Page 51 of The Past

Then, with a groan of surrender, he crushed his lips to mine.

The kiss was slow at first, controlled, like he was holding back.But when I pressed closer, wrapping my arms around his neck, something in him snapped.His hands gripped my hips, pulling me flush against him, and I gasped at the contact.

My fingers tangled in his hair as his mouth moved over mine, tasting, claiming.Heat coiled low in my belly, an unfamiliar ache spreading through me.

What was this feeling?It was both marvelous and almost painful.Like I needed something so very badly and I’d die if I didn’t get it.

I had kissed before, but never like this.Never with this kind of desperation, this raw hunger.

“Fi,” he murmured against my lips.“Tell me to stop.”

I shook my head.“Don’t stop.”

His breath hitched, and before I could second-guess myself, he lifted me into his arms.I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me to his bed, lowering me down against the sheets with the utmost care.

His lips moved to my throat, trailing fire along my skin.His hands skimmed my sides, slow and reverent, as if he were memorizing every inch of me.

I shivered, gripping his shoulders.“I don’t know what to do.”

His lips found mine again, silencing my uncertainty with a kiss so tender it made my chest ache.“I’ll take care of you,” he whispered.“We’ll go slow.”Then he smiled again.“But a general rule of thumb is that touching is a very good thing.You can touch me anywhere you want.”

I nodded, trusting him completely.

And as he guided me through every touch, every whispered reassurance, I knew—I wasn’t just giving him a piece of myself tonight.

I was giving him everything.

Tommy slowly removed my clothes and I didn’t feel a single ounce of shame or embarrassment, even though I’d never been naked in front of a man before.He touched me all over, made me cry out and curse with frustration, and he put his mouth between my legs, and I incinerated.That coiling, desperate need for something I knew I needed but didn’t know what that might be suddenly became clear with an explosion of such pleasure, I knew my life was irrevocably changed.

The world outside faded.Time blurred.

It was the most magical thing that had ever happened to me, and watching Tommy fall apart while he stared down at me only cemented my belief that I had made the right decision to come to him.It was my final break with my old life.

I was a new Fiona Conlan.

When it was over, Tommy pulled me into his arms, tucking me against his chest.I listened to the steady rhythm of his heart as my body hummed with something new, something I couldn’t name.

He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, his voice barely above a whisper.“You okay?”

I nodded, sighing against his skin.“More than okay.”

His arms tightened around me, his breath warm against my temple.“Sleep, darlin’.”

And with my body tangled with his, I did.

CHAPTER 17

Fiona

Agentle, featherlighttouch along the bare skin of my back pulled me out of a deep sleep.I sighed, pressing my cheek against Tommy’s chest.His arms were banded around me and I’d never felt more secure in my life.Not only protected, but cherished in a way I didn’t know was possible.

“Fi.”His voice was a low whisper, lips brushing against the top of my head.“You need to go, darlin’.”

I murmured a protest, shifting against him.I’d become a woman tonight and I wanted to lie here, our naked bodies entwined and just be his.The world outside was still dark and cold, and it couldn’t reach me if I stayed right here.“Just a few more minutes,” I groaned, snuggling against him.

Tommy chuckled softly, arms squeezing me.“I know,” he murmured, pressing another gentle kiss to my head.“Believe me, I don’t want you to go either.But it’s past four, and you’ve gotta get back before someone realizes you’re missing.”

Reality crashed over me like an icy wave from the Irish Sea and I actually shivered from it despite how warm I was pressed against my lover.He was right, of course.I had snuck out of my house to be with him and if I didn’t sneak back before first light, I risked being caught.Another shudder ripped through me at the thought as I couldn’t even begin to imagine how angry my da would be with me.I’m confident it would warrant a black-and-blue beating.And after the way I shunned Brian at the festival, that wasn’t a risk I could take.I had to be low-key with Tommy for both our sakes.

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