.

  Eventually, Kieran brought his hand to the back of my head, gripped my hair, and ordered, “Come here, Elise.”

  I gave him one final deep suck before he popped out of my mouth, and I crawled up his body. When my face was level with his, he captured my mouth in a bruising kiss. It communicated so much without a single word exchanged between us.

  After tearing his mouth from mine, he stared into my eyes as his hands captured my breasts. He alternated between massaging the full rounded flesh and stroking his thumbs over my nipples.

  Still on my hands and knees, the sensation was too much, it felt too good, and I was instantly seeking friction against my heated core. Just as I dropped my hips and lowered my body to his hoping for a bit of relief, Kieran’s hands flew to my sides and stopped me.

  “What?” I breathed.

  But instead of answering me with words, he slipped his hands underneath my thighs and used the strength in his arms to move me up his body until I was sitting on his face. Then he was giving me what I needed.

  Keeping one of his hands planted firmly on my ass, Kieran snaked the other up along my side. He traced over my skin until his hand was flat against my abdomen before gliding up and over to cup one of my breasts.

  His hands alone were enough. But I had his mouth, too. And that had me feeling a lot like Kieran looked when I’d been giving him a blow job. The feel of his hands—rough and calloused—against my smooth skin along with his tongue licking and teasing me had all my senses firing.

  My head fell forward, my fingers gripping his hair, and I felt that familiar burn starting deep in my belly.

  “Kier…” I trailed off, my voice a breathy whisper. It was filled with lust and need.

  He groaned when he heard it and worked me a bit harder.

  I was close, so close, when he suddenly surged up and lifted me off his face. Within seconds, he’d rolled on a condom and ordered, “Come here, gorgeous.”

  I went to him, climbing back on top of his lap, a thrill of delight running through me. I was going to be on top.

  Kieran’s back was against the headboard, and his hands came to my hips. My hand slid down the front of my body until I reached his hardened length between us. His fingers pressed in tighter at my hips when I curled mine around him. Quickly positioning him, I wasted no time in lowering down over him.

  A moan escaped as my head flew back, the sensation of having him inside me again consuming me.

  It sent me into a frenzy. Desperation taking over, needing whatever I could get from him, I lost control.

  My palms pressed on the tops of his thighs, I began grinding and rolling my hips over him. Kieran’s mouth was instantly on my breasts, licking and sucking. Every nibble, tongue swipe, or pinch sent a rush of desire right between my legs.

  Faster.

  Harder.

  Quicker.

  More. More. More.

  I needed all of it.

  My body overheated, partly due to the physical exertion but mostly the mark of being with Kieran, and I was panting.

  “Kier,” I said, completely breathless.

  A grunt came from him as one of his hands cradled the back of my head and urged me forward. His mouth trailed up my throat and captured my mouth, quieting me.

  My words were gone, but the moans didn’t stop. My body moved faster, striving to go higher and higher as fast as I could.

  Kieran knew.

  There was no way he didn’t. Not once had he not been entirely in tune with what was happening with my body. Sometimes, I thought he understood it better than I did.

  At the last moment, Kieran gave my head a gentle tug backward. His eyes roamed over my face, dropped to my breasts, down my abdomen, and right to our connection. The grip he had on my body got tighter.

  My breaths came quickly.

  “Elise,” he groaned.

  “Baby,” I breathed.

  His eyes hit mine again, and at the intensity in them, I could no longer hold back. I surrendered and allowed my orgasm to tear through me. Kieran watched me, the look in his eyes intensifying.

  He loved this.

  He liked watching me come apart like this.

  And it sent him into a similar frenzy. Without giving me a chance to come down from the pleasure that just rocked my body, Kieran had me on my back in a flash. And then he was pounding into me.

  Relentless.

  Punishing.

  Unyielding.

  Much like he’d done to me when I was on the verge, I could do nothing but remain transfixed by the look on his face. Something moved through him, and through the next few brutal thrusts, he gave me something so beautiful. Vulnerability. It was something I hadn’t seen from him, and it meant everything to me that a man like him was willing to give me that.

  Barely having the chance to let the look register, something else replaced it. One of Kieran’s hands came up to the side of my neck. His fingers at the back of my neck pressed in firmly while his thumb remained at the front of my throat, just barely touching me. Strong and gentle at the same time. And when his
orgasm hit a moment later, he somehow managed to keep the pressure of his thumb light and tender.

  When it left him, Kieran shoved his face into my neck, his lips moving across the skin there. It was soft and sweet, and I couldn’t stop myself from moaning.

  After he made his way up to my mouth and touched his lips to mine in a gentle kiss, he pulled away slowly and exited the bed. Kieran moved to the bathroom, my eyes following him the whole way there.

  Yep. Watching him go, there was no doubt.

  Happiness was hitting me fast.

  And it terrified me.

  I just barely managed to get that feeling under control when he walked back into the bedroom.

  “Did you enjoy being a boss for a little while?”

  Kieran and I were curled up in my bed once again, my back to his front, and he was not ready for sleep just yet. I was surprised at how much I liked that he wasn’t the kind of guy who got what he wanted and fell asleep. I like that he took the time to communicate with me, even if it was about something silly.

  “Did you enjoy what you got?” I returned.

  “Can you handle a little secret?” he countered.

  It took me a second to respond because it made me a little nervous about having him ask me that. I expected him to give me a simple yes or no answer. Eventually, I replied, “Sure.”

  Kieran must have noticed the tension in my body because he squeezed my bicep before pressing a kiss to my shoulder. “Relax,” he urged gently. As soon as I did, he shared, “I’ve fantasized about having your mouth wrapped around my cock since I sat beside you on that airplane.”

  “Really?” I asked. “Is that why you said I was better than every fantasy you had?”

  “Yep.”

  I smiled inwardly, not that he could see it, and replied, “I’m glad.”

  “Are you tired?” he asked.

  “A little. It’s been a long week,” I confessed. “And you wore me out tonight.”

  Kieran chuckled, slid his arm around my waist, and pulled me tighter to his body. After giving my neck another kiss, he said, “Go to sleep, lady.”