I tried to yank out of his hold, but he kissed me and I couldn’t pull away, couldn’t breathe.
He let me go to say my name, over and over.
Then he kissed me again. Gentler this time.
His beard tickled.
Beard?
I felt another tickle on my cheek, and when he released me, it was Thane. Not Austin. I sagged with relief and then sighed into his kiss.
“Regan, wake up,” he murmured against my mouth.
The tickling sensation grew more insistent.
“Regan, wake up, mo leannan.”
There was a tickle across my lips again and then the shivery brush of Thane’s mouth against mine. My eyes flew open, and I stared sleepily into his gorgeous blue-gray eyes.
“Finally, she wakes,” he murmured.
He kissed me, this time parting my lips to touch his tongue to mine. Reality intruded, and I realized he’d woken me up and was kissing me before I’d brushed my teeth. Breaking the kiss, I covered his mouth with my hand as a barrier between us.
Scowling up at him, I grumbled, “I have morning breath.”
“I could give a fuck.” I think he said against my hand. He rolled his eyes as it came out garbled, curled my hand into his fist, and bent down to cover my mouth again.
I tried to resist, but it was futile. Moaning into the taste of him, coffee and toothpaste, I slid my hand up his back, pulling him down onto me as I opened my thighs to him.
“I didn’t come in for that,” he huffed as he broke the kiss, thrusting against me, his words incongruous to his actions. Desire darkened his expression, and he shook his head with a dry smirk. “I only meant to bring you coffee.”
I turned my head on the pillow and saw the steaming mug on my small nightstand. “How thoughtful.”
He braced his hands on either side of my head and then reached with one to brush my hair off my face. Last night it had taken me awhile to fall asleep, I was so filled with doubt and insecurities. However, as he looked down at me with tenderness, knowing the first thing he’d thought to do this morning was bring me coffee, check on me, I melted beneath his touch.
“I have to get back in case Eils and Lew wake up,” he said, regret in his eyes.
“Well, thank you for the coffee,” I whispered, unable to speak any louder. Knowing if one of us didn’t break the intense staring match, he might end up naked on top of me again, I pushed myself to sitting, and Thane leaned back from his seat on my bed to give me space.
Not a lot. As I reached for my coffee and sipped, his hand came to rest possessively on my thigh. My nightdress had risen indecently high, but considering what we’d done last night, it didn’t matter. Thane’s fingers stroked toward the crease in my leg, and I sucked in a breath.
His eyes heated.
“I thought you needed to get back to the kids?”
“I do.” Thane reached out and took my cup, grinning at my nonplussed expression as he placed it back on the nightstand.
“Hey, I wanted—oh!” I reached out instinctively to grab his shoulder as he suddenly slipped beneath my underwear to press his thumb over me.
Then he was kissing me. Rough and hungry as he played me. Fingers, thumb, circling, pushing, he gave me the dirtiest, wettest kiss of my life. My fingernails dug into his wide shoulders as I arched into him, panting against his kiss as the tension inside built, and built, and built—
I exploded, and he captured the sound of my cries in his mouth, his groan a delicious rumble down my throat as I throbbed around him.
Finally, he released me to pepper kisses along my cheek and down my neck as he removed his hand from between my thighs. I clung to him, trying to catch my breath. “What was that?” I panted.
“That was my version of ‘good morning,’ mo leannan.”
My eyes flew open. Was that an endearment? “What does ma le-ow-nin mean?”
He grinned at my attempts to pronounce it and kissed my nose. “I need to get back.” He avoided answering me.
“Wait.” I grabbed his arm to stop him. Sliding a hand along his jeans-covered thigh, I grinned. “What about you?”
He covered my hand as I reached for the good stuff and squeezed his eyes closed as he gently removed it. “We can’t. Don’t have time.” That stormy gaze met mine. “Later. Tonight.”
Anticipation thrilled in my belly. Last night wasn’t just a one-off for him, then. “Absolutely.” I edged closer to cup his cheek, to draw him back to my mouth. My kiss was gentle, tender, not meant to incite anything more when I knew he had to leave. It was a thank-you. “Last night was the best it’s ever been for me,” I confessed against his mouth.