Page 73 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury (House of Embers #1)

He released a breath. “What I’m saying, Selena, is that I’m a self-serving asshole.

You know this, and you like me anyways. You also know I’ll protect my goal until I die.

Little thief, you’re also my goal. You and your happiness.

If you can’t have faith that nothing will go wrong, have faith that I’ll never abandon my goals.

Your sister is your treasure, your goal.

So she’s my goal and my treasure, because you won’t accept anything less.

Because what you cherish, I cherish. Have faith in that.

Not only that, but I need you to work with me.

If I piss you off, you won’t. You’ve made that clear from the beginning, and I’ve always accommodated you.

” He stroked the back of my hand. The simple touch lit a fire in my belly.

“We can keep our relationship a secret. I’ve been in the shadows my whole life.

That doesn’t bother me. But can you handle it?

Can you trust me? If my words aren’t enough, think back on my actions.

I want you. Of course, I won’t risk anything that will blow that up. ”

I almost laughed. “This is so backwards, Kieran. Normal people don’t define their relationship by someone being a manipulative control freak.”

“Hurtful.” His smirk fell as his eyes pinned me in place. “We’re not normal, and we’re not most people. Come on, Selena. You’re a fighter and a realist. Take this leap with me.”

My heart stuttered. He was right. We saw each other at our worsts and we didn’t pull away.

Kieran would never abandon his goals or risk them.

Even if he liked me, even if he loved me, Daeva meant the world to him.

He needed me by his side, and to do that, he needed me happy.

Which meant keeping my sister safe where she was.

I laughed. “Gods, this is so messed up.” But I knew what I wanted. Knew that his words were my salvation—my loophole so I could secure my happiness.

“What do you say, my siren? Will you drown me?” He leaned forward. This was it. It was all on me. To either take Kieran into the water or turn my back. I looked into his gray eyes and—

I leaned across the table and crushed our lips together. I was tired of denying this, tired of fighting what I wanted. Maybe it’d come back to bite me in the ass, but I trusted Kieran. I moaned when he deepened the kiss, and his tongue slid into my mouth, exploring every inch of me.

“Damn table,” he growled and leaned back. Just before I could lament the loss, he grabbed my arms, pulled me up to stand, and captured my lips in another kiss.

I gripped the table as I scrambled to gain control of my emotions.

Crash! My plate hit the ground, but I didn’t care. Not when Kieran’s hands went to my hips and lifted me onto the table. I moaned and wrapped my hand around his nape, tugging him closer. I was burning, and Kieran was the only one who could quench the flames.

“The bed,” I panted between kisses. “I need you.”

I yelped when Kieran lifted me up and dug his fingers in the meat of my ass. I closed my eyes and kissed him again, losing myself in every press of our lips. When he stumbled backward and laid me down on the bed, I grabbed his shirt and yanked him down with me.

Kieran chased my kisses. His hands gripped my wrists, pinning me to the mattress.

Heat thrummed under my skin, and I wanted to stay here forever, stay underneath him.

I shimmied out of my pants and only broke our kiss so that I could paw his shirt off him.

I took a moment to admire his abs and how perfectly crafted his body was. Want coursed between my thighs.

“You’re an asshole,” I breathed. “But I wanted you since I saw you train shirtless. If only you hadn’t opened your mouth.”

“I knew I wanted to fuck you when I learned you punched Aurelia.” He trailed heated kisses down my neck.

My breath hitched. When he finally pulled off my shirt, it wasn’t fast enough.

I lay underneath him in my breastband and panties.

Desire zipped up and down my body as I watched his darkened gaze take in every inch of me.

“You’re a vicious thing that never gives up.

” He ran his thumb along the hem of my panties.

“You’re soaking your panties, Selena. Do you want me that much? ”

I groaned and bucked my hips, desperate for him to just pull the trigger and touch me. He ran a finger along my clothed core and pressed against the fabric. I let out a strangled moan. “Just fucking get to it,” I snapped.

“So impatient.” He grinned before sliding my panties down inch by inch. Then he leaned down to kiss my inner thigh, just a breath away from my heat.

I wanted to strangle him. “Fuck. You. And take off your damn pants.”

Kieran laughed and his breath tickled my center.

He pulled back and for a moment, I cursed myself for my sharp words, even if they were teasing.

But then he removed his pants and his underwear.

Desire shone in his eyes. I stared at his heavy cock and its bulging veins.

I couldn’t wait to have it inside me. “Your turn,” he murmured.

That was the only warning I had before he reached behind my back.

Kieran deftly tugged my breastband off. My breasts sprang free and immediately felt heavy under his gaze. My nipples hardened, and Kieran’s eyes lingered on them. “Beautiful,” he murmured and bullied one of my nipples with his hand.

I moaned and arched under his touch. Every sense in my body was alit with pleasure, with want.

“If you’re not going to do anything, I will.

” I wrapped my legs around his waist and flipped us so that he lay on his back.

I sucked at his Adam’s apple, my core pulsing when he muttered a curse and tensed under my touch.

Every inch of my body was on fire, and that asshole delighted in ignoring what I wanted.

I gave into my desires, into the lust that raged inside me like an inferno, and I pressed kisses down his abs.

Beautiful. Kieran had a body crafted from the gods.

I could stay here for hours and lick every inch of him, but now wasn’t the time to explore or to cherish.

Not when a desperate need surged through me. I needed to be filled, to be claimed.

I stroked his weeping cock. “Why tease when I know what you want? What we both want?” I pulled away and shifted over him.

Slowly, I rubbed my core over his length, moaning as the sensation sent a spark of pleasure deep within me.

Gods, it was the sweetest torture for the both of us.

His cock wept against my entrance, and I grinned at his clenched jaw.

When I tortured him enough, I slid down until my mouth was inches from his dick.

“Do I have to fuck myself or will you be a man and fucking rail me?” I kept my eyes on him as I let my lips brush his cock and swirled my tongue around it.

I craved the bitter taste. I’d never been one for sweets, after all.

I was teasing him as much as myself. I wanted to run my mouth along it, to swallow him down and feel him pulse around me, but what I really wanted was for him to enter my core and make me see stars.

Kieran’s eyes darkened. “Oh really?”

His shadows grabbed my hips and roughly placed me above his length.

My greedy folds clenched around air, but Kieran didn’t yield.

I groaned, looking down at him with heated eyes, and pressed my hands on his chest to balance myself.

“Do it already. Come on, Captain.” I grinned. “Can’t you get your soldier in line?”

Kieran chuckled. He reached up to grip the back of my neck and pressed me down, crushing our lips together. It was wet. Hot. Messy. Intoxicating. Kieran showed no mercy as he plundered my mouth. “You asked for this,” he murmured against my lips.

Kieran flipped us so that I lay on my back. But he wasn’t done. With another deep kiss to my lips, he flipped me on my stomach and raised my hips. Delight curled up my spine. I felt so helplessly exposed like this, completely giving myself up to him.

He was on me again, pressing his hardness against my soaking entrance.

Kieran rocked his hips, rubbing himself against me, torturing me with that delicious pressure.

He boxed me in and pressed his weight against me, making me feel every hard line on his body.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed.” Kieran’s voice was rough and full of desire, of wicked pleasure.

I yelped when he grabbed my hair and pulled.

Then he leaned into the shell of my ear and whispered, “You like it when I pin you down, when I give you orders. My little thief, you want to let go. You want to surrender to the shadows.”

I fought a whimper and tried to swat him, but a shadow grabbed my hands and pinned them to either side of my head. Another shadow pressed against my spine and forced me to arch even further against him. Gods, at this point I was practically dripping. We should’ve laid down a sheet.

“And you’re a control freak,” I shot back, breathless. “ You don’t even try to hide it.” My vision swirled when Kieran flipped me once more, this time on my back. “How long are you going to play?” I raised my chin.

I kicked him—tried to. He grabbed my thigh and caressed it. Light fingers trailed up until they hovered just inches from my core. Kieran slotted so perfectly between my thighs, like he was made to be there. He rubbed against my dripping entrance again. “Say please.”

I scowled. “You can’t be—”

Kieran bit my nipple. I screamed and arched my back, not sure whether I was trying to pull away or press into it. The pain was a delightful jolt to my body. When he licked over my bullied nipple, my breath hitched.

“Asshole.” But my core was slicker than ever.