Page 129 of Beneath the Quiet

Giving another person that much power is risky, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take.

With him.

I put my hands on his upper arms and dig into his hard muscles, wanting to tether myself to him. His long, low moan into my mouth is intoxicating, and I sigh and move my arms up to wrap them around his neck. I tilt my head, pushing my fingers into his hair, nibbling on his lips.

“Fuck.” His harsh word mixed with the softness of his touch spurs me on, and I open my lips, inviting his tongue to come inside and play. My heart races in my chest, and lust coils low when he sweeps inside, his hold around my waist tighter. He pulls up the soft fabric of my wraparound top and pushes his hands under my pants, spreading my bum cheeks and lifting me up.

When the pads of his fingers dig into my soft flesh, a full-blown body tremble cascades through my body. I sigh into his kiss.

“Aidan.”

He leaves my mouth to trail a path down my neck, giving my jumping pulse point a double dose of attention with his hungry mouth.

“Yes,” he growls against my skin, “I’m here. I’ll take care of you, Wildfire. Only me. Say it.”

“Yes. Only you.”

My breaths fall in bursts, and I pull on his hair. His body jolts against me, his fingers spread my buttocks, and then a long, thick digit slides down my crack, teasing my sensitive skin in the most delicious way.

I mewl loudly and remove my hands from his hair. I pull blindly at the T-shirt while the haze of lust swims before my eyes, still soft, but relentless in its pursuit of getting this glorious man naked.

“Clothes. Off.”

He squeezes my cheeks one more time before I lose his hands on my naked skin, and his searching mouth clamps down on my neck. It’s my turn to jump in both pain and pleasure, and all I can do is hold on for my life. The surge of wetness between my legs sets me trembling. Aidan tears off his shirt and tosses it to the floor, and I run my hands over his firm skin. My eyes feast on the sensual, hard planes of his chest. I can’t resist getting a taste of him, so I lean forward and wrap my lips around his nipple, sucking it deep into my mouth.

“Fuck.”

I feel his hands in my hair, his mouth on top of my head, and reach for his belt buckle. I explore his body, wanting to know it as well as my own, and the salty taste of his skin mixed with his signature scent of citrus makes me whimper. I can’t get enough of this man.

“Mae. Fuck, what you do to me.”

I feel a thrill at the sound of his hoarse voice, a wave of power washing over me.

I make quick work of his jeans and push them and his boxers down in one move, kneeling before him. His cock bobs, and I lick my lips as I move forward to press my nose to the silken skin and inhale his musky scent.

I tilt my head back, looking up at him.

“Can I taste you?”

His silver-grey eyes turn stormy, and his gaze falls on my lips. He shakes his head.

“If you wrap your lips around me, I’ll blow.” He reaches down and tilts my head further back with his finger. “Later, you’ll get to taste my fat cock, but right now, you need to get out of those fucking clothes and into the bath.”

I pout, the temptation to go against him so strong, but I’ll let him take the lead for now. I push up on my knees to stand. Aidan doesn’t rush as he undresses me, his passion-filled eyes on a hot trail down every part of my body. The steam in the bathroom floats around us, and I feel like we’re trapped in the Irish mist or in a bubble where time doesn’t move. When I’m finally naked, he takes a deep breath, and my nipples harden into points, begging to be touched.

He takes my hand and leads me down into the bath where he turns around and sits down.

“Come here,” he murmurs, putting his hands on my hips. Carefully, I kneel in front of him, but he shakes his head. “Turn around and sit between my legs, Mae.”

I do as he says, and when he wraps his arms around me from behind, urging me closer, I relax and melt into his body. I rest my head at the crook of his neck and let him hold me. The water splashes softly around us, the bubbles hiding our bodies, and the tension I’ve been carrying around with me for the last few days slowly ebbs away. I rest my hands on top of Aidan’s and look out the windows. I take in the beauty of the roses at the gates of the cottage, just starting to show their buds, and I can’t wait to watch them bloom.

My mind settles.

Chapter Thirty

Maeve

Aidan threads his fingers through mine, holding on tight, and I feel his lips on my neck, moving ever so softly yet just as potently as if they were urgent.