Page 138 of Embrace

“Whose do you think, Ishida?”

I shake around him, urging him to move, but he’s frozen.

“Should I take it off?” I tease, jerking him out of his stupor.

“Hell no.” He grips my thighs. “I’ll have to turn you around later.”

“You can do whatever you want with me, Captain.”

He nips my jaw, then kisses it softly. A few more flashes go off in the booth, but I don’t care. All I know is that there’s not enough room in here for this, but that doesn’t stop Kian from lifting me up and down like I weigh nothing.

He pushes my hair back, holding my face in his palms like it’s something fragile. He doesn’t let me do any of the work; he takes control. The foreign feeling makes my insides ignite, and I shatter on his lap. He follows soon after, not once taking his eyes off me.

I must be as red as my hair when I bury my face in his neck. Kian fixes my skirt and shifts my panties back in place.

He runs a hand down my back, softening me like putty. “You really want me?”

My heart holds up a tiny white flag, as if to say,I can’t take it. There isn’t a universe where I wouldn’t want Kian Ishida. He’s the purest man I know.

So I nod.

“Can you say it for me, baby?” His eyes soften, pleading for more.

“I’ve always wanted you, Kian. I could be happy right here for the rest of my life.”

He grins. “I can make that happen.”

There he is.“Yeah?”

“You won’t have to lift a finger. The kids can take care of themselves.”

It’s so ridiculous, I can’t help but laugh. “You’ve got kids I don’t know about?”

“Oh yeah,” he says. “They’re in dire need of a mother. Care to fill in?”

I let my fingers thread through his hair. “What’s in it for me?”

“This.” He pulls me into his hug, holding tight for longer than six seconds. He breathes me in like I’m a delicate flower, and he’s chosen me. “I won’t let go. It’s all I’ve done my whole life. With my dad, my mom, my sister, and now my friends. I’m tired of letting go, and I refuse to let go of you.”

The words embed themselves into my skin, piercing the softest parts of me. I bask in the words from his lips, the indents from his fingers, the redness from his kisses.

Suddenly, the curtain flutters, but Kian reacts fast, holding it closed. “Occupied.”

“Kian?” Cole asks. “Shit, are you waiting for your girl? I think she left, man.”

“Oh, she came,” I whisper.

Kian shakes his head. “Give me a minute.”

“Yeah, yeah, wipe your tears. I’ll buy you a beer,” Cole says, sounding worried.

When I try to move, Kian holds on. “Can I kiss you?”

I blink. “Kian. You just made me come. You can do whatever you want.”

He shakes his head. “I want you to answer. Want you to feel safe with me, okay?”

My dad’s words come back to me.Are you safe with him?