Daniel dried dishes and packaged up the few perishable bar ingredients for the overnight fridge while Asra swept through the rest of his checklist. Just as they were finishing, the door in the wall opened, and Elspeth appeared.
“How long have you been here?” Asra’s eyes went wide.
“I used the back stair,” she answered, but her eyes were all on Daniel.
His pulse had jumped at her sudden arrival, and his neck crawled knowing she’d been right upstairs, moving around, this whole time. But the tension shifted to lust as he looked at her, in a soft red sweater and tight jeans, her hair frazzled and loose as he’d never seen it, tumbling around her shoulders.
“Hi,” she said to him. Her lips were pink, shining ever so slightly in the yellow pub lights.
“Hi,” he answered, aware it was more a vibration than a word. His awareness sank lower and lower down his spine. He wanted to stride over, grab her up, and ravish her mouth. Walk her back to the wall, and—
Asra smirked and asked how the meeting had gone.
Elspeth blinked; so did Daniel.
“Great,” Elspeth said. “Great, yes. And Mrs. Templeton laid out her distribution plan, and we nailed down how much capital it will take, oh! And a specialist contractor is coming up from Aberystwyth to look at where we can put solar panels so I have to get all the official paperwork about where we’re allowed to ‘ruin the quaint beauty of the rooflines.’”
“I thought you were focusing on farm-to-table and local growing?” Asra said.
“Yes, but when people get excited about something, I have to encourage it.”
Daniel stepped closer to Elspeth and turned a dark look on Asra. “This seems like a riveting conversation—for tomorrow.”
Asra laughed. “Sure thing, man. See you tomorrow, sis.”
Once he was gone, Elspeth just stared at him.
“Can I come up?” he asked.
With a sweet, nervous nod, she turned and put her bright purple flat to the first stair. She held out her hand and without hesitation, Daniel went to her and took it.
The narrow stairs closed around him too tightly, too darkly, but he held her hand and followed, trusting her to pull him up into light again.
Candlelight greeted them, from three wide white candles set on a short circular coffee table, flickering merrily over a nest of blankets and corduroy pillows pulled off the sagging sofa shoved in the corner. She had a small electric camp light, too, and wine and green plastic stemless glasses.
Elspeth let go of him and rubbed her palms on her thighs. “It’s so ridiculous. But I still live with my mother, and you’re at Agatha’s, so . . .”
Stepping across the uneven floor, he took her head in his hands and kissed her, showing her exactly how good everything was. Her hands gripped his jeans, then slid around to duck in his rear pockets and pull him against her.
They kissed, pressed fully together, and Daniel loved the eager lick of her tongue asking for more. He opened his mouth; she followed. He dug his fingers into her wild hair, smiling against her mouth, and Elspeth nibbled his bottom lip, biting gently, tugging a little. He captured her mouth again, tasting her tongue, scraping light against her teeth. The heat seemed to pass between them, and her fingers pressed through his jeans into his ass. She rubbed her body against his and hummed in pleasure.
Disengaging, Daniel stripped off his sweater, tossing it aside. Beneath was only a T-shirt. Elspeth did the same, revealing nothing under hers but a plain black bra edged in lace.
She started to say something, but Daniel took her ribs and bent her to him, leaning to rub his cheek against the swell of one heavy breast, then run his tongue where the bra cut slightly against her flesh. He dragged his hands up, flicking his thumb over her nipple, and again, and he felt it pebble.
He sighed with intense satisfaction, and put his mouth to her other breast, and found that already-hard nipple with the flat of his tongue. The thin cotton separating him from her dampened, and he teased with his teeth.
Elspeth grabbed his head, arching her back.
Daniel kissed up her sternum to her throat, and she directed his mouth to hers again, kissing him deeply. He reached around and unhooked her bra. Her little gasp lit him up, and he was so hard, trapped in his goddamn jeans.
Shrugging out of her bra, Elspeth unhooked her own jeans, and started wiggling her hips to get them off. “Just, hurry up,” she panted.
He laughed, but it was breathless too, and followed her example, ripping down his jeans and briefs simultaneously—a little too enthusiastically, and it rubbed his cock a little raw, but Christ, he wanted her. His T-shirt followed, and then they were both naked.
Daniel braced himself, feeling the phantom heat of the scar curling over his shoulder like the fire that put it there, waving, waiting to derail them.
But she didn’t even seem to see it.
“Oh,” Elspeth whispered, reaching for his cock. She wrapped both hands around it, pressing a thumb against the crown, and as his eyes involuntarily fluttered shut, he saw the tip of her tongue breach her lips, like just the sight of him this way starved her.
She stroked him gently, palms soft and dry, and her fingers danced down to his base, one hand cupping his balls, sliding around to feel the hidden juncture with his ass. He widened his stance for her as she explored, standing there as still as he could, but wrenched open his eyes to watch her bright cheeks, her eager eyes. Naked, she was like a goddess, confident as she touched him, grinning to herself even, distinctly possessive.
“Oh, I like this,” she said, glancing up at his eyes.
In answer he brought his hands to her breasts. He copied her exploring motions, gently hefting, pinching, and he leaned his hips toward her, skimming the tip of his cock against her belly.
Abruptly, Elspeth jerked away. She took two long steps around the nest of blankets and dug into her plastic sack, coming up with a handful of condoms. She raised her eyebrows. Daniel pointed to the gold one.
She ripped open his selection as she returned to him, and carefully positioned it. Her lips were parted, her body giving off heat, and he gently held her shoulders, watching.
Her hands were trembling.
Daniel’s hips jerked a little, desperate, as she rolled the condom on.
“Elspeth?” he murmured. It was the best he could do.
“I need you so badly,” she said, voice a little scratchy.
Daniel immediately touched her pussy, sliding a finger past the dark curling hair, between her folds where she was so hot and slick. Elspeth moaned, and he pushed deeper, holding her in the palm of his hand, and fingered her opening. If possible, his cock got even harder.
She nudged her hips forward, deepening his touch, but then shook her head. “Just—” Elspeth fluttered her hands toward the nest of blankets. “Get down there.”
Laughing, he obeyed. He spread on his back, cock bobbing a little, and he gave himself a single stroke, to check the condom, before raising his arms, folding his hands beneath his head. His entire body stretched on display for her, and he felt so strong.
Elspeth said, “I love it when you do that. Touch yourself,” she added.
He moved to do it again for her, but she stepped around him, feet on either side of his hips. The light caught her round hip, the underside of her large, perfect breasts, and up her throat, gilding her. Daniel barely breathed—too much and he could come just like this. Just with her looking, wanting as badly as he wanted.
Gracefully, Elspeth knelt, hands on his chest, sinking down just below his cock, and all that heat focused against his balls. Daniel hissed in pleasure as she moved against him, sliding her wet center up along him. She moaned, and put both her own hands against herself, rubbing down. Her thighs shuddered against his hips, then she took his cock and put it where she wanted it: right at her hole. Elspeth’s mouth fell open. Daniel did his best not to move.
She slowly, achingly slowly, took him in, making little gasping notes.
Dani
el made fists in his own hair, pulling tight enough to hurt.
He only tilted his hips to help, and Elspeth let out the deepest groan as she fit fully against him, hot and perfectly tight. The need to move spread up his body like wildfire, and he gritted his teeth, because he knew—he knew—what it was like to be burning, but this didn’t scream on his skin so violently it surpassed pain, this was good, better than good. This heat put him back together from the inside instead of tearing him apart.
Her hands flattened on his chest, two brands, and she stared down at him, bright eyes round. “It hurts,” she whispered, but wonderingly, and then she moved, just a little, keeping him inside her as she squeezed and moved around him, shifting her hips, gasping and then smiling a slow, burning smile.
He flexed his stomach, performing a quick sit-up, and she laughed as he caught her around her hips, pulling her down on his cock again. He kissed her, then she began thrusting down again and again, and he held her hips. It wouldn’t be long. He seethed through his teeth, her lips found his forehead and pressed there. She put her arms around his neck and held on, and her moans deepened, her body clenched around him, and Daniel wanted to touch her center while she rode him, while she thrust herself so passionately onto him.
But she shook her head when he moved his hands, until he grabbed her ass again, and she said yes yes. Daniel dug his fingers in, pulling her closer, as he ached to throw her down and take over, move harder, faster. But Elspeth grabbed his neck and held his eyes, hers wide and wild. He wasn’t sure he’d ever looked straight into a woman while she fucked him and it was so good his orgasm tightened sharply.
“I’m going to come,” he said raggedly.
“Me too,” she hissed, and threw back her head, pulling his face to her throat. Daniel dragged his tongue against her neck, bit her, and when she cried out, he let it all go, coming eagerly and unrestrained.
Elspeth sang pretty gasping cries, still moving, rolling her hips with the pulsing of his orgasm like she could feel it, too, and then in a drawn-out cry she pushed low and lower, shuddering around him. Her mouth was beautiful and wide, and sweat glistened down her sternum where Daniel buried his mouth, breathing her in.
“Daniel,” she whispered tenderly.
He never wanted to move again. His pulse thrummed. His bones seemed lighter.
But Elspeth slid off of him, melting rather, and curled on the blankets. Sweat glistened on her ribs and temple. She smiled smugly, even with her eyes closed.
Daniel leaned onto his shoulder and caressed the line of her cheek, loving it. Loving her.
He felt completely relaxed for the first time since . . . well the last time Elspeth had had her way with him. He wanted to keep her.
“Is there a bathroom up here?” he asked softly.
Her nod was lazy, and she pointed with a limp hand.
With care, Daniel stood and made his way into the tiny closet with its old toilet and a sink the size of a cereal bowl. Through a narrow door was a tiled room with a stand-alone tub. He cleaned himself off, startling suddenly at the squeal of the faucet.
When he walked back into the main room, she was staring at him through the wavering light, still naked, and she hadn’t pulled any blankets over herself.
He grabbed the bottle of wine, already open with the cork stuck half back in. He poured two glasses and brought them to her. “Here, beautiful.”
Stretching like a cat, she pushed up to sit on her hip and accepted. Her eyes held his over the rim. “I want to clean up, too, but I’m pretty sure I’m just going to get messy again,” she said plainly.
Possibly it was his imagination, but her accent seemed to roll more gently. Like a purr.
“I hope so,” he said.
“I did buy a whole stone of condoms.”
Daniel barked a laugh, and drank some of the dry, cheap wine. She smiled pertly and did the same.
And they kept staring at each other, not speaking, but silently teasing. She lifted one eyebrow; he showed her his teeth. She pursed his lips in pretend fear, exaggerated like a silent-film star. He leaned in and kissed her. One hand skimmed along the curve of her breast and she pressed closer.
Daniel leaned away to set his wine down safely, and she said, “Daniel?”
The hesitation in her voice told him what she was looking at before he turned back to see her eyes, indeed, trailing along his shoulder where a moment before he’d offered a glimpse of his scar. Expecting her to finally ask what had happened, he braced himself. He’d decided to try to answer. “Elspeth,” he said simply.
She got to her knees, putting her glass right on the sloping wooden floor, and moved behind him. Her hand reached out and she touched the tip of the scar, high on his right trapezius. “Can you feel this?”
It wasn’t the question he’d anticipated, and his shoulders tensed anyway. He felt the pressure of her touch, moving along the ripple and shine of the scar, which widened down his shoulder blade and back like a tongue of fire. “I . . . feel the sensation, but it isn’t the same. It’s like when you push on a limb that’s fallen asleep. Some pressure, and I know where you are. It’s strange, and used to be disorienting,” he confessed, far more than he’d even said to his doctor.
“What about this,” she murmured, moving her face closer. She kissed his rippled flesh and he brought up his knees to lean his arms against, balancing his whole body.
“Does it upset you? I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s all right,” he said, uncertain he meant it.
“Good.” Elspeth moved fully behind him, skimming her hands on his shoulders, then down his back, tracing the edges of the scar with her mouth and tongue, like she was going to lick the scar off him, leaving him fresh and new. Her hands kneaded his ribs, moved around him to find his belly and climb up to his nipples. She flicked them and pressed against his back. When her breasts touched him, he flinched at the pleasure, striking directly to his cock.
“Daniel?” she asked, putting soothing kisses along his neck up to his ear.
“I like it,” he said.
“Good,” she repeated, and reached for his cock again with both hands.
Chapter Thirteen
The hours of the night expanded along with Elspeth’s heart. They fucked and drank the whole bottle of wine she’d grabbed at the end of the meeting in Morgan’s back room, cuddled, whispered little things like favorite movies and first times, and fucked some more. Elspeth was sore, and she liked it, though probably would skip her morning run.
Her entire body tingled and tickled—overly sensitive and raw, inside and out. Finally, she had to wrap up in a blanket and press fully against his side, head on his arm. It was the deepest part of the night, when all the world was quiet. The moon had set, too, and all the candles guttered out. Daniel put his mouth to her temple and in the absolute darkness told her he’d been in a helicopter crash, in Afghanistan, and his friend Alvin had died in the fireball that burned off half Daniel’s back. Alvin died protecting him, because Daniel had been already injured—hit with a ricochet bullet and that’s why the med-evac in the first place. He didn’t embellish, but only said the words soft and fast. Elspeth had stroked her palm over his heart and said, “You made it through another anniversary.”
“It’s like leaving them behind.” His voice shook. “I hate it.”
Elspeth nodded. She whispered, “I know.”
She wanted to say more, to sleepily confess she knew she had to stop letting imagined obligations make her future for her, but it was too dark, too quiet, too much like letting go. And Daniel tightened his hold on her.
When sunlight crept through the threadbare old drapes on the narrow windows, Elspeth opened her eyes to find Daniel watching her sleepily.
“Did you sleep at all?” she murmured.
“A little.”
“If you want to brush your teeth, I brought fresh things, and then we can . . . do it again before I go downstairs to make coffee.” Elspeth blushed.
Daniel’s slow s
mile curled her toes.
He started to sit, but she caught his hand, suddenly desperate to know. “Daniel, how long are you staying with me?”
Elspeth let go, covering her mouth. She’d not meant to add those last two words.
Turning toward her, Daniel brushed hair out of her face, combing it gently back. His own hair stuck up wildly, a mess of product and sleep, but still devastating. Mine is probably matted, she thought, trying to think of anything but his answer.
He swallowed, and said, “I have to be back in London on Saturday afternoon.”
Three and a half days. Taking a deep breath, Elspeth nodded. “Okay. I have to decide if I’m selling by then. The Fort,” she clarified, then grimaced. As if he’d forgotten. “If I do, I’m supposed to be in London on Friday for a meeting.”
“I can . . . drive you,” he offered.
Stomach gone a little sour, Elspeth put on a brave smile. “That sounds delightful—but only if you don’t mind driving Mum, too.” Then she pushed up fast and beat him into the tiny bathroom.
Chapter Fourteen
Elspeth was determined not to ruin her delicious affair with Daniel Kelly by hyper-focusing on whether or not it was ending in London. She knew she should just ask him, but didn’t want to hear an answer she didn’t like. Besides, she had her own choices to make.
So she’d enjoy what time they had, be wild, take what made her happy.
That afternoon when he walked into The Fort, Elspeth met him halfway across the floor and kissed him in front of all her customers.
He responded immediately, lifting her slightly, spinning in time to the swell of the pretty piano haunting the speakers, and dipped her deeply.
She gasped and laughed, and when they whipped up to their feet, The Fort erupted in applause.
Elspeth shooed Howell Jenkins off the stool at the far end of the bar and enthroned Daniel there, as it was his favorite seat in the place—close to her, with his back to the wall. She put on a streaming channel with West End hits and when a love song started, she did her best to wink at him as she sang along.
Naughty Brits: An Anthology Page 44