his revenge. If he chose her, she’d only betray him. The death of the Faerie Queen was too important. Fuck fate, if that was what this was.
Sensing his volatility, Rose had remained silent as they found a private place to travel back to the rented apartment. Fionn regretted not asking Bran to make sure they stayed at a hotel. Separate rooms.
They had separate bedrooms here, but it was still a shared space.
“Get some sleep,” he practically snarled before turning to leave the open-plan living area.
Rose appeared in the doorway, blocking his path.
Two could play at that game.
He traveled into his bedroom.
She appeared at the foot of his bed.
Fuck. “Get out, Rose.”
“No.” Her expression was defiant as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Will of fucking steel.
“Rose,” Fionn warned, the tenuous grip he had on his control slipping by the second.
“I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s wrong.”
He zeroed in on her luscious little upside-down mouth.
“Is it because I interrupted your fight? Drew attention to myself?”
“No,” he grunted, catching a whiff of her musk in the air.
Fionn had smelled her during his fight.
Knew she was growing aroused watching him.
Don’t do it.
“Is it because I noticed the hotness of Kiyo?”
Don’t do it.
“Because that’s nothing. Just appreciation—”
He sped across the room, lifted her up under her arms, her feet off the floor, and crushed her mouth beneath his.
She kissed him back.
Immediately.
Rose’s lips were hot and searching, a little feminine moan vibrating from her throat.
Her scent enveloped him.
Fuck, he wanted to touch her everywhere—his hands didn’t know which part of her to caress first.
With a gasp of unadulterated need, Rose broke the kiss but only to encircle his waist with her legs, to cling to his shoulders, and in doing so free his hands to move. This time she took his mouth.
Fionn’s rational thinking malfunctioned.
Sliding inside Rose Kelly became the most important thing in the world.
They fell to the bed, Fionn of enough mind to brace one hand on the mattress to hold his weight off her. His other hand slipped under her shirt, fingers pushing beneath the lacy material of her bra so he could cup her sweet breast in his hand.
She was a perfect handful, her nipple hard against his thumb as he strummed it.
Rose arched beneath him, her soft hands caressing his skin, pushing down into the waistband of his trousers to feel his arse. She undulated beneath him, trying to push into his arousal as their tongues tangled in a wet, deep, uncontrolled kiss that was driving him mad with want.
As he squeezed her perfect breast in one hand, his other slid down her stomach and began unbuttoning her jeans. She arched into him, encouraging him, groaning into his mouth as his fingers slipped beneath her lacy knickers. At the feel of her hot wetness, her clit beneath his thumb, Fionn nearly lost his mind. His kisses ravaged as his thumb circled her while two thick fingers pushed into her tight, slick heat.
Fuck, she felt like heaven.
“Fionn,” Rose moaned his name as she pulled her lips from his. Her hands were now on the buttons of his trousers, fumbling to release him. “Come inside me. I need you. I’ve never needed anyone like I need you.”
The words penetrated the better half of him and with great reluctance, he opened his eyes.
Rose panted beneath him, her shirt askew, her long hair cascading over his pillows, her throbbing heat clutching his fingers.
Small, feminine, strong.
Silk and steel.
She stared up at him with affection … and trust.
That, more than anything, tugged on the last bit of decency within him.
“Fionn?”
With a hard smile of regret, he reluctantly removed his hand from her sweet breast and placed his fingers gently over Rose’s carotid.
Sleep.
Those stunning blue eyes of hers fluttered shut. Her dark lashes weren’t long but there were lots of them. A thick frame around her eyes, now a curtain shielding her from light.
From him.
Her body relaxed into the bed and with a groan of unfulfilled need, Fionn fell to his back beside her. His hand rested at his side, touching Rose’s. Her scent filled his nose, torturing him. Afraid to wake her, he didn’t reach for her, but he felt a stab of something in his chest when he noted how small her hand was compared to his.
Pressing the heels of his palms to his eyes, Fionn willed his body to cool and his arousal to fade. It was difficult with her scent on his fingers.
He’d eventually done the right thing but he wouldn’t