Page 88 of Inked Temptation
ChapterNineteen
Archer
My body ached, but it was finally for a good reason.
I looked up at Killian as he brushed a kiss against my lips, and I ran my hands over his shoulders and down his back to grip his ass.
“You taste like perfection,” he whispered, and I smiled up at him.
“You keep stealing my lines.” I leaned forward to kiss him softly, and then he kissed me back, this time a little harder, his tongue sliding against my lips. I opened for him, aching for him.
“Archer. I need you.”
“You already have me.”
He lowered himself towards me and slowly began to enter me. I tensed slightly and forced myself to relax, the feeling just on that side of sweet pain that was exactly what we both wanted. It was sweet, loving, and then we turned over and I rode him. I leaned down, took his lips, and came along with him, both of us shaking, our hands tangling with one another as we leaned into each other.
“Good morning,” he whispered as he kissed me softly and slid his hands down my side. I winced, and his eyes went cloudy.
“I’m fine. I’m all healed.”
“You still have a bruise there.”
I shook my head and gripped his face with both hands. “It’s healing. I’m just still a little tender yet.”
“We shouldn’t be doing this.”
I swallow hard and shook my head. “We’re doing exactly what we need to. Come on, stop freaking out. We’re both okay. Cora is okay. Penny is doing great. Today’s a big day. Let’s not worry about anything else.”
“I can’t believe I almost lost you both. You and Cora.” His eyes went cloudy again, and I ran my hands through his hair, both of us naked under the blankets, just quietly taking our time that morning.
“You have a few cuts and bruises, more than me. I’m fine. Cora is better than fine.”
“Because you took care of her,” Killian whispered.
I shrugged and played with the feather from the down pillow that had fallen on top of Killian’s shoulder.
“We’re healthy, and right where we need to be.”
Killian sat up in bed, and I did my best to keep my gaze from the way his muscles moved while he stretched and flexed. “I don’t like it. I don’t like the fact that somebody from my past, somebody that blames me for so much, hurt you.”
“He hurtyou.” I sat up and rubbed my hand down his back. He still had a few cuts, abrasions, and bruises, but they were healing.
In the week and a half since the fire, we were still healing and Killian had moved in with me in my small apartment in Fort Collins. Cora enjoyed herself, though I knew she would rather have been out in the open than in a small complex.
Every single one of my siblings and even a few of my cousins had offered to take them in as well so Cora could have more space, but the three of us needed to be together. As the family that we were slowly becoming.
“He’s going to jail for a long time. And maybe he’ll finally get the help that he needs,” I said after a moment.
“I knew he hated me. Just the way Branson hates me. But I never thought that they would stoop to this. I always thought that they would do their best to push me out of visiting their graves. Not this.”
“They’re hurting, and while I don’t know if I can forgive Trevor for hurting you the way he did, I can understand that he was going through so much and didn’t handle it well.”
I winced as Killian turned his head and raised an eyebrow at me. “I see that we’re doing well with the whole denial thing. Thank you for trying.”
I snorted. I couldn’t help it. “I’m not very good at this.”
“You’re the best at it, Archer.”
