Page 89 of Verses Of Us

“But my life isn’t here. I’ve worked too hard to get where I am now.” She stopped and took a deep breath. She didn’t only mean career-wise, but also emotionally. It took so long to get over him last time, and she had never been the same since. She ran her fingers through his hair and continued. “The ink on my divorce is barely dry. I think for now we shouldn’t rush it.”

She heard the vacancy in her excuses. And despite how long she had hoped this would turn into something more, fear still held her back. A fear she’d developed after being burned too many times.

“If that’s what you want,” he whispered through a shaky breath.

Her clobbering heartbeat drowned the loud cricket chirps out. Alexis cupped his face and ran a thumb across his lip. She wasn’t ready for long-winded explanations or to dive into their past and rediscover why they had never worked out. She didn’t trust she was ready to rehash old mistakes or the things they might do differently.

All day, from the second she got in his car, she’d wanted to lose herself in the way her body responded to his nearness, to the tingles and aches, to the blood rushing to her centre. To surrender to her repressed feelings for Ciarán, even if there was so much that could go wrong. She was aware it wasn’t enough for him; he wanted so much more, but it was all she could offer. It wasn’t everything he wanted, but it was all she had to give.

His firm hands slid down over her hips and palmed her ass, drawing her in. The heat of his touch seared through her leggings and she straddled him, caressing his face, tracing the curves of his bristly cheeks and jaw with her thumbs. He grew hard beneath her as she rolled her hips, and she could tell he wasn’t wearing anything under his sweatpants.

The flickering flames reflected in his eyes, which had turned dark indigo. His grip tightened as he pressed her down harder, giving her the unspoken authorization to bring each other to a much-needed, simmering, clawing release. Their conversation brought their desire for each other to a cataclysmic head.

She smothered her moans by tenderly kissing his forehead as his lips pressed against her chin. His hands slid under her sweater, up to her breasts, where he stroked her sensitive nipples with his thumbs. As if reading her body, he ducked down and took one of them into his mouth. Even through the thick wool, the sting of his teeth against her skin was searing. She’d never wanted to be naked so badly. And yet, the added layer of clothing intensified every sensation. She cradled his head as he devoured and kneaded her breasts.

Unsure which words were more worthy to speak, she hesitated. What they were experiencing was complex. Others wouldn’t understand—hell, she couldn’t understand it herself. They would judge and say this was a risk with a shitty payoff. But she didn’t care.

“Ciarán…”

“Yeah, love,” he answered.

Her lips turned up into a smile against his temple. “I need you.”

His powerful groan sent shivers over her skin. She stepped off of Ciarán’s lap and pulled down her leggings, the chilly air biting her burning flesh, but her eyes remained glued to him as he lifted his hips and tugged down his pants, freeing his length.

He yanked her back onto his lap, the sensation of his bare skin against hers beyond compare. Their gazes met, filled with choices. Aware they were playing with fire, blissfully ignorant of each other’s past, they both understood they might get burned.

“You can trust me, you know?” he said.

They only had a few days together, if that. It was a matter of time before she’d have to leave. She wasn’t sure she could entrust him with her heart, but was certain he’d never put her in harm’s way.

His brow dropped, but in his eyes, she recognized the same selfish need she had deep down. And just as he was too willing to surrender control to her, she was greedy enough to take it.

Fuck reason and sanity.

“Yes,” she answered, needing to feel him inside before she changed her mind and fled. Before she let this turn into another lifelong regret.

With a slow, sexy grin, he ran his hand between her legs, his palm cupping her perfectly, then dipped into her, building the pressure with each drive of his fingers. When he pulled his hand away, slick with her arousal, he stroked his cock, gripping it and lining himself up. She sank down onto him, letting herself enjoy every firm inch of him. Ciarán tilted his hips up, pushing himself even deeper into her aching core, and her agonising cry echoed around them through the open fields.

His head was tucked against her chest, and she ran her hands through his hair, holding onto him as if he’d slip away. His roped his arms around her waist, his hands splaying across her back. The heat from his smooth skin and the sounds he made fetched her orgasm. Secure in his embrace, her release swelled, one she was reluctant to give up.

“Just like that. Come for me, love,” he begged, his voice like velvet, the words sending her toppling over into bliss.

She soon welcomed Ciarán’s release as he pulled her against his hips with one last forceful thrust and a deep grunt. He grinned up at her, his eyes crinkling, his hair falling over his forehead, and she knew he felt it, too—the bliss, the bond, the tether that would always keep them attached.

Her heart expanded, as if it were beating its first beat in years. Nothing was stronger than what she experienced when they were together. Sex with Ciarán brought her pure peace, like floating in the middle of a secluded lake, with only mountains and vast, dark skies as company.

And nothing terrified her more.

AMENDS

Alexis

Thecoffeepercolatorsputtered,pouring warm, rich brew into the pot. Through the kitchen window, Alexis watched the sunrise, its rays melting the thin layer of fog and dew covering the fields, and she sighed, clutching the empty cup to her chest.

The horses roamed beyond the fence, grazing, and she even spotted some deer near the tree line. It was as if she’d wandered straight into a fairy tale. But unlike fairy tales, she knew this one wouldn’t have a happy ending.

The coffee maker beeped, and she poured the Columbian blend into her cup. She found a deep red woollen blanket and wrapped it around her body, stepping out onto the garden veranda. She sat down, snuggled into the warmth of the blanket and sipped her coffee, a plume of steam floating into the air.

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