Hope

"Kiss me," I implored, once again enslaved by my body, unashamed of my words. "Kiss me, Killian."

I never really understood the power of desire until this very moment, until we were both inside my apartment, standing inches away from each other, feeding off the sensations, the overwhelming sense of need and desire.

"I'm afraid to do so."

My breath quickened. "Why?"

"Because," he took a step closer to me, so close, I could barely breathe. But rather than kissing me, he swept my hair over one shoulder and ran his fingers over my bare neck. "There's so much I want to do to you right now, there's so much I feel." He admitted, trailing his hand down my arm. "But I'm afraid I might hurt you again."

A burst of pleasure shot through me at his words. "You won't hurt me, Killian, I know you won't. So kiss me right now."

"Are you sure?" he murmured, his words falling mere inches from my lips. "Because once I do, I might not be able to stop."

"I trust you."

That seemed to do the trick because his mouth softly closed on mine. I opened up for him, welcoming his invasion, moaning with pleasure as his tongue swept in, exploring my warmth, all the while running his hands down my back, to my hips, to my ass, he cupped it and pulled me into his hardness, allowing me to feel the evidence of his desire poking my stomach.

"See what you do to me," he whispered between his heated kisses, his voice hoarse and raspy with need. "See how much effect you have on me."

I reached between us, trailing my hand down his chest, his abs- I could tell he was unprepared when I stroked over the fly of his pants. He hardened against my hand and a hoarse groan tore from his throat. "Keep that up and I'm never going to last."

"I've missed this part of you," I whispered with another daring stroke, and his stomach muscles flexed as he tried to catch his breath.

"You will be the death of me." He rasped, his lips moving from my mouth to my neck, tasting my skin. "I swear to God, you'll ruin me."

"Killian..." I moaned, arching my neck as his lips slid down the long column to my shoulder.

"What do you want, Hope?" he breathed, and my lips parted, but I couldn't make them work, I couldn't do anything other than gasp for breath as he loved my skin with a million wet kisses.

"Tell me what you want me to do to you." He cajoled, swirling his tongue, sucking, nibbling.

I shut my eyes closed. "I want you to make love to me."

He smiled against my neck before pulling away to stare at me. "You would let me?"

I nodded. "Yes."

He kissed me again, threading his fingers through my hair, consuming me. It was heavenly. "So soft," he groaned into my mouth. "Every part of you is soft but covered in clothes. Let's fix that."

His lips broke away from me again and without taking his eyes off me, he reached for the hem of my dress. "Hands up."

I did as he'd told me, panting. He pulled the dress over my head and I brought my hands down, watching as his eyes lowered to my bra-covered breast, down to my bump, to my red panties, to my heated thighs, down to my bare feet. "You're beautiful, Hope. Fucking beautiful."

My cheeks bloomed with color. He reached for my waist and pulled me to him. "Thinking about the mess I'm about to make between your legs is driving me crazy."

Pleasure coursed through me in a heated wave as he dropped to his knees in front of me. "Killian..."

His eyes caressed mine as he hooked his thumb into my damp panties and pulled them down my legs. "If I don't taste you right now, I'll die." He kissed me right there and I arched, resting my head on the wall. This was... Different, so different, so—his tongue parted my folds and dragged across my clit. I rasped, digging my hand into his hair. He didn't stop, oh, he didn't stop. His tongue circled me, driving me insane. I couldn't do this. My legs were too wobbly.

"Killian, please..." I begged, not sure I could cum while standing.

"Put your right leg over my shoulder." He breathed as his tongue greedily are me.

"I can't..." I rasped.

"Do it." He coaxed. "Please."

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I did as he'd told and placed my leg over his shoulder. He moaned in satisfaction. "Better." His tongue slid over my clit completely and I jerked.

"Killian..." I heaved on ragged breaths. The way he sucked and laved me with his clumsy tongue there was crazed, frenzied, and borderline insane.

"I could kneel here worshiping you forever, baby." He slipped one finger inside me and I writhed against the wall, feeling my insides clench tightly.

Oh, God.

He groaned. "A month and you're already this tight. Did you miss me?"

I nodded, gyrating my hips.

Another finger joined inside me. "Use your words."

"Yes." I rasped. "Yes, I did."

"I missed it too." He affirmed, moving his fingers in slow, methodical thrusts. "Don't ever keep it away from me again."

I squirmed, trying to calm the raging sensations. "I won't. Ever."

His lips lifted in a slow crooked smile. I couldn't see him but I could feel it against my clit. "Hold on to me if you need to."

I didn't understand his words, my brain didn't work fast enough to comprehend them because the moment his tongue returned to my clit I lost all volition.

"It's a shame you can't see what you look like right now." He murmured, rhythmically fingering me while he continued the relentless licking and sucking. "My fingers are inside your pussy, and you're drenching it. Does it feel good?"

I rocked against his hands with increasing speed. "Yes, yes it does. Don't stop."

"Are you going to come for me now?" He knew I was close. He increased his pace, loving me with his tongue and fingers in perfect sync. "Are you going to let me taste you? I'm dying to."

I sank my teeth into my bottom lip as I threw my head back, inhaling sharply. Oh fuck, I felt my left leg quake under the force of the pleasure spreading throughout. I leaned forward and gripped his shoulders. "Killian..."

"I've got you, baby." His free hand gripped my hip, holding me steady as his thick tongue licked every inch of me with such rapid force. I closed my eyes tight, feeling my body convulse against my mouth and the wall as I came hard, very hard, gut-wrenchingly hard.

Jesus, his tongue didn't stop moving, he licked me up, moaning, groaning, and then after a moment he let my leg down slowly and stood up on his feet with my arousal glossing his lips.

"I love you, Hope." He muttered, panting like me, and my stomach fluttered, my heart swelled. "Everything about you-I fucking love it." He kissed me again, his hands moving behind me to undo my bra and In one smooth move, it clamped open.

He pulled away and I saw his gaze drop to the hardened tips of my breasts, I saw his eyes darken as he licked his lips, and the mental image of his tongue on it sent a new rush of heat through my body.

With a groan that sounded as if it were ripped from his throat, he swept me into his arms. I unexpectedly squealed, holding on to him as he carried me to the bed. He laid me atop the sheets and stepped back to undo his clothing.

He lifted his shirt over his head then undid his jeans and dropped them to the floor. Now gloriously naked, he bent over the bed and slowly crawled up and over me, kissing me as he went. "Do you know how much you mean to me?" He breathed against my skin, teasing me with wet kisses.

"Killian..."

"I'm never letting you go again." He painted my bump with kisses and I felt flutters stirring up a new orgasm in me. "You're mine, you and our baby. And I'll take care of what's mine."

He crawled up and kissed each of my breasts, loving them, nibbling. "I'll love you every way I can." He parted my legs and settled between them. "With my heart..." he kissed my neck. "With my soul..." He kissed my lips. "...with my body." He sunk deep into me and I gasped sharply, relishing the exquisite fullness of his cock inside me.

He didn't move, he kept his eyes on me, watching me; like he expected me to stop him, to pull back. He was terrified.

I wrapped my arm around his neck and pulled his lips to mine and the words I'd vowed never to use again left my lips in a hushed whisper. "I love you, Killian."

I didn't know how it was possible but he hardened even more inside me.

"Say it again." He pleaded, easing back and very slowly filling me again.

My fingers found their way into his unruly hair. "I love you, Killian."

His eyes closed; like he was drinking my words, taking pleasure in them. "Again please, say it again." He begged, thrusting into me with a pace that sent me gasping for breath.

"I love you, Killian."

"Yes," he held my hips in place and pushed into me harder, punishing me with his every thrust, showing me just how much he'd missed me, how much he'd missed this.

"I love you." I breathed.

"Oh, fuck, again." He panted, his breathing growing harsher and harsher, matching mine.

"I love you. I love you." I panted, again and again, feeling my release seize me. "I love you, Killian," I rasped, clenching the sheets as hard wrenching spasms stole my ability to move.

He flexed his hips to meet me, filling me, stretching me, and one more thrust from his part sent me coming undone, breathing heavily.

"Hope." He called out my name like a silent plea, closing his eyes again, tipping his head back. With one last groan, he found his release, holding me still as he poured himself into me. Warm, so warm.

"I love you too." He breathed, brushing my hair out of my face as he slipped out of me. "My Hope. My Rosabella. I love you."

THE NEXT MORNING, when the sun hit my face and I lifted off the bed, Killian wasn't there. My heart immediately sank as I looked around the room, trying to search for him but he was nowhere to be found.

Had he really left without telling me?

I felt nauseated. I clambered out of bed and tossed a robe on with a million possible explanations running through my head. I walked to the coffee table to retrieve my phone but just when I was about to dial his cell phone number, my door opened, revealing the casually clothed man that walked into my apartment with two grocery bags.

"You're up." He said, dropping the bags on the coffee table and walking over to me. "Morning, Kitten." He drew me into a power hug and rained kisses all over my face. "Did you sleep well?"

I stood there, lost in his kisses, too heart-weary to do anything other than ask, "why did you leave like that?"

"We're you worried about me?"

I pulled away and scowled. "Of course, I was. I almost had a heart attack."

"Alright, alright I'm sorry." He held my hips and pulled me to him. "I got up early, saw your grocery list on the fridge, and thought I would make myself useful. I didn't want to wake you, that's why I left like that." He kissed my nose. "I'm sorry, baby."

I felt my face go red. "It's fine. I'm not angry anymore."

"Good, because I'm starving."

"I can whip up something for breakfast."

He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "I was thinking we could just eat out instead. I found a place nearby."

"Are you trying to say you don't like my food?"

"I'm trying to say you can't cook to save your life."

I huffed. "I find that quite insulting."

His lips spread into a slow, feral smile. "I love you regardless baby. But let's eat out today."

"No." I prompted. "You are going to eat what I cook."

"I'm really not in the mood to die of food poisoning." He teased and I slapped his arm. "Just please help me move the grocery bags to the kitchen counter."

He chuckled. "Sure."

He picked up the grocery and I followed behind as he stepped into the miniaturized kitchen and placed it on the kitchen island.

"Move aside." I nudged him with my hip and offloaded the items carefully. I remembered writing five items on my list but I kept pulling out more than five. "Killian, this is more than the items I listed."

He rested his hip on the counter. "I actually decided that your grocery list was highly pitiful and needed remodeling."

I sent him a dry look. "And you think buying a bag full of kiwi isn't pitiful?"

He shrugged, balling all the bags up into one. "When I asked what fruit to get my pregnant wife the nutritionist suggested it."

"You're simply insane, Killian," I said, now staring at all the items lying across my counter. "All these must have cost a fortune."

"Lucky for you, I have a fortune."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "You're an idiot."

"If it makes you smile the way you are right now, then I'll gladly be an idiot for the rest of my life."

I touched my fingers to my cheeks. He was right. I was smiling, and I hadn't even known it. "You're one hell of a psycho case, Killian. I've had enough of you. Go shower. I need to focus here. "

He smiled and dropped a kiss on the end of my nose, before letting me go. "See you in a few minutes."

The moment he jogged away. I walked to the sink with a smile on my face. This was what I'd always wanted; To be happy with the man I loved. I washed my hands and hunted for the chopping board, some tomato seeds onion, and red pepper.

I heard the shower run as I began to chop the onion into little pieces. I should probably take out the pizza wrap I hid underneath the couch while he still bathed.

I set down the knife and moved into the living room, but before I had the liberty of leaning down to reach for it, my front door opened, and Scott walked in. "Hope I'm-" He stopped short when his gaze landed on me.

I froze, the awkward realization that I was naked under my robe hitting me.

"Scott," I said, my hand rising to hold my robe together. "You're here."

"Well, I did tell you I was coming over today for my answer." He curiously took a step toward me, his brows knit and his mouth a thin line. "Is there a problem?"

"No. Of course, not. Why would there be?" God, I sounded like an idiot. "I was just about to put on some coffee. Want some?" I didn't wait for his reply, I hurried into the kitchen and quickly turned the coffee grinder on, hoping it detracted the noise coming from the shower.

"I actually crave coffee right now." He said I was thankful when he began to walk towards the kitchen.

"I was thinking about the proposal and-"

The bathroom door opened.

I froze.

Scott's eyes widened.

"Hope." I heard Killian call, his footsteps indicating that he was walking toward the kitchen. Shit. "Can I borrow your hair...dryer..." His words gently died on his lips when he walked into the kitchen and saw Scott.

He pulled his T-shirt over his wet head. "Hey. Hope didn't tell me you were here coming over to- "

He never got to finish his words. Why? because my brother charged at him with a punch.