Page 33 of Deadly Oath

“Oh, god,” he gasps, sagging forward, still clutching the headboard to hold himself up. “My fucking god, that was good.” His head drops forward, his chest heaving, before he looks up at me, his dark blue eyes still glazed with pleasure. “Fuck, princess.”

I swallow hard, feeling a fine shiver run through me. “I—that was—” I can’t find the words. It was so much more than I ever imagined my first time would be. It was more than I ever imagined sex would be for me at all. As Kian shifts inside of me, slowly pulling out inch by inch, I resist the urge to grip his shoulders and hold him here with me. Something in me resists the idea of him leaving me, wants to keep him buried inside, to do this all over again.

Kian lets out a hiss as he slides out, another shudder rippling through him. “God, you’re fucking tight,” he groans. “Even as wet as you are, you feel like you’re fucking holding onto me for dear life.”

“Is that good?” I manage as he rocks back on his knees, and he chuckles, running a hand through his sweat-damp hair.

“It’s fucking incredible,” he promises me. I stare at him, taking in his bruised body, still flaked with blood. His gaze drops down between my thighs, something heating in his face as he looks at me, and I feel my cheeks flush.

“You’re looking at me like—” Once again, I can’t find the words. I’m not even sure I entirely understand the look on his face. It’s almost victorious, once again, but I can’t make sense of that. He hasn’t won anything by having sex with me, except that he’s gotten to be my first. And I suppose maybe even men who aren’t seeking a bride who can trade her virginity for money and power want that.

“You have no idea what you look like right now.” His voice is husky, his darkened eyes trailing down my body, down between my legs again. “Fucking wrecked, in the best way. All sweaty and flushed, your pretty pussy opened up for me, dripping my cum. I could fucking get off again just looking at you like this.” His softening cock twitches between his thighs, as if to punctuate that statement, and I bite my lip.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask softly. “You look like you’re hurt.”

Kian scoffs, sliding off of the bed. “I’ve had worse,” he says flatly. “Besides, it’s not as if I didn’t sign up for the fight myself. This is nothing compared to some I’ve been in.” He narrows his eyes. “Does it bother you?”

I shake my head, pushing myself up a little against my pillows. I feel exposed now that the fever of lust has passed, and I pull my knees up against my chest, blocking my most intimate parts from Kian’s gaze. “No. The opposite, actually,” I admit, and Kian grins rakishly.

“Seeing me like this turned you on, hm? That’s how we ended up like this?”

“It’s not the only reason.” I lick my lips nervously. “I wanted this. I wanted it since you kissed me in the gym. I just—needed some time. This has all happened really fast.” I draw in a slow breath, feeling the stickiness on my thighs again. “Do you happen to know where I can get a contraceptive here? Will the doctor here give me one, if I go in?”

The thought of going into the small-town clinic here and asking for a morning-after pill makes my face heat. Kian shakes his head, and I feel my stomach drop.

“Doubt it. You’d need to go to a different practice. Somewhere in Louisville, maybe. But you don’t need to worry about it,” he says, and his tone is so convincing that I almost find myself believing him.

“I don’t need to—what on earth makes you say that?”

“It was one time. Hardly anyone gets pregnant the first time. And I’ve been tested recently, so you don’t need to worry about that.” He shrugs, reaching down for his shorts.

“Hardly anyone isn’t exactly a foolproof assurance,” I say through gritted teeth, the pleasurable haze of the afterglow rapidly fading in the face of this new reality.

Kian shrugs again, dragging his shorts on. My protests are momentarily lost as I watch the muscles in his arms and stomach ripple, his silky shorts hanging low on his hips. It feels almost wrong for him to put his shirt back on.

“Neither is pulling out, or a condom.” He straightens, and lets out a sharp breath as he sees the look on my face. “Did you have your period recently?”

My face feels like it’s on fire. When I mumble out an answer, Kian looks satisfied.

“You’re not going to get pregnant,” he says, dragging his t-shirt on. “It’ll be fine. I didn’t mean to get carried away. I just—” He breathes out sharply again. “It felt so fucking good.”

For the first time, I find myself wondering if he’s telling the truth. But his expression looks open, sincere, and I don’t want to think that he might be lying.

Besides,I think as I watch him finish getting dressed,he can’t possiblywantme to get pregnant. He’d probably be driving me to a clinic if he thought there really was a chance. This is a fling—he doesn’t want a baby with me.

That makes sense, and I feel relief as something uncoils in my stomach. I lean back against the pillows, grabbing a throw blanket as the cool air starts to register, making my skin prickle. Kian notices, sliding onto the bed next to me as I tuck the blanket around me.

“Do you want me to leave, princess?” he asks, reaching out to touch my chin with one finger. “I’ll go, if you want.”

I shake my head, suddenly very certain of one thing. I don’t want to be alone again—not yet, anyway.

“No,” I say softly. “Stay as long as you want.”

14

KIAN

Igrin at her as she says it, taking in her still-flushed cheeks and tangled hair. “We should get a shower, then, if I’m going to stay any longer,” he says. “I should’ve cleaned up after that fight hours ago. You wanna show me to where the shower is?”

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