Page 33 of Twisted Thorns

A shiver runs down my spine at his words, and I can't help but glance at his hands. Kieran and I had been seeing each other for a couple of weeks now, and I knew what business might mean. Or might not. I never knew and wasn't sure if I should ask.

I watch as Kieran shrugs out of his jacket, revealing lean, muscular arms wrapped with tattoos I now knew represented what mattered most to him. I had slowly been uncovering the meaning behind some of the ink I could see decorating his frame.

"Did you miss me?" Kieran asks softly.

I lift my chin, refusing to give in so easily. "Perhaps. If you're lucky."

A low chuckle rumbles in Kieran's chest. "Luck has nothing to do with it." He reaches out, tangling his fingers in my hair and tugging me closer. "Admit it. You want me as desperately as I want you."

His touch ignites a blaze beneath my skin. I could no more resist him than I could stop the sun from rising. "Yes," I breathe, my lips a hairsbreadth from his.

Triumph flashes in Kieran's eyes an instant before he claims my mouth in a searing kiss. I melt against him, twining my arms around his neck to pull him closer. His whiskey and smoke scent is intoxicating, as addictive as the most potent drug.

When Kieran finally lifts his head, I'm breathless, my senses reeling. "Do you see now why I can't stay away from you?" he rasps.

I smile up at him, my heart overflowing with tenderness and desire. "Just as you can't escape me. Not now that I know the truth."

Kieran's expression softens, his gaze searching. Brushing a stray lock of hair from my cheek, his touch turns achingly tender. "Nor would I want to."

My breath catches at his words. In that moment, I know with perfect clarity that Kieran speaks the truth.

The sun dips lower in the sky, its golden light filtering through the trees as Kieran and I make our way back down the wooded trail. A comfortable silence stretched between us, no words needed to express the peace and contentment we found in each other's presence.

Breathing deep, I inhaled the pine-scented air, my senses awakening to the surrounding beauty. Wildflowers dotted the rugged slope with bursts of color amid the greenery and birds chirped from the branches overhead.

I smile up at Kieran, warmth flooding through me at his presence in one of my favorite places. At this moment, I want nothing more than to freeze time, to remain here with him, cocooned in nature's embrace.

My foot snags on a rebellious root jutting out from the ground, and I stumble forward. Kieran’s reflexes are swift, a testament to the predator lurking beneath his human veneer, but even he can't prevent my hand from scraping against the rugged bark of an oak tree. Pain lances through my palm, a bright red bloom of blood welling up.

"Damn," I hiss, more at my clumsiness than the sting of the wound.

"Let me see." Kieran's voice is a low purr, threaded with concern and something darker. Before I can protest, he takes my injured hand in his, inspecting it with an intensity that sends a shiver down my spine. Then, his tongue darts out, lapping at the crimson bead with a deliberate slowness that is both shocking and undeniably erotic.

"Kieran!" My breath catches, a mingled gasp of surprise and awakening hunger.

"Better?" He looks up, eyes gleaming with a feral light that matches the hint of blood on his lips.

"Y-yes," I stammer, my body aflame with a heat that has nothing to do with my minor injury.

He steps closer, and I'm suddenly aware of the solidity of his body, the barely restrained power that hums beneath his skin. With a grace that belies his size, Kieran backs me into the rough embrace of the tree behind me. His mouth descends upon mine, demanding and insistent. This kiss is a claiming, a fierce melding of lips and teeth that speaks of a hunger too long denied.

Kieran's hand envelopes mine, deftly guiding them upwards until they rest against the tree's rough and biting bark. My body instinctively reacts, arching itself into Kieran's as I feel the swell of his hard length pressing against my aching core. A moan escapes my lips as I’m engulfed in a wave of desire, but Kieran is already there, swallowing the sounds as if they were the sweetest nectar.

His hand moves to cradle my jaw, thumb caressing the sensitive skin there before trailing up to wrap around my throat—a gentle pressure, a silent reminder of the danger and thrill that he embodies. I move my arm, hands seeking the strength of his back, needing to pull him impossibly closer.

But as my fingers brush over his shirt, he hisses—a sound of pain so raw it sears through the haze of my desire. I freeze, the reality of the moment crashing back.

"Kieran? What's wrong?"

He tries to capture my gaze again, to pull me back into the spell we were weaving together, but I've seen—felt—something he can't hide. My heart races, not just with passion now, but with a dawning concern for this enigmatic man who has become my anchor in a world I no longer fully understand.

"Show me," I demand, my voice firm despite the tremor that runs through me.

"Nothing to worry about," he grumbles, the lines of his face tightening in a way that tells me he's lying.

But Kieran Calder doesn't give in easily, and I know that whatever he's concealing, it’s serious. I may have lost memories of our past, but I trust the bond that thrums between us, a connection that defies logic and reason—a connection that I’m not willing to let him break, not when it could mean losing him all over again.

His broad shoulders shift as he takes a step back, a shadow crossing his normally impassive face. The scent of pine and damp earth mingles with the iron tang of my blood, but it's the pained expression in Kieran's eyes that anchors me to the spot.

---