Page 125 of Rebellion

“Hmm, I don’t think I said a proper hello to you, did I?” he asked.

“No,” she said breathlessly. “I don’t believe you did.”

“Well, we’ll have to change that.” He pressed his lips to hers and she let out a low moan.

Pleasure shot through her in waves and she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. His tongue slid into her mouth.

God.

So good.

When he drew back, she didn’t want him to stop. She could kiss him for hours.

“Easy, baby,” he murmured as she let out a protesting cry. “We don’t want your cousin to come storming out here and demand that he supervise our date.”

That sounded like something that Sacha might do. She nodded and he shut the door. Opening the door behind her, he put her jacket down on the backseat before he got in and started the car.

“Now, about this running down the stairs,” he said as they drove towards the gates. “You could have been seriously hurt and I don’t want you doing it again, understand?”

She sighed, but nodded. “I was just eager to see you.”

“I’m always happy to see you, lass. But I want you in one piece.”

When passed through the gates, a sense of dread filled her and she started to feel so strange. As if she was having an out-of-body experience. She tried to breathe, to move, but she couldn’t.

Panic made everything worse. Her heart was racing.

She was going to pass out!

“Sofia! Sofia, look at me.”

Colm’s voice barely penetrated her fear. She couldn’t.

“Sofia, you need to stop it right now. Stop panicking.”

The fierce determination and pure dominance in his voice actually got through this time. Some of the panic dissipated, but she still felt ill and weird. And her breathing was far too fast.

“Look at me, lass. Uh-uh. No. Look. At. Me. I’m in control right now. No thinking. No disobeying. Look. At. Me.”

Finally, she managed to turn her head. His blue eyes were staring intently at her.

When did he pull the car over?

Then he grabbed her hands.

He was squeezing them tight, almost to the point of pain. But that seemed to clear more of the panic.

“Keep those eyes on me. All you need to do is obey me right now. Understand? I’m going to keep you safe, but you need to listen. I want you to squeeze my hands.”

She shook her head.

“You can do it, baby. Squeeze my hands and focus on your breathing. Deep breath in. One. Two. Then hold. One. Two. Out. One. Two.”

Sofia let his voice guide her. It took a while, but her breathing gradually slowed. As the panic dissipated, embarrassment and sadness took its place.

Tears filled her eyes and drifted down her face. “I’m sorry. So sorry.”

“Hey, lass. Why are you sorry? You have nothing to be sorry about.”

---