Page 74 of Reckless Promises

“You need to stop listening to other people.”

“All I’m saying is that this isn’t how you saw your life.” I tip my chin up and graze my mouth against his. “I understand your loyalty to the tradition of marriage, but are you even the slightest bit disappointed?”

“About what?”

“Me.”

What started playful, has my voice dropping because I didn’t mean to show Cillian a vulnerability, but in his arms, in this city I’ve never been to, with a man who has seen it all, my insecurity bleeds out. Cillian acted on impulse one night with a need for revenge, and now he’s stuck with a girl who hasn’t seen or done anything.

I swallow hard when he’s blankly staring at me. “I’m inexperienced, Cillian—in life, in sex—in everything. And you gave all that up by tying yourself to me.”

“Let me make one thing clear.” Cillian grips my chin, forcing me to face him. “I didn’t give up anything that meant a damn thing to me. So while you’re right that I didn’t want this, I have it now. I have you. And I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else. Not to mention, I get to be the person to show you those things. Life, the world,sex.”

His voice drops as his hands glide down my sides, and the moment he dips his hand into the pocket of his suit jacket I’m wearing, vibrations flutter between my legs.

I’d all but forgotten about the vibrator, and my knees buckle at the surprise, but he catches me in his arms.

“You make me care about things I’ve never given any value to.” He peppers kisses along my temple, down my jaw, until he’s brushing his mouth against mine.

The soft graze mixed with the slow hum of the vibrator has my heart racing.

“Marriage?” I nearly choke on the word as my entire body starts to tingle.

“No.” Cillian pauses with his mouth over mine. “Love. I get it now.”

He dives his mouth to mine, not sayingI love you, but saying enough. Stirring the same feeling waking up inside me. One that can’t decide what this is, but it brews hot and scares me anyway.

He parts my lips with his tongue, and I let him in—to my body, my heart.

I soak in his blackberry scent and the salty ocean air.

Cillian slips his arms around my waist and tugs my body to his. Heat I can’t live without now that I’ve felt it.

We kiss by the ocean and let that answer the questions lingering in both of us. Words don’t matter here, they never say enough, and I couldn’t make sense of them right now if I tried.

Once more, he slips his hand down and turns up the vibrations, but he doesn’t break our kiss.

“Cillian.” His name is a plea between kisses.

“Yes, Odette?” He peppers my mouth, my jaw, kissing a path to my ear. “Do you need something from me?”

Everything. “I need to come.”

He grins against my neck, kicking the vibrator up once more. And just as my body flushes, he pulls back to watch my lips part. My blood burns and my insides split open as I hit that ledge. And when he pulls me tight to his body and I feel his erection press against my stomach, I come apart for him.

He steals my scream before it gets out. He kisses me deeply—endlessly.

Ocean air and freedom.

Destiny and surprises.

He kisses me like this was always meant to be. Almost as if we asked for it.

27

Odette

Fallon’s voice enters aroom before her because if anyone can make an entrance, she can. She’s loud, unapologetic, and doesn’t do anything quietly. It’s something I’ve come to appreciate about her, and the moment I hear her outside, I can’t help but smile.

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