I still held her other wrist, and started to rub gentle circles against the inner skin there with the pad of my thumb. The small shiver it earned me was all it took for me to take my chances. I rose up from the couch, and started to gently tug her towards the hall.
Please.
I kept my pace slow and deliberate, giving her time to think. Her breathing was erratic, her chest flushed, the telltale signs of arousal there, but I also knew it could be anxiety. As utterly feral as the taste of her mouth had left me, hardly able to think about much else—I did distantly recall that there was a reason we had kept things platonic for so long.
In the grand scheme of things, though, all of those reasons felt like paper-thin excuses to avoid this, the most explosive chemistry I had ever experienced in my life.
My heart was beginning to pound as we passed by the doors of each of my spare rooms. I had probably fucked somebody in every last room in this townhouse, save one.
My own.
I had never let anyone else in that far, into the room where I slept every night. It felt too personal. Too intimate to sully with someone who meant little to me outside of flesh and release. It could only ever be her.
I swallowed hard, leaning gently against the open doorway and suddenly terrified as I met her golden gaze.
“Consider this me begging, Ark. I want this. I wantyou.Gods, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted this, how many times I’ve…”
I exhaled slowly as I trailed off, reaching out to trace her jawline with a fingertip, bringing her gaze back to mine. There was so much I wanted to say, but I didn’t want to pressure her, either.
Her chest was starting to rise and fall faster, and she was biting her lip. Fuck. Was it anxiety, or arousal? For once, it was hard for me to tell—my head spinning, my keener senses still clouded by the taste of her lips.
Shekissedme.
I cleared my throat. “Please also let me be transparent: I only want this if you do, Ark. You can say no, and I will drop it. Immediately. I can walk you home, and we can pretend this never happened. I promise you, I will.”
But please say yes.
“So before I kiss you again and lose my ability to be the gentleman you deserve, Arken, I need to know. Would you rather go home?”
Please say no.
“No,” she breathed, and elation shot through my veins for a moment before she stammered. “I mean, wait… Yes?”
My heart sank, but I gathered up as much self-control as possible to keep my expression indifferent.
“Okay,” I replied, voice neutral. This was her choice.
She groaned, suddenly exasperated. “Fucking Hel, Kieran. I can’t even think straight when you’re looking at me like that.”
I felt my heart skip a beat.
“No, I don’t want to go home,” Arken confessed. “Yes, I want this. I want you.”
“Thank the gods,” I swore, wrapping an arm around her waist to close the distance between us that had grown unbearable.
Thank the fucking gods.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Arken
“Thank the gods,” Kieran swore, closing the distance between us by wrapping one arm around my waist. His other hand found its way under my jaw again, tugging my face towards his.
He pulled my body closer while still walking backwards, as if he couldn’t bear to keep his hands off me any longer. I couldn’t bear it, either.
As we tumbled into bed together, the lingering scent of orange zest and cloves clung to the sheets, confirming my suspicions. These were his sheets. This washisbed. We weren’t in some spare guest suite—this was his own private space. The realization sent a thrilling wave of pleasure through me.
Again, that man interrupted my entire train of thought—this time by rolling me over to my back in one fell swoop and straddling me so that my lap was in between his legs.