Counterfeit Kisses

by Cora York

  I brought my hands to my breasts, where I teased, pinched, and pulled my nipples. A savage groan came from deep within Keegan. His mouth mashed against mine. Pressure coiled inside of me, and frenzied lust took control.

  “Use...fingers,” I panted against his lips, “inside.”

  “So soon?” Despite the smile in his eyes, his raspy voice betrayed his desire.

  “Please.”

  His thumb tapped my clit, and he slid two fingers inside my channel. My heart hammered, and my hips moved against his touch. Keegan pumped his fingers hard and fast. I braced myself on my elbows and threw back my head.

  The plunging rhythm increased, and the urgency within me intensified. The sensations in my stomach grew sweeter, tighter until I cried out.

  “Sssh, sweetheart,” he whispered. “Keep it all inside.”

  Every cell in my body seized up at once, and my breath grew rougher, faster.

  Spasms took control. My walls clenched over his fingers, never wanting to let go. I bit my lower lip and sobbed. Even after my orgasm had crested and waned, he continued to move his fingers.

  “Ride it out,” he growled. “Give me everything.”

  Tremors continued to quake through me, and after a few relentless minutes, I collapsed onto the desk. My heart stuttered and stopped before lurching back to life.

  A hammering at the door broke us apart. I gasped and laughed while Keegan stood and slipped his fingers from me with a smile.

  “Hey, Capulet and Montague. Get your angst-ridden butts out here,” Barb yelled. “Time to eat, drink, and be merry.”

  “So am I forgiven?” Keegan asked as I rearranged my dress.

  I sat up and smiled. “Maybe.”

  He groaned and leaned his forehead against mine. “You do know it’s all I can do not to throw you over my shoulder and take you to our room?”

  “Spoken like a true Neanderthal. Think you can wait until later?” I asked, nodding toward his very evident erection.

  “Like hell. We’re sneaking away during the speeches.”

  The wedding festivities continued into the wee hours, and we rang in Christmas Day with a kiss beneath the mistletoe.

  “Here’s to a very happy Christmas and a very sexy New Year,” Keegan said, his words punctuated with kisses.

  “I do like the sound of a sexy New Year.” I nibbled his neck and rested my head against his chest. “Tell me more.”

  “It involves no clothes and very little sleep.”

  “I guess I can make myself available.”

  “Can you make yourself available for the rest of your life?” He stood back and lifted my hands to his lips, his blue eyes filling with emotion. “I love you, Tessa Maken, and want to spend the rest of my life with you. We can figure out the logistics and make everything work.”

  Happiness swelled my heart, and tears blurred my vision. I reached up and cupped his scruffy cheek in my hand. “Spending the rest of my life with you would be an honor.”

  No more lies.

  No more pretending.

  Only truth.

  One Year Later

  Tessa

  Christmas day in the Devlin house wasn’t for the faint hearted. Extended family, friends, and neighbors filled the house to bursting. Kids ran around yelling at the top of their lungs. And holiday music blasted from every speaker. Being part of this crazy, Irish family was more than I could ever have hoped for.

  Maken Memories now had five employees, and in the New Year, I had plans to hire more. We worked from one of the renovated cottages on the castle grounds and had a long list of weddings to organize. I’d paid off every single debt, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t owe a penny to anyone.

  Devlin Events had opened two Irish offices—one in Dublin and one in Belfast. For the past year, Keegan had traveled back and forth between New York and Ireland, but, thankfully, he’d found someone to take over the US operations starting in January.

  Because of Barb’s marketing skills, Oak Castle had weddings and events on the books for the next three years. She’d secured Brendan a weekly cooking segment on breakfast TV. And there were plans for him to open up a castle restaurant.

  Max rarely left Barb’s side.

  Sammy still worked and lived at the castle and was currently dating Brendan’s new sous-chef.

  It’d taken a while, but a few months ago, Shane had finally been convicted of fraud, money laundering, witness intimidation, and a host of other crimes. The next time he was a free man, he would be old enough to collect his pension.

  Violet and Archer got back together last summer. They had a quickie, booze-fueled wedding in Las Vegas but filed for a divorce two days later.

  As for Keegan and me. Our life was perfect.

  We’d said I do at Oak Castle during a beautiful spring day in May. All of my family had flown over from Long Island to celebrate with us. The Devlin and Maken clans were a good match, and all had partied hard for days. The stories of the shenanigans that had taken place the week of our wedding would be retold and rehashed for years to come.

  I rubbed my stomach while Keegan clinked a spoon against a champagne glass and tried to get the very merry adults to be quiet.

  When everyone hushed, he said, “Please raise your glasses to my lovely wife and, in six months, our soon to be son or daughter.”

  Deafening cheers filled the kitchen.

  “I knew you were pregnant,” Erin said, grinning. “Your fake drinking didn’t fool me.”

  “I win the bet,” Rian said with a rub of his hands. “Lovely job. That'll come in handy for the Punchestown races tomorrow.”

  Tears fell down my mother-in-law’s cheeks. “I can't believe it.” She pulled me into a bear hug. “You'll be a fantastic, mammy, Tessa, you really will. I’m thrilled.”

  When Keegan’s mom released me, I gazed at my gorgeous husband, his blue eyes twinkling with love. With a smile and a rub of my belly, I raised a glass of apple juice to him.

  I’d never felt happier or been more excited about the future.

  Fate, along with a little white lie or two, had thrown us together, and I was never letting go.

  Ever.

  The End

  About the Author

  Cora York adores steamy stories about sassy women and the sexy men who push them to their limit. But, these days, thanks to her job as a full-time domestic goddess and kid-chauffeur, she no longer has the luxury of sitting down to read full-length romance novels. To get her fix, she created Quick Reads for Fast Lives—all the romance in a fraction of the time.

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