Page 23 of The Tempo of Truth (The Monsters Duet #3)

Winnie

Between one breath and the next, I crawled into Ky’s lap and wrapped an arm around the back of his neck to keep him in place so that I could kiss him to death.

I was careful to maneuver around his injured arm and hand.

I knew he wouldn’t be controlled as easily as he was at the moment if he wasn’t hurt.

He’d always been a handful and someone hard to pin down.

It said a lot about me that I only dared to make a move on him when he was either too inebriated or maimed.

The fear of rejection ran ice-cold in my blood, making me hold onto the heated moment for as long as possible.

I savored this kiss because it was the first one where he was well aware of what was happening between us, and he wouldn’t be able to pretend like it never happened or was an accident we were both better off forgetting.

I flicked the tip of my tongue against his lips until they parted and let me inside.

He tasted like the caramel popcorn he’d been snacking on with our son.

His breathing was labored. His heart was racing.

And I could feel his tense muscles quivering under my hands and along my bare thighs.

Ky shifted his weight underneath me and reached for the top of my leg with his good hand.

His fingers dug into my skin as he took over the advance and retreat of the kiss.

I felt the tip of his tongue flick against the roof of my mouth as his fingers skimmed along the outside of my leg until they reached the curve of my ass.

All I had on under the well-worn jersey was a pair of boring cotton underwear.

I didn’t have seduction in mind when I came down to put him to bed.

I knew he’d had a long day and wasn’t in a good mood.

Finding a way to meet in the middle after all the time and secrets that had passed between us was a huge win.

I’d always longed for him to forgive me for doubting him and wanted him to trust me.

And I needed to believe he was going to stick around and not run when things got difficult, not only for me, but for his son.

With the world insisting he wasn’t good enough, I desperately wanted Ky to know that who he was had always been more than enough for me.

I never minded his imperfections. His flaws were what drew me to him and kept him on my mind throughout the years we’d been apart.

After that night in Portugal, and considering I couldn’t keep my hands to myself when he was unable to fight back, it showed I was far from the ideal role model others viewed me as.

I made a lot of mistakes where this man was concerned, and it didn’t seem like those missteps were going to stop anytime soon.

I moaned against Ky’s mouth when I felt the edge of his teeth on my bottom lip.

He shifted gears and his grip. His wide palm covered one of my ass cheeks and gave the plentiful flesh a tight squeeze.

His lips and tongue moved hungrily against mine, turning the kiss from something sweet and exploratory into a tangled, heated mess.

Apparently, there was no need for alcohol.

We lost control and ended up drunk on one another in no time at all.

I curled my fingers into the soft, dark hair at the back of his head.

It was a lot longer than when he was a teenager and when he played football.

The shaggy length and midnight color gave him an unruly and untamable feeling.

I always liked it when he bleached his hair, and how the unnaturally white color contrasted with his God-given coloring.

Still, there was something very sexy about being able to grab a handful of his dark locks to hold onto as I unraveled underneath his exploring fingers.

The rough scrape of his palm against my skin made me shiver.

His thumb rubbed a circle on my hip, then traced along the line of my underwear, following down and getting much closer to the part of the fabric that was getting damp and clingy.

I gasped when I felt the tug of his teeth on my bottom lip.

He quickly gave the little sting a light lick in apology, and I nearly knocked him over when he started to suck on the small sore spot gently.

He barely had to do anything in his drunken stupor to seduce me the last time we hooked up.

I quickly realized that Kyser Kent, in control of all his faculties, was incredibly dangerous.

It was just a kiss. A really good kiss. The best kiss of my life.

Even so, it shouldn’t be enough to have me ready to chain the man to my bed so he couldn’t get away so I didn’t have to share him with anyone else, but it was.

I could have anything I asked for—except for him. Ky had always been the one thing I wanted that I wasn’t allowed to have.

It would take minimal convincing for me to hand myself over to him on a silver platter.

I moaned when his agile fingers skimmed over the thin fabric covering the quivering spot between my legs.

I should be embarrassed that everywhere he touched reacted in such a greedy manner.

Things between my legs went from damp to wet after one stroke, and I was ready to strip Ky naked and climb on top of him.

I heard him swear under his breath, and the material of his sweatpants did little to hide the way his body reacted to mine.

The bulge beneath the soft fabric was just as impressive as it was in my memories.

I wanted to rub against him. I wanted to press against the hardness and lose myself in the heady sensations overtaking my whole body.

Ky’s fingers were beginning to slip under the edge of my underwear. He was seconds away from finding out just how wet and weak he made me when a small voice called, “Mommy!” from upstairs.

I jolted out of the sensual stupor I’d fallen into and climbed off Ky’s lap like it was suddenly set on fire.

My hands were shaking as I smoothed out the twisted jersey and my messy hair.

I also fixed my crooked glasses and took a second to catch my breath.

Once I had settled myself down, I shouted back at Lowe, “Why aren’t you asleep?

” Lowe had been out like a light after I read him his favorite bedtime story.

I thought he’d stay asleep the rest of the night.

He wasn’t usually very restless at bedtime, but we were both still adjusting to being in a new place.

The city was much busier and louder than the small Italian island where he’d lived before.

Ky wiggled around on the couch. He grabbed the blanket I brought down earlier and strategically placed it over his lap.

We exchanged a look that spoke volumes. He lifted his chin and told me, “Go take care of Lowe.” He flopped back on the couch and threw his arm over his eyes.

“That shouldn’t have happened. I forget myself when I’m around you, Winnie. ”

I tossed my hair over my shoulder and asked, “Is there anything I can do to make sure you keep forgetting yourself when we’re together?

I’m quite fond of this version of you.” I liked having the smallest bit of control over this complicated man.

I dreamed of the day he would willingly put himself in my hands.

“Are you asking if I’ll let you bribe me into sleeping with you?” Ky sounded annoyed, and I was pretty sure he was glowering under the arm covering half his face. “You can do so much better than that if you’re looking to put me in my place.”

“It’s more of a bribe to keep you from forgetting that you would rather be anywhere else than here with me.

I know you’re only this close right now because of our son.

It’s another situation where I didn’t leave you many options.

That works out well for me as a CEO, not so much as the woman who’s never been able to forget about you.

Name your price, Ky.” It started as a joke, but the mood grew serious very quickly.

I couldn’t stick around and wait for him to answer because I heard tiny footsteps headed in our direction.

Lowe got tired of waiting for me and came to find me instead.

Ky grunted while still refusing to look at me. Just as I reached the bottom step, I heard him quietly mutter, “Can you give me back my life before that night in Lisbon? If you can do that, I’ll be whoever you want me to be and play whatever role you ask of me.”

I didn’t respond. There was probably a way to clear his name within the professional leagues and wipe out any of the criminal allegations.

Money and influence in the right places could move mountains when needed.

However, I didn’t really want to tie him to this tiny family out of a sense of obligation.

That was nothing more than trapping him next to me in another way.

I was already anxious that he was going to see Lowe as an inescapable responsibility.

If I gave him what he desired most, I feared losing what I yearned for above anything: having him pick me because he realized he couldn’t live without me.

I jogged up the stairs and picked up Lowe, who was rubbing his tired eyes and pouting. I swore he got the put-upon look from his father because my lower lip never stuck out that far when I was upset.

“What woke you up, little man?” Lowe’s head landed on my shoulder as he suddenly became a boneless handful.

“I had a bad dream, Mommy.” Lowe’s tender voice sounded thoroughly disgruntled.

“About what?” I smoothed a hand over his dark hair and turned my head to place a loud smooch on his cheek.