Page 87 of Dublin Devil

I roll my eyes. “You’d just been shot twice in the back, so I’ll forgive you. Besides, you made sure he didn’t hit me a second time.”

He dips his chin. “Are you sure you aren’t angry about that? I would understand if you were.”

I reach between us and wrap my fingers around his stiff cock. “I swear on the perfect cock of Sean Quinn, that I have no resentment or anger about him saving me from the nightmare of a man who was my father.”

“Is my cock a bible or a talking stick in this scenario?”

“Does it matter?”

“Not in the slightest. In fact, if you have anything else you want to get off your chest, have at it.”

I raise up on my knees, shift forward, and sink down, taking him into my body. My chest swells as I draw a steadying breath. “And all is right in the world once more.”

Sean reaches to the side and lifts the plate with a generous slice of chocolate cake sitting on it. “And we have cake, too.” There’s a warmth in his eyes that makes my heart flutter.

Sean feeds me a bite of the cake, the rich sweetness of chocolate melting on my tongue. It’s absurd, almost surreal, to find such a moment of peace and normalcy after everything.

“Did you really tell Tag I was your family?”

“When I heard you’d been taken, I lost my mind. Tag said I got too attached to you and I set him straight. I told him I fell in love with you and that giving you up to live a life free from me and the battles of our families was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”

I chew my next bite of cake and swallow. “You weren’t wrong to try, though. If things had gone differently today, I could’ve ended up at my friend’s place and I could’ve had a life outside of our families.”

Sean pauses with my next bite of cake hovering at my mouth. “Is that what you want?”

I take the delicious offering and flex my hips, feeling him inside me. “It was never what I wanted—only what I thought was realistic. And don’t kid yourself. I was already plotting ways to get you to visit me, so I could seduce you.”

He chuckles. “Seduce me? I thought I seduced you.”

I swallow and let the chocolaty bliss work its magic on my taste buds. “It was me who suggested we have sex to make a woman out of me and take me off the bargaining table. It was me who took advantage of you when you were too weak to get out of bed after being stabbed.”

“Aye, that’s true. You wereverydedicated to nursing me back to health.”

I grin. “Orgasms release dopamine and make you feel better. That’s a fact.”

Sean chuckles, his hands gentle but firm on my hips. “Then let’s see if we can make each other feel better, shall we?”

I answer him with a kiss, and by winding my arms behind his neck. His lips are soft against mine, and he tastes of chocolate decadence. The kiss deepens, and I groan into his mouth.

If this is what life with Sean could be, sign me up.

My world has narrowed down to the here and now—to him and me—the warmth of the water splashing in the tub as I ride him, the taste of chocolate on our tongues as we kiss, the solidity of Sean’s protective determination.

Everything else—the danger, the fear, the uncertainty—melts away under the heat of his touch, the sweetness of his kiss.

In this moment, nothing else matters but the feel of him, the strength of his arms, and the fact that when everything I thought about my life blew up in my face, he was the one to help me gather up the pieces.

Here, in Sean’s arms, I find not just solace but a fierce, protective love that promises to hold back the night, to keep the shadows at bay.

As we lose ourselves in each other, in the simple joy of being together, I realize that this is what I’ve been searching for my entire life: a chance at happiness, at peace, at a love that allows me to be seen and valued.

That’s all I’ve ever needed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Sean

Piper and I arrive late to the dining room, but everyone is still milling around the table drinking coffee or, in Bryan’s case, eating what is likely a third plate of protein.

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