“Ari? Baby, I need you to answer me.”
I stepped back and grasped the hem of my long-sleeved shirt, lifting it up and over my head. My leggings were next, and I kept a hand on his arm to steady myself as I peeled the damp material from my skin before kicking it aside.
“I’m good,” I finally admitted, my chest rising and falling on an unsteady breath.
Killian’s nostrils flared as I stood before him in nothing but my bra and panties, the muscle in his jaw flexing as his eyes raked over my body.
“Come here.” He took my hand and led me over to stand in front of the large mirror. His chest pressed against my back as he leaned down to nuzzle the side of my neck, whispering, “I want you to see what I see when I look at you. You are so goddamned beautiful, Ari.”
I nodded dumbly in response, utterly incapable of stringing together a single thought with his warm breath against my skin.
Killian unclasped my necklace and studied my reflection with another look of reverence before straightening to his full height. He threaded his fingers through my wet hair and pressed his lips to my scar. “Don’t ever hide yourself—not from me.”
I inhaled sharply and closed my eyes against the sting of tears. Before Killian, I’d never imagined there could be more than one way to say I love you. But under his hands, I let myself absorb the words, both spoken and unspoken until steam from the shower began to fog the mirror.
My skin flushed when his thigh moved between my legs. I instinctively pushed back, seeking him. The corners of his mouth turned up when I reached between our bodies to free the clasp on my bra, before arching wantonly against his chest.
“I love you too,” I murmured, letting the straps slip down my arms. Killian kissed my neck as I bent forward to lower my panties, his erection pressing against my skin.
My breasts brushed against the cold marble countertop. Suddenly, every inch of me pulsed with need, like my heart had relocated to the area between my legs. I turned, shivering as his eyes lowered to explore my body. His hands followed, lightly trailing down my spine before latching onto my backside, kneading my flesh.
“Fuck,” Killian muttered on a low growl, the word vibrating through me as his mouth found mine. This time, his kisses were ravenous and rough, making it almost impossible to function.
Almost.
I brought my fingers to the front of his wet jeans and gripped the button, overcome with the need to touch him.
He released his hold on me and jerked away with a sharp gasp. “Shower.”
I blinked up at him in confusion, my breaths almost as ragged as his. “But—”
“Come on.” He kept his arms down at his side as he walked me into the steamy shower, losing the door softly behind me. “I’m just going to throw your things in the dryer.”
Six people could have comfortably fit inside, yet he’d left me all alone. Reluctantly, I stepped under one of the shower heads mounted to the ceiling. I’d showered just this morning, but it didn’t stop me from washing my hair with Killian’s shampoo and lathering his soap into my skin. If I couldn’t have him, I’d have his scent.
It wasn’t enough. Warm water cascaded over my sizzling skin, but my nipples remained puckered and sensitive to the point of aching.
Why was he not in here with me?
I wiped the condensation from the glass and peered out to find Killian sitting on the edge of the bathtub. If I squinted, I could almost make out the twitching pulse in his neck and the flare of his nostrils.
My heart twisted with longing at the sight of him. I pushed the door open and lowered a hand to my hip before asking, “Aren’t you going to join me? In case you hadn’t noticed, your clothes are wet too.”
The muscle in his jaw clenched, but he refused to look at me. “Ari, I’m trying real hard to be a gentleman with you right now.”
“I know,” I sighed dramatically, rolling my eyes in mock frustration. “I sure wish you’d stop.”
Killian jerked his head toward me with a lifted brow. “You want me in there with you.”
A statement.
“I don’t really know how much more obvious I could be.” I ran a soapy hand over my breasts, fighting a victorious smirk as I watched the last of his control slip away.
He closed his eyes and muttered a curse before kicking off his boots and unbuttoning his shirt. Dark ink climbed up his arms like vines, coiling in a circular pattern around each shoulder.
Bible verses against tattoo markings filtered into my consciousness, but I shoved them aside. I wasn’t allowing a two-thousand-year-old book to make my decisions for me.
Not tonight.
I’d known Killian was fit but watching his biceps flex without clothes in the way was an entirely new experience. I drank in the sight of him as he coaxed his jeans down over narrow hips. It was as if the muscles had been carved into his skin.
Boxer briefs clung to his body, highlighting his hard length and leaving me with an overwhelming need to touch—to make him feel as good as he’d made me the last time we were together.
Killian’s eyes flashed with determination as he strode toward me, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of his briefs. An involuntary sound escaped my throat when he tugged them down and stepped inside.
“I think she likes what she sees,” he murmured with a low chuckle, moving behind me to press a kiss to my shoulder blade.
My breath caught in my throat. I turned, stepping up to press my lips to his while guiding his hand down my belly. “Love me, Killian. Please.”
He kept his mouth on mine as his body pushed me back against the tile, grazing my dimple with his teeth. I could have sworn he was speaking, but his voice was too low to hear over the rush of blood in my ears.
The corners of his eyes crinkled as he pulled back to look down at me, tracing my lips with his fingers before moving lower to cup my breasts. His thumb and forefinger kept steady pressure on my tender nipples until my skin erupted in goosebumps.
Shivers of desire coursed through me when he pinched harder, and I squirmed, moaning incoherent demands. I curled my hand around the back of his neck, desperate and greedy for the feel of his mouth.
He exhaled a laugh and trailed kisses down my jaw and neck, before reaching my breasts. A rush of air left my lungs as his mouth closed around one, his teeth scraping over the tip.
I arched my back and forced my heavy eyes open when Killian’s mouth left my breast. With one hand on the tile to brace himself, he lowered his head, sliding his tongue over my sternum and down my belly. My hips bucked against his mouth. He pulled back with a growl of frustration, his face contorted in pain.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, pressing my lips to his collarbone. “I didn’t mean to hurt you—or is it your knee? Do you want to get out and sit for a minute?”
Killian mashed his lips together and brushed his thumb over my cheek, before exhaling an incredulous laugh. “Baby, you have no idea the things I want to do to you right now.”
At my blank expression, he lowered his hand to cup between my legs, keeping his blue eyes on mine as he parted my curls and stroked along my seam. His finger swirled through my wetness once before pushing inside me.
I bit down on my lip and swayed into the palm of his hand with a moan, still not understanding, but no longer caring.
“This,” he ground out, freeing his finger and holding it up for display. “But with my tongue. As soon as I’m cleared, you can bet your ass I’ll be on my knees in front of you.”
He sucked my arousal off the digit with a cocky smirk before returning it to the junction between my thighs. This time, he touched me like I’d often touched myself, rubbing circles around my center until I was pleading for release in broken whimpers.
I opened my legs wider for him, keeping a hand on his shoulder for balance. My body shuddered violently beneath his touch, mindlessly chasing after the same thing he’d given me last weekend in his truck. Just as I began to worry it wouldn’t happen again, his finger pushed in
to me. My body burst into a million fractals of light. I didn’t even necessarily know what fractals were, but that was what I’d become.
“Ari, wait,” Killian said in a gruff tone, reaching for my hands, trying to still my movements.
I shook my head and traced the line of dark hair down his stomach, whispering, “Can you show me how to touch you? I want to love your body like you love mine.”
He nodded and lowered my wrist until his length was pressed against my palm, breathing heavier than he’d been only moments before. My fingers instinctively wrapped around the base. He nodded again, guiding my movements, showing me how he liked to be touched.
I raised a brow when he groaned but continued pumping my fist up and down, loving the way his eyes went hooded. He matched my rhythm with his finger, stroking my inner walls with a gentleness I hadn’t expected.
There was something beautiful in the way we gave pleasure, a certain intimacy in an act I’d never share with anyone but him.
“Make love to me,” I pleaded breathlessly, rocking my hips against his hand. “Please, Killian.”
The muscle in his jaw flexed, and he squeezed his eyes shut before withdrawing from my body. “I want you so badly I ache, Ari.”
Taking it as an invitation, I stepped between his legs, sucking in a sharp breath as my sensitive breasts came in contact with solid muscle. When he didn’t make a move, I arched upward onto my toes and gripped his shoulders, trying to align my body with his. “Please.”
Killian’s nostrils flared as he lowered his forehead to mine. “I can’t. I don’t have a condom.” His tone was tinged with regret.
I ignored the pang of disappointment and wrapped my hand around his erection again, feeling wild and reckless.
We were so close.
“I could have your baby,” I breathed out, looking up at him from under my lashes, just greedy enough to test his resolve.
The tendons in his neck stood out as he grasped my hair in his fist, gently tugging until there was some distance between us. His other hand covered mine, tightening my grip around his shaft.
My mouth fell open when that very same hand settled between my legs, filling my body with not one, but two fingers. I clenched around them, sending more goosebumps racing over my skin.
“I don’t want to run the risk of you getting pregnant our first time together, slugger,” Killian ground out through a clenched jaw, his gaze moving over me possessively. “I want to take my time getting to know every inch of your body before we start a family.”
The proclamation sent a current of need straight to my core. “You want a family with me?”
He grinned and lowered his mouth to my neck, nipping the skin. “You’ll be the woman who carries my babies, slugger. But not for a long time. I want to do this right—make you my wife first.”
His wife.
I threaded my fingers through his hair as his thrusts increased, close to coming apart again.
“Keep touching me,” he begged, shedding the last of his restraint. “I’m so fucking close.”
I tried to mirror his strokes, succeeding in little more than clumsy squeezes when my body tightened around his fingers. I pressed my lips to his jaw as waves of pleasure crashed over me, whispering, “You’ll be an amazing husband and father.”
Killian thrust his hips forward with a strangled growl, pumping into my fist and coating my breasts and belly with warm liquid. He rubbed it into my skin with his fingertips, before lowering his mouth to mine in a crushing kiss.
Marked.
I was still breathing hard when we finally broke apart, my mind floating lazily somewhere above my body.
Killian’s eyes returned to mine. “Move in with me.”
“What?” I mumbled, certain I’d misunderstood in my foggy state.
“God, Ari. You are so soft and sweet. No one has ever known how to take care of you; to protect you. No one’s ever loved you the way you needed, and it shows. So, don’t go back to your father.” His lips brushed over my scar. “Stay here—let me take care of you.”
I gaped at him, until I realized he wasn’t joking. Killian wanted me to live here. With him. No more sneaking around—no more walls.
“Yes,” I whispered, quashing the fear in my chest. Tristan and the church couldn’t hurt me.
Not anymore.
24
Ariana
“There are no ambitions noble enough to justify breaking someone's heart.”
-Colleen McCullough, The Thorn Birds
It was almost midnight when Killian pulled up to True North, taking a parking spot near the entrance. He turned to me with a smirk. “You ready?”
“I can’t believe we’re really doing this.” I reached up to tug on my necklace, only to remember I’d left it on the bathroom counter back at Killian’s place.
Our place.
“Damn straight we are, slugger.” He got out and came around to open my door for me, helping me down. “We’ll get your things, your prescriptions, and sign whatever we need to for home therapy. It’ll be a piece of cake.”
I ignored the churning in my stomach and laced my fingers through his as we walked through the sliding doors. Given the late hour, the lobby was deserted, and I found the silence unsettling.
Something felt off, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was exactly. By all rights, I should have been celebrating my freedom, not tiptoeing in around with my guard up.
“Hey.” Killian frowned as we stepped inside the elevator, using his index finger to tip my chin up. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Yeah, I know,” I croaked in a hoarse whisper, spinning the baseball bracelet in slow circles around my wrist. It was just nerves and maybe a little bit of fear of the unknown. Once my things were in the condo, the flutters would disappear. I’d be able to relax.
The noise reached us before the doors had even fully opened.
“What the…” Killian began, pulling me closer as we stepped off into a scene of utter chaos. Several police officers milled around the nurse’s station, their radios crackling with static.
Blood rushed to my stomach. I kept my arm around his waist, searching for a familiar face. “Tsega was supposed to be—”
“There she is!” Tiffani shrieked, stabbing a finger in my direction. “We found her!”
It took everything in me not to vomit when I realized who she was addressing. Tristan approached us with a clenched jaw, while Brad followed a few steps behind, his face twisted in a sneer.
I briefly considered the possibility that his God had alerted him to my plans of escape before shifting my eyes over to Tiffani. The tech was only on during the week, so the fact that she was here now meant she’d been the one tasked with checking up on me.
Just another one of Tristan’s little birds.
Their footsteps moved closer, somehow magnified despite of the sheer number of people gathered on the floor. Even Georgia had wandered down the hall in her bathrobe. When she realized what was going on, her hand came up over her mouth.
“I’m not coming back,” I forced out through a clenched jaw, taking a step backward toward the elevator. My shaking hands dug into Killian’s sides, but I refused to let go.
As long as I held on, we were going to be okay.
Tristan’s brows drew together, and he shook his head. “Ariana, sweetheart, you’re confused.”
“I’m not.”
Killian’s steps slowed, his muscles tensing under my grip. “Christ.”
“Close,” Tristan replied dryly, advancing on us. “But most people just call me Pastor James, or Ariana’s daddy.”
Blink. Blink.
“Where’s Tsega?” I punched the button for the elevator and spun around, calculating my options for escape if it didn’t arrive soon. There was nothing else.
We were boxed in.
Trapped.
“She’s been relieved of her duties here,” the director answered. It looked as if she’d been dragged out of her bed. I imagined
she probably had once Tristan was made aware of my disappearance.
I tore my eyes from hers as Brad moved in, shaking his head as he gave Killian a once-over. “I knew something was off with this guy. Thank God you’re safe. Let’s get you out of here.”
He caught the collar of my shirt and yanked, sending me stumbling forward. Killian wrested me from his hold, placing his body in front of mine like a shield.
“Don’t touch her,” he warned in a low voice, his muscles taut with rage. “She said she’s not going back. Respect her decision.”
Brad rolled his eyes. “I’m allowed to touch my fiancée, kid. How many does this make for you now—four? Five? You seem to have a real knack for taking advantage of unavailable women, but surely even the team has their limits.”
Shit. Damn. Hell.
“Fiancée? Okay, buddy. Sure.” Killian exhaled a mirthless chuckle before turning to me, his confident expression falling into a look of horrified recognition. “Wait, you’re engaged?”
Emotion clogged my throat, but I nodded, forcing the words through stiff lips. “I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you. I swear—I never meant to keep it from you.”
Killian raked a hand through his hair with a muttered curse, shaking his head in disbelief. When I placed my palm on his chest, he jerked away, and I was forced to see the coldness in his eyes for the truth it was.
I’d broken his trust. Nothing I said or did now would restore it. Brad’s hand came down on my shoulder like a weight, and I closed my eyes, letting it drag me under.
One of the officers stepped forward, almost reluctantly. “Killian Reed, you’re under arrest—”
I jerked away from Brad’s grip with a cry of anguish before putting myself in the middle. “Please, don’t!” I held up my palms, pleading, “He didn’t do anything—I’m an adult! I—”
“It’s over now, son. I hope you see this as a wakeup call to get the help you need,” Tristan stated flatly, shaking his head while remaining a safe distance away.
Through The Water: Fairest Series Book Two Page 29
