Chapter 38
Sophie
The sound of the water gently lapping against the shore had been almost soothing as I followed the edge of the cliffs that framed Kian’s vast property.
Each step crunched softly over pale stone and sand, the breeze brushing against my skin like a cool hand.
Everywhere I looked, the world shimmered in shades of blue—crystal clear water stretching endlessly into the horizon, the sky reflecting itself back in perfect, blinding brilliance.
The air was thick with lavender, citrus, and the faint, earthy tang of oil and salt.
Now that the earlier issues were settled, I felt somewhat stupid, if I was being honest.
The look of surprise on Kian’s face when I called him my boyfriend replayed itself over and over in my mind.
His expression shifted instantly and I didn’t know what to think of it.
Maybe things worked differently for him, but casual sex had never been something I slipped into without thought.
I didn’t know how to be careless with my heart.
The truth settled heavier with every step: we had never actually talked about what we were. It had simply happened. One night bled into another, shared meals turned into routines, routines into something that felt like permanence.
As I walked on, I realized my feet were carrying me toward the beach. Toward one of the very first places we’d met.
I glanced around me, taking it all in, when I saw Kian down on his private sandy beach.
He sat on a lounge chair, his gaze unwavering, as if he had been watching me long before I noticed him. My legs betrayed me, angling instinctively in his direction even as my chest tightened.
I needed answers. Because if this man—this man who knew the way I took my coffee, who traced lazy circles on my back as I drifted to sleep, who listened as I rambled about my day—thought I was nothing more than a convenient body, I would have to leave.
I would have to walk away from this place, from him, no matter how much it tore at me.
And it would tear at me.
Nobody had ever made me feel like him. I had grown used to him in ways I hadn’t realized until now. Talking late into the night. Falling asleep with his arms wrapped securely around me, his warmth grounding me. He felt like a part of me.
I kicked off my shoes at the end of the path and let my bare feet sink into the soft, sun-warmed sand. It cradled me, grains slipping between my toes as the waves whispered their steady hush, rising and falling in time with my heartbeat while my yellow sundress clung to my body.
Kian’s gaze hooked me like an invisible tether, drawing me closer with every step.
I came to a stop directly in front of his lounge chair, the space between us charged.
He’d changed into fresh clothes, white Bermuda shorts that sat low on his hips and a black shirt that clung unapologetically to the hard lines of his chest and arms.
Stay strong, I told myself.
He broke the silence first. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I croaked. “But we have to talk.”
He smiled warily.
“That never bodes well.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, thinking over the words I wanted to say yet failing to form a sentence. “I’m all ears, Sophie.”
“What are we?” I asked.
Surprise flickered in his eyes. “Not sure I follow.”
God, he was really going to make me say it. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
“Before we go there, I just want to say thank you for protecting me. Everything you’ve done…
It means a lot. I want you to know that now, in case I get upset by our next topic and fail to communicate my gratitude.
” He nodded, acknowledging curtly. “Now… You seemed put off earlier when I called you my boyfriend.”
“I did?” he asked. I nodded, frustration curling in the pit of my stomach. “I wasn’t put off. You just caught me by surprise.”
“We’re not exactly teenagers, and we’ve been sleeping together and practically living together."
“We have,” he confirmed slowly.
“What’s confusing about labeling you as my boyfriend? It’s usually how it goes.” My voice and frustration rose in tandem. “So what are you to me?” I demanded.
He let out a sardonic breath. “Your boyfriend suits me. Or your partner, lover. You call the shots, zemra ime.”
It was all it took for the tension in my shoulders to seep out of me and be replaced by satisfaction heating through my veins.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t call the shots,” I murmured, easing myself onto the lounge chair until I straddled him, the fabric of my dress sliding up my thighs. I could feel his warmth beneath me and my hands came to rest on his chest as I met his gaze.
“I just want to be on the same page as you,” I added softly. “And I need your word that no harm will come to the director of the hospital and his family, regardless of his jackass power trip.”
“You have my word.” His hands came to rest on my hips and he smiled, flashing a perfect set of white teeth. “Own your power, Sophie. It’s sexy as fuck.”
“It is?” I breathed, my cheeks heating further. I would be lying if I said his words didn’t impact me. “I didn’t realize I had any power over you.”
“You do.”
Such a simple surrender and my heart leaped to his. We had incredible chemistry, yes, but this thing between us was so much more and I felt damn unstoppable when I was with him.
“Okay, boyfriend. Now what?”
“You tell me.”
He leaned forward and nipped my collarbone, sucking on the sensitive flesh where my neck and shoulder met.
“I can’t think with your mouth on me,” I moaned.
“Good. Now you know how I feel,” he grunted. “God, you smell like heaven.” I moaned again. “You know, I don’t remember the last time someone called me their boyfriend,” he drawled, his breath hot against my skin.
I straightened, meeting his gaze.
“Seriously?” He nodded. “But you’ve dated? Been in love?”
“Once, a long time ago.”
Once. This man definitely wasn’t one to jump from relationship to relationship, while I, on the other hand, had my fair share of failed dates and relationships.
“Who was she?” I asked softly.
Sadness flickered in his eyes. “Emory’s mother.”
“What happened?”
“Elena was already married to a very cruel man and was scared to leave him. Shortly after giving birth to Emory, she wound up leaving him, but he found her and killed her. I wished she’d reached out and asked for help, but alas…”
“I’m sorry,” I murmured, unable to fathom what that woman must have gone through, although it said a lot about Kian. “No wonder you’re so protective.”
His grip on my hips tightened. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“It won’t. There are no ex-husbands, and all my previous relationships ended amicably.
For the most part,” I amended. I didn’t want to think about Jonathan’s death or his ex right now.
I leaned forward and briefly pressed my mouth against his.
“Besides, you’re doing an excellent job protecting me, but you have to let me fight certain battles for myself. Okay?”
“Like your job,” he stated unapologetically. “I can’t promise I’ll succeed all the time, but I’ll try.”
“That’s all I’m asking.”
When he kissed me, I could taste bourbon on his tongue, drowning all my senses and striking a match low in my belly.
When he broke away, I was breathless, my mind a lustful fog. “You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever known, Kian.”
“Ditto.”
“That’s good, right?” I asked.
“Very good.”
I smiled. “And when I have to leave Albania, maybe we can try long distance. FaceTime sex can be hot.”
“Can it?”
“Mhm.”
“We can try anything you want, but I don’t want you far away from me.” His mouth moved against mine, his hands roaming my body and leaving a trail of fire in their wake. “I should admit… There was an ulterior motive with the whole job thing.”
My eyebrows arched, meeting my hairline. “There was?”
“I don’t want you to leave,” he said, darkness burning in his eyes. “I want you to stay here, with me.”
“I don’t think I can legally stay longer than three months,” I rasped. “Maybe I can hop to Greece on a visa run until we come up with a different solution.”
Strangely enough, this man and this country felt like home, and while reason told me I’d eventually have to leave, I didn’t want to dwell on it. I wanted to focus on him and what was growing between us.
“We can always marry,” he suggested, his somber voice matching the expression in his eyes.
I let out a strangled chuckle, uncomfortable with how much I actually liked the idea. Maybe this was what people talked about when they spoke of falling madly in love and doing crazy things.
“Like for a green card?”
“Yes.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“I’m not, but we can table that discussion until you’re ready. Besides, the government will let you stay for up to a year without a visa.”
I looked at him wide-eyed, trying to distinguish truth from secrets in his gaze, but saw something else that made my heart shudder with delight: excitement. He wants me here. And to think I had spent years settling for Jonathan’s indecisiveness.
It made me realize this very man was what I was looking for all along.
“Am I moving too fast?” he asked, his chest rising and falling in sync with mine.
“No,” I breathed. I licked my lips, my eyes soaking him in. “You’re going just the right speed.”
I wiggled out of his hold and pulled his shirt over his shoulders. My breath caught just as it did every time I saw his bare, olive-toned chest.
He locked eyes with me and a muscle worked in his jaw.
“Pull your straps down,” he murmured darkly. “I need your tits.”
I did as he commanded, my breasts spilling out and my nipples hardening, as if they were reaching for his attention.
His dark, possessive look raked over my body. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”
“So are you,” I murmured. I trailed my eyes over a smattering of hair that ran from his navel and disappeared into his shorts. It had my pussy screaming for him. So achy with need.