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That particular can is still intact, but admittedly fragile with the way Ivy senses things, so I don’t offer a verbal response. I palm the back of her head and press my mouth to hers before she can protest, licking and nipping at the seam of her lips. It takes a few stubborn beats, but she relents and lets me in. She tastes like waking up. And everything she returns tells me none of this is one-sided. Her entire body melts against mine, purring titillating contentment into my mouth. Fifteen minutes isn’t long, but we could accomplish plenty.
Flashes of our night pummel me. Her naked in the pool, plump lips sucking my cock. Bent in half beneath me, shouting my name while I thrust inside her soaked pussy. Her juices coating my tongue as she bucked into me.
Christ Almighty.
But we’ve barely spoken since then. So, I reluctantly pull back, cradling her face and pecking her forehead.
“There you are, Ace,” I rasp. “Jesus, I fucking missed you.”
A coquettish grin tips her lips as those gorgeous eyes—whiskey colored today—peer at me from beneath the fringe of her long, thick lashes. “Now who’s greedy, Graves?”
My fingers tease the waist of her pants as I chuckle. She’s already dressed for our company—casual black pants that hug her ass, thighs, and hips deliciously and a cropped shirt. It shows little and yet hints at every damn thing.
I tighten my grip on her waistband and yank her against me, my free hand roving to the swell of her ass with a squeeze. “We both know after three minutes, I could have you begging, screaming, and threatening to hump my corpse if I don’t give you what you want.”
Her breath hitches, her mouth twitches, and her body heats against mine, but her words don’t match. “Wanted. One night.”
“Really, Carver?” I challenge, my lips brushing the shell of her ear. “You haven’t thought about how I wrecked that perfect pussy last week?” Her chest rises against mine, the faintest of whimpers ripping from her lungs, so I press further. “Been thinking about coming on my cock, baby? Or me fucking that sassy mouth? Or maybe you’ve been dreaming about me tasting how sweet you are again.” I sweep her hair off her neck and bite at the skin below her ear, relishing her whole body shivering. “I’m not too proud to tell you that I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re in me now, Ace.”
She swallows, cups my face, and plants a quick, seductive nibble on my lips. But when she releases me, her mask has solidified once again. “Please don’t make this harder than it is. I have goals to pursue, and you have a life that I don’t belong in.”
What the hell does that mean? Doesn’t belong?
I clutch her hips to cement her in place, desperate for her to hear me. “It’s only hard because you want exactly what I do. Your goals belong to other people. Whether you or your family admit it or not, you were born into this life.”
You belong with me.
Mine.
She glances away, her lips pursed, before parking on me with renewed resolve. Bold and icy.
Fuck. This feels like moving ten steps backward.
“This life fits Ivy,” she states firmly. “The five of you have something wonderful here, and, yes, my father is connected. But make no mistake, Liam; this is not the life for me.”
“Fuck that,” I snarl, pressing into her, my half-mast dick nudging her stomach. “I won’t make this easy on you, Celeste. Everyone else in your life is fighting for you to put them first. This is one time I’m not the bad guy. All I want is for you to put your own desires first.”
She brushes the hair off my forehead with a wry smile, a glimpse of her warmth. It thaws everything in an instant. “And you’re my desire, huh? That’s your argument?”
“You moaned my name for hours on end, insisting I was a god and begging for more, baby girl.” I smirk as my brows dart for the sky. “I’m inclined to believe you.”
“You’re so full of yourself.” She giggles but bites it back.
I drag my thumb across her lower lip. “We can fix that, Ace. I’d much rather you be full of me.”
She blows out a ragged breath with a huff. “This is … didn’t you get all swept up with Ivy last year? This too shall pass.”
Maybe I should have expected her to throw that in my face, but it wasn’t even a blip on my radar. I didn’t think it was on hers. The ironic part of that whole mess with Ivy is that it stemmed from the loyalty test I was pressured into executing for her safety, and the feelings I had for her were regarding just that—loyalty. Other than the guys, Ivy was the first person to ever stick by me. I knew it long before the day I took that bullet, and she proved it tenfold after that ridiculous kiss.
But that was never this. Nowhere near the same vicinity as what’s happening here.
“Don’t go there,” I order with very little patience for this runaround Celeste is giving me. “This is far different, and you know it.”
She raises an eyebrow, but there’s an expression of hope shading her features. “Is it?”
“Yeah, Lettie.” I snap her childhood nickname to drive my point home. “She’s family, which happens to be something that’s been hard to come by for me, so, yes, she struck a chord. But I love Ivy like you love Ivy. I’m guessing you feel differently about me than you do about your dearest friend.”
She exhales slowly in what appears to be relief, but doesn’t settle in it. “The Noires will be here soon. I need to freshen up and help with Felicity.”
