Page 19

Briar

Orion’s eyes are impossibly intense as they lock onto mine, as though he’s silently vowing to protect me from every danger the world might throw our way. In his gaze, I catch a glimpse of an unspoken promise—something warm, steady, and maybe everlasting. The thought of what that could mean stirs a flutter in my chest. Forever, the word whispers in my mind. Wouldn’t that be something? To stand with him always, to have this remarkable, infuriating, and wonderful man as my partner in every sense.

For a heartbeat, I let myself imagine what it would be like—me in a white dress, the two of us hand in hand, proclaiming our devotion in front of people we love. The flutter in my chest becomes a rush of warmth. But the moment I allow that daydream to bloom, a wave of nerves and self-doubt follows right behind, making my stomach twist. Am I ready for that? Are we?

My cheeks heat, and I shake my head, trying to banish the thoughts before they take root too deeply. Orion notices, of course. He always notices. He’s perceptive in a way that both comforts and unnerves me. His hand, broad and strong, slips to my hip.

“What’s wrong?” he whispers, voice low and a breath away from my ear. The warmth of it draws a shiver from me, even though the room is far from cold.

“Nothing,” I manage, looking down at my bare toes curling against the rug. My heart’s pounding so loudly I half-expect him to hear it.

He presses in closer, gently nudging me to lift my gaze back to him. “Don’t lie,” he murmurs, and the timbre of his voice thrums with concern. “It’s like you were thinking of something that made you smile… and then it didn’t. Tell me.”

I try to shrug off the question, but the intensity in his eyes doesn’t waver. He’s unrelenting in that quiet, protective way. Suddenly, I’m overwhelmed by how much I want to tell him everything—my thoughts about marriage, about love, about forging a future where we wake up side by side every morning and go to bed in each other’s arms every night.

But I’m not sure I’m ready to voice it, to lay it out there when I’m still navigating the scars of my past ordeals. My words catch in my throat, and instead of the flood of confessions that rattle inside me, I give him a small smile, hoping he won’t push. “Kiss me,” I whisper, voice trembling with both desire and relief. “Please?”

A flicker of emotion flashes across his face—something between longing and a silent, always. He answers without words, leaning in to capture my mouth in a kiss that steals the breath straight from my lungs. My eyes slide shut under the heat of it, the world narrowing to the press of his lips, the gentle scrape of his stubble, the measured weight of his hand at my waist.

He kisses me like he’s on a mission, one he’s been training for his entire life. There’s purpose in it, the same devotion he brings to every detail of my safety, but now directed at something far more intimate—this raw need to show me I’m cherished. And I feel it in the way he angles his head, deepening the kiss, a low sound rumbling in his throat.

My hands come up of their own accord, sliding across the firm planes of his chest, curling into the fabric of his shirt. For a moment, I’m dizzy, forgetting how to breathe. The warmth of him, the steady beat of his heart, the faint scent of his cologne that lingers after a day’s wear—it all merges, threading into a tapestry of desire and comfort.

When he finally eases back, just a fraction, my lips are tingling, my thoughts a muddle of more, please. I open my eyes to find his gaze still pinned on me, dark and full of everything we’re not saying out loud. My pulse trips again.

I manage a shaky laugh, leaning my forehead against his. “You sure you weren’t trained in the art of seduction somewhere along the line?”

He cracks the faintest grin, but his voice is serious when he responds. “I was trained to protect. And I will always keep you safe.”

I brush my fingers along his jaw, memorizing the shape of it, the rasp of faint stubble beneath my touch. He leans into my palm, eyes drifting shut for a moment like he’s savoring it.

My mind flits back to that fleeting thought of a wedding, a future, a forever. The idea of belonging to each other in every way sparks a surge of warmth, but the flutter of uncertainty returns too. I can’t help but wonder if he sees the same possibilities, if he imagines a ring on my finger and a vow that ends with “I do.” I’m not sure how to ask, how to make words for something so simultaneously thrilling and terrifying.

He seems to sense my internal shift because he angles his head, searching my face. “If you ever need to talk, I’m here.” He strokes the back of my neck gently. “And if you just need me to kiss you breathless, I can do that too.”

A shaky exhale escapes me. “I might hold you to that.”

He tilts his head, trailing his mouth across my jaw in slow, feather-light passes, until I’m trembling from head to toe. Damn, how is he so good at this? My heart’s going off like a drumline, every cell in me singing yes, this.

His hand shifts to splay at the small of my back, tugging me closer as I straddle his lap. “I fucking need you,” he whispers against my lips.

I need him too. Like my life depends on it. How does one become so needy for another person? I’ve never felt this urge to let him consume me ever before.

And consumes me he does. His hands are everywhere, pulling, tugging, removing my clothing as his tongue surges into my mouth. We fall and rise together, our bodies melding together to become one.

At one point we’re both naked, lying together on the couch as he slowly enters me. His dick is large and pushes deep, filling me up completely. It’s a sensation I welcome now. I have so many emotions bursting through me. He keeps pumping his dick inside me.

“Such a good girl,” he whispers close to my ear, his hand smoothing over my hair. “Such a good girl.”

His words cause a warmth to spread through me. I’m his good girl , and he’s my naughty hero . His fingers dig into the flesh of my ass as he continues screwing me into the cushion of the sofa.

Stars line my vision as my body builds toward the orgasm looming just out of reach. Orion presses the heel of his palm against my clit, and it causes me to go off like a rocketship, shooting straight into the sky. “Oh god,” I call out as he grips tighter onto me.

“That’s it. Come all over me, Briar.” He keeps pumping, pushing, thrusting into me as his body tenses slightly before he’s coming right along with me. He groans as he pushes one last time deep inside me. “Fuck, you’re everything,” he whispers before we both collapse together.

I’m in love. It’s official. I love Orion, and there’s not a dang thing I can do to make the feeling go away. Believe me, I’ve tried. Okay, maybe I haven’t tried all too hard, but trust me… I know this is wrong.

I know Orion feels something for me, but I can see the war he’s having with himself about sleeping with one of his clients.

We lay in bed together, the night fading into sunlight.

I’m wrapped in his strong arms as I lay my head on his chest. “Will you get fired?” I ask him.

His fingers stop drawing lazy circles on my skin. “What?”

“Fired? For sleeping with me?”

He continues tracing my skin with his fingertips. “No, I won’t get fired, but this does complicate things.”

I feel horrible. “I don’t mean to complicate anything.”

He holds me firmer in his grip. “You haven’t complicated anything. It’s my fault, but when this job is over I’m going to march into Dean’s office and tell him how I feel about you.”

My chest floods with warmth. “And how do you feel about me?” I whisper-ask, not really sure if I’m ready for his answer. What if he says it’s just a fling, nothing more than a few nights of bliss? I hold my breath while waiting for him to answer.

He sits up, repositioning me so he can gaze into my eyes. “I care about you, Briar. You’ve completely taken over every part of my life, and I can’t imagine you not being in it day in and day out.”

“I can’t imagine you not in my life either.” I snuggle in closer as he runs his fingers up and down my back.

I’m thinking about everything that’s changed in my life over the past few days. Since I met Orion. How I never want to go back to ‘normal’ ever again.