We stare at each other for one more beat, then he turns and storms upstairs without another word.
The sound of Kieran’s bedroom door slamming shut echoes through the entire apartment and is the catalyst that finally breaks me.
I dart up the stairs to the safety of my own room and slam my own door shut behind me.
The moment it’s locked, I tear off the dress and toss it in the corner, not wanting to feel the silk against my skin for another second.
But even as I stand naked in the middle of my room, I can still feel exactly where Kieran’s hands were on my body.
My lips still tingle from the kiss, and I gingerly lift my fingers as I remember what his lips felt like against mine. Warm and surprisingly soft, a complete contrast to the rest of him.
The way his tongue moved against mine had a heat building so quickly deep within my core that it both terrifies and thrills me. I can only imagine how good it would feel to have that tongue between my thighs…
“No!” I charge into the bathroom to turn on the shower.
As I wait for the water to warm up, my reflection in the mirror catches me off guard.
My cheeks are still flushed, and my lips are swollen from where Kieran practically devoured them.
I don’t know what scares me more; how easy it was to fall into that kiss or how fast he agreed to pretend, like it meant nothing to him.
I want to believe that he’s lying, but after spending the night with Kieran, I don’t know the real him at all.
After I’ve washed off the lingering feeling of Kieran’s hands on my body, I crawl into bed and pull the blanket up to my chin. But the moment I close my eyes, Kieran’s mouth is once again on mine, and my eyes fly open again as I try to catch my breath.
We kissed, and then he walked away like it was just another inconvenience to be dealt with.
Tears prick behind my eyes, but I blink them away.
I have no right to be upset, considering I was the one to break the kiss. But the hollow ache in my chest won’t go away because, deep down, I know the truth.
If I give him a single inch of my heart, Kieran Sullivan will break it without hesitation, and I can’t afford to cross that line with him, no matter how much I want to.