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I lift my head, fingers slipping into her, slow and deep, stroking her in a rhythm designed to undo her completely.

"Say it again," I rasp, my voice rough, the need clawing up my throat.

She does, broken and desperate.When I finally give her what she needs, she shatters beneath me, her body seizing around my fingers, a raw, helpless moan tearing from her throat.But I don’t stop.Not yet.I drive her higher, pull every last tremor from her, wringing the pleasure out of her body until she’s boneless and trembling, utterly wrecked in my hands.

Only then do I rise over her, catching her mouth in a bruising kiss, pressing her into the sheets like I could brand myself into her skin.She claws at me, nails dragging down my back, desperate to pull me closer, to pull me inside where she already belongs.

"Tell me what you want," I rasp against her lips, my cock throbbing against her thigh.

She meets my gaze, no hesitation, no fear, only need."You.Every part of you."

With a groan that rips from deep inside me, I push into her slow, brutal, claiming her all over again.And this time, I lose myself completely.

Every thrust is a vow I don't know how to speak aloud.Every broken sound she makes drives me harder, deeper until there is nothing left but this beautiful act of trying to carve ourselves into each other before the world can tear us apart.

She comes first, her body clenching around me, her cries muffled against my shoulder as she falls apart in my arms.The feel of her shattering, of her holding onto me like she’ll drown if she lets go, rips through my control.

I drive into her one last time, spilling into her with a groan that sounds more like a prayer than anything human.Her name is the last thing on my lips as the world collapses around us.

I ease out of her slowly, carefully, the loss like a fresh wound I don’t know how to close.

But I don't let her go.I gather her against my chest, anchoring her there, feeling every trembling breath she takes against my skin.

Her fingers trace slow, mindless patterns over my heart until her breathing evens out and sleep finally pulls her under.

But I stay awake, staring into the darkness above us.

And when I’m sure she’s lost to dreams, I let the words fall from my mouth, barely a whisper against the quiet."I love you,mo chroí."

I don't want this to end.

God help me.I don't know if I’ll survive it if it does.

Aoife

The sunbarely peeks through the thick curtains, but I’ve been awake for hours.Sleep has barely touched me all week.I blame Eamon and our night on his boat.

He was up early, leaving before the first light of day to handle some business, slipping out of bed with a quiet efficiency that should’ve let me sleep.It didn’t.Because the moment the door clicked shut behind him, I was left with nothing but my thoughts about him.

Which is a problem because I should be thinking about the pieces on the board.About the way the walls are closing in around me.Instead, my body betrays me, longing for his hands, his mouth, the feel of him deep inside me.

That should terrify me.I don’t have time for this.

I push myself upright, running a hand over my face.There’s too much happening, too many moving parts.I can’t let myself get distracted.Not when Cian is breathing down my neck, and Ruairi refuses to see me as his equal.My growing feelings for Eamon only complicate an already impossible situation.

My phone buzzes on the nightstand.

I stare at the screen for half a second before swiping to answer."You’re calling early," I say, keeping my voice even.

"Plans have changed," Cian says, cutting straight to the point."I’m moving up the timeline."

A pulse of irritation flares through me, and I sit up straighter."That’s not a good idea."

"I didn’t ask if it was a good idea."

I grit my teeth."It’s too soon.I need more time to ensure everything’s in place.If we move too quickly, we risk losing control."

"And I risk losing patience," he cuts in."You’ve been playing both sides too well.Maybe a little too well."