“You can’t do stuff like this.” She gestured around the space. “You can’t run my life the way Kitty did. And you can’t boss me around anymore.”
Because I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t make decisions as I had, I didn’t respond. I understood what she was saying, and I would heed it in whatever way I could. However, I wasn’t making any promises.
“I’m taking you to dinner tomorrow,” I told her.
“That didn’t sound like a request,” she said with a sigh.
“It wasn’t.” I turned and left, not looking back at either of them.
16
Emily
I stared after Knox as he goton the elevator.
I was still fuming from his high-handedness, but not so much because he was a controlling jerk. No, I was frustrated because I found I welcomed it to a degree.
No, I didn’t like one bit that he had moved my things without talking to me first. That was a hard line he never should’ve crossed. But telling me that we would be having dinner rather than making it a request…
Despite the fact I’d called him out on it, I found I liked that controlling aspect. I found it sexy.
Perhaps I was too damaged from my childhood, having lived under someone else’s rule for so long. I hadn’t truly understood what it meant to “adult” until I was forced to live on my own. At that point, I’d been clueless and terrified. Sure, I’d come a long way since then, but evidently, there was still part of my old self deep down that wished someone would come along and make some of those decisions for me.
“I’d like to see you tomorrow,” Kieran said, closing the distance between us now that Knox was gone.
I shook off my revelry and smiled up at him. “I’d like that, too.”
He brushed a strand of my hair back from my face, tucking it behind my ear, his blue eyes piercing mine.
I was tempted to tell Kieran to stay for a while, but I did think I needed some time alone. So much had happened in the past twenty-four hours, and I needed space to absorb it all, to consider what it meant to have Knox back in my life. To decide whether or not I was going to take what he was offering or if I was going to rebel.
“I’m going to kiss you, Emily,” Kieran said, his elegantly lyrical accent resonating through my entire body.
There was no request in his statement, but unlike Knox, Kieran hesitated long enough I could’ve told him no if I’d wanted to. I didn’t. Not even a little. I might not know what I felt for Knox, but I knew that I wanted to explore whatever this was with Kieran. Perhaps that made me promiscuous, but I couldn’t help myself. I was confused about what I wanted, what Ineeded, and until I figured it out, I wasn’t going to put limits on myself.
Kieran’s big palm curled along my cheek, his fingers sliding into my hair, his thumb hooking under my chin as he tilted my head back.
His lips were soft yet firm as they slid over mine, gentle yet eager. Instantly I relaxed, my body leaning into his as my lips parted to allow him entry.
Kieran’s other hand curled around my back, holding me tight to him as he angled his head, his tongue gliding over my lower lip, then slipping into my mouth. My belly fluttered and my pussy clenched as the heated rush of his kiss overwhelmed me. Unable to control myself, I fisted his shirt, stepped closer, tilted my head back to take more of him. Kieran’s muscles hardened as though he was restraining himself even as our tongues collided.
What would this man be like if he lost his control? Would he ravish me the way I wanted him to?
As though he could read my thoughts, his grip on me tightened, his tongue became more insistent as it moved against mine.
I moaned softly. Oh, yeah. I could so easily get lost in his kiss. I was drawn to the masculinity, to the control I could feel coming from him.
“You taste good,” he whispered against my lips. “I want to taste you everywhere, Em.”
I inhaled sharply, my nerve endings erupting with the fiery sensation of arousal. I wanted that, too. I wanted his hands on me, his mouth. I hadn’t been with a man since Knox, hadn’t known the pleasure of another’s touch or kiss, and I knew this was something I would crave like a drug. Not once since the night with Knox had I questioned my reaction to him. However, I had refused to explore it with anyone else, knowing that when I did let myself go, I was going to learn exactly who I was. But until I felt safe enough to do that, I was holding off.
Kieran made me feel safe. He made me feel cherished and desired. Aside from Knox, he was the first man I’d met who tempted me to explore my darkest desires.
Kieran was the one to pull back first, and when he did, I held firm to his shirt for a moment, attempting to ground myself. I was woozy from the adrenaline, flushed with arousal.
“Sweetcailín,” he whispered, dragging his thumb over my lower lip.
In a move that I didn’t know I was capable of, I licked the pad of his thumb then sucked it into my mouth.
