Page 29 of The Dark Before Light

I take a breath, then throw an axe right at his fault line. “Did you struggle with monogamy during your marriage?”

His eyes freeze over and he goes preternaturally still. “No. And that’s all I’m going to say. We’re not talking about Liz.”

My heart throbs at the pain he’s trying so hard to hide. I don’t have to pretend sympathy; it seeps from my pores.

“Kieran,” I say gently.

Ice cracks, a tiny silver of flame burning through. “What?” he asks roughly.

“I’m not going to counsel you about opening yourself back up to a meaningful relationship.” Yet, I add privately. “Your grief journey is your own. What I’m concerned about is the fact you might be using casual sex to avoid the journey altogether.”

“Who says it’s casual? Maybe I have no interest in a conventional romantic partnership. I’m sure you can relate.”

I ignore the jab. “Okay, then have you seen any of your regular partners in the last six weeks?”

I already know the answer; I can recognize a man in dire need of sexual release. And not the type that comes from his own hand.

“What does that have to do with anything?” he grinds out.

I sit back and cross my legs. “Were you attracted to Claudia?”

“Sure was. She’s a fine thing.”

“Then why didn’t you take her home?”

He leans forward, eyes like chips of ice. “You want to know, Stirling? You sure?”

“If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t ask.”

The words come out confident despite a sudden sensation that I’ve lost traction and am sliding right into the open mouth of a wolf.

Blue flames obliterate ice. “Because for some insane reason, I couldn’t stop thinking about your neck and what it would feel like to squeeze it while I fucked your throat.”

The air vacates my lungs in a whoosh. Heat burns my centerline in a searing wave. It takes everything I have—absolutely everything—not to physically jerk in place.

“You’re blushing again.”

“I’m not dead.”

I throw his words back at him without thinking. As soon as they release, I freeze in consternation. I’ve lost control of the dynamic and myself. It’s never happened before in this office. In any private space. With any man in my adult life.

Kieran’s smile is slight and satisfied as he slouches back again, arms extended, knees falling open in an arrogant extension. The amount of willpower I exert to keep from glancing down his body is tremendous.

“You’re aroused, Stirling. I can see the wild pulse in your neck.” His rough, lyrical voice makes another pulse—the one between my thighs—pound harder.

I force a nonchalant shrug. “I could just as easily be repulsed. You were looking for a reaction, Mr. Hayes, and you got it. Congratulations.”

“Oh, it’s Mr. Hayes again, is it?”

I suck in a breath and release it slowly. “Yes. While what you said was highly inappropriate, I’m glad you shared.”

His teeth scrape across his lower lip. “I can’t wait to hear why.”

“Two reasons. One, you lashed out defensively because the topic was making you uncomfortable, which tells me it’s an important one to revisit.”

“Cute. Reason two?”

“The fact you’ve fantasized about me sexually is troubling. If we can’t resolve it, I’ll have to refer you to another therapist. I have someone in mind who I think would be a good fit.”

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