Chapter 19 Nineteen
Fianna.
I rolled my eyes so hard I was surprised they didn’t get stuck at the back of my skull.
The moment Grandfather, Ronan, and Caleb disappeared to the next room. I marched straight back to the front door where Kian still stood like some dark, immovable statue in his stupidly perfect black shirt.
I didn’t even get a full breath in.
His hand shot out, his fingers closing around my wrist, not hard enough to bruise, but firm enough that my pulse jumped under his grip. Before I could yank free or curse him out, he spun me and shoved me back against the door. The wood was cool against my spine; his body was hot in front of me, caging me in completely.
My eyes flew wide. “What the fuck are you doing?” I hissed, my voice low because the others weren’t that far away.
He didn’t answer right away. Just stared down at me, his chest rising and falling a little too fast, like he had run up the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
I narrowed my eyes. “And why the hell were you late? Hosts aren’t supposed to arrive after the guests, you know.”
He shrugged one shoulder, casual in a way that made me want to slap him. “I don’t bend to those rules. I like making people wait.”
I scoffed, loud and sharp. “Are you reading too many thriller comics or something? You think you’re some brooding anti-hero now?”
His brows furrowed slightly. “What?”
I shook my head. “Never mind. Doesn’t matter. We need to go eat. I’m starving.”
“Not yet,” he said.
I blinked. “What do you mean, not yet? My stomach is literally trying to eat itself.”
He held my gaze for a long, uncomfortable beat. The silence stretched until it felt like it might snap.
I sighed, already frustrated. “What is your problem, Kian? Just say whatever it is you want to say. We can’t keep them waiting forever.”
His jaw worked. Then, low and rough. “Why the fuck were you sitting on a man’s lap?”
I raised both brows. “What man?”
He growled. “Don’t bullshit me. I saw you. Sitting on some man’s lap like it was nothing.”
I exhaled through my nose, half-laughing in disbelief. “Okay, I’m genuinely worried about your health now. Is there something going on up here?” I tapped my temple lightly. “You can tell me. I won’t judge. Promise.”
He closed his eyes for one long second, like he was praying for patience, then opened them again. Darker. More intense.
“Why were you sitting on Caleb’s lap?”
I actually laughed this time, though there was zero humor in it. “Are you seriously getting possessive over my brother? Like… my elder brother?!”
He gritted his teeth so hard I swear I heard them grind. “I don’t care if he’s your elder brother or not. You’re not allowed to do that in my house.”
I glared up at him, heat crawling up my neck. “Ohhh, so the problem is your house, right? Nothing more than that?”
His jaw ticked. “Yes. I don’t give a fuck what you do outside these walls.”
I nodded slowly, mockingly, and reached up to brush an imaginary speck of lint off the crisp black fabric over his chest. “I heard that. Loud and clear. But that man isn’t just any man. That’s my elder brother.”
“Adoptive brother,” he muttered.
My eyes widened so fast it hurt. “You are a bastard. How dare you throw the fact that Caleb is adopted in my face like that? Adopted or not, he is my brother. Blood or no blood. What the actual fuck is wrong with you?”
Kian shrugged, infuriatingly calm. “You don’t know anything, Fianna. You’re oblivious to how he looks at you.”
I felt like I had been slapped with the dumbest, dirtiest lie I have ever heard. “How fucking rotten is your mind? When has Caleb ever given off that vibe? Ever?”
“Since forever,” he said quietly.
I shook my head, disgust and disbelief warring in my chest. “I don’t appreciate this coming out of your mouth. It’s painful to hear. And I don’t like these accusations against my brother.”
He leaned in suddenly, so close his lips brushed the shell of my ear. His breath was warm. His voice dropped to a whisper that sent goosebumps racing down my spine.
“You don’t like it because you have feelings for him.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “Jesus Christ. Kian, are you drunk? You don’t smell like alcohol, but—”
He pulled back just enough to meet my eyes again. “I know what I’m saying is the truth.”
I opened my mouth to say he was saying nonsense when—
“Fianna.”
Caleb’s voice. Low and calm, came from the hallway behind us.
My heart lurched. I tried to twist out of Kian’s hold to face him, to say something, anything, but before I could move, Kian’s hand slid to the back of my neck, his fingers tangling in my hair.
And then he kissed me.
Not gently. Not sweetly.
He slammed his mouth onto mine.
Rough. Desperate. Angry.
His lips crushed against mine so hard I tasted the faint metallic edge of his restraint snapping. He forced my mouth open with gentleness, his tongue sliding in deep, claiming, stroking against mine like he was trying to erase every word I had just said.
One hand stayed fisted in my hair, tilting my head exactly how he wanted it; the other gripped my hip, his fingers digging in hard enough to leave marks through the thin fabric of my dress.
I should have shoved him. Should have bitten him. Should have screamed.
Instead my toes curled inside my shoes.
My hands flew to his shirt, clutching the crisp black cotton like it was the only thing keeping me upright. He groaned into my mouth, vibrating through my chest and angled his head deeper, his tongue sweeping every corner like he was starving and I was the only thing that could feed him. Heat exploded low in my belly, sharp and sudden, liquid and aching. My thighs pressed together instinctively, trying to ease the sudden throb between them.
He kissed like he was punishing me.
Like he was punishing himself.
His teeth grazed my bottom lip sharply, enough to sting, and then he sucked it into his mouth, soothing the bite with slow, deliberate strokes of his tongue.
My knees actually weakened. I whimpered, quiet, involuntary. And he answered with another rough sound, pressing his hips forward until I felt the hard length of him against my stomach.
When he finally pulled back, it wasn’t gentle. He dragged his teeth along my lower lip one last time before releasing it with a soft, wet pop.
Then he licked his own lips slowly. His eyes locked on mine.
My heart was slamming so hard, and I glanced over his shoulder.
Caleb was gone.
Kian noticed. A slow, smug smirk curled the corner of his mouth.
He leaned in again, his lips brushing my ear. “You could have pushed me away, you know.”
I snarled, and shoved him hard in the chest. “Fuck you.”
I stormed past him, with my cheeks burning, my lips swollen and tingling. I walked straight into the dining room like nothing had happened.
Nothing had happened.
Except everything had.
The table was already set beautifully with food steaming in serving dishes. Grandfather sat at one end, Ronan slouched beside him, Caleb across from where I usually sat.
I couldn’t look at Caleb.
Not directly.
I was embarrassed.
His stare was heavy, intense, burning holes into the side of my face as I dropped into the chair beside Grandfather. Kian walked in a second later calmly, like he hadn’t just devoured my mouth in the hallway, and took the seat right beside me.
Tara continued serving. Roast chicken, creamy mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, some kind of rich gravy. The smells should have made my mouth water.
They didn’t.
My body was still buzzing. My lips felt bruised. And between my legs. God help me, I was embarrassingly wet. Slick. Aching. My clit throbbed every time I shifted in my seat. I hated him. I hated how my traitor body didn’t care that the kiss came from an enemy. It only knew heat, pressure, hunger.
Ronan’s voice cut through the silence.
“Fianna. Your lipstick’s gone.”
My eyes snapped wide. My hand flew to my mouth so fast I almost slapped myself. Kian chuckled beside me.
Grandfather thumped his cane once on the floor. “Ronan. You don’t have to announce everything you see.”
Ronan shrugged, smirking. “Just saying.”
I dropped my hand slowly, my cheeks flaming. Screw it. I was hungry. Lipstick be damned.
My eyes drifted to the fried eggs, golden, perfect, sitting in a dish just out of easy reach.
Both Kian and Caleb reached at the exact same moment like they were watching me.
Their spoons clinked together in the center of the serving plate.
They froze.
They glared at each other across the table. What the fuck?
I sighed loudly.
“Please,” I said, my voice tight, “don’t ruin this dinner for me. I’m starving.”
Grandfather’s cane hit the floor again, sharper this time. “Caleb!”
Caleb’s jaw flexed. He growled low, then withdrew his spoon and dropped a small portion onto his own plate.
Kian smirked like he just won a game, and slid two perfect fried eggs onto mine without a word.
This was crazy.