THANE
FOUR
I don't know why I asked him to leave with me.
No—that wasn't true.
I knew exactly why.
The fact that somewhere between the terrible Christmas music, the burger and fries, and a debate about whether glitter should be classified as a controlled substance, I'd stopped thinking about tomorrow's press conference.
Most of all, it was the simple fact that I didn't want to say goodnight.
Instead, I was standing in the middle of my hotel suite watching Kieran slowly turn in a circle.
His gaze moved from the sitting area to the floor-to-ceiling windows before settling on me.
"Okay," he said. "How many kidneys did this room cost?"
A laugh escaped me. "At least three."
Kieran nodded solemnly. "That's what I was afraid of."
"Good news, though. Mine are still intact."
"I'll feel better once I verify that."
I shook my head. "You are a very strange person."
"That's fair."
His smile lingered for a moment before fading into something more thoughtful. He slipped his hands into his pockets and looked around the room again.
"Thane..."
The change in his tone immediately caught my attention.
"Yeah?"
He shifted his weight. "I don't know your last name, and I don't need to."
I frowned slightly. Something about the way he said it made me pay closer attention.
"But I should probably tell you something." He gestured vaguely between us. "I don't do this."
My eyebrows lifted. "Kidney theft?"
That earned me a look. "You know that's not what I mean."
I smiled. "Yeah. I know."
"I don't do one-night stands."
The confession hung between us for a moment.
"I know."
Kieran looked skeptical.
"Maybe not know," I admitted. "But you don't strike me as somebody who says things he doesn't mean."
Something eased in his expression as I held his gaze.
"For what it's worth, I wasn't looking for one either."
That earned me another questioning look that I couldn't even blame him for.
"We're standing in a hotel room, Thane."
"Fair point."
The corner of my mouth lifted.
"I'm not saying I wasn't hoping you'd come upstairs with me. I'm saying that wasn't the reason I walked across the bar tonight."
His eyes searched my face for a second, then he nodded. Some of the tension left his shoulders.
I stepped closer and reached for my coat. "Can I?"
He hesitated only briefly before turning his back to me.
I slid the coat from his shoulders. The wool was still cold from outside. Underneath, he wore a navy jacket that looked soft from years of use.
"That too?" I asked.
A surprised laugh escaped him. "You offering full-service coat check now?"
"Only for select guests."
He shook his head, but his smile lingered as he shrugged out of the jacket and handed it to me.
I draped both over the arm of a nearby chair. When I turned back, he was watching me. "What?"
His smile appeared slowly. Shy. A little crooked. The kind of smile that made me want to keep looking at him.
"Nothing."
"Liar."
The color in his cheeks deepened.
"You're pretty." I didn't think before I spoke.
His eyes widened. "Shut up."
"I mean it."
The flush spread from his cheeks down the side of his neck. For a second, neither of us moved.
"I'm nervous," he admitted.
The honesty in his voice hit me harder than it should have.
"Me too."
A surprised laugh escaped him. "Why? You're you. You could have anyone."
"Kieran."
His attention snapped back to me and I took another step closer.
“I don't want anyone." I gestured between us. "I want this."
We were close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off his body. He was shorter than me. I had to tilt my chin down to meet his eyes.
"Can I kiss you?"
The question seemed to surprise him. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Yeah."
Relief and anticipation tangled together inside me. I lifted a hand to his jaw and gave him every chance to change his mind. He didn't.
So I closed the distance between us.
His lips were chapped from the cold, but his mouth was soft. He went pliant against me, a small sound escaping him as I deepened the kiss and set the pace. He pressed closer, slid his hands up my chest, curled his fingers into the collar of my shirt—holding on, letting me take the lead.
I groaned.
He laughed against my mouth. "Good?"
"Good."
We kissed until I forgot everything waiting for me tomorrow.
Eventually, I guided him backward toward the bed—not rushing, just shifting the angle. He sat down on the edge. I stood between his knees.
"Tell me what you want," I said.
"Everything. But slow. I want it slow."
"Yeah. We've got time."
I kissed his forehead, then let my lips trail down the side of his face, across his cheek, to the corner of his mouth. His breath hitched. I felt the tremor run through him.
"Let me," I murmured against his lips, lacing my fingers with his and lifting them to my chest. "I want to take care of you tonight. Let me look after you. Can I do that?"
He nodded, eyes wide and dark. "Yeah." His voice cracked. "Yes."
I smiled and pressed another kiss to his forehead. Then I pulled back just enough to reach for the hem of his shirt. The fabric was soft, worn, and his arms went up without hesitation—but I saw the slight shake in his fingers.
He was nervous. So was I, but I wasn't about to let him see that.
I lifted the shirt over his head, taking my time, letting my knuckles brush against his ribs as I went. The fabric slid free, and I dropped it beside us.
He was beautiful. Lean, pale skin, a dusting of freckles across his shoulders. I could see the outline of his collarbones, the dip of his throat as he swallowed. His hands came down and rested on his thighs, and he looked up at me, waiting.
"Is this okay?" he asked, barely a whisper.
I cupped his jaw, tilted his face up. "This is more than okay. Tell me if you need to stop. Tell me if you need it slower. Anything."
He leaned into my touch. "I need you."
That did something to me. Something raw and hot that coiled low in my belly.
I kissed him again, deeper this time, and my free hand found his chest. Palm flat against his sternum. I could feel his heartbeat hammering. When we broke for air, I pressed our foreheads together. His eyes were closed. His lips were parted, damp.
"Still with me, Kieran?"
He nodded again.
“Use your words,” I murmured.
“Yes, Thane. I’m with you.”
“Good job.”
I felt his shoulders relax under my hand. I lowered my mouth to his neck, kissing the spot where his pulse fluttered. He gasped softly, and his fingers dug into my shirt, bunching the fabric at my sides.
I pulled my shirt off one-handed, not wanting to break contact. When my bare chest met his, he made a small sound—a whimper, maybe—and wrapped his arms around me.
I eased him back onto the mattress, following him down, bracing my weight on my forearms. His legs opened to make room for me. The city light filtered through the curtains, painting silver stripes across his skin.
I kissed down his throat, across his collarbone, over the small dip at the center of his chest. His breath came in short, sharp bursts. When I took his nipple into my mouth, he arched up, his hand flying to the back of my head.
"Thane," he gasped.
I laved the sensitive nub, then the other, while my hand worked its way down his stomach. His abdominal muscles fluttered under my palm. I unfastened his jeans slowly, teasing the button open, pulling the zipper down tooth by tooth.
He lifted his hips to help me push the denim down his thighs. I pulled them off, then his boxers, and then he was naked beneath me, flushed and hard and trembling.
I sat back on my heels, just looking. His cock curved against his belly, precum already beading at the tip. His thighs were open, his hands fisting the sheets. He looked like he was holding himself together by a thread.
"God, you're beautiful," I said.
He laughed, a nervous, breathy sound. "You're looking at me like I'm—"
"Like you're something I don't want to forget," I finished.
His cheeks flushed darker.
I leaned down and kissed the inside of his thigh, then the other. He twitched. I let my mouth hover over his hipbone, the spot where I'd bite him later, but first I wanted to taste him properly.
I took him into my mouth in one slow, deliberate motion. His whole body jerked, a sharp cry escaping his lips. I swallowed him down, tongue working along the underside, feeling him throb against my palate. His hand tangled in my hair again, not tugging, just holding on.
"Fuck," he breathed. "That's—that's so good."
I hummed around him, and his hips bucked. I eased off, letting him slide from my lips with a wet sound.
I brushed my thumb across his cheek and held his gaze. "Kieran, can I ask you something?"
A nervous smile tugged at his mouth. "That depends."
I laughed softly. "Fair."
For a moment, I considered how to phrase it. The last thing I wanted was for him to think I was making assumptions.
"We haven't exactly covered the details."
Understanding flickered across his face. "Oh."
I nodded. "I don't want to assume anything."
The color in his cheeks deepened. For a second, he looked embarrassed, then amused. "You're being surprisingly considerate for a guy who brought me back to his hotel room."
"I have layers."
That earned me a laugh. The sound eased some of the tension between us.
Then Kieran cleared his throat. "Alright, let's peel back another layer," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "What exactly are you hoping for tonight, Thane?"
I took a breath, meeting his gaze directly. "I want to be inside you. If you're comfortable with that, I want to top you tonight."
Kieran’s eyes widened slightly, a genuine, delighted smile breaking across his face. The lingering tension completely vanished from his shoulders. "Comfortable? Thane, you have no idea how much I was hoping you’d say that. I prefer to bottom."
A wave of relief washed over me, replaced quickly by a surge of excitement. "Really?"
"Really," Kieran murmured, leaning forward so his chest brushed against mine. "You don't have to worry. We are definitely on the same page."