Page 71 of Tender Temptation

He nods and circles his hips, then pulls out and pushes back in. He repeats the motion and increases the pace in slow increments until I can’t take it anymore. I grab his ass and purr, “Faster. Harder.”

“Like this?” Cillian nips my neck and slams back into me.

He rolls his hips into me hard, the bed sounds like it’s going to break as it hits the wall. “Yesssss,” I groan as I run my hands over his muscled body.

Our kisses turn aggressive. We claw and grope and fuck with every last ounce of energy.

Thrashing my head from side to side, I scream at the top of my lungs as my orgasm rips from my body. Cillian reaches around and grips my ass hard, pulling me up to meet him every time he thrust against me. One, two, three hard lunges later and I feel his hot release fill me.

“Fuuuuuuuuck.” He holds me against him.

I’m a noodle. Completely spent.

He rolls us over and positions me on top of him as his cock pulses inside me. Our breathing is labored for a while, but eventually we both settle down and he slips from my body.

At some point, I’m somewhat coherent again and I notice the room is bathed in the soft glow of morning light filtering through the curtains. The world outside is waking up but here in this suite, time seems to have stopped. Cillian and I lie tangled in each other’s arms, our bodies still humming from the intensity of our reunion.

He did, indeed, fuck me until morning.

Cillian’s fingers trace lazy patterns on my back. “Ivy,” he whispers, his voice husky with emotion. “I truly never thought we’d have this again.”

“Neither did I.” I look up at him, my heart swelling with love. “But here we are. It feels…right.”

He presses a kiss to my forehead. “I missed you so much. Every day without you felt like a piece of me was missing.”

“Yeah.“ Tears prick at the corners of my eyes. “I always thought about you and wondered if you were okay. If you were happy.”

He tightens his hold on me, his eyes reflecting the depth of his feelings. “I wasn’t. Not in the least. I hit rock bottom, truth be told and I’m not proud of how far I sunk. I meant what I said the other day. My drinking got bad.Reallybad. I nearly made the same mistakes as my father.”

“You told me in the car. I was shocked and not sure what to say. I’ve wondered if the way things ended between us pushed you over the edge.” I slide down to the mattress and face him.

He turns to his side, shaking his head firmly. “Before we met I was on a slippery slope. A shot here. A few drinks there. For a long time I told myself it took the edge off. We split up and it evolved into taking the pain away. Then I couldn’t function without it. A fucked-up natural progression. Losing you gave me the excuse to drink more until I was downing a bottle every night alone in my loft. I missed family events. Missed a crucial planning meeting. Your dad nearly fired me.”

“Is that how you realized you needed help?” I search his eyes, recalling my dad mentioning Cillian messing up.

“It should have been.” He looks away and winces. “Later that night after your dad threatened my job I was falling-down drunk when my da and brother, Brennan, found me and intervened. They convinced me to go to rehab. I was there for a month. Da took over the job for a bit. He told your father I had a minor health issue.”

“Oh, baby.” I feather kisses along his jaw. “I can’t even picture you like that. It never occurred to me you’d be susceptible to alcoholism. It seems out of character. Aside from our night at Kells and a glass of whiskey here and there, I don’t remember you drinking much at all.”

“I never drank around you because, except on the night we met, you didn’t really indulge. Besides, we were naked most of the time we were together. After you left, though, I more than made up for it. Doubled then tripled down.” He swallows hard and traces my eyebrow with his finger. “I’ve been sober for a year now. I’m serious about my sobriety—I go to meetings, have a sponsor, and I take things one day at a time. Before we get too deep, you need to know what you’re getting into. I won’t drink again, I can’t. Not with my family history.”

My heart aches for his struggle and strength. “I’m proud of you for facing it and getting help.”

“It doesn’t make you want to run screaming?” His eyes search mine. “You’re a beautiful twenty-one-year-old woman with the world at your feet. I’m a thirty-five-year-old recovering alcoholic. It doesn’t paper out.”

I absorb the vulnerability and fear in his expression. “No, Cillian, it doesn’t make me want to run screaming.” I cup his face gently. “Iknowyou. From my own experience and everything my father’s told me over the years, you’re a stand-up guy You’ve fought your demons and have come out stronger. You’re a guy who’s turned a successful business into a formidable company. You love your family and treat your workers with respect and kindness. You always make me feel seen and understood like no one else ever has. Our age difference, your past—none of it matters to me. It never did. What matters is who you are as a person and how much we love each other.”

“I know I’ve already apologized, but I’ll say it again. It haunts me how I pushed you away so cruelly. Made you feel like you weren’t enough.” He lets out a deep breath. “It was wrong and if you’ll let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

“And I’ll never lie to you again.” I press closer and wedge my leg between his. “We’ve both made mistakes and it’s time to let them go. Let’s focus on our future.”

We bask in each other’s arms, lost in our own thoughts. The seriousness of what we’ve discussed settles over us, but there’s a sense of peace too. I feel his heartbeat against my cheek, steady and reassuring, and I know we’re ready to face whatever comes next.

“Cillian, I’d like to tell my parents about us soon.” I trace “I love you” on his chest. “I don’t want to start this new chapter with secrets.”

He nods thoughtfully, his hand gently caressing my shoulder. “Yeah, I don’t want to hide anything either. I’m worried about how they’ll react, though. Especially since your dad’s my biggest client. If he finds out I’m the man from back then…it’ll be a blow. He may never accept me.”

“True,” I admit, feeling the tension. My dad and I have come far but I’ve only been home for a few weeks. “At the same time, my mom and I are closer than ever. Maybe I should tell her and see what she thinks.”

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