Page 55 of Bound By Darkness

The ride feels slower than usual, each floor crawling by, the soft hum of the machinery too quiet to distract me from the echo of their voices.Whispered judgment.Thinly veiled insinuations.Words not meant for me to hear but designed to cut just the same.

I know I handled it.I didn’t flinch.I didn’t snap.I stood tall and let their silence say more than any defense I could have offered.And still, it stings.

Because no matter how capable I prove myself to be, there will always be someone waiting to tear me down.To reduce me to gossip.To pretend power was something I was handed, not something I seized.

I’m not fragile.I know that.But tonight, their words burrow deeper than I want to admit.

Eamon is waiting when I step inside, his jacket off, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up.

He looks up, and the moment his eyes land on me, his demeanor changes.“What’s

wrong?”

“Nothing,” I say, shaking my head as I kick off my heels.

“Try again,” he says, stepping closer.

I sigh, crossing my arms.“It’s nothing worth worrying about.”

His brow lifts.“Aoife.”

I relent, knowing he won’t let it go.“The girls at the desk made some comments after you left.”

“What kind of comments?”

“Implying I only got the job because I’m sleeping with you.”

“They’re fired.”His tone is cold, final.

“That’ll only make it worse.I handled it, and I’ll keep handling it,” I say firmly.

“No one disrespects you and gets away with it.”

“You will not be fighting my battles for me,” I say, meeting his gaze with determination.“I’m not weak.”

“No, you’re not,” he says and lifts me onto the kitchen counter.“You’re incredible.”His mouth captures mine in a kiss that steals my breath.“And you’re mine,” he murmurs against my lips.

“Yours,” I whisper back, my fingers tangling in his hair.

The tension from the day dissolves as the fire between us takes over, raw and consuming.Nothing else matters.Not the whispers, not the world outside.Just this.

His hands grip my thighs, pulling me closer to the edge of the counter as his lips trail fire down my neck.The roughness of his stubble against my skin sends desire straight to my core.His fingers dig into the soft flesh of my hips, and I gasp as he pushes my skirt up, the cool air brushing against my bare skin.

“God, Aoife,” he breathes, his voice low and ragged.His hands slide higher, expecting lace but finding bare skin.“No knickers?”he murmurs, his eyes dark with hunger drag over me like a slow caress.“Jesus, you’re trying to kill me.”

The shift in him is immediate—need rising, sharp and consuming, and all of it aimed at me.His hand slides between my thighs, his finger stroking me with a confidence that leaves me trembling.My back arches, a moan slipping from my lips as his mouth claims mine in a kiss that’s all teeth and desperation.

“You’re so wet for me.”His voice is rough and sends a shiver through me.

His touch is unrelenting as he circles my clit, pressing and teasing until my hips instinctively move toward him, desperate for more.He slides two fingers inside me and curls them just right, hitting a spot that makes me cry out.

His lips graze my ear.“You’re fucking perfect, Aoife,” he says, his breath hot against my skin.“I could spend all night driving you to the edge just to hear those sounds you make when you fall apart for me.”

I can only nod, my hands clutching his shoulders as he increases his pace, his thumb brushing over my clit, making my legs shake and my mind blur with pleasure.My body burns with a need only he can satisfy.

When I can’t take it anymore, I tug at his shirt, fumbling with the buttons in my desperation.He pulls back just long enough to shrug out of it.My hands roam over him, tracing the ridges of his defined abs and the lines of his tattoos, my nails scraping lightly over his chest.He shoves his slacks down in one swift motion, his movements precise and brimming with raw, controlled power.

When he’s free, he positions himself between my thighs, his hard cock pressing against me, teasing.“I need you,” I say as I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him closer.

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