Burke groped and fondled, squeezed and ripped, filling my body repeatedly until all I knew was him. His face filled my vision; his groans overwhelmed my ears. My nipples were so tender, my pussy needy for what only he could give me. For the rest of our lives, it would always be like this. Sometimes, that idea still had the power to astound me.
“So fucking close,” I moaned.
“You’re driving me wild, aingeal. I can’t hold off.”
Indeed, he sped up his movements, and I felt it when he swelled inside me. His cock hit me so right, the entire situation had me running on adrenaline, and I screamed my release loud enough that I was positive it echoed all across the entire state of Massachusetts.
“Fuck me, mo grá.”
“I just did, baby.”
Chuckling, Burke held me close, kissing my temple. “So you did.”
“Are you angry?” I finally asked.
Pulling back, Burke let me down carefully and handed me his overcoat to cover my ripped pants. “Not so much angry as worried.”
“I was safe, Burke. But someone had to take care of them, and there’s no reason it can’t be me.”
“You can do anything, Kinsley. Doesn't mean you have to.”
I frowned. “We agreed we’d step away from the life after the last traitor was caught.”
“The time has come, a chuisle. No one who dared cross us is still breathing. If someone crops up, Jonah Carmichael has promised to take them out.”
He had a point. We’d found redemption in each other, and it was time to put the violence to bed. “I love you, Burke.”
“I know. Tá mo chroí istigh ionat, and I want to see you safe.”
“I promise to leave it to the others, then. If you promise me the same.”
“Of course.” Leading me out of the warehouse, he opened the back door of the limo and waited until I’d preceded him inside before speaking again. “I promise, and in fact, I have a surprise.”
“You do?” I climbed onto his lap and took up my favorite place nestled against his chest.
“I have it on good authority that your deepest desire is to own and operate a bookstore.”
I gasped and looked up into his face. “It is.”
“Well, as of this afternoon, you are now the proud owner of The Literary Bean.”
“The bookstore I looked at with Maddie?” Tears came to my eyes. “I thought they weren’t willing to sell.”
Burke ran his fingers up and down my cheek. “I persuaded them. But, more than that, I bought the roastery they were using as their distributor. I’m now a coffee roaster.”
“You’re a legitimate businessman?” The idea did crazy things to my insides. We'd be safe. Happy. Fulfilled.
“Officially.”
“Oh, God, I love you. I love you so much!”
His contented sigh against my ear made my heart want to burst. “All I want is to see you happy, Kinsley.”
“You’ve made me so happy, Burke. You really have.”
Wrapping my arms around him, I listened to his heartbeat and smiled in the darkened limo.
This life was all I could have hoped for, on those lonely days back in Chester with nothing to look forward to but a good book on a rainy day. Through some miracle, I’d made friends, created a family, and enough love to last a lifetime.
