Page 8 of Taking a King

She releases me, taking a step back. “For not telling Ronan. I said I would, and I didn’t. You didn’t deserve to be ambushed like that. Neither did he, really. Though I still think he was a jackass about it.”

A small laugh escapes me. “I admit it wasn’t the homecoming I hoped for,” I say, wryly. “But you don’t need to keep apologizing, Claire. It wasn’t fair of me to ask you to take that on alone. Besides that, I came home early. It was my surprise that backfired. Do I wish it would have gone differently? Yes. But I shouldn’t have put that all on you. He’s your brother, but he’s my best friend. I could have talked to him. I should have.”

She shakes her head. “I had so many chances, but I chickened out every time.”

I reach for her hand. “Stop beating yourself up,” I say. “We can’t change it now. We’ll just have to find a way to make him see reason. And hopefully not try to arrest me again.” I grin, but Claire just rolls her eyes.

“That wasn’t funny,” she mutters.

I laugh. “It’s a little funny,” I say. “Not at the time, but I can laugh now. Besides, it’s Ronan. He wasn’t going to really book me into jail. He was just pissed off. He’s the calm one, remember? He’ll come around. Besides, I hear fatherhood helps mellow you out.”

Claire’s smile stretches wide and genuine across her face, making my heart trip in my chest. “I can’t believe I’m going to be an aunt again. Only this time I get to be there for the whole thing. I’m so happy for them. Even if I’m still pissed at my idiot brother.”

I lead her over to the couch and we both sit. Claire sits facing me, her feet tucked under her. I keep her hand in mine, unwilling to lose this simple contact with her.

“Come on,” I say, smiling. “Don’t let me come between you and your brother.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m not. I’ll get over it. Just as soon as he comes to his senses and apologizes for being a dick.”

I laugh. “He’s too stubborn for that and you know it. The best we can hope for is for him to not be openly hostile about this thing between us.”

Claire studies me for a moment, her brows knit in silent thought.

“What?” I ask.

She takes a deep breath and blows it out. “Nothing,” she says, but she’s no longer looking at me. Instead, her gaze is focused on our joined hands.

“Bullshit,” I say, making her laugh. “Just say it.”

She sighs. “Fine. You said, ‘this thing between us.’ But we haven’t discussed that yet. We haven’t talked about what this is. We spent months talking and flirting and—”

“And sexting?” I interject.

Claire’s mouth drops open and her face goes bright red under the freckles I love. She shoves me with her free hand.

“That was one time! And you said you wouldn’t bring it up again.”

I laugh at her outrage. It’s adorable. “I’m sorry,” I say through my laughter. “I couldn’t help it. Can you blame me? It was hot.”

Claire’s blush hasn’t worn off yet and now she’s looking down at the green velvet rather than at me.

“I hate you,” she mutters.

“No, you don’t,” I say. “You adore me. You think I’m hot and you definitely want to kiss me right now.”

She looks up at me with her brows raised. “Well, I did. But not anymore.” Her confidence makes me want to call her out on her lie.

“Bullshit,” I whisper as I lean down and press my lips to hers.

She’s startled for only a second before she leans into the kiss, her hand moving up to rest on my chest. Her lips slide against mine, deepening the kiss. When her lips part, my tongue sweeps in to brush against hers. Claire lets out a little sound of need and her fingers grip my shirt. That sound sends the blood rushing straight down to my dick, making it almost painfully hard. I’ve thought about kissing Claire for so long, imagined it. I’ve wondered how she’d taste, how her lips would feel against mine. I wondered if we’d even have any real chemistry once we were truly together. What if this thing between us only worked long distance? What if we weren’t actually compatible, physically? Now I know. I shouldn’t have worried. Because it’s clear that whatever I’d imagined isn’t even close to the reality of holding her, kissing her, hearing that soft moan escape her.

I drag my lips from her mouth to trail kisses down her jaw. She tilts her head, giving me better access. I take advantage, planting little biting kisses down her neck. Claire gasps and slides closer to me, her hands in my hair. My hands go to her hips, and I lift her, pulling her onto my lap so she’s straddling me. I slide my hands lower, squeezing the globes of her ass, pulling her hard against my aching cock. She sucks in a breath when her core brushes against the hard length of me. But instead of pulling away, she presses down harder, grinding herself against me. I’m dangerously close to losing what little control I have left. This woman has haunted my fantasies for so long. Now, she’s here. In my arms, writhing and gasping and pressing herself against me. I give her ass another squeeze as my mouth returns to hers.

I feel her hands on my stomach as she slides my shirt up. Sitting up, I release her long enough to pull it over my head and toss it aside. Claire’s eyes take me in before she smooths her hands over my chest and up to my shoulders. I run my hands up her sides, sliding her shirt up with the movement. Claire reaches for the hem and pulls the shirt up and off, revealing a hot pink bra that makes me smile. I pull her back down toward me, my lips grazing her neck then traveling lower to skim over her collar bone.

I reach behind her and unclasp her bra, baring her full breasts to my gaze. Her hair falls down around her shoulders in a red-gold wave. She’s beautiful, but I don’t spend nearly enough time looking at her. Instead, I lower my head to take one perfect, pink nipple into my mouth, loving the soft gasp that escapes her. The soft skin pebbles and hardens on my tongue. I cup her other breast in my hand, rolling the nipple between my thumb and finger before moving over to lavish the same attention on it with my mouth. Claire’s hands are buried in my hair, holding me to her. Her hips move restlessly, grinding her core against my rock-hard dick over and over. The friction is nearly more than I can handle, even through our clothes. If this goes on much longer, I’m going to embarrass myself. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this close to a woman, longer still since I’ve been intimate with anyone other than myself.

Claire’s hands are at my waist now, tugging at the button on my jeans. I lean up to take her mouth in another searing kiss. There’s a desperation to both our movements now, as if we both suddenly realized we’ve waited long enough. Our breaths come in ragged gasps as we clumsily tug at the rest of our clothes. Claire stands and wiggles out of her jeans, her panties coming off with them. I freeze for only a moment to stare at her, admiring every inch of her naked body before I hurriedly shove at my pants, pushing them down around my knees. She doesn’t give me enough time to pull them all the way off before she’s on me, straddling my hips again. I wrap my arms around her and pull her tight against me, loving the feel of her wet heat against my cock. I grip her hips and lift her, sliding her slick folds along the length of my shaft. Her broken gasp is nearly enough to make me lose control. But some small part of my brain must still be working, because I still for just a moment, holding her against me.