Fuck that. I need to go jump out of an airplane. That will get my head back on straight.
Selene comes down the stairs, tying a lightweight robe around her waist. She smiles, but her brow furrows a little. God, I could get used to that sight. I’m so fucking glad I stayed.
“Morning,” I say, and push a plate across the island toward her.
“Wow, thank you.” She sits down on a stool and I pour her a cup of coffee.
“I don’t know how you take it,” I say as she takes the mug from me.
“There’s cream in the fridge,” she says.
I get the cream for her and she pours a splash into her mug. I pour myself a cup.
“Did you sleep at all?” she asks.
“Enough.”
She takes a sip and looks at me over the rim of her mug. “Ronan, I need to thank you for last night.”
“It’s all right,” I say.
“No, I mean it. And, um…” She pauses, looking away. “I’m glad you stayed.”
I walk around the counter and touch her chin with two fingers. “Let me see how this is doing.”
She lets me turn her face. I gently brush my thumb across her lip and along her jaw. There’s still a bit of swelling, and her skin is discolored, but it doesn’t look as bad as I thought it would.
“Does it hurt?”
Her tongue runs along her lip and she winces. “It’s sore, but not too bad.”
My eyes lock on her mouth and I slide my hand around the back of her neck. I keep my grip gentle. If she pulls away, I’ll back off, but my need to touch her is overwhelming. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.”
“It could have been worse,” she says, her voice soft.
I brush my nose against hers. Being near her feels so good. My craving for a hit of adrenaline is suddenly sated, although there’s no rush going to my head. I’m calm and relaxed, but just as alive as when I’m hanging off the side of an airplane eighteen thousand feet above the ground. It’s the strangest thing. I can’t remember the last time I felt this way when I wasn’t in mortal danger.
“I’m staying with you today.” There’s no question in my mind. I can’t leave her. What happens tonight, I don’t know, but she’s going to have to kick me out on my ass if she thinks I’m going anywhere now.
“You really don’t have to do that,” she says.
I brush her hair back from her face. “I know.”
She looks down and I can feel her hesitance.
“I want to kiss you.” Ordinarily, I wouldn’t ask this way, but I’m so aware of what she must be feeling after last night. She’s like a cracked piece of glass—still strong, but liable to break if I’m not careful.
Her eyes meet mine, full of fire. She wants me, too. I can see it. “We shouldn’t do this.”
My body aches for her. The hours spent holding her while she slept, the feel of her skin, her scent in my nose, all come crashing down on me. I don’t just want her. I need her.
“You’re fired.”
“What?”
“You’re fucking fired,” I say. “I’ll hire you back on Monday.”
I surge in and press my lips to hers, soft at first so I don’t hurt her. She grabs my shirt and pulls me closer. Her mouth opens for me and I slide my tongue in, deepening the kiss. My jaw aches, but it’s nothing compared to the feel of her lips. I hold the back of her head, twining my fingers through her hair, and slide my other hand up her thigh.
Leaving her mouth, I trail kisses down her neck. She leans her head to the side, her hair spilling down her back. I reach around and grab her ass, scooting her forward on the stool. She tips her knees open and wraps those mile-long legs around my waist.
“Selene, I need you right now,” I say into her neck. My blood burns, desire running hot through my veins. I grind my hard cock against her and she moans, her fingers digging into my back.
This big house is full of bedrooms, but they’re all too far away. She drops her feet to the ground and stands, our mouths meeting again. We stagger toward the living room, yanking off each other’s clothes as we go, our lips only parting long enough for us to pull off our shirts. I’m on fire for her, my hands all over her body, insatiable.
The backs of my legs hit the couch and I stop. I cup her breast and kiss my way down her neck, past her collar bone. I run my tongue along her nipple until I feel it harden, then graze it with my teeth. Selene shudders.
“On your back,” I say.
She complies, lying down on the L-shaped sectional. She slips her thumbs into the waistband of her panties, but I gently grab her wrist.
“I’ll do it.”
She drags her teeth over her bottom lip and lifts her arms over her head, ceding control to me.