Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
He shifted, rolling slightly so we were face-to-face. “Are you sure?” he questioned.
“Yes.”
He cupped my face, stroking along my cheek with his thumb. “So beautiful,” he murmured. He smoothed his hand to the back of my neck, caressing the nape gently. I shivered in anticipation. Our eyes locked, and I saw a brand-new emotion in his gaze—lust. Desire.
Unlike the disgusting feral sneer Juan had when he stared that terrified me, all I felt with Niall was his unspoken need. A new sensation unfurled in my chest. A languid warmth that filled me. A need to be closer to him.
He lowered his head, pressing his mouth to mine, pulling me close. Our lips moved together, and when he flicked his tongue to my bottom one, I opened for him.
Nothing prepared me for the onslaught of sensation as Niall truly, properly kissed me. The feel of his tongue on mine. The taste of him. How he coaxed me to kiss him back, groaning as I imitated what he was doing in my mouth. He licked deep, teased, and explored. He slid his hand into my hair, fisting it, directing me, kissing me deeper, making me gasp as he slid his lips from my mouth along my jaw and up to my ear.
“That is how I would kiss you, Anna. Every time.”
“Niall,” I pleaded, whimpering as his mouth returned to mine. We kissed until I was breathless, almost panting, as if I’d been running for miles. Then he pulled back, dropping small kisses on my cheeks, eyes, and nose. He lay back, pulling me down to his chest. He let out a long exhale of air.
“Feck,” he cursed, then muttered something in Irish.
“What did you say?” I asked.
He laughed. “Nothing, mo mhuirnín.”
“What does that mean? You’ve called me that before.”
“Polly Pocket,” he teased.
I slapped his chest, lifting my head. “It does not.”
“A version of it. I told you that you were like a little doll.”
I frowned but put my head back down. He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Try to sleep now, Anna. I have you and you’re safe.” He chuckled. “I’m not sure who is going to keep me safe from you, though.”
“I haven’t done anything,” I protested.
He laughed again. “You’re more dangerous than an entire cartel. You just don’t understand the power you have.”
For some reason, his words made me smile.
And this time, when I shut my eyes, all I saw was Niall.
NIALL
I woke up, my cock hard and aching. The same way it had been when Anna fell asleep on me. It took me forever to join her in dreamland, but I was grateful she only woke up once with a nightmare. I had rocked her back to sleep and stared down at her for a long time in the dim light before falling back asleep myself.
I had been her first real kiss. This beautiful woman lying in my arms, trusting me. A possessive, overbearing part of me I didn’t even know existed roared in satisfaction. I was her first kiss.
Which meant I’d be her first everything. That only made me harder.
I shut my eyes, trying to think of something else. But all I could think of, all I could feel, was her.
The way she reacted to my touch. How right she felt in my arms. The taste of her on my tongue. The feel of her against me. How she responded. Nothing else would ever compare.
In the early morning light, I studied her. Carefully, I gathered her hair from her face, watching her. She was at peace. Resting. Her bruises were still dark but beginning to yellow and would hopefully fade soon and leave her creamy skin unmarked. She had a small nose that turned up a little at the end. I shifted my fingers through her hair. It was waist-length and straight. Thick. The color was light, almost a golden hue, with glints of lighter blond and caramel mixed in. Unique and it set off her dark eyes beautifully.
And her mouth. Her beautiful, sexy mouth. Full lips that were soft and felt incredible underneath mine. I gently ran my finger over her plump bottom lip, resisting the urge to bend my head and kiss her again.
Kissing Anna, I realized, could become an addiction.
I hadn’t wanted to stop kissing her last night. But my entire body had come alive, my erect cock wanting to be in on the action, and I knew that wasn’t possible. She had just been through a traumatic experience, and she was only beginning to heal. She wasn’t ready—emotionally or physically. And I wasn’t sure if I was prepared for the responsibility of being her first.
“Her only,” a voice in my head growled, which I ignored.
I stared at the ceiling. I had lost my own virginity when I was fifteen—over two decades ago. She had been a toddler then. There was a twelve-year age gap between us. It felt like a lifetime, given my world.