When he deepened the kiss, everything between us shattered. Ronan kissed me like a man starved, like my breath was a right he’d earned in every moment we’d survived together, and I gave it to him…all of it.
Because Ronan had stood beside me at the edge of the portal and he’d never once questioned what it would cost him. He’d always been ready to risk everything—for us.
His hand gripped my hip, the other sliding up the back of my neck like he was trying to anchor me to him—to pull us impossibly closer. There was no hesitation in Ronan, and Creator help me, I needed that. I needed the certainty in his hands and the feverish need he had for me. I needed to be reminded that I could fall apart completely…and everything wouldn’t collapse, because he would hold it together for me.
Ronan’s exhale scorched a path down my throat as he dipped his head, his lips tracing patterns that set every nerve alight. The sound that escaped me was practically a plea, but he only groaned against my skin, possessive and hungry.
“Tell me to slow down, Kieran,” he murmured, voice rough enough to scrape. “Tell me we can’t do this here—there’s an entire camp right below us.”
I couldn’t, though. Not when the air between us hummed with something dangerous and undeniable. My fingers found the edge of his shirt, slipping beneath it to feel the heat of his skin. When my hand moved up, his heartbeat thundered against my palm, echoing mine, a rhythm that was almost synchronized now.
“I don’t want you to stop,” I whispered. “Not tonight.”
He stilled, eyes locking on mine. I saw the storm he’d been holding back and watched it break open.
Ronan lifted me off the ground with an urgency that bordered on feral, pressing me back against the tree, his strength anchoring me in place. Our bodies pressed together so tightly itstole the air from my lungs, his hand tangling in my hair until his mouth found mine again—his kiss was hard, unrestrained, demanding everything I had left to give. His length throbbed against me, echoing my own desire.
When his hand lifted from my waist to the zipper of my jacket, tugging with a roughness that matched his urgency, I moved to help him, desperate for his touch and the feel of his body against mine.
Cold air rushed in as I pulled off the layers, my skin pebbling in its wake while his mouth found the newly exposed flesh, trailing lower and slower, his lips brushing over my throat like a brand. I gasped as he reached my chest, where my nipples were hard underneath my bra.
A whimper tore from my lips as he tugged down the fabric, exposing me further to the cool air and the burning brush of his mouth. When his lips closed around me, teeth grazing with maddening precision, a pulse of sharp heat spiraled through me. I shifted against him instinctively, chasing friction I couldn’t deny, while his thumb found its way to the other peak, circling, teasing. The way he moved between them was deliberate and devastating—turning me into a wet, trembling mess.
“More—I need more, Ronan,” I gasped, the words torn from me, raw and pleading. A surge of wild energy snapped through our bond like lightning, too strong to contain. My body slid down his as he stepped back, and in the next second he turned toward the tree.
His hand threaded into my hair, his breath hot against my ear. My cheek pressed against rough bark as his fingers traced the edge of my pants. “Keep your hands on the tree, Beauty.”
Ronan’s voice was a growl, dark and commanding, and I obeyed without question, fingers splaying against the bark as heat coiled deep in my belly. When he dropped to his knees behind me, I shivered, biting back a sound as he made quickwork of the button on my pants. The fabric slipped over my hips and ass, and a low, reverent groan rumbled from his chest as he took in what he found.
“Spread your legs. Lean forward.”
The command carved through me. I obeyed, spreading my thighs, my breath catching as his fingers found where I needed him most, sliding against my wet heat. I arched into the touch, chasing more of him—all of him.
“You need some relief, Kieran?” he asked in a teasing murmur, like he already knew the answer and just wanted to hear me say it.
I didn’t get the chance to answer. Ronan moved like a force unleashed, burying his face between my thighs as if he couldn’t wait another second. His name tore from my lips in surprise, followed by a moan that came from somewhere deeper—a sound of pure, shuddering relief.
I felt the low, guttural sound that rumbled from his chest as his tongue slid deeper into me. My fingers curled tighter against the bark, nails scraping the wood as I moved instinctively, hips rocking in search of more. My moans slipped out unrestrained, rising into the night air, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew someone might hear?—
And I didn’t care.
It was only the subtle rustle of branches above that yanked my gaze upward. Niz sat perched on one of the branches—clearly having climbed and perched himself to watch us. The sight of him—fully human, eyes fixed on us with that unreadable intensity—stole the air from my lungs. A dark, hushed hunger wove through the bond between us, and I realized he wanted to be part of this moment.
A whimper escaped me before I could stop it, my body arching as Ronan wrapped his lips around my clit and sucked hard.
The climax crashed through me, sharp and impossible to outrun. Stars exploded behind my eyes, and for a moment, my vision went dark around the edges.
“Ronan,” I moaned, the name falling from my lips in relief. Above, Niz let out a deep, dangerous growl that reverberated through the clearing like thunder. My eyes snapped to his, and what I saw there stole the breath from my lungs—rawhungerthat pulled the air tight between us.
Behind me, Ronan laughed, the sound darkly amused, as his words brushed against my ear. “Don’t mind him.” Ronan’s chest brushed against my back as the sound of his belt sliding loose filled the air, and I tensed, eager anticipation causing my toes to curl in my boots.
“He’s just jealous you moanedmyname instead of his.”
“I can manage both—” The words barely left me before a cry of pleasure tore from my throat.
Holy shit.
Ronan slid into me in one deep, relentless push. My body arched, everything inside me unraveling into white hot heat as I gripped the tree to anchor myself. The stretch—the fullness—was exquisite torment, and he knew it.
