“Mama, it’s freezing outside. I’ll call you tomorrow when I know more about the roads after this storm.”
“You be a gentleman, Athanasios. No funny business with the Irish girl. They have bad tempers you know.”
Rolling my eyes, I let out a gruff laugh. “I love you, Mama. I’ll call you tomorrow and please don’t worry.”
“We aren’t finished talking. You will come by the house when you get back. Straight here. No sex! If you do, you wrap your stick!”
I was positive the look on my face was one of horror. “I’ve got to go, Mom.”
Hitting End, I tried to erase the last minute of that conversation.
“Hey, Phoebe and I are heading up stairs. I’ve got the fire going good in both bedrooms.”
Looking at my brother, I smiled. “Shit. How long have I been standing over here?”
He shrugged. “Long enough for Kilyn to fall asleep and me to start the fires. You’ve got to stop getting lost in your own head, Thano.”
My eyes darted over to the fire. Kilyn was snuggled up under a blanket sound asleep.
“I’m not lost. I know exactly where I am, and I’m not ready to let anyone else in here with me.”
Thad frowned and shook his head. “Then I suggest you let Kilyn sleep in the bedroom and you sleep out here. I get the feeling she’s been hurt before. The last thing she needs is for you to fuck around with her emotions because you don’t have your own shit together.”
I opened my mouth to respond back when I shut it again. I knew he was right. The right thing for me to do would be to leave her alone.
But I didn’t want to.
Placing his hand on my shoulder, he wore a concerned expression. “It’s time to move on, Thano. Savannah would have wanted you to move on.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded my head and hit the side of his arm. “Thanks, bro. I’ll see you in the morning.”
I watched as Thad headed upstairs. He carried one of the blankets my neighbor had given us and a couple of pillows.
My eyes drifted back over to the sleeping beauty in front of my fireplace. A part of me didn’t want to move her; she looked so damn cute.
Walking into my bedroom, I pulled the blanket back from the bed. The fire was roaring and wouldn’t need any wood added to it for a while.
I blew out a deep breath of air and headed back out to the living room. Reaching down for Kilyn, I picked her up and carried her to my room. I tried like hell to ignore the knot in my stomach when she wrapped her arms around my neck and nuzzled her face into my chest.
When I laid her on the bed she whispered my name. The sound of it off her lips had my stomach dipping. I dropped to my knees and watched her sleep. Gently moving a strand of her dark hair from her face, I smiled as I took in her beauty.
My heart ached as I tried like hell to fight the feelings I was developing for Kilyn. She was so full of life, yet behind her eyes I saw such sadness there. I wanted to make it disappear, but how could I when I myself carried the same sadness.
The fire cracked as I watched her sleep. Each breath she took had me wanting her more. With every whimper she made, another piece of my wall tumbled down. What would it be like having her wrapped in my arms? Would she be the one to finally wake my heart up?
The energy in the room changed when she opened her eyes. A slow smile played across her face as I fought to breathe. In that moment the world faded away and the only thing that was heard was the beating of our hearts.
“Thano,” she whispered as she sat up. Our eyes stayed locked on one another. When she reached for her T-shirt and pulled it over her head, I took in her breathtakingly perfect body. Reaching my hands up, I unbuttoned her jeans and held my breath when she stood. She hooked her thumbs and slid her pants down, leaving her dressed in only her bra and panties.
Still on my knees, I placed my hands on her hips. A rush of goose bumps covered her body, causing me to smile. She sucked in a breath of air when I kissed her right above her panty line.
“Oh, God,” she whispered.
I fucking loved how my touch affected her so much. Moving my index finger lightly along her panty line, I looked up and watched the way the light of the fire bounced off her face. I wanted to memorize every look she made when I touched her.
Slowly, I pulled her panties down. My heart was pounding against my chest and I was positive Kilyn could hear it.
Her breathing increased, and I swear I had to fight off the urge to throw her leg over my shoulder and taste her pussy.
I’d save that for later, now I wanted to feel what it was like to be inside of her. Thad looked at me like I was nuts earlier when I pulled him off to the side and asked if he had any extra condoms.
“Bro, I have a whole damn box in the glove box of my truck.”
I swear, I wanted to kiss him on the lips when he handed me two.
Placing another kiss on her stomach, I stood slowly. My eyes landed on her chest as it heaved with each breath she took. Lifting my head, our eyes locked.
Kilyn slowly ran her tongue over her lips, preparing for me to kiss her. And damn it if I didn’t want to kiss her.
Lightly running my finger over her chest, she gasped and then whimpered softly.
Leaning over, I kissed her chest and slowly made my way to her neck. Placing gentle kisses as I moved, I pushed her hair behind her shoulder. With my lips against her ear, I whispered, “Breathe, ladybug.”
The rush of air that left her mouth had my dick jumping. I reached behind her and unclasped her bra. There was never a moment in my life that I longed for more than this one. Seeing Kilyn standing before me naked and ready for me to make love to her was something I wanted etched in my memory forever.
The bra dropped to the floor as I took a step back. Her first reaction was to cover herself. I gently took her hands and slowly shook my head. “To soma sas eínai téleia.”
The crooked smile on her face made my stomach feel like I was on a thrill ride. “What did you say?”
My eyes took in her body with hunger and lust. Cupping her face in my hands, I gazed into her seductive eyes. “Your body is perfect.”
The flush across her cheeks had me falling even more for her.
I wanted nothing but her in my head and heart tonight. “Kilyn, tell me what I want to hear.”
Her lips parted while her eyes frantically searched my face. “I want you.”
My hand moved to her lower back, pulling her body flush against mine. “Tell me what you want me to do.”
Her eyes penetrated mine and all I saw was desire. There was no sadness in them at all. Swallowing hard, she whispered, “I want you to make love to me.”
My eyes closed and I took in a deep breath. Every woman I’d been with since Savannah I had fucked. There was no love making involved. You only made love to someone if you loved him or her. But with Kilyn . . . I wanted to make love to her.
Slowly.
Passionately.
My heart began to beat faster. Was I falling in love with Kilyn?
“Thano?”
Her voice pulled me back from the darkness. “Lay on the bed, ladybug.”
For a moment she paused before she did what I said. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the condoms and placed them on the bed. I quickly got undressed while Kilyn watched my every move, all the while rubbing her legs together. She was turned on and I could see she wanted me as much as I wanted her.
Pushing my pants down, my cock sprung out. Kilyn sunk her teeth into her lip and moved her hand between her legs. It was the hottest fucking thing I’d ever seen.
Reaching over, I grabbed her hand and shook my head. “The first time you come is going to be with me inside of you.”
Closing her eyes, she whispered, “Dear God, you’re killing me.”
Not being able to contain my smile, I crawled onto the bed and pushed her legs apart. “I want to go slow. Memorize everything that makes you feel good.”
Her head thrashed back and forth as she grabbed the sheets. “Slow is good. But a hurried up slow is even better.”
Damn this girl. She had somehow managed to sneak into my heart and I wanted more than anything to keep her there.
Lifting her leg, I gently placed kisses on her thigh. “Oh, God. Faster slow. Faster slow!”
Smirking, I moved across her pussy, just enough for her to feel my hot breath and lift her hips for more. Placing my hands on her hips, I held her down. I wanted her to stay still so I could tease her a bit more.
“No,” she whimpered.
“Please. Don’t!”
I glanced up, but kept my hands on her, holding her body down.
“Stop!” she called out as she tried getting away from me. I quickly sat up and moved away from her.
She was breathing so heavy I thought for sure she was having a panic attack.
“Please don’t, Peter. Please,” she softly cried.
My heart dropped as I realized she was being taken back to a bad memory.
“Kilyn, it’s me,” I said as I reached out for her. She dragged in a deep breath and stared at the fire.
“I’m so sorry if I scared you, I didn’t know, ladybug.”
When she looked at me, it about killed me. Fear was not only on her face, but in her eyes as well. When the single tear slipped down her cheek, I quickly moved to her side and wrapped her in my arms. Her body trembled. Reaching for the covers, I pulled them up and over us as she melted into my side.
“It’s okay, baby, it’s okay. I swear, I would never hurt you.”
She slowly nodded her head and barely responded with, “I know.”
I wanted desperately to ask her who Peter was. Whoever he was, I wanted to fucking kill him.
When Kilyn finally fell asleep the sound of her breathing relaxed me almost immediately. As my eyes grew heavier, I made a promise to myself that I would never again see that look of fear in my Kilyn’s eyes ever again.
Never.
M
Y EYES OPENED
and the first thing I saw was Thano. My chest fluttered as I watched him sleep. It didn’t take long for the memory of earlier to resurface. Closing my eyes, I silently cursed Peter for invading my world.
Snapping my eyes open, I focused on Thano’s breathing. Smiling, I let the peacefulness of it settle my thoughts. The way he reacted earlier and held me in his arms caused another piece of that wall to crumble to the ground.