“I love you, Row,” River whispered.
forty-three
DAGR
Every talkhe’d given himself drained from his brain and straight to his dick, apparently, because the second Dagr thought about moving beyond friendship with Bébhinn, his body and mind were in complete alignment.
“Bébhinn.”
Her name leaving his mouth, her eyes finding his, their game of skirting around their attraction—over.
She twisted her body on the couch until she was on her knees, and with his help, he slipped her body over his lap until her knees rested against the side of his thighs.
She leaned forward and held her lips shy of touching his. “Dagr,” she murmured, mingling their breaths and dragging a moan from him.
His fingers went from her hips to her ass, pulling their centers even tighter before he closed the distance between their mouths.
Their breaths mingled, warm and unsteady, as Bébhinn’s fingers traced the line of his jaw. He met her gaze, his eyessearching, before pressing his lips to hers—soft at first, then deepening as the moment charged. Her hands slid over his shoulders, anchoring herself to him, while his arms encircled her waist, holding her close. The world faded, leaving only the hush of their movement and the shared electricity in the space between them.
As his sex grew hard, her hips began to glide up and down his length. He despised himself for not having a conversation with her before they changed their status, but now that she was in his lap, and he was sucking her tongue down his throat, there was no room for heartfelt discussions.
She broke the kiss and leaned back while tugging the hem of his shirt until he crossed his arms and grasped it to tear it over his head. She gasped as she took in his chest, having never seen his tattoos. He wondered whether she would like them.
Her hands were instantly on his bare skin, tracing the Welsh dragons that were surrounded by knotwork and spirals. Feeling her delicate fingers lightly skimming across his chest, shoulders, arms, and abs set his skin on fire.
“You’ve been holding out, Dagr,” she grinned. “I don’t know whether to stare at your muscles or ink.”
“As long as you keep touching me, I don’t care what you look at.” He leaned forward and retook her mouth. Their lips and tongues warred, unable to get close enough or deep enough to give them relief.
Her fingers barely skimmed the top of his joggers, but his stomach clenched tightly in anticipation. He rubbed his thumbs over her sides under the bottom of her t-shirt, moving the fabric up inch by slow inch.
She glanced to the side when her phone began vibrating with text notifications. She ignored them, thank God.
“When did you know you wanted more than friendship with me?” she asked after turning back.
“The cave.”
Her eyes shot up in surprise.
“Me too. For you, that is. So why haven’t you ever…I don’t know, said anything, tried something?”
“There are a few reasons,” he began, knowing it was too soon to share that he was ready to settle down with one woman. He didn’t want to scare her off. He could tell her the biggest reason, though. “Our age difference.” He expected her to say something like, “Oh, I don’t mind,” or “You don’t look old.” Her laughter took him by surprise.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“You worrying about age.” She sighed out the last of her mirth, leaning forward to kiss him again before adding, “My parents were much further apart.”
Her lips found his again, and within seconds, they were both panting. He dragged her t-shirt off, his mouth watering at the sight of her high, round breasts. She was wearing a soft, nude bra that was sheer enough to see her dark, puckered nipples.
“Christ, you’re stunning.” He slipped one narrow strap off her shoulder, wanting to slow down the pace and unwrap her leisurely. She moaned when he licked her nipple through the bra and moaned louder when he uncovered one breast and sucked her deep into his mouth.
“Dagr,” she whimpered. She cupped his head, encouraging him to stay right where he was. He pulled the second strap down, freeing her breasts completely, and started sucking and kneading and pinching and pulling until her breath became frantic.
He loved that she was so sensitive. She was close to falling apart from breast play alone. Without breaking contact, he rotated their bodies until her back was on the couch, and he was covering her with his body.
“I want to—” He was interrupted by her phone ringing and vibrating its way across the table.
“Noooo,” she wailed when he sat up to grab it. He handed her the phone as she readjusted her bra. “My friends and mom know where I’m at. They wouldn’t bother me on a Saturday night if it weren’t important. Sorry.” She grimaced, unlocking her phone.
