Ravenous Kingpin (Kingpins of the Syndicate #4)

3. Killian

CHAPTER 3

Killian

T he storm that’d delayed my trip back to Ireland was only a temporary reprieve from the ghosts of my past, but it was one I relished nonetheless. I hadn’t been free from them since I was a little boy—they loomed like the volatile gray clouds over London right now.

Apparently seeing your parents burned alive did that to a person.

The moment I sat at that bar and looked into Em’s eyes, I knew she battled demons of her own. My darkness recognized her shadows.

I’d desperately needed the distraction, so I gave in to it.

I endured hours of pop songs about breakups that would probably haunt me forever. Dinner afterward was full of laughter, and I could honestly say it was the best date I’d ever had.

“Door,” she panted, her body pressed against mine as my mouth ravaged her neck. “Open it before we’re imprisoned by the queen for indecent exposure.”

Despite the heat of the moment and this chemistry consuming us both, we laughed.

The second we entered my hotel room, I pressed her against me, the feel of her body filling me with the kind of comfort I yearned for. Our lips met and she let out a small noise against my mouth as her fingers clutched my suit jacket.

I kicked the door shut and backed her up against it, cupping the back of her neck. Her pulse thrummed beneath my fingers and her grip on my lapel tightened. As though I was her anchor, just as she was mine.

At least for this brief moment, when the only thing we had was each other in this foreign city.

My tongue tangled with hers and I kissed her harshly, but she didn’t relent. She returned the kiss with her own savageness, making my dick harden painfully.

I wrapped my palm around her throat, sucking on her tongue and claiming her mouth. I squeezed until she opened her mouth wider, and all I could hear were her moans and whimpers.

It was music to my ears.

I released her mouth with a gentle nip to her bottom lip. She swallowed thickly, darting her tongue out to lick her swollen lips.

“Why… Why did you stop?”

She stood there with a half-nervous expression, wearing that sinful red dress that begged to be torn off her curvy body.

“Take this off,” I said as I pinched at the material, my cock throbbing harder when she immediately obeyed.

She kept her eyes trained on mine as she kicked off her heels, then unzipped her dress. The silky fabric pooled around her ankles. Her stick-on bra that allowed her to wear a backless dress followed closely and then she was sliding her thong down those sexy legs.

Fuck. Me.

She was gorgeous. I devoured her with my eyes, taking in every detail and imprinting it in my mind. Her sun-kissed skin was flawless. Everything about her was— especially her curves. She had a Sophia Loren kind of figure that spoke of timelessness.

And then there was her sweet little pussy, I wanted to drop to my knees and worship, and her generous rose-tipped breasts that begged to be sucked and nibbled on.

I stepped closer, smelling the tang of her intoxicating arousal. Her tits gently rose and fell, the hard peaks taunting me. She gasped when I reached for them, then moaned when my lips found hers again while I pinched her nipples, twisting them as hard as I sucked on her tongue.

I trailed my mouth down her neck, feeling her fluttery pulse beneath my mouth, then murmured, “Remember my promise, álainn ?”

The Gaelic word for beautiful fit her perfectly.

“I… I…” Her soft whimper shot straight to my groin. “I’m going to scream your name.”

I licked the hollow curve between her neck and shoulder, tasting sunshine and jasmine on her skin. “That’s right. Last chance to run.”

She narrowed her eyes on me.

“I never run.” Strangely enough, I believed her. There was fire in those dark chocolate eyes, reflecting a born fighter. “It’s your turn to strip.”

This woman.

I instinctively knew she was something special. Brave. Smart. So fucking beautiful when she smiled that it hurt to look at her.

I slid my jacket off my shoulders and dropped it to the floor. My tie and shirt were next, but it wasn’t until I unbuckled my trousers that her mouth fell open.

“Now what…” Her voice was breathy. I reached out for her taut nipples and pinched gently, and she whimpered, “ Yes . That feels too good.”

We stood there naked, facing each other, and suddenly all my ghosts disappeared into her light.

I knew I should pull back, pump the brakes, because with Em… I wouldn’t just fuck. I planned on making love.

And my ghosts had no say in it.