Page 90 of Verses Of Us

“Beautiful,” she said aloud.

“You definitely are,” Ciarán answered, startling her.

He stood in the doorway wearing nothing but his pyjama pants and she let her eyes canvas his bare chest.

“There’s coffee.” She nodded over her shoulder toward the kitchen.

“I know. The smell woke me.” He joined her, lifting the blanket and moving in close. He kissed her cheek, right along her jaw. “I could get used to this in the morning.”

Ciarán’s hand travelled up and down her exposed thigh, causing her insides to tighten and her body heat to rise.

“What would you like to do today? We can go riding or hike. The trails have superb views. Or we could drive into town. There are some nice little shops.”

His apparent ease confused her. She was still on edge, questioning if they’d made a mistake last night. “Don’t people recognize you?”

“They do, but they don’t care much.” He laughed, nuzzling his nose against her temple. “Most leave me to myself.”

She shrugged. “A walk sounds nice. I’m not much into hiking.”

“And the riding?”

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. “Oh, no. I don’t ride horses.”

“You don’t?” He rested his chin on her shoulder. “Why? Are you afraid?”

“A little, yes.”

“Ever ridden one?”

“When I was eight. School camp. I was trying to get on, and my foot got stuck in the stirrup. Ended up with my ass on the ground in some hay and shit.”

Amused, his body shook with his laugh. “But you never got on the horse?”

“No.”

“How can you fear something you’ve never experienced?”

Aware that he was no longer talking about horses, she glanced at him, considering. “Sometimes you can know that even if you take a chance, you’ll get hurt.”

He ran his nose against her cheek, and she shied away from his affectionate touch. “I wouldn’t hurt you, Alexis. You know this isn’t like that, right?”

She held her tongue, rubbing her thighs, her foot fidgeting.

“Can’t you feel it this time?” he pressed.

She shrugged in response, licking her lips.

“God, it’s infuriating.” He pulled away, taking his warmth with him. “Every step I take, you take one back.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is. You said you wanted to enjoy our time together, but you can’t. Not when you’re not all here.”

“You’re wrong. I am enjoying my time.” She looked away, keeping her eyes on the meadows. “You’re the one arguing.”

“You’re damn right I am. Lex, why won’t you stop pushing me away?”

“Ciarán…” she warned, her tone low. “Please stop.”

---