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“What? She told me her half. You never want to talk about it.”
I still didn’t, but I needed to clear my name. “Fine. Here goes nothing.” I gave her the same version of events I’d given to Kieran, probably word for word. Lena nodded along as I spoke, not interrupting—a monumental feat for her—and when I finished, she exhaled slowly.
“That’s all?”
“That’s all. We just drifted apart. Sure, I was the one to bring up divorce, but she agreed, at least at first.”
Lena bit her bottom lip briefly. “I’m sorry. I should’ve trusted that if there was something important to tell, you would have told me.”
“You should have.” We were quiet for a moment before I leaned over and bumped her shoulder with mine. “It’s okay, though. I forgive you.”
“Sounds like we’re even, then,” she said with a soft chuckle.
It didn’t take long until Kieran was back with our Italian food and we were sitting around the table, digging in. The conversation flowed, interspersed with plenty of laughter, and my chest warmed, tension melting away. I didn’t think I’d ever been happier. In fact, I would’ve called it peak happiness… until we all finished eating, that is.
Lena stood, taking plates into the kitchen, and then stood in the hallway, yawning conspicuously. “I think I’m going to bed. You two kids don’t stay up too late.” She narrowed her eyes at us. “And don’t get too loud.”
“Deal,” Kieran said.
The moment she was gone, he turned to me, climbing into my lap and kissing me deeply. I ran my hands under his—my—shirt and skated them up, along his back. He moved his mouth to my neck and bit me lightly, causing me to groan quietly.
“Fuck, Kier. You’re going to make me lose it right here in the dining room.”
He pulled back and gave me an innocent look. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”
“I mean,” I murmured, kissing his jaw, “here you are in my shirt, sporting a mark on your neck that I left, and all I can think about is taking you back to my bedroom and fucking you into the mattress again.”
He laughed breathlessly and rocked forward, shamelessly showing me how hard he was again. “I think I could handle that.”
“God,” I said quietly, imagining it.
“You like seeing me in your clothes, huh? With this hickey on my throat you left? Some kind of possessive thing?” His tone was playful and teasing.
“You have no idea.”
“Then maybe,” he said and leaned close to my ear. “Maybe I’ll let you give me my first tattoo once your shop opens.”
The thought of getting to tattoo him, to leave a permanent mark on him, sent a bolt of lust through me. Normally, I didn’t get turned on by tattooing—it was just a job—but for some reason, the idea of it this time was so hot that I almost came in my jeans. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
“You’d better,” he said, smirking. “But for now, I think there’s something else you can hold.” Kieran grabbed my hand and placed it on his cock, both of us exhaling sharply, an aching desire roiling in my stomach.
I pulled him close for a kiss with my free hand and after a few moments, we were both desperate and panting. “Should we move to the bedroom?”
“I’ll never forgive you if we don’t move to the bedroom. Immediately.”
I laughed a little and nodded. “Let’s do it.”
With that, I followed Kieran back to my room, ready to take him apart in the best way. Tomorrow, we’d have to head back to the shop and work, and the following days, we’d have to figure out the logistics of everything—living arrangements for both of us, a way for him to make a living while he was in Pine Bluff—but for now, the only thing that mattered was the two of us, our bodies moving in rhythm together, and the heat between us. I truly couldn’t have been happier.
Epilogue - Six Weeks Later
Kieran
Iwandered around the library, warmth in my chest as I took note of the patrons enjoying the space. There was a small group of kids playing I Spy under the beautiful mural Ellis had painted in the children’s section, people enjoying the sun streaming through the windows as they sat in cozy chairs to read, and a handful of patrons using the bank of computers along one wall. I knew I couldn’t linger any longer or I’d be late, so I headed out, running into Olivia on the way.
“Kieran,” she said with a warm smile and a nod.
“Hi, Olivia.”
