Briar Valley: The Complete Duet

18. Willow

CHAPTER 18

WILLOW

CRAZY IN LOVE - EDEN PROJECT

The sound of chirping birds rouses me from a deep, dreamless sleep. I’m surrounded by stifling heat, and the press of muscles has me panicking before I remember where I am.

Killian’s bedroom.

In his freaking bed.

Crap!

His breathing changes as his arms tighten around me, trapping me in place. I can’t move an inch. Peeking out through my lowered lids, I take a moment to study his bedroom. It’s purely masculine and entirely Killian.

The walls are made of raw, unvarnished wood, and each piece of furniture has been carved from honey-coloured oak. There’s an entire wall made of built-in shelves, packed with books on construction and gardening.

His king-sized bed is big enough to fit his giant frame, covered in red plaid sheets made from brushed cotton. While it’s tidy and comfortable, everything is practical rather than luxurious.

I’m wearing nothing but panties, and I have a naked leg slung across Killian’s huge waist. We fell asleep snuggled closely together after retreating into bed. When I shift, my thigh brushes against something hard and pleased to see me.

Double crap!

“You should go back to sleep,” he grumbles in a low voice. “It’s still early.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

Rolling over with a half-awake groan, he repositions me so we’re laying nose-to-nose. Sleepy eyes scrape over me, framed by wild hair that’s splayed across his pillow in a blonde bush.

He looks like a grizzly bear that’s been awoken from hibernation. Even his chest is vibrating with a purr, causing delicious heat to pool between my thighs. I never imagined I’d wake up to this sight.

“No nightmares,” he observes.

“I can’t remember the last time that happened.”

“Maybe you should sleep on me more often.”

“I’m sure you want the bed back to yourself.”

His index finger traces the slope of my nose, a little crooked after years of being broken and reset by hand. There’s darkness swirling in his eyes, silent and deadly. A wild animal is begging to be set free.

“Hardly,” he rebukes. “I’ve never let anyone else sleep in this bed before.”

“What? Not even another woman?”

“Do I look like I’m the relationship type?”

I stifle a laugh. “I have no idea. You did a good job of being a hopeless romantic last night. I think there’s a smooth talker in there somewhere.”

“Are you teasing me, Willow?”

“Maybe I am.”

His chuckle is throaty. “I’ve kept my hands to myself, but don’t expect me to be a gentleman if you’re gonna be all cute and shit while naked in my bed.”

“Cute and shit?” I repeat.

“You heard me. I’m struggling to find a reason why I shouldn’t take advantage of this situation.”

Electricity zips down my spine, setting my body alight with anticipation. I should be terrified of being this close to another man, but after last night, I feel like I know Killian. He finally allowed himself to open up.

Tangling my fingers in his hair, I stroke the coarse strands. “Well, for starters, both of your cousins will hear us.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing,” he growls possessively. “I can’t stop thinking about your sweet, gorgeous body. I want another taste.”

His fingertips dance down my bare spine, leaving goosebumps in their wake. My leg is still hooked over him, adding to the tantalising pressure that’s building in my core. He rocks his erection into me again.

“Feel that?” he rasps. “That’s how much I want you.”

“I want you too.”

He searches my face. “I don’t want to even attempt to touch you again if you’re not ready. Especially after last night. This is all on your terms, not mine.”

I bite my lip. “I’m sorry that I freaked out.”

“Stop it. No apologies are allowed. It’s my fault for being an insensitive jackass.”

“You? Insensitive?”

“Ha bloody ha.” Killian smirks. “I’d only admit that to you.”

“Well, in that case, I’m honoured.”

“You should be. I don’t give a fuck about anyone else’s feelings.”

Snuggling closer to his chest, I kiss the carved lines of his collarbones, trailing my lips over his beard to reach his mouth. Killian captures me in a kiss, offering a taste of what my body is screaming out for.

He might not know the truth about my past, but last night was progress. The flash of sheer vulnerability on his face when I tried to leave was exactly what I wanted to see. His human side, beneath the bravado and defence mechanisms.

I can trust him now.

I’ve seen his true colours.

“Please,” I murmur against his lips.

“I meant what I said, Willow. I’m not doing this for the wrong reasons.”

“Kill. Shut up and kiss me.”

He grabs my face and slams his lips against mine without another whisper of protest. Soft at first, he coaxes me in, his teeth nipping my bottom lip before his tongue slips inside my mouth to increase the tempo.

Mr Sanchez never kissed me. That would’ve been too intimate for him. He certainly never touched me with gentle, loving reverence.

Blocking his memory out, I stick him in a mental prison and lose myself to the sweetness of Killian’s kiss. His palm slides up my thigh, still slung across his body. Every stroke of his fingers is setting me on fire.

Gripping my hips tight, in one sudden move he manages to pull me on top of him. His cock presses up against the heat dampening my panties. I rock into him, desperately seeking more friction to satisfy the building ache.

“You like that?” he rumbles.

“Yes,” I admit, writhing on his lap. “It feels… good.”

“What else do you like?”

Arching my back as his hands find the swell of my breasts, I release a moan. He rolls my nipples between his fingertips, tugging on the stiffening peaks. My chest feels so sensitive, tingling with the slightest of touches.

“Words,” he reminds.

“Fuck,” I moan. “I like it when you bite my nipples.”

“That’s it, baby.”

His lips secure themselves to my left breast, lightly nipping and sucking to leave a mark on my skin. Teeth capturing my nipple, he lightly bites down, fulfilling my plea.

“What else?” Killian encourages.

Still grinding against his hard length, I long to remove the fabric barrier keeping us apart. My fear has evaporated. Gone. Right now, I am in control. This formidable beast of a man is begging for the chance to worship me.

“Kiss me,” I beg him. “And… pull my hair a bit.”

“Damn, Willow. Are you feeling brave?”

“Maybe.”

“I think I like this side of you.”

Curling a handful of my long hair around his fist, Killian tugs on it to drag my mouth back to his. I land on his chest, my mouth seeking his out with an embarrassing mewl.

He pulls again, harder this time, and the pain blends perfectly with the fire racing over my skin. I love watching his gentleness fade, and hints of his dominance shine through.

“Anything else?”

“I want to forget him,” I admit.

Killian hesitates. “Your husband?”

“Help me to forget what he did to me. I need you to replace all that pain with new memories. Good ones.”

He curses colourfully. “I am going to break that bastard’s fucking skull. I don’t even need to know what he did to you. He’s already signed his death warrant.”

“Come back to me, Kill.”

Blinking the haze of anger from his eyes, he blows out a breath. “Keep your eyes on me at all times. You’re not allowed to think about anything else. Am I clear?”

There it is again—that hot dominance. I love it.

“Say it. Out loud.”

“You’re clear,” I recite.

Grinning darkly, he flips us over in one deft move. My back meets his mattress, and Killian hangs over me instead. I gasp as his lips secure to my neck, sucking my skin deep into his mouth before releasing.

I can feel the blood rushing to the site of his love bite, searing with a delicious brand of agony. It isn’t pain in the sense I’m used to. This hurting is welcome and oh-so hot.

“Mine,” he growls out. “You understand?”

“I understand.”

Dragging his hot, expert tongue between my breasts, he kisses the slope of my belly until my entire body is trembling with need. My legs part without complaint and he ducks down, taking a sniff of my soaking wet panties.

I feel myself flush with embarrassment. I’m not sure if it’s normal to be so wet. Zach marvelled in it too. After enduring so much brutalisation, I think my body is making up for lost time and overcompensating.

“I can smell how wet you are. Is that all for me?”

“Yes,” I say in a breathy whisper.

His beard scratches the over-sensitised skin of my slick inner thighs. Sliding his finger beneath the elastic, he teasingly drags the panties to one side, exposing my pussy to him.

I fight to keep still as his thumb rubs over my over-sensitised clit, sending even more heat flooding deep into my core. My legs almost close around his head before he pins them back open.

“Let’s get these panties out of the way.”

The sound of ripping fabric fills the bedroom. I gape as Killian tosses my ruined panties over his shoulder. There’s mischief burning in his eyes. Perhaps, Zach is rubbing off on him after all this time.

Killian secures his mouth to my cunt, skipping past all formalities. I clamp a hand over my mouth as his tongue parts my folds. It feels like he’s trying to consume every part of me, demanding all that I have to give.

Holding my moan back is impossible when his finger circles my tight entrance, spreading the moisture before slowly pushing inside me. It’s uncomfortable at first and I tense up, threatened by a pit of sinister memories.

He pauses to look up at me. “Just me, Willow. You good?”

I nod back, not trusting myself to speak.

“No one else. Keep those eyes on me.”

Clamping down on the flow of memories, I make myself focus only on him. His touch. His tongue. His breath. Killian works his finger in and out of me a few times and each stroke has me begging for more.

It feels incredible, being touched when I actually want it. I had no idea it could feel so good. All the humiliation and self-hatred I’m used to drowning in is refused entry into my mind. Killian leaves room for none of it.

When his tongue returns to my pussy, working in perfect timing with his finger, the heat in my core begins to build. Killian pushes a second finger inside of me, his teeth grazing against my clit at the perfect time.

I moan again, unable to stop the tsunami that drowns me in too many sensations to count. This release hits me all at once, even stronger than the orgasm that Zach teased from me with his tongue.

“Come, Willow,” he orders.

Quickening his thrusting fingers, Killian works me into a gasping puddle of need. My vision darkens as the approaching wave of pleasure steals all rational thought straight out of my head.

I can’t run. Can’t hide. Can’t stop this fearless warrior from pushing me over the edge. And I don’t want to. He’s making me whole again, one piece at a time. All that exists is his touch, his murmured words, the ghost of his warm breath between my thighs.

Crying out his name, my orgasm hits, sweeping all of my inhibitions out to shore. Killian’s mouth refuses to lift from my heat, his fingers curled deep inside of me. He’s savouring every second of sweet torture.

When I manage to peel my eyes open, he’s sat up between my legs, his hand cupping the hardness of his erection through his boxers. Still, he seems reluctant to go further.

“You aren’t ready,” he answers my unspoken question.

“I think I am.”

“No. You’re not.”

Reaching out, I seize the waistband of his boxers. “Please. All my memories are of pain and fear. I want to remember this moment with you instead.”

“Dammit, Willow. I can’t think straight when you say shit like that.”

Slowly, I nudge his boxers down. “Then don’t think at all.”

Teeth gritted to suppress a groan, Killian watches me drag the material over the toned swell of his ass. He said it himself. This is all on my terms. I’m choosing to trust him with the most broken, fragile part of myself.

Any final protests die on his tongue when I wrap my hand around the base of his dick that pops free from his boxers. He’s intimidatingly large. His cock is thick and long, striped with prominent veins.

“Off,” I command.

His eyebrows spike upwards. “Demanding much?”

“Yes. Take them off.”

Licking my lips, I shuffle to sit upright while Killian removes his boxers and tosses them aside. The intensity of his heated gaze sets my skin alight.

“Willow,” he warns thickly. “This is your last chance to walk away. You’re playing with fire.”

I pat the bed with a grin. “Maybe I want to get burnt.”

He retakes his place, stretching his legs out either side of me, offering full access to every inch of him. I swallow my anxiety and stroke my hand up and down his impressive length.

There’s a patch of light hair around the base, dusting upwards towards his packed abdominals. Leaning close, I press a soft kiss on the head of his dick before taking it into my mouth.

“Dammit,” Killian hisses.

Cupping a handful of his balls, I suck up and down his length. I can’t fit his whole girth in my mouth, the head is already nudging the back of my throat, leaving half untouched.

Turning my head, I lick around the swell of his tip. With each stroke of my tongue, his hips begin to move, thrusting upwards to gently fuck my mouth. I feel his hands fist in my hair.

“Fucking hell, Willow. That feels so good.”

The sense of power is heady. This man could snap my spine with a mere flick of his fingers, yet he’s the one beneath me now, begging for more of my attention.

I’ve never been afforded the chance to control a man like this. He might be riding my mouth right now, but I’m the one allowing him to. This is my performance. Under my control. He’s nothing more than a puppet to my will.

Gripping the hard planes of his thighs, I feel the sear of moisture escaping the corners of my eyes. He’s hitting the back of my throat with each upwards shift of his hips.

Before I can take more of his length, Killian pushes my shoulders, forcing me to release his cock. He’s wild-eyed and huffing each breath, glowing embers of animal lust lighting his irises.

“Hang on,” he says hoarsely.

Watching him reach into the nearby bedside table, he flourishes a foil packet. My heart hammers violently against my ribcage. Tearing it open, Killian pauses, still uncertain.

“I want this,” I assure him. “I’m ready.”

“Are you sure, Willow?”

“I trust you. Isn’t that enough?”

He considers me, nodding to himself. “Yeah, it is. I just don’t want to do anything to fuck this up. You mean too much to me.”

My insides turn to pathetic mush. “Come here.”

Lips smashing together, his kiss seals any remaining cracks of doubt in my mind. I can feel his need to love and protect in the unspoken ferocity of his lips devouring mine.

Killian would never hurt me.

The safest place in the world is right here.

Breaking the kiss, I watch him roll the condom over his length. When he touches me again, his roughened hands on my skin don’t bring pain, but blistering waves of pleasure. I let him lay me down on the bed, his knee pushing my legs open.

I’m still soaked from one mind-blowing orgasm, and his thumb stroking against my clit reignites the heavenly warmth running through my veins with each tiny touch. My legs squeeze his waist, beckoning him in.

Killian peppers kisses along my jawline. “You belong to me now. I’m the only man you’re allowed to think of when I’m buried in your cunt.”

“I’m here with you. I promise.”

His cock nudges my entrance, not quite breaching me. “What do you want, baby?” He slowly pushes inside. “You want me to fuck your sweet pussy?”

“Yes,” I gasp. “Fuck, yes.”

“Beg me, Willow. I want to hear it.”

It should be humiliating, but his gruff demands only turn me on even more. There’s no malicious greed behind his words, just lust and passion that beckons me closer.

“Please, Kill. I’m begging you.”

“Begging me for what?” he pushes.

I want to scream in frustration. He’s inching inside my slit but holding back the final move that will offer me much-needed relief.

“I’m begging for you to fuck me,” I mewl, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

His soft expression melts away like wallpaper peeling from decaying walls. Animal desire is left behind. The man beneath the mask unveils himself—an impatient beast who threatens death to anyone that dares to challenge his control.

Killian snaps.

Actually, finally snaps.

Mouth slanting against mine, he swallows my loud groan as he surges inside of me in one slick move. The agony I’ve come to expect never arrives. Instead, ecstasy engulfs my senses, blotting out everything else.

Killian slides out of me and shifts his hips, pushing back in to stretch my walls. His strokes are long and confident, filling me to the brim each time, encouraging me to take the extra inches.

“So fucking tight,” he hisses.

I can’t even garble a response. My brain is short-circuiting. His pumps drag endless moans from my mouth, each louder than the last. I’m panting and begging him for more with every passing second.

Holding my waist, he moves a little faster, finding his rhythm with ease. Each time he enters me, fireworks explode beneath my skin. I want more. Need more. He’s making me feel alive, and I’ll do anything to hold on to this feeling.

“Willow.” He rocks into me. “You.” His tongue drags up my throat. “Are.” He captures my lips in a kiss. “Perfect.”

When I’m about to scream his name, he quickly pulls out and leaves me on the cusp of falling apart. I yell in frustration, writhing and fisting handfuls of his bedsheets. The sudden loss is so acute.

Killian shifts backwards on the bed, dragging me with him. His long legs stretch across the mattress, and he lifts me in the air then drops me on his lap with a grunt. My mind spins with the abrupt role-reversal.

“I want to watch you bounce on my cock with your perfect tits in my face,” he explains with a filthy wink.

Manoeuvring my hips to find the perfect position, he lines his length up with my soaked entrance again. I grip his shoulders, circling his waist with my legs until we’re flush against each other.

On top of him, I choose the exact moment to sink down on his cock. In this position, he reaches an even deeper angle. I throw my head back and moan his name, relishing the feeling of fullness.

“Kill,” I hum.

“Move, baby.” He palms my breasts, squeezing gently. “You look like a motherfucking goddess on top of me right now.”

It takes a few attempts to find the right movement. Arms wound around his neck, I rise and fall on his length, swivelling my hips to find the perfect angle to relieve the ache deep inside of my core.

He sinks his face between my breasts, his thumbs mercilessly toying with my rock-hard nipples. When he twists one, the sharp stab of pain heightens my rampant desire. The two blend into an inferno that sears my insides.

“Fuck, Kill. I need to come.”

His teeth graze across my left nipple. “Are you close, beautiful girl?”

“Y-Yes. So close.”

His fingers slide through my hair, and he roughly tugs a handful, causing me to hiss out a curse. I move faster—chasing my release, needing the wave inside of me to crest.

With one hand in my hair and the other moving to hold my hip, Killian’s patience expires. He thrusts upwards beneath me, pushing deep into my pussy as I slam down on him. His timing is excruciatingly perfect.

Our shared strokes allow my release to build, my walls clenching tight around his dick. We fit snugly together like lock and key. He’s so big, I can barely fit all of him inside me.

Nails cutting into his shoulder blades, I crash down on his cock one more time and feel myself finally reach that unattainable peak. I can’t hold it in for a second longer.

“That’s it,” he directs. “Cover me in your sweet juices.”

“Killian,” I cry out.

His thrusts remain steady, squeezing every last drop of my release. I cling to him, letting him fuck me senseless, despite my orgasm stealing the breath from my lungs. His strokes don’t relent, demanding even more from me.

“So fucking beautiful.”

My limbs turn to jelly, and Killian quickly lifts me from his lap, laying me face down on the bed. I grip handfuls of his bedsheets again, still quivering like a leaf.

I’ve barely sucked in a breath when he lifts my ass into the air and uses the upright position to push back into my slit from behind. The vulnerability of the position almost catches me out, but his murmured praise keeps me locked in the present.

“More,” I beg him.

My gasping moans echo around the room as he pounds into me. I doubt there’s anyone in the house who can’t hear the chaos we’re causing. I need him to fuck me to death and leave no space for the demons of my past.

“Take it,” he grunts.

Killian’s palm cracks against my ass cheek, but the blow doesn’t trigger me. I relish the welcome sting of pain, extending my release into a series of explosive aftershocks. His fast pumps rattle the bed frame, testing its construction.

He doesn’t hold back, tossing aside his reservations and fucking me into a sweaty tangle on his bed. Each spank accompanies a thrust, his coordinated attack on my body forcing me to ride the waves of my orgasm over and over again.

It doesn’t stop. I’m being annihilated, but for the first time, it’s entirely my choice. This is a destructive collision of my choosing, and it feels entirely too good to be the one in control of my sexuality again.

“Fuck!” Killian roars.

With a final slam, he stills and booms a guttural curse. Even through the condom, I can feel the surge of heat inside me from his seed. It sends me spiralling again, unable to hold the frayed edges of my mind together.

I’m falling.

Falling.

Falling.

But he’s here to catch me.

Killian twists his body to land sideways on the bed instead of crushing me beneath his weight. I’m numb and speechless, floating on a cloud of contentment.

He drags me into his arms and imprisons me against the rapid rise and fall of his chest. All I can hear is the thunderous pounding of his heart, as if it’s trying to break free to crawl inside me and find a new home.

“Are you okay?” he gasps.

“Uh-huh.” I summon the energy to respond.

The look on his face as he studies my exhausted state is priceless. I’d imagine it’s the same look a hunter wears when he’s caught his kill. I’ve been well and truly captured.

“I didn’t mean to get so carried away. Did I hurt you?”

“No, I’m okay. Just… need a minute.”

“That good, huh?”

I swat his chest. “Careful. You won’t fit that ego through the door.”

“Hah. I don’t fucking care. I have zero desire to ever leave this bed again.”

Wrapped up in each other, we rest in silence and catch our breath. My eyes drift shut, too heavy to hold open, despite the morning birds singing outside his window. All I want is to stay here, trapped in the safety of his arms forever.

“Willow,” he whispers. “We should get showered before everyone wakes up.”

“Mmmm.”

“Shower. Now.”

“Stop being so bossy. I can’t move yet.”

Barking a laugh, Killian unpeels himself from me and clambers to his feet. “Shake a leg. I’ll even wash your back for you. I’m nothing if not a gentleman.”

“That isn’t a word I’d use to describe you after what we just did.”

“Wow.” He snorts. “You might have a point there.”

Heading into the bathroom, his chuckling is silenced by the shower turning on. I remain curled up on his bed, unable to move a muscle. It’s going to take a while for my brain to catch up on what just happened.

“Killian! You up?”

Shouting echoes from outside the bedroom door. Squeaking in panic, I’m too late to cover my naked body up. The door flies open, revealing a half-awake Zach stumbling in his boxer shorts and an oversized t-shirt.

“Ki—oh, shit. You’re not Killian.”

“Nope,” I exclaim.

Rubbing his eyes, he blinks several times like he’s witnessing a mirage. Looking from my bird’s nest hair and naked, still-trembling body to the tangle of sheets on Killian’s bed, it doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together.

“My, oh my. What have I walked into?”

“Zach! Please go away.”

“No can do.” He crouches down and scoops my ripped panties off Killian’s floor. “I guess you didn’t want this pair anymore, huh?”

“Ground swallow me up. Please.”

Zach props his shoulder against the door frame. “I can practically smell you in the air. I was hoping you’d end up in my bed first, not this caveman’s. I’m a team player though.”

“Huh?” I stare at him.

“You heard me, babe.”

Flushing red, I grab the pillow beneath me and toss it straight at him. Zach easily bats it aside and I throw another, assaulting him with feathers and fabric.

“What the hell is that noise?”

Killian steps out of the bathroom, stark-bollock naked. Rather than rushing to cover his bare ass up, he looks between me and Zach, his lips twisting into a proud smirk.

“Mind giving us some privacy?” he asks in a light-hearted voice. “I’d like to hear Willow scream my name again in the shower before I cook your damn breakfast.”

“By all means, go ahead.” Zach invites him with a hand wave. “You don’t mind if I watch this time, do ya, cuz?”

“I do!” I squeal.

“You’re embarrassing her, Kill.”

“Me?” Killian drones.

“Maybe I should take over.” Zach sends a sultry wink my way. “You can cook breakfast while Willow screams my name instead. Sound good?”

“You’ll get your turn, kid. Go on, fuck off.”

Still naked, Killian marches over to the door and slams it in his expectant face. I can hear Zach groaning with disappointment from the other side. Killian turns to face me with an exasperated eye roll.

“You better get showered before I climb back into that bed and give Zach something to complain about.”

“Z-Zach?”

He scoffs. “You can bet he’ll be listening to us now. He’s the jealous type. Plus, we have a birthday party to prepare for. Or did you forget?”

Groaning in annoyance, I make my jelly legs stand and try my best not to faceplant. Killian laughs at every reluctant step I take towards the shower. All I want is to burrow beneath his duvet and sleep for another ten hours.

“Shift it, we have work to do.” His hand slaps against my ass on my way past. “Princess parties don’t plan themselves around here.”