Page 81 of Her Irish Treasures
Don’t leave me. Don’t ever, ever die.
“Aidan?” She whispered, her voice raspy and hoarse.
I made a low hum, my lips brushing her forehead.
She didn’t reply. Wondering if she’d fallen asleep, I leaned back enough to search her face. Her eyes were open, though she stared intently at the ink swirling around my throat rather than my eyes. She bit her lip. Flicked a quick glance up at me.
My dick stirred. More than interested in round two.
Her cheeks reddened. Her teeth tugged on her lip. “Could you maybe spank me? Next time. If you don’t mind.”
My chest ached as if my ribcage was going to explode.
I was the tough guy. The meanest, baddest, motorcycle-riding bastard of the group. I couldn’t go all soft and gushy. Even though what I really wanted to do was fall down to my knees beside the bed and beg her to let me worship her all over again.
Next time. I hadn’t ruined everything. She’d let me fuck her again. In fact, she was already laying the groundwork for us to do it again.
“Harder?” I managed to say, though it came out harsher than I intended. My throat was too tight with unspoken emotion. Relief. Gratitude. Undying devotion for all time. “Or longer?”
She nodded. “Mmm hmm.”
Then she nestled her head beneath my chin and promptly fell asleep.
Meanwhile, I wasn’t ever going to sleep again for fear of missing a single moment with her. How long did we have before Evil Eye killed us this time?
Not fucking long enough.
23
Iwoke up briefly when Keane came back. Aidan left but Ivarr joined us. Then Doran and Warwick. Every time I woke up, a different man had joined me on the bed to cuddle.
It took me a couple of wake-up times to realize they were still wearing clothes. They weren’t coming to see if I might be up for round three. Or was it four? I couldn’t even remember.
Finally, it dawned on me that they were taking turns guarding me while I slept.
Of course, that melted my heart. But it also scared the shit out of me.
I wasn’t safe. I wasn’t ever going to be safe. Not while Jonathan was trying to get me back. His trap at the apartment had almost succeeded. The guys hadn’t been able to come after me. If I hadn’t been carrying Warwick’s gold…
I shuddered enough that Doran made a low soothing rumble and tightened his arms around me. I snuggled closer to the broad granite planes of his chest, breathing in his scent. Wet stone after a thunderstorm, a hint of lightning still in the air.
“Do you think the changeling has other traps set for me?” I asked.
“I think it’s highly likely.”
I tipped my head back so I could see his face. I knew he wouldn’t lie to me—but I’d rather see the open honesty in his deep, dark eyes for myself. “How do we stop him?”
He brushed my hair back from my face, tucking the strands behind my ear. “Our best strategy will be to stay one step ahead of him.”
“Because we can’t actually stop him.”
He nodded solemnly. “Through you, we treasures have been blessed with more power than we’ve known for centuries, but he’s nearly as powerful as Evil Eye himself. Our best hope is to weaken him enough to force him back to Faerie.”
“How many times have you fought Balor?”
“Too many to count.”
“Have you ever won?”
