He shifts, his hand moving to the side of my face, his fingers tangling in my hair as he forces me to see the raw, unmasked truth in his expression.
“I’m going to kill him, Saoirse. I’m going to end the world he built for you.” He pauses, the gravity of the room shifting until it feels like we’re the only two people left on earth. “And when the smoke clears, I want you standing beside me. Not as my guest. Not as my shadow.”
He searches my eyes, his grip tightening just enough to ground me.
“Marry me. Be my wife.”
21
CILLIAN
A MONTH LATER
I’m getting married to the woman I love today. Pity it won’t be peaceful. Before we head out, though, I take an hour to just be with her in the safety of our home.
The light in the bedroom is soft and filtered through the heavy curtains. Saoirse sits on the edge of the unmade bed with a cup of tea cradled between her palms, and she looks so peaceful that it almost feels like a sin to touch her. The steam curls around her face and softens the sharp line of her jaw while she watches the door. I stand there for a moment just taking her in because I know the peace won't last past the driveway.
My boots make no sound on the thick rug as I close the distance. I take the cup from her hands and set it on the nightstand without breaking eye contact because I want her to see every dark thought currently crossing my mind. The bed groans under my weight when I sit behind her and pull her back against my chest. My hands find the warm curve of her stomach immediately and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"You're too quiet this morning," I mutter against the shell of her ear and I feel the shiver that races down her spine. My palms slide lower to catch the hem of her nightshirt and I bunch the fabric in my fists until I can feel her bare skin. She is burning hot and smells like vanilla and the sea, and it makes my head swim with a sudden, violent need.
“I’m just thinking about what’s ahead,” she says with a smile as she leans in. “But I could get used to this.”
With a dark chuckle, I trail my mouth down the side of her neck and my teeth graze the sensitive cord of her throat just enough to make her moan. I slide my hand between her thighs and find her already slick and ready for me despite the early hour. My fingers move with a slow and deliberate pressure because I want to feel every pulse of her muscles as she starts to climb.
"Tell me what you want," I rasp while I thumb the swollen center of her cunt. I want to hear the ruin in her voice so I know she is as far gone as I am. I lean forward to bite at her shoulder and the taste of her skin is better than any drink I've ever had. She reaches back to tangle her fingers in my hair and pulls me closer until there is no air left between us.
The idea of our baby sits between us like a silent promise, and I keep my touch mindful of the strain on her body. I am going to worship her in the dark before I have to defend her in the light. My thumb circles the hard peak of her clitoris and her breath turns into a series of quick sighs that fill the quiet room.
"I've got you," I whisper as I feel her start to unravel under my hand. "Just give it all to me."
Her fingers dig into my forearms and she pulls at me with a desperate strength. "Then stop talking, Cillian," she gasps out.Her voice is a whisper and the heat coming off her skin is a fever I never want to break. "Do it. I’m right here."
I slide two fingers deep inside her and her walls clench around me. She throws her head back against my shoulder. "Oh, God," she sobs, and her hips buck instinctively against my hand. I keep the pressure constant because I know exactly how close she is to the ledge. I want her to fall and I want to be the reason she loses her mind.
"You like that, don't you?" I growl against the sensitive cord of her neck. I use my thumb to grind against the swollen peak of her and she lets out a sharp, high-pitched cry that vibrates through my entire chest. "You're so fucking wet for me, Saoirse. You're dripping all over my hand."
"Because of you," she chokes out and she turns her head to find my mouth. "It's always been you. Faster. Please."
I don't need to be told twice. I shift her on the mattress and lay her back until she is open and exposed under the morning light. Her hair is a copper mess against the pillows and her eyes are dark with a hunger that mirrors my own. I take a second to look at the beautiful curve of her stomach and the sight makes my throat go tight. I press a hard, possessive kiss to the center of her belly and I feel the baby move against my lips.
"Stay with me," I mutter to her as I move back down between her knees.
I part her with my thumbs and the sight of her flushed and aching is enough to make my vision go white. I lean in and take her into my mouth with a flat, heavy stroke of my tongue that makes her back arch off the bed. She's sobbing my name nowand her hands are tangled in my hair, pulling me closer, urging me to take more.
"Cillian, I can't—I'm going to—" She breaks off into a series of uneven breaths.
"Do it," I command against her skin and I suck the hardened center of her into my mouth before flicking my tongue on and around it. "Come for me, Saoirse. Let me feel how much you want this."
The snap is sudden. Her muscles coil into a tight knot and then she is screaming my name as the first wave of her climax hits. She shakes under my touch and her walls pulse around the fingers I still have buried inside her. I stay right there and drink in the ruin of her until she is a boneless heap of static and heat.
"I've got you," I whisper as I sit back on my heels. I shed my clothes with a focused haste that has nothing to do with grace and everything to do with the fire in my blood. I climb onto the bed and move over her, bracing my weight on my forearms to keep her safe.
"Look at me," I rasp and I guide the heavy, aching thickness of my cock to her entrance.
She opens her eyes and the devotion there is the most dangerous thing I've ever seen. "I'm looking," she breathes, and she reaches down to guide me home.
I sink into her with a slow, liquid impalement that steals the breath from both of us. The stretch is agonizingly perfect and I feel every inch of her claiming me. I take her to the hilt and stay still for a heartbeat.
