Page 56 of Guarded from Corruption

And, if I’m being honest with myself, I want them to like me. I think they do, but I’ve never been the most social person, so I’m not sure. But if things with Niall are going to work out, which I really hope they do, I want his team to be happy about it. About me.

So I might have gone a little overboard setting everything up.

I couldn’t help it. All the years of watching my mother give her grand events stuck with me. Never let a guest’s glass run dry. Serve dishes you know your guests will like, even if you don’t like them yourself. There must be plenty of comfortable seating, preferably in different types of arrangements. Decor is a critical element of every successful party.

Everyone is supposed to be getting here shortly and I’m fussing with the dishes on the kitchen island for the gazillionth time when Niall comes out of the bedroom, looking, if possible, more handsome than usual.

He’s wearing these perfectly worn, dark denim jeans that remind me just how muscular his legs are. And he has on this slate gray T-shirt with just a hint of blue, which picks up the silvery flecks in his dark blue eyes. The fabric stretches just the right amount across his broad chest and muscly arms, and his hair is all damp and wavy and glinting bronze and gold and he’s smiling that incredible smile and?—

“Jade.” His smile gets even bigger as he walks toward me. “What are you doing?”

“Um.” It takes me a second to switch gears. “Making sure all the food looks good?”

“It does.” Moving around the island, he comes beside me and frames my waist with his hands. “It looks amazing, really. But that’s not what I was talking about.”

“It wasn’t?”

“No.” His voice goes low and rough. “You were looking at me.” A pause. “Not just looking. You were giving me a look.”

Oh.

“Well.” My cheeks get warm, but I lift my chin as I reply, “And if I was?”

Niall’s gaze burns into mine. “I liked it.”

I put my hand on his chest, flattening my palm over his heart. “You look really handsome. But you know that.”

He cups my cheek and leans closer; his lips only inches from mine. “All I know is how I feel when you look at me like that. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.”

My heart stutters. Skips. “I was thinking about how attracted I am to you. How much”—my face gets hotter, but I push on—“I want you.”

His pupils dilate. “Jade.”

Is it too soon to feel this way? What would I be telling a patient who’d been through something similar? To take their time?

But then again, this thing with Niall is different. Maybe being together is new, but my feelings for him aren’t. The way I trust him isn’t new.

And the thought of being with Niall? Really being with him? It feels more right than anything.

So I close the distance between us, pressing my lips to his, showing him everything I’m feeling.

Nipping and sucking at his lower lip, teasing his mouth open and dipping inside. Our tongues moving together, stroking and teasing. My hand cupping his nape, fingers threading into his hair and tugging just a bit—not enough to hurt, but enough to urge Niall to take the kiss deeper.

His hand moves to the small of my back, then lower, cupping my ass and pulling me close enough to feel his arousal jutting against my belly.

He makes a small sound in the back of his throat, a primal, possessive noise.

A throbbing ache builds at my core; a need more intense than I’ve ever felt before.

And then a knock sounds at the door. Followed quickly by two more.

We freeze. As Niall meets my gaze, there’s a moment of indecision. A reluctance to end this connection.

Then Rhiannon calls out, “Hey, I have a crock pot full of buffalo chicken dip here. You want to let me in?”

Niall ends the kiss with a disappointed sigh. He gives me a crooked smile and says, “I guess it would be rude to ignore our guests after inviting them over.”

“Yes.” I take a step back, trying to regain my composure. “It would be rude.”

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