Page 88 of Redeem Me

‘I think they’re just happy they caught you smiling.’ I slide onto a seat and tuck my legs beneath a glass-topped table. I tilt my face up to the sun, revelling in the warmth kissing my cheekbones.

‘Youmake me smile, ’ Caelon says in a low voice. ‘Youdrive me fucking crazy sometimes, strutting around in tiny outfits and dating my brother, but being with you makes me…’ he pauses for a second and I tilt my face to meet his gaze, ‘feel alive.’

Warmth blooms in my chest and heats my blood. ‘You drivemefucking crazy strutting around in those sexy suits and looking all tortured, but being with you makes me…’ I pause, trying to think of a meaningful word that captures how he makes me feel, without terrifying him. ‘Being with you makes me feel strong.’

‘You are strong.’ He yanks the strap of my playsuit down, ‘And sexy. And smart.’

‘Shame my family didn’t get the memo.’

‘Fuck them.’ His lips part and I get a flash of perfect white teeth. ‘Take this off.’

I glance around the empty deck. ‘What if someone sees?’

‘What if they do?’ he teases, tugging the other strap down. ‘You never struck me as the shy type.’

‘You know exactly what type I am,’ I remind him, my mind wondering back to the first night we met.

‘Mytype,’ he says gruffly, like it’s a curse instead of a compliment, but before I can overthink it, he grabs my waist and hoists me up onto the table. I shriek as my backside hits the hot glass and he rasps out a cruel laugh. ‘It’s about to get hotter,’ he says, tugging my playsuit down to my stomach and wiggling it down my hips and over my shoes.

He’s still fully dressed while I’m sitting in my bikini and heeled wedges for his pleasure. I’d love to get another look at his toned body and that tattoo. There’s something so damn arousing about it. Why did he pick the phoenix? Maybe one day I’ll get the chance to ask him, but not today.

‘Take your bikini top off.’ It’s not a request.

I glance around once more before pulling at the small bow at the back. The Lycra falls to my lap, then slides to the floor. Caelon hisses out his approval.

‘You’re so fucking beautiful,’ he says, as his greedy eyes drink over my body. ‘I didn’t want to want you, but I can’t help it. Just like your name, you’ve grown tenacious roots beneath my skin. You’ve breached the walls of my house, and you’ve weaved your way into my heart.’ He pauses and the air swirls thickly between us.

He pushes his sunglasses onto his head. Our eyes lock with an intensity more powerful than the sun. I swear I can see his soul through those giant, dark orbs. I suck in a breath, holding it like it might be my last.

Three little words hang like a guillotine about to slice through life as I know it. Anticipation hums in my veins.

I’ve fallen so hard for him. I can only pray to fuck he feels the same.

His fingers skim over my breasts, sending shockwaves rippling in every direction. ‘I love you.’ It’s barely more than awhisper, but I hear it loud and clear. ‘It fucking terrifies me,’ he admits, ‘but I do.’

He loves me. He loves me. He loves me.

As the significance of his words washes over me, my blood turns to hot molten lava and my whole body vibrates with pleasure. ‘I love you, too.’

His lips capture mine, cementing our mutual confessions with a raw, primal carnality that sets shivers soaring over my spine. I lean into him, and he pulls me tighter until our torsos are flush. I need more. I need every inch of him against every inch of me. I need him inside of me. I need us to be one.

He breaks our kiss, his eyes boring into mine again. ‘Your brother is going to murder me when he finds out I’m in love with his little sister, and we’ve been fucking our way through the Kama Sutra.’

‘He doesn’t need to know. Not yet.’

‘He does.’ He cocks his head. ‘I hate lying to him. You’re mine and I want the whole damn world to know it.’

I glance at Caelon’s hands. ‘Can we talk about this when I’m not nearly naked and wet? My boyfriend just told me he loves me, and I want him to show me. Actions speak louder than words, you know.’

Caelon’s lips twist. ‘You have an awful habit of distracting me from important issues.’ He pinches my nipples between his fingers, inciting a moan of pleasure.

‘The only important issue right now is making me come,’ I pout.

He shakes his head, a low chuckle rumbling from his ribcage. ‘Horny brat,’ he tuts. ‘Fine. But we have to talk about this later.’

I roll my eyes. ‘After you make me come.’

‘How exactly would you like me to make you come?’ His tongue darts out over his lower lip and his palms fall to my thighs.

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