Page 18 of Villainous Soul

“Aye, where about?”

“My mother was from Ballymena, and my father was from Cork. She was part of an exchange program where a Protestant youth would spend the summer with a Catholic family. It was part of a goodwill project. She met my father and fell in love; however, when she returned to her family, my grandparents were less than enthusiastic and forbade her to ever see him again. So much for prejudices ending. They ended up eloping, and they moved to the States. Her parents disowned her. Though they let her keep what was in her trust.”

“And?” I said, hoping she would continue.

“And we lived a nice lifestyle. We had a house in a great neighborhood and went to private schools. My dad opened the pub, and then she got sick, and the rest of the money went to pay for her medical bills. Her parents didn’t even come to her funeral when she passed away. My father died two years later, and my brothers have been trying to hold it all together since.” She took a sip of her whiskey and grimaced, setting the glass down on a table. “Money is not everything in life. In fact, it means very little to me.”

“Until you don’t have it,” I suggested.

“Until you don’t want it,” she snapped back. I felt an odd possessiveness toward her I couldn’t quite place. I felt it when we kissed in the office, and it left me uneasy, and I felt it now. It was as if she had breached my core with her innocent cry, warming my villainous soul.

I no longer wanted to fuck her.

I needed to fuck her.

It would be the only way to get her out of my mind. She was becoming an annoying distraction, and the monster inside me was becoming restless.

“Who gave you the ring?” I asked, taking it from my pocket.

Her eyes narrowed. “It belonged to my mother.”

I felt something in me relax and set it down on the small table next to me. “I’m sure you’re tired. Let me help you with your dress.”

She looked over at me, considering her choice. The pulse in her neck fluttered at a mad pace. I set my drink down and stood up, going over to her. I carefully helped her up. “It will be okay,” I said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“You’ll ruin me,” she said softly as I turned her around.

“Well, you’ve already ruined me.” I unzipped her dress, sliding the thin straps off her shoulders as I traced my finger over her spine, vertebra by vertebra until I reached the top of her lacy thong. The dress dropped to the floor. I pulled her back against my chest and felt her trembling in my arms. “Shh,” I crooned as I picked her up and carried her to the bed, setting her down on top of it. I unbuttoned my dress shirt, discarding it on the floor, then undid the buckle on my kilt, letting it drop from my hips.

“Are you on birth control?” I asked.

A faint blush tinged her cheeks, and she shook her head. I opened the drawer on my nightstand and took out a condom, setting it on the corner. Then I positioned myself over her. The heat from earlier in the office returned to my skin, along with its silent vibration, the energy between us a living force. I let my lips brush softly over hers before deepening the kiss, then continued them down her neck and along the top of her breasts.

And then I heard it as I took her nipple in my mouth.

The sound of her sweet moan.

Fuck.

I wanted to plunge into her right now and listen as she screamed my name. I moved down her stomach until I reached the apex of her thighs.

“Keir,” she whispered.

“Aye, lass?”

“You do know what you’re doing?”

The corner of my mouth turned up. I had never been asked a question like that before. “Are you interviewing me, lassie?”

“Um, no.” Her face was beet red. “It’s just I’ve never done this before.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m a virgin.”

Bloody fucking hell.

I should get up and walk away. Despite my dubious reputation, I had never been with a virgin.

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