“Yes.” I may not understandwhy,but I know he’s telling the truth.
Scooping me into his arms with a stifled grunt, he carries me back to the bed. “This isn’t goin’ to be a quickie, Zephyr. Get comfortable.”
I don’t try to hide the thrill running through me at his words.
“Back against the headboard,” he orders.
“This is suspiciously similar to last night. You’re not going to tie me up again, are you?”
His eyes darken. “Not unless you want me to. Bondage isn’t my thing. But if it’s yours…”
“No.” The word flies from my lips, but the moment it does, I wonder. “At least, I don’t think so. I’ve never trusted anyone enough to try.”
His palm presses to my cheek, the look in his eyes one I want to see every time he looks at me. “But you trust me?”
“Yes.”
With a genuine smile that transforms his ruggedly handsome face into somethingmore,he winks at me. “Then maybe one day we try. But not tonight.”
Positioning himself between my legs, he hooks his fingers around my panties and tugs them off with a flourish. “You smell like a rain storm, Zephyr. Like I could drown in you and die a happy man.”
Before I can respond, he skims his fingers from my knees up my thighs, and I part my legs to afford him better access. The first, quick dart of his tongue over my clit makes me whimper. “Oh, God. Again.”
“Liked that, did you?” He laughs, the vibrations ratcheting my arousal another dozen notches. Despite my pleas, he takes his time—alternating bold strokes with light flutters, always stopping to rise up and kiss me moments before I find my release.
Sweat glistens over my entire body, and I ache to have Ronan inside me. “Enough…” I manage. “You…up here…now.”
He lifts his head, his lips swollen and glistening with my arousal. “I like you givin’ me orders.”
Pausing only long enough to snag a condom from his bedside table, he sheds his boxers, and I stare. His body is nothing but wiry muscle, reddish hair, and coiled anticipation.
The foil packet crinkles as he rips it open, and once he’s sheathed, he straddles me, grabbing my hips and tugging me down until I’m flat on my back. “Not a disappointment, am I?” he asks, his tip grazing my swollen lower lips.
A hint of fear lends a wobble to his last two words. He’s more than average, but from what little experience I’ve had, there are two types of men in this world. Those who worry they’ll somehow disappoint those they care for most and those who think they’re the shit. And I’ll take the former, no matter what his size, over the latter any day.
“A disappointment? Now who needs to look in the mirror?” I wrap my legs around his hips, and he thrusts deep, filling me in a way no one else ever has. This isn’t just “sex.” This is more. This is a connection. Two damaged people finding their way home. “Don’t be gentle,” I say, reaching up and grasping the headboard as he starts to move. “I can take whatever you can give.”
His eyes darken at my challenge, and he cants his hips faster. After a moment, I pick up on the rhythm and meet him thrust for thrust, until we’re both panting.
“Hold on to me, Zephyr. I want your arms around me…when I come.”
He’s close, his brow furrowed in concentration, and with every stroke, he gets even harder. I do as he asks, and the position allows enough friction against my clit to send me rushing towards the edge with him.
“Fuck!” he shouts, long and low, and I feel each spasm until my core tightens and I let myself fly.
The world around us softens, muffles, my heartbeat roaring in my ears. I keep my eyes open as long as I can, because what I find in his gaze? It’s something I’ve been searching for my entire life.
Home.
Chapter Fifteen
Ronan
My phone buzzeson the nightstand, and I rush to check the screen, hoping Zephyr won’t wake up. But she’s spent too long on the run. Too long attuned to every sound, and she sits up with the blanket clutched to her chest.
“It’s Trevor,” I say. “I’ll put it on speaker, but you can’t make a sound.” After she nods, I tap theAcceptbutton. “Trev, you’re on speaker.”
“Clear to talk openly?” he asks.
