Chapter 1
Acushla
Just a word of warning. Shit happens. A lot of shit happens.
But nothing beats having to sit on an airplane during turbulence with a crying child on one side and a steely, quiet guy on the other.
And it’s taking everything in me to not snap at the mother to hold her crying child instead of her phone, every single itty-bitty part of my training. And the dude next to me isn’t helping with an obvious knife hiding in his jacket sleeve, how that wasn’t flagged up by security i will never know.
Standing up i move towards the aisle but the man’s legs stop me. “Excuse me sir? Can you tuck your legs in so i can get out please?”
He grunts and moves them barely, but just enough for me to get past. Only as soon as i manoeuvre myself around his legs to get out, the plane is hit with turbulence again and i flail slightly as i lose my footing, falling into his lap.
“Oh, shoot. Sorry about that.” I try to stand up again but he pulls me back down as the plane shakes once more.
He chuckles, his voice low and rough as the vibrations run through me while he lifts me up and sits me back down on my seat. “Don’t worry about it, doll, it’s not your fault. The names Kieran.”
“Freya, nice to meet you.” I settle back into my seat with an awkward smile before waiting for the plane to land.
The flight is already bad as it but now the awkward silence between us is making everything even worse for me. I’ve been on this plane for seven hours and we finally land down on the tarmac.
The humid airport air clings to my skin as I step off the plane, my purply hair spilling over my shoulders. I exhale sharply, my green eyes darting around before landing on the one person I’ve been trying to avoid since the moment I’d accidentally tumbled into his lap mid-flight.
Kieran leans against a pillar near the gate, arms crossed, his platinum crew cut catching the harsh fluorescent lights. His grey eyes locked onto mine, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He doesn’t say anything—just watches as my cheeks flush, the memory of my ass pressing against his thighs, and his hands on my waist holding me still, comes flooding back.
“Sorry again,” I mutter, stepping fully onto the terminal floor, my shoes silent against the tiles. The apology sounds weak even to my own ears.
He pushes off the pillar, closing the distance between us in a few strides. “Forget it,” he says, his voice low, rough. “Let me make it up to you.”
I open my mouth to protest, but the words die on my lips when his hand settled against the small of my back, guiding me toward the airport’s exit, my bag now in his other hand. The warmth of his touch seeped through the thin fabric of my top, sending a shiver down my spine. I should’ve pulled away. Should’ve insisted I could find my own way to the hotel. But the way his fingers pressed just slightly, possessively, made my stomach twist in a way that had nothing to do with the turbulence of the previous flight.
The taxi drive to the bar was silent but filled with tension throughout the fifteen minute drive, afterwards Kieran pays the driver for the ride and extra to take our backs to the hotel.
The bar is packed, bodies pressing together in the dim, pulsing glow of neon lights. The bass of the music thrums through the floor, vibrating up my legs as he leads me to a small, high-top table near the dance floor. He flags down a server, ordering two whiskeys—neat—and slides one toward me before I can object.
“You don’t strike me as a whiskey girl,” he observs, his gaze flicking over me as I take a hesitant sip. The liquid burning its way down my throat, warming my chest.
I set the glass down, licking my lips. “Maybe I’m full of surprises.”
His smirk deepens. “I’m starting to think you are.”
I should’ve been annoyed. Should’ve rolled my eyes, told him to fuck off. But the way he looked at me—like he was already undressing me with his eyes—makes my pulse jump. The alcohol loosening the tight coil of my usual restraint, and when the next song starts, a slow, sinuous beat, I find myself standing, my body moving before my brain can even catch up.
The dance floor was a sea of writhing bodies, the air thick with the scent of sweat and perfume. I close my eyes for a second, letting the music take over, my hips rolling in time with the rhythm. Now im unsure if i was dancing just because i could or because he was watching, but i know i have his attention either way, and its addicting.
I don’t notice the stranger until his hands settle on my waist, his body pressing against my back, his erection already half-hard against her ass and his breath hot against my neck.
I stiffen, my eyes flying open—but before I can react, a firm grip closes around my arm. Kieran yanks me forwards, his chest pressing against mine as he glares at the other man. “She’s with me,” he growls, his voice cutting through the music like a blade. The stranger raises his hands, backing off with a smirk, but Kieran didn’t let go. Instead, his grip tightens, his fingers digging into my skin just enough to leave marks. I should’ve been pissed. Should’ve told him I don’t belong to anyone. But the way his body caged mine, the heat of him seeping into my chest, makes my breath hitch.
“You good?” Kieran’s mouth is close to my ear, his breath hot.
I swallow. “Yeah.”
He doesn’t let go. Not right away. His free hand sliding down my arm, his fingers threading through mine before he pulls me off the dance floor, his grip unyielding. The cool night air hits me like a slap when we step outside, the noise of the bar muffled as the door swings shut behind them. My heart is pounding, skin still buzzing from the press of all the bodies, from the way Kieran had staked his claim to me in front of everyone.
“Taxi’s coming,” he states, his voice rough. He didn’t look at me as he flags down the car, but his hand moves from mine to my lower back, guiding me inside.
The ride to the hotel is a blur of streetlights and silence. My mind races, my body still thrumming with the aftermath of the dance, of his touch. I can feel his gaze on me, heavy and dark, purposely sat right nest to me so that every time the cab hit a bump and our thighs brush.
The elevator was worse on the way up to my hotel room.
The moment the doors slid shut, the space between us felt charged, electric. I lean against the back wall, my fingers curling into the metal railing behind me. Kieran stands in front of me, close enough that I can see the rise and fall of his chest, the way his grey eyes darkened as they dropped to my lips.
I should’ve looked away.
I didn’t.
My fingers twitch, brushing against his as the elevator ascended. Just a graze—barely anything—but the contact sends a jolt through me, my breath catching. Kieran’s hand turns, his palm sliding against mine, his fingers lacing through my own before I can pull back.
The doors suddenly ding as they open.
My room is on the third floor, the hallway quiet, the carpet muffling our steps. I fumble with the keycard, my hands shaking slightly from the effect his presence has on me, but before I can slide it against the lock, Kieran’s body presses against my back, his front molding to me. His lips brushes the shell of my ear.
“Invite me in, Freya.”
I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t.
But the way he said my name—like a command, like a promise—made me open the door.
The door had barely clicked shut before his mouth crashes into mine.. His hands cupping my face, tilting my head as his tongue pushes past my lips, hot and demanding. I gasp, my fingers clutching at his shirt, pulling him closer as he walked us both backward, his body pinning mine against the wall. The kiss is filthy, demanding—teeth clashing, tongues tangling, his stubble scraping against my chin.
I wrap my legs around his waist as he lifts me, my leggings suddenly feeling tighter than usual. Kieran groaned into my mouth, his hands gripping my ass, squeezing as he carries me toward the bedroom. The mattress dipping under our weight, and I arch into him as his lips trailed down my throat, his teeth grazing my collarbone.
“Fuck,” he mutters against my skin, his hands sliding under my top, up my ribs, his thumbs brushing the undersides of my bra. “You’ve been driving me crazy since you fell into my lap.”
I whimper, my back arching as his mouth closes over my nipple through the fabric of my top. The wet heat of his tongue making the material cling to me, the sensation becoming almost too much. My fingers run through his crew cut, pulling his head closer as he sucks and licks, his free hand sliding up my thigh, his fingers pulling my leggings down.
“Kieran—” His name cames out as a breathless plea, my hips jerking when his fingers finally pull my leggings down all the way, slipping beneath the lace of my thong, finding me already soaked.
“Jesus, you’re dripping,” he growls, his fingers circling my clit, slow and deliberate. “Been thinking about this? About me fucking you?”
I moan, nails digging into his shoulders. “Yes—”
He doesn’t let me finish. His mouth crashing against mine again, his fingers working my clit harder, faster, until I’m panting against his lips, body trembling. But just as I’m about to come, he pulls back, leaving me gasping.
“Not like this,” he said, his voice rough. “I want you begging when you come, Freya. I want my cock inside you.”
I whimper, body aching with need, but before I can protest, he’s pulling my thong and top off. The cool air hits my skin, my nipples hardening as his gaze rakes over me, dark and hungry.
“Fuck, you’re perfect,” he mutters, his hands sliding up my thighs, pushing me back onto the bed. He follows me down, his body covering mine, his mouth crashing against mine again as his hips ground against me, his hard cock pressing against my thigh through his jeans.
My hands fly to his belt, fumbling with the buckle, fingers shaking with need. Kieran groans, his lips trailing down my neck as I finally get it undone, hand slipping inside his boxers to wrap around his thick length.
“Condom,” he gritted out, his hips jerking into my grip, looking around knowing that the hotels in these parts supply them. “Nightstand.”
I don’t let go, stroking him as he reaches over, tearing the wrapper open with his teeth. The sound of the foil ripping sends a fresh wave of heat through me, my thighs squeezing together as I watch him roll it on, his grey eyes locking with mine.
Then he was back, his body covering mine, his cock pressing against my entrance. My breath hitching, nails digging into his shoulders as he pushes inside, slow and deep, stretching me around him.
“Fuck—” The word tears from my lips, back arching as he bottoms out, his hips flush against mine.
Kieran groans again, his forehead pressing against mine. “You feel so good,” he mutters, his voice strained. “Tight little cunt gripping me like that—”
I moan, hips lifting to meet his as he started to move, his thrusts slow and deliberate, dragging against every sensitive inch of me, every single nerve alight with pleasure and need. The bed creaks, the sound mixing with his thrusts, the ragged breaths spilling from us .
“Harder,” I gasped, her legs wrapping around his waist, my feeet digging into his ass. “Please, fuck me harder, Kieran—”
He growls, his hips snapping forward, his cock pounding into me with deep, punishing strokes. The headboard knocking against the wall, the rhythm relentless.
My fingers claw at his back, scratching and drawing small beads of blood, my body coiling tight, orgasm building like a storm. “I’m—close—”
Kieran’s hand slides between us, his thumb pressing against my clit, circling in tight, rough movements. “Come for me, Freya,” he orders, his voice a dark growl. “Come on my cock like a good girl.”
The words sent me over the edge. Back arching, nails raking down his back harder as the orgasm crashed over me, my pussy clenching around him, as I cry out his name.
Kieran grunts, his thrusts turning erratic before he burys himself deep, his cock pulsing as he comes, his release filling the condom as he collapses ontop of me, his breath ragged against my neck.
For a long moment, neither of us moved. The only sound in the room being our harsh breathing, the distant hum of the city outside the window.
Then Kieran rolls onto his side, pulling me with him, his arm wrapping around my waist as i slowly fall asleep against his chest.
