Page 103 of Love, Lies, and Celtic Knots

"God, Ryan…" My words dissolve into a gasp as his mouth closes over me, his tongue relentless in its pursuit of my pleasure. Each stroke, each flick, pushes me further into the abyss, a fall I welcome now, one I only want to take with him.

My fingers clutch the cool, polished wood of the stairs beneath me, legs spreading wider as he dips lower, tasting me fully before sliding back up. Ryan’s tongue, sinfully skilled, swirls around my clit, drawing circles of fire that leave me panting, my chest rising and falling with a wild need only he can satisfy. It’s not just his mouth that has me spiraling—it’s the intent behind every calculated movement, the promise that he knows exactly how to unravel me.

"Ryan," I exhale, the word a fragmented surrender. His free hand grazes over my nipples, pinching lightly, sending jolts of electric pleasure coursing through me, amplifying the sensations radiating from where his lips are locked onto me. My gaze drops, and I watch him work between my legs, the sight nearly shattering my control.

I tremble, the coiling heat deep in my belly building to an unbearable peak. But I hold back, biting my lip, unwilling to give him the satisfaction just yet—though I know it’s only a matter of time before I can’t resist the release he’s so expertly drawing from me.

With a growl of frustration and lust, he lifts me up and carries me the rest of the way to the bed, tossing me onto it and following me down, unbuttoning his fly as he does so. Spreading my legs, he makes a place for himself between my thighs and then thrusts up inside me.

"More, Ryan," I pant between kisses, the sensation building, threatening to sweep me away.

"Keep up with me, Candace," he grunts, his breath hot against my cheek. It’s not a challenge—it’s a promise of the ecstasy waiting to consume me. And I know, no matter what, this is exactly where I need to be. In his arms. In the hands of a man who makes me forget everything but the raw pleasure of being his and only his.

The world tilts, and Ryan’s voice, a hot, dark whisper against my ear, sends shivers cascading down my spine. "I’ve wanted to fuck you again for so long. I swear the first club we visit you’re going to spend some serious time strapped to a spanking horse."

His words sear into me, sending a surge of need straight to my pussy, an irrevocable claim that unravels the last threads of my resistance. His eyes lock onto mine, drilling into me, as if to etch every word onto my soul.

"I’ve thought about you, fantasized about getting my cock inside you again. God, I’d forgotten how beautiful, how perfect you are, Candace."

As he speaks, my body tenses, the delicious coil in my belly tightening to the point of agony. He doesn’t wait for me to respond with sarcasm or fight. Instead, his rhythm becomes relentless, driving into me with a precision that promises nothing but oblivion.

"Keep fucking me," I gasp, my voice a ragged sound lost in the heavy breathing that fills the bedroom. My nails dig into his shoulders, marking him, branding this moment on both our bodies, a memory of when everything between us changed.

"Oh, I’m going to, baby. Until that hate in your eyes turns into something else," he growls, his breath hot against my sweat-dampened skin as he whispers words meant only for me. "Until you beg me to never stop fucking you."

There’s no time to weigh the meaning of his confession, no space to consider the future he paints with those words. Because just then, his hand snakes between us and findsthatspot, the maddening, perfect pressure on my clit, and I shatter. I fall apart beneath him, my cries echoing off the walls as pleasure consumes me, taking every thought, every fear, and leaving only him.

He follows, his release tearing a guttural cry from his lips, my name falling from him like a confession, raw and unfiltered. Hefinds heaven alongside me, a heaven made of flesh and desire, of two bodies moving in perfect, desperate harmony.

In his arms, I rediscover paradise, a place I fought so hard to resist. One I never thought I’d find again, but Ryan is a siren call I can’t ignore, not when every touch scorches me, not when his presence alone ignites a need I can’t control.

And now? Now he has me, because I never want him to stop. Not now, not with the taste of him still on my tongue, the scent of hot, unbridled sex lingering in the air. In the tangle of limbs and labored breaths, I know I’m lost to him. And it occurs to me I might just be okay with being found.

Chapter 11

Ryan

The storm outside has settled, leaving only the soft patter of rain against the windows. Inside, the air is still thick with the scent of us, the sheets tangled beneath our bodies as we lie together, her head resting on my chest, her hair brushing my skin. The anger that burned so fiercely between us earlier feels distant now, replaced by a quiet calm, a fragile peace.

I stroke her back absently, my fingers tracing lazy patterns along the curve of her spine. She’s quiet, her breath soft and even, but I know she’s not asleep. Neither am I.

“I’m sorry,” I say, breaking the silence. The words come out rougher than I intended, heavy with the weight of everything I didn’t say before. “For not being there. For leaving when you needed me most.”

Her body stiffens for a moment, and then she sighs, raising up on her elbow and shifting to look down at me. Her eyes are clear, no longer clouded by anger, just a trace of sadness lingering in their depths. “I’m sorry, too,” she says quietly. “For not telling you. For shutting you out.”

The apology takes me by surprise, and I cup her face, my thumbs brushing over her cheekbones. “You had every right tohate me, Candace. I wasn’t there. I didn’t know, but I should’ve been. And I’ll carry that guilt for the rest of my life.”

She settles back down beside me. Her hand comes up to rest over mine, her fingers warm against my skin. “You didn’t know, Ryan,” she whispers. “And I was too proud—too hurt—to tell you. It wasn’t just about the baby. It was everything. Losing her, losing you… it broke me in ways I didn’t know how to fix. I didn’t want to need you, and I sure as hell didn’t want to ask for help.”

I tilt her chin up, meeting her gaze. “You don’t have to ask anymore. I’m here, Candace. I’m not going anywhere. Not this time.”

Her lips twitch, the ghost of a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. “Big promises, Murphy. You sure you can keep them?”

“I don’t break promises,” I say firmly. “Not to you.”

Her smile softens, and she settles back against me, her fingers trailing absently along my chest. For a moment, we’re quiet again, the only sounds the steady rhythm of our breathing and the distant crash of waves.

“I never stopped loving you,” I murmur, the words spilling out before I can think to temper them. “Not for a single second. And I don’t want to pressure you—I know we have a lot to figure out—but I need you to know. I want a future with you, Candace. I thought I was coming back to rescue the vineyard, but the truth is, I think I came back to rescue myself. And you.”

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