Page 7 of Absolution (The Titans of Founder's Ridge 3)

“I don’t give a fuck,” I say against his lips. “I need to feel you. I need to know we’re alive and okay.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he rests his forehead against mine, holding the rest of his weight off me.

“You won’t,” I lift my hips to grind against him, “you couldn’t.” I give him a bite on the neck right below his ear, knowing full well how much it turns him on.

“Tell me if it hurts,” he says with a growl against my lips.

My hands are already sliding down his back and into his shorts, pushing them down as his mouth assaults mine. He’s being careful in every way, but his kiss is just as wild and possessive as ever. His tongue sweeps against mine with an urgency I can feel. He bites my lower lip hard enough that I get a brief taste of blood.

He works his shorts off, getting completely naked. Then he slides my panties over my hips and down my legs. He looks up at me with a mischievous grin before running his fingers up my calf, behind my knee, and up the inside of my thigh. He drags his finger slowly and way too lightly over my slit. He repeats the movement over and over, driving me absolutely insane with need. I whimper when he finally parts my folds and circles his finger around my clit. He uses the perfect pressure and strokes to have me panting on the edge of an orgasm before withdrawing his fingers and lowering his mouth to my aching pussy.

He alternates slow, lazy licks of my pussy with targeted, precise suction on my clit. I come apart when he adds his fingers, stroking inside me at just the right angle to make my vision darken around the edges. His tongue laps at me through the aftershocks of the orgasm.

“Are you good?” he asks in between placing light kisses on my neck.

“Yes,” I shift my hips and feel him at my entrance. “Connor,” I beg when I feel him hesitate, “please.”

“Since you asked so nice,” he fucking smirks at me right before he slowly glides inside me. Our movements are perfectly in sync as we make love slowly. He treats me with a tenderness that’s rare for us. I wrap my leg around him to try to increase his pace, but he keeps steady, giving me long, slow thrusts. He keeps going until I eventually orgasm, my clenching sending him into his own. I pull his mouth down to mine for a deep kiss just as tender as our love making.

“I love you,” I say against his lips.

“I don’t deserve it,” his head drops, and he rolls over, giving me his back. I can practically feel the turmoil coming off him in waves. My heart squeezes in my chest as I roll over behind him. I hold him from behind, my fingers spread across his chest, trying to infuse him with all I love I can pour into him.

4

CONNOR

“If I’m not gettingout of this family dinner, you’re not fucking getting out of it either,” Claire says with her arms crossed in front of her. We’re currently having a glare-off in my kitchen.

“Lilith still isn’t feeling well enough for this shitshow.”

“Don’t be coward and hide behind her as an excuse. She could take on a dozen men and still be fine to handle a meal with Mom.”

My heart warms with pride because that is so accurate. My fiancé is a gorgeous, badass Amazon.

“Oh God,” Claire rolls her eyes, “you’re so ridiculous. Might as well have heart eyes.”

“Fuck off,” I say with no heat.

“Get dressed.” I don’t know how she does it, but her tiny frame seems to grow as she leans across the island from me. Her eyes narrow on me. “Get. Dressed. Now.”

“You can’t intimidate me, shorty.”

“Lilith!” She calls into the bedroom.

“Shhh!” I cover her mouth with a hand. “Fine. You win. Leave her out of this.”

She gives me her evil grin as she climbs onto a stool. “Chop, chop, Connie.”

Fuck’s sake.

Before I change, I check on Lily. She shouldn’t have laid on her side the way she did last night to comfort me, but I couldn’t bring myself to stop her. I’ve thought of myself as an island for a long time, especially in regard to my history with my uncle. If I’m an island, she’s my seawall, keeping the storms at bay and me on solid ground.

That is why I have to do a better job of protecting her, along with everyone else I care about. No one else will have so much as a paper cut because of my cowardice. I pull the blanket up and over her shoulders, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. I scrawl out a note on an old receipt telling her where I’ll be.

I’m a little sweaty from playing a game of basketball against Lev, but I’m not taking a shower for this. They get me the way I am. I pull on a t-shirt and change from basketball shorts to jeans. I give Lily a light forehead kiss before I leave her.

Claire and I take the back entrance that connects my penthouse to my dad’s via a secret staircase. When get to living room, we find Mom and Dad sitting on the couch talking softly, their heads together. Both Claire and I stand back and watch them for a minute.

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