His Terms

“No, just let me kiss you,” he said in this desperate voice, and she gave into him. The kiss was long, hard and full of this longing need that she hadn’t even known was there. It was like something had been missing, and until things happened this way she had been in the dark.

“But what about what I just said?” she asked against his mouth.

“I want you. You want me, and I’m not about to let anyone stop me from having you, Sorcha.” He pulled back, cupped her face in that way that she had grown to love so much, and smiled up at her. “This is not just sex for me.”

“You and I don’t fit together, and I’m sure people will bring that to everyone’s attention.”

He shrugged. “I don’t give a shit about what anyone thinks. I don’t care if it’s taken six months, and one week of having you to myself, to have me realize that I am tired of everything else. I just want you, and am ready to try this out.” There was demand in his voice, and as always, his control. “I will crush anyone that stands in my way, you know I will.”

She nodded and chuckled, and as surreal as all of this seemed, she wanted to try it out. If things didn’t work, then they didn’t, but she’d never know until she tried.

“Besides, maybe I’ll take a long vacation to a deserted island, and bring you with me to keep me company.” He grinned.

“Getting away from everything? I think I like the sound of that.”

He grabbed her under the ass, lifted her up, and kissed her hard again. Hell, she’d let him take her right here and now, because all she was going to care about from this moment on was how she felt, and not what anyone said, or what was on the surface.

29

The following weekend

He watched her from her kitchen room table, loved that she was in her element right now, even though that meant she washed the dishes from the meal and refused to let him help. He grinned, picked up his cup of coffee, and drank it slowly while he watched her over the rim.

Truth be told, he could stare at her all day, every day and never get enough.

When she had invited him over for dinner, he had been surprised, but so ready to move forward with this relationship, or whatever it was they were doing. He wanted a relationship, wanted her to be a part of his life, and he was willing to wait as long as she needed to make that happen.

He already knew the sun had set, but the night sky couldn’t be seen through the lone window she had. It really did face a brick wall, but she surprisingly didn’t care, and because of that he couldn’t help but grin.

He stood and walked over to the pictures that lined the bookshelf she had. He saw the pictures of her and a woman that looked exactly like her.

Her mother that had passed.

He glanced at her and saw her washing the dishes, and heard her humming along to the song that lightly played from the iPod he had brought over for her. He had filled it with all of his favorites, and some that he thought she might enjoy.

He was actually impressed she had stopped at End of Days by Thirty Seconds to Mars. It wasn’t a slow, easygoing song, but one filled with a lot of heart, soul, and emotion. Out of Bach, Beethoven, and some of the more modern songs he had loaded on there he smiled that she chose the one that was devastatingly beautiful in its own dark way.

He walked up to her, stopped just inches from her, and placed his hands on her hips, stilling her. “We never got to finish that dance,” Rian said softly against her ear, and loved when he heard her swallow. A classic song started playing, and he turned her around, pulled her close, and didn’t bother trying to hide his erection.

He dipped his head low, ran the tip of his nose along the arch of her throat, and heard her breath falter. She smelled good, like the apple pie she had baked for dessert.

“Rian, my hands are wet,” she said on a whisper, and he knew that the swaying they were doing, and the fact that his cock was right on her belly, moving back and forth, was turning her on.

“I don’t care, baby.” He wanted her, always seemed to in fact, but the truth was he just wanted to hold her. He did just that, continuing to move back and forth, letting the music surround him, her scent envelop him, and the fact that that this woman made him feel things that he never thought his cold heart would experience.