Page 87 of The Ring Thief
Her cheeks are flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and arousal mingling, but she doesn’t try to hide from me. Instead, she arches a challenging brow. “You never answered me, Dec. What do you want?”
I shrug my jacket off, dropping it onto the ground. My shirt quickly follows it, and then my socks and shoes. When I’m shirtless, wearing just my slacks, I stalk forward, crowding her.
“Lily,” I murmur, ducking my head to kiss her shoulder, her collarbone, and then lower, finding her hardened nipple and pulling it into my mouth, teasing the edges of it with my teeth. She sucks in a breath, her hands tangling in my hair and holding me to her.
“I want…” I lean back, releasing her and blowing a breath over the wet material of her bra, smirking as she shudders. “I want you to come on my tongue, Lily. Let me make you feel good. Please. Nothing else. No other expectations, but that.”
The flush in her cheeks is crawling down her neck and over her chest, and at the base of her neck, her pulse throbs rapidly, giving her away.
“Okay,” she murmurs, seductively touching her tongue to her bottom lip. “But I want to taste you, too.”
I groan as my dick hardens painfully. I know if I wasn’t wearing briefs, the teeth of my zipper would probably be tattooed into my flesh. “You don’t have to?—”
She presses a finger to my lips, stopping the protest. “I want to. I want this, Declan. And not just this…” Her other hand trails teasingly down my body, until she’s flicking her nail against the button on my slacks. “I want everything.”
I gently move her hand away from my mouth, asking, “Everything?” My throat bobs as I swallow thickly. “Be real clear here, Lily.” I stare at her solemnly, hoping she gets what I’m saying. “You’re mine, baby. Have been from the moment we first met, everything else be damned. The world worked against us, but I knew…I knew I’d never let you go. I’ll spend my entire life—ourlife—making amends for the shit I did, the mistakes I made. But…” I suck in breath, knowing I’m giving her another opportunity to back away from us, but unwilling to hide from her.
She’s it for me, and I won’t pretend otherwise.
“We do this, Lily, we’re all in. You get me? We stay together, and we work through our shit. I can’t fuck you…make loveto you, knowing our relationship is still up in the air. I’m in too deep. I always have been.”
Her eyes grew brighter with each word and when I finish, she leans forward to kiss me. It’s over quick, her lips gone before I can even truly taste her, and then she’s backing towards the bed, finger crooking in acome heregesture.
I don’t move, nerves churning in my gut.
“Declan,” she says breathlessly. “I want you to remind me of everything we had between us, of how good it used to be. I want you to show me how much better it’s going to be now. I want…” She dips her head, peeking up at me through the fan of her lashes. “I want to claim you, even as you own me.” She takes a step back, and I match it, feeling like a predator about to pounce. “Declan, I want you tofuckme.”
I lunge for her, tackling her to the bed as she lets loose a peal of laughter. She doesn’t protest the rough treatment, goading me, “Oh, like that, is it? No finesse at all.” She tuts her tongue.
“I’ll give you finesse next time,” I promise, voice edged in darkness. “Now, take your pretty lace off.” I straighten, flicking open my pants and shoving them down, along with my briefs. I kick them away, and I look back, finding her lying there in just the delicate white panties, her breasts only covered with a flush of arousal.
“You’ll have to do better if you want there to be a next time,” she taunts when she has my attention, settling back against the pillows. She lifts her hands to her breasts, cupping and lifting them up to me like she’s making an offering. Her eyes are a hot appraisal, dragging overmy skin, lighting a fire everywhere they touch. I fist my cock at the base, gripping myself tightly so I don’t do something stupid and embarrass myself.
When I’ve got a tenuous hold on my control, I assure her gruffly, “There’ll be a next time.” I crawl onto the bed, situating myself between her thighs and sitting back on my heels. I look up at her but find her eyes locked onto the chain around my neck, our rings hanging just above my heart. A trembling smile plays on her mouth.
I reach out and drag a finger along the gusset of her panties. “Baby,” I exhale, enjoying the way her mouth slackens, her eyes heavy-lidded as she presses herself more firmly against my touch. “You’re drenched already.”
“Yeah,” she agrees, her cheeks darkening, eyes darting up to my face. “Do you remember when I told you that any man would do?”
I freeze, my mouth popping open, wondering why the hell she’d bring that up now. She catches my expression, smiling, all teeth and mischief.
“I just wanted to tell you…” she pauses, sinking her teeth into her fuller bottom lip, eyes sparkling. “Well…”
I crack my palm against her thigh, just hard enough to smart, leaving reddened skin behind. She doesn’t even flinch, a giggle escaping her. “You’re asking for it,” I growl out, and the giggle turns into a full-blown laugh.
“So dramatic,” she teases. “I just wanted to let you know that I lied, too.” Something serious flashes across her face as she confesses, “I told you I didn’t need you, and that’s not true.”
Relief tightens my chest as I stare down at her. “Couldn’t find a better way to tell me that, huh?” I croak out, wonder filling me. She’s laying herself bare for me in more ways than one, and I send up a quick prayer of thanks to any deity that might be listening, eternally grateful that she’s willing to give me another chance, even if I don’t deserve it.
She was well within her rights to walk away, but she’s here.
She’s here, and she’s letting me in, giving me everything, and I’m not going to take that for granted.
Not again.
My eyes are burning and I blink rapidly, trying to clear it. “Baby,” I rasp. “I can’t breathe without you. I need you to know that.”
Her smile is smaller this time, and I know I need to get us back on track. I reach out, tucking my fingers into the waistband of her sexy panties, and yank them down her legs with a rough pull.
