Page 51 of Ciaran

I wrap my hand around Ciaran and squeeze.

He makes a throaty growl and raises his hips. “Do that again. Firmer this time.”

I do as he asks, then take him into my mouth once more. Within seconds, he’s fully erect, and I slip into a rhythm. Hard suck, soft squeeze. Lick the tip, hard squeeze. I have no idea what I’m doing, but he seems to like it. Strike that. He seems to love it if the noises he’s making are a sign. My insides flip. I hadn’t thought giving someone pleasure could be such a turn on. Ciaran’s eyes are squeezed shut, and the cords in his neck stand out. A faint sheen of sweat breaks out on his forehead, and a muscle thrums just above his chiseled jawline.

Suddenly, I find myself beneath him. “What’s wrong?”

He gazes down at me, his vibrant green eyes flicking between mine. “Everything is right, Mia. So goddamn right.”

My stomach flips at the earnest tone to his voice. “Then, why did you stop me?”

“Because I didn’t want to come in your mouth, and I was about five seconds from doing just that.”

“I wouldn’t have minded,” I say, even though I’m actually rather relieved. Tanner never thought about me or whether I even liked the taste of cum. Newsflash: I didn’t. Not his, anyway. But Ciaran’s? Yeah, maybe one day I’d like to sample a taste.

A memory crashes my thoughts of the first time Tanner had forced me to swallow. We’d been married almost three years. I’d slowly watched him change into a stranger when his dreams remained unfulfilled, turning into a cruel, angry young man who seemed to only find pleasure in torturing others. Mainly me. Or perhaps that’s who he’d always been, and over time the real Tanner had shown himself when he’d figured he didn’t have to keep up the charade any longer.

He’d come in from a night out with some of the young players at the club, drunk and showing off. He’d cornered me in the kitchen and demanded oral sex. I’d refused, saying I was too tired. He’d sulked, gotten angry, then sulked some more. Paced the room. Then he’d threatened that if I didn’t give in, he’d drag me back into the living room where the guys were and make me suck his cock in front of everyone. I believed him, so I’d gone along with his wishes.

I refocus my gaze to find Ciaran looking down at me, his eyebrows squished together.

“Where do you go when you disappear on me like that?”

The man is astute beyond belief. It must have something to do with his police training that makes him so attuned to others. Or maybe it’s just because Ciaran is an incredible human being. I think about making light of it, but he deserves better.

“A bad memory creeps in from time to time, and I guess it pulls me back to the past for a few seconds.”

His face tightens, and his beautiful, full lips flatten as he guesses what I meant by bad memory.

“I’m so sorry for what you went through. I fucking hate it. I want to kill him.”

I cup his face. I don’t want to give Tanner another second of thought from either of us. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Of course. Anything.”

“Put that gorgeous dick of yours inside me so I can start to replace bad memories with good ones.”

His answering smile almost blinds me. “Beautiful, that I can do.”

We creep into the hotel that is our home by the entrance out back, which leads straight to the living quarters. Because of the early wake-up call I’d given Ciaran, dawn hasn’t yet broken, and the place is in darkness. Plus, it’s Saturday, which I’ve come to realize over the last few weeks of living here is Declan’s only day off. How he keeps up with his crazy schedule is beyond me.

Ciaran and I disappear into our respective rooms to wash up and change our clothes. It’s my first walk of shame, and I hope it won’t be my last. When I emerge, he’s is still in his bedroom.

I wander across to the kitchen to grab eggs and bacon from the fridge. I’m hungry, so he must be starved. I hear a door open and close. Glancing behind me, I hit him with a beaming grin.

“What are you doing?” He comes up behind me and slips his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder.

“Cooking my man some breakfast.”

He turns me in his arms. My stomach pitches as those vibrant emerald eyes fix on mine.

“Is that what I am? Your man?” he murmurs softly, grazing the tip of his nose down mine.

I prod him in the chest. “Well, you’d better not be anyone else’s, that’s for sure.”

He runs his hands over my ass. “I’m all yours, gorgeous.”

“Good. Now, sit. I’m cooking up a storm.”

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