Burn: Chapter Three

Burn: Chapter Three

Chapter Three



By the time he had come home, it was around midnight. He was surprised to find Devin sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee when he entered, her auburn hair tied up in a ponytail, and her green eyes focusing as she held a book in her hands.

Kieran had moved quietly through brightly-lit room, his hand sliding against the white marble counter top before he hit the sink. He came around to the other side where she sat, slid his hand against hers, and used his other to rip the book from her.

Kieran titled her head up to look at him, and he could tell by her face that he didn’t look good at all. Slowly, he undid the tie that held her hair, watching the auburn waves fall past her shoulders, and smiled slightly.

His sienna-colored eyes had darkened as he stared down at her. He touched her face, almost like he had never felt her skin under his hands before, and he leaned forward to press his lips against her softly.

“Something’s wrong,” she whispered as his mouth fastened to her ear. She closed her eyes when she felt his tongue against her skin. “What happened today, Kieran?”

Whether he hadn’t heard her or chose to ignore her completely, Devin didn’t find out, because he had kissed her again, harder than before. He pulled her up from the chair and pressed her against the counter, careful not to hurt her.

With his lips still against her mouth, he ran his hands down her bare arms, feeling her shudder. He lifted her up, groaning as she slid her legs around his torso and squeezed. Every part of him melted when she wrapped her fingers in his hair, curled, and tugged.

“So, what happened?” she asked as she pulled away slightly to look at him.

He frowned and put her on top of the counter. She kept her legs around him and rested her forehead against his.

“Chloe’s dead,” he said softly, weakly.

Devin’s eyes widened and she felt sick. She squeezed her eyes shut and clung to him, her arms tightening around his back as she hugged him. When he started to tremble in her arms, pieces of her began to break.

She had never seen Kieran like this, not even when his mother died. When she passed, he seemed to drift through everything he did without much thought; regardless of whom had he hurt along the way. Devin knew that when he wanted to talk, he would, but for now she would let him do what he needed to feel better.

She never asked him how it happened as she led him into the living room and they sat down on the couch. He kept his head against her shoulder as she ran her fingers soothing through his hair and down his neck slightly.

His lips found their way to her throat, and he moaned as they touched her skin, his other hand sliding under the fabric of the top she wore to hold her hip. She lifted her head slightly to give him better access, and he growled in appreciation.

She kept one hand against his cheek as he moved his mouth to hers, slowly sliding his tongue across her lower lip. Her eyes fluttered, and then shut, as he shifted so that she was straddling him, their foreheads pressed together.

Devin raised her head slightly, her auburn hair sliding away from both of his shoulders as she moved, frowning at him. When she moved her hands under his white oxford shirt, he shut his own eyes in response.

Kieran could barely help himself as he dug his nails into her back and dragged them down. The sound she made at the action, a mixture of pain and pleasure, made him growl softly as his lips crashed against hers and he pulled her impossibly close.

He wanted every piece of her, to devour her, to sink his teeth into her flesh and bite down hard just to hear her cry his name. After what had happened today, with the screams still in his head, he needed her, and she seemed to understand fully.

His fingers greedily slid against the skin of her stomach, which he appreciated could be seen as he had walked in tonight, and he was pleased to hear a hissing moan escape her as he deepened the kiss, his hands sliding around to wrap around her lower back.

He was able to maneuver their positions so that she now lay underneath him, her eyes lustful as she looked up at him with her legs hooked around his back. A slow smirk flitted across her mouth as she slipped her hand in his hair and pulled his lips down to hers.


***


They had slept peacefully, their limbs tangled together in the sheet one of them had obviously gotten in the middle of the night, and their bodies still pressed tightly together. He had an arm thrown over her stomach as she groaned slightly, stretching the muscles in her body. He watched with yearning and bit his own lip to stop the thoughts running through his head.

“Who got the blanket?” she murmured, turning slightly to look at him. “I don’t remember getting up.”

He smiled.

Devin frowned and reached out a hand to touch his cheek. “Are you feeling any better?”

“It’s hard, Dev,” he muttered. “Chloe was my friend.”

“I liked her,” she said sadly. “She brought me soup once when I wasn’t feeling good.”

“I remember that,” he mumbled, pulling her closer. He brushed his lips across her forehead. “I need to tell you something.” His eyes had taken a serious turn as he stared at her.

“Yes,” she said, sliding her hand down his shoulder and onto his hip. “What is it?”

“Chloe’s death was partly my fault,” he said, slowly sitting up and bringing her with him. She curled against him. “A building near the precinct exploded and she went to see if there were any survivors. I knew there weren’t, but she was gone before I could tell her.”

“How did you know?” Devin asked, her voice tight.

The smile he gave her made her shudder.

“You’d never believe me if I told you.”