“No,” Cillian snapped. He simmered down, giving Conall a half smile in apology. “I can do me job, sir. I’m good at it.”
“But you and Aspen have something going on and—”
“We can do it,” Cillian interrupted.
Conall hesitated. “If you’re sure.”
The bartender came back with a tray of drinks and handed one to each of us, not giving me a second glance this time, which I appreciated. The last thing I needed was for Cillian’s mood to escalate again. I would need to talk to Vail about it. Maybe... fuck. Maybe I would need to be honest and tell him everything that had happened. Vail was the only one who could get through to Cillian lately. When he wouldn’t listen to anyone else, Vail could get him on track again.
Cillian and I chugged our beers and it became a silent competition to see who could finish first. I won, much to Cillian’s annoyance. He glared at me.
“Is Lions here?” I asked.
Conall pointed out over the balcony. A man stood on the edge of the dance floor, dressed in a wrinkled suit with a tie half undone. Even from here, I could tell he wasn’t the best-looking man, with the lights hitting bald patches on his head and across his bent nose. His focus was on the gyrating bodies in front of him, and he was watching them like a predator. He tried to stop one man who was walking off the floor—he might’ve been younger than Fallon—but the boy waved him off, and Lions watched him with anger.
“Right.” I stood and held out my hand to Cillian. A job was a job, no matter how mad he was at me. “Ready?”
Cillian grunted and rose as well, placing his hand in mine. We walked down the steel steps and past the guards standing beside the entrance to the VIP area. He didn’t glance at me as we headed to the center of the dance floor, pushing our way between the swaying men and women. I made sure we were close enough to Lions’s side of the club that he could see us before I turned to Cillian.
I exhaled. Damn it, I didn’t get nervous much, but being so close to Cillian after all the awkwardness wasn’t the most pleasant experience. “Hey—”
Cillian grabbed me by the shoulders before I could finish my thought and spun me around so my back was to him. I tried to figure out what he was up to, but he cuddled close behind me, his chest pressed tightly against my back. He curled his arms around me and slotted his chin on my shoulder. We started to move similarly to the other dancers, shifting to the sexy beat of the thumping music. Even though it was loud, I could still hear my heartbeat, slamming hard against my ribs and making it difficult to breathe.
Cillian was at my back, his breath tickling my ear. The smell of his earthy cologne teased my nose. His half-hard dick nudged my ass, and all I could do was close my eyes and enjoy the moment. This was the most peace we’d had together since our fight, and even though it hadn’t been long, it felt like the silent battle had been going on forever. In my adult life, I’d always had Cillian at my side. He was a constant. Through the parade of angry people who we’d fucked that had wanted more, he was the person I trusted most to laugh with as we waved them goodbye.
Why was this so hard? Feelings were hell.
He laid a soft kiss on my neck and the hair there stood up. Pleasure simmered through me, swelling my dick. We moved with the music, his body rubbing against mine in the most evocative ways. It was easy to get lost in the moment, in him, and it took all my willpower to open my eyes and glance toward Lions to see if we’d caught his attention.
We had.
“Aspen....” My name from his mouth sounded like a prayer to a god, soft and delicious and full of lust. I shuddered against his hard chest. “Feck.”
I closed my eyes. “Yeah.”
“Ye’re fecking beautiful like this,” he whispered, holding me closer. He dipped his hand under my shirt and tickled his fingers across my abs. “I want to fuck ye.”
I let out a breath. “Yeah?”
He laid another kiss on my neck, this one harder. Then he dug his teeth into my skin, and I hissed, a shudder running down my spine. My dick throbbed. He was leaving his mark on me.
“Ye’re mine.” He licked below my ear. “Ours. No one’s allowed to touch ye. Got it?”
I turned my head to look at him, and he smirked, slamming his mouth against mine. I spun in his arms and dragged him against my chest, and we kissed like it was the end of the world. I wasn’t stupid. We had a lot to work out, but this was nice. Beyond nice. This was fucking amazing.
“Hey!” Conall’s sharp voice broke us apart, and I centered myself, glancing in the direction of Lions. He’d been halfway to us when he spotted Conall, making him freeze, eyes widening. He knew Conall. “We need to go. Now.”
Cillian groaned and stepped away from me, adjusting the bulge in his jeans. “What happened?”
The worry on Conall’s face had me concerned and I straightened. “I don’t know, but I think you might be going back to Miami. Sloan wants us at the mansion. Forget Lions. We’ll handle him later.”
Shit. That didn’t sound good.
14
CILLIAN
I pacedthe narrow space in the galley kitchen on one of Sloan’s nicer private jets with my gut dipping and weaving as the floor trembled under my feet. Aspen leaned his shoulder against the wall, nearly blocking the doorway that led out into the sitting area with white leather couches. The plane gave another jerk and I tripped, bumping into Aspen. He turned and held me tight while the floor did another jig.
