Page 68 of The Edge of Never

“I think we need tae talk.”

Those few words made my breathing falter. Nothing good ever came out of that phrase. At least, not in my experience.

“I guess we do.”

Thane let out a sigh even as he kept rubbing my back.

“Kit… I… I feel like I took advantage of the situation last night, and I hate mahself for that. Enough people in yer life have mistreated ye. Ye didnae need me deaing it tae.”

What?

“I lost control and am sorry for that. That’s no sort of person I wish tae be, someone who cannae control their basest instincts around ye.”

My mind whirled with confusion. Why would he think he took advantage of me? I was fully on board with what happened. I told him I wanted him. Did he think I was lying? He didn’t coerce me. If I hadn’t wanted to sit on his dick, I would have said no. I would have stopped him in his tracks.

“Thane—”

“Am no better than that cunt who got ye drunk and kissed ye.”

“That’s not—”

“Am so fucking sorry. If ye hate me noo, I’ll understand. It’s no like ye really even liked me in the—”

I did the only thing I could think of to stop him from talking. From making me feel as though he regretted what happened because I didn’t. It would feel shitty if he did. As if the sex between us meant nothing. Because it did. It fucking did.

I kissed him.

Thane froze in place as my mouth landed on his. He hadn’t attempted to kiss me last night. I had wondered why at the time, but it didn’t seem important when he was being so mouthy about how he was going to fuck me.

I dared move my lips on his as my hand slid up his chest, along his neck and into his beard so I could cup his cheek.

It took a moment for him to relax slightly, to kiss me back. It was tentative as fuck. I had a feeling after he told me he had only been with his wife that it included kissing. He hadn’t let anyone else touch him this way and, fuck, if that didn’t make my heart clench.

I pulled away slightly, wanting to reassure him with words that he had done nothing wrong. That this was entirely consensual. No one had taken advantage of anyone else.

“What was that for?” he breathed before I could get a word in.

“I wanted you to stop talking… and, well, I wanted to kiss you.”

“Ye wanted tae…” he trailed off, a disbelieving look appearing in his green eyes.

I stroked his beard and pressed ahead.

“I don’t know where you got the idea that I wasn’t very into what we did last night. I distinctly remember telling you I wanted you. Were my words not enough or something?”

Thane stared at me. His disbelief morphed into confusion.

“They were.”

“Then why are you saying sorry about what happened? Do you regret it?”

He shook his head slowly. Relief flooded out of me, warming my insides because fuck, I don’t know what I would have done if he said yes.

“I don’t regret it either.”

I pressed another kiss to his mouth.

“I want to do it again.”

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