Aisling met every stroke, her hands gripping his back, her hips rising to meet his. The room was full of heat and breath and soft, needy sounds. Nothing existed but the two of them and the rhythm they found together.
It was overwhelming. Consuming. And the pressure built like a wave about to crash.
“Damn, Aisling,” he gasped. “I can’t hold on much longer.”
“I’m close,” she whispered, wanting it to last.
He bent his head and kissed her with aching reverence. “Come with me. Now.”
No man had ever commanded her like this, but under Ronan’s touch, shewantedto obey,neededto. The hunger in his voice was a spark against her skin, igniting something reckless and wild inside her. She burned with the need to please him, to give him everything he demanded, and more.
They moved in a brutal, beautiful rhythm, every thrust and gasp sinking into her chest like claws, wrapping tightly around her heart and dragging something raw and aching to the surface.
She broke apart with a cry, the orgasm tearing through her like lightning. He followed with a groan, burying his face in her neck as his body trembled against hers.
They stayed like that for a long moment, tangled, catching their breath.
For a few staggering heartbeats, the world simply disappeared, obliterated in the blinding heat of their release. Aisling clung to him as her body trembled with the last, beautiful shocks of pleasure, Ronan’s weight anchoring her to the earth even as everything inside her felt light and shattered.
She buried her face against his neck, breathing him in, feeling the wild pounding of his heart under her hands. She had never... never experienced anything like this. Not with Michael. Not with anyone. This wasn’t just sex; it was something deeper, rawer, a collision of bodies, yes, but also something infinitely more dangerous.
Something that left her soul stripped bare.
As her body slowly came back to itself, her mind spun helplessly, trying to make sense of the tidal wave that had just crashed through her. No one had ever touched her like this. No one had ever pulled her apart and put her back together in the same breath. She feltseenin a way she didn’t even realize she craved, wanted in a way that had nothing to do with land, family feuds, or ancient grudges.
Just her. Just him.
God help her, she could drown in this man if she wasn’t careful.
Finally, he rolled to his side and pulled her with him. She rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as it gradually slowed.
He ran his fingers through her hair, tender in the aftermath. “You okay?”
Her lips curled into a lazy, satisfied smile. “Better than okay.”
There was a beat of silence, the kind that buzzed with the electricity still humming between their bodies.
“Where’d you hide the handcuffs?” he asked, his voice rough and teasing.
She laughed, the sound low and wicked. “No handcuffs. No hidden props. Just me. All natural trouble.” Then she shifted on top of him, her thigh sliding over his. “Now, are you ready to go again? That was so damn good, I think we owe ourselves a sequel. Only this time, I take the lead.”
His hand caught her wrist gently, a smirk playing on his mouth. “On one condition.”
Her brow lifted. “What’s that?”
“You promise not to break me.” A pause, then he added with a glint in his eye, “Unless I beg for it.”
“Ronan, you’re going to beg for it.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that,” he said, his mouth moving over hers.
When they finally stilled, breathless and tangled in each other, Ronan cupped the back of her head and locked eyes with her, so open, so devastatingly real it made her chest ache.
“Aisling,” he said, his voice low and rough, “I don’t know what tomorrow looks like. Hell, I don’t know what the next hour looks like. But I know I want this.Us.I wantyou.No old grudges, no stupid feuds, no betrothals, no damn goat eating the roses—none of it matters to me. Not compared to this. I’m not going anywhere unless you make me.”
He brushed his thumb across her cheek like he couldn’t stop touching her, couldn’t bear the thought of letting her slip away.
“I’m here, Aisling. As long as you’ll have me.”
