by Anya Nowlan
Kelly had to bite her lip not to whimper in desperation as he pulsed deeper inside her, his self-control slipping as his pace picked up. Each thrust brought a moan to her lips, but not a single one of pain. It was too good to feel any pain.
“Very possible,” she panted, teasing him in turn. “You’re so... oh fuck, you’re huge, Pran…”
No words came out after that because Pran’s eyes suddenly flared icy blue with desire. She felt him snarl as he kissed her passionately, painfully, and she clung to him, groaning as she took him in. He thrust himself into her completely, holding them in place for a moment as Kelly’s moan still rang in the air.
And then he moved, and it seemed like the whole room moved with him. Maybe it did. At least the couch must have, rocking under his powerful thrusts as he buried himself to the hilt into her pussy, making her scream in pleasure as his hands held her tightly by the hips. She held onto him, unable to match or respond to his rhythm, burying her face in his shoulder as she shivered with the build of her orgasm.
His cock throbbed inside her and she threw her head back as she whimpered, feeling him kiss her throat, groaning in his deep and sexy voice.
“Pran…” she moaned. “Fuck yes, there, harder... oh my God…”
She could barely feel her legs, all strength going out of them and only pleasure remaining in its place. Kelly tried to hold onto the sensation of the peak of her pleasure, where all she wanted was to cum and never leave the dizzying high. His kisses were wild and brief now, his thrusts picking up pace.
It was simply too good, he was huge inside her, his cock hitting exactly the right place and she couldn’t take it anymore. The orgasm washed over her.
She came, sobbing his name, her hands holding on desperately to his wide, powerful shoulders, kissing his chest and his shoulders, aching to taste more of him. Pran buried his face in the crook of her neck, taking hold of her with both hands, pounding himself into her over and over again while she wrapped her hands around his neck.
When Pran finally came with a deep groan that made her shiver, Kelly whimpered against him, feeling his seed fill her. She stayed there in his lap as they both wheezed for breath, their hearts beating heavily in their chests. Kelly could feel every powerful thud resonating through her, their heartbeats seemingly in sync as her nails scrabbled against his strong body, feeling his skin slick with sweat under her touch.
After several minutes of basking in their shared afterglow, Pran claimed a lazy kiss from her lips. Even that made her body shudder with need, apparently more than ready to go again. He nudged her face gently away from the crook of his neck where it wanted to bury itself out of instinct after the kiss, running a thumb down her chin as he followed with small kisses in its wake.
“You’re gorgeous,” he murmured, and she had no doubt he meant every word.
“You’re not too bad yourself,” she responded with a weak, but truthful smile.
“Are you sure you need to go into work today? We could stay here all day,” he offered, his voice soft and almost pleading.
And that was when cold hard reality hit her.
“Shit. Work,” she muttered, gingerly climbing off of him. “You made me forget. Bad buck,” she chided, though she could hardly mean it when he gave her the cutest puppy dog look.
The one that had made her feel all silly and giggly when he’d tried it on her at the pub.
Dammit. This was supposed to be easy!
“I take full responsibility,” he said, holding his hands up for a moment before glancing between his still semi-erect cock and Kelly. “Well, most of it, anyway.”
“Wiseass,” she scoffed with a grin, scooting into the bedroom to get changed.
If there was one thing she didn’t want to do then it was to leave Pran and his magnificent, strong arms. But a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do, right?
Responsibilities suck.
“I’ll walk you to work,” he called after her as she was searching for her pants, only then understanding that she’d left her panties in the living room.
Well, at least she could enjoy his company for a few more minutes. She’d take what she could get.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Kelly
The walk over to Callahan’s Shamrock was far too short, even with them taking it super slow. She was wearing Pran’s jacket again and he’d thrown on a jersey featuring the Shifter Grove Shovelers logo, looking cute and scruffy with his bed hair and, well, bedroom eyes. Every time she looked at him, his blue eyes seemed to beckon her to go back to the hotel and never come back up for air. It made her pussy pulse with desire. It was also supremely distracting.
“So, here we are,” she said awkwardly, coming to a stop in front of the pub and turning to face him.
“It appears so,” he confirmed with a smile, though he wasn’t entirely certain as he glanced into the bar through the window and found Kelly’s dad glaring back at him. “And not a moment too soon. I don’t think your dad is happy to see me.”
He lowered his voice as if Liam Callahan could hear him and she giggled at that. It was ridiculous to think that an obviously wealthy, somewhat secretive though still very much a shifter kind of guy could be shaken up about the same things as “regular” guys were. Like the judging glare of a protective father.
“Thank you. I mean it. For everything,” Kelly said, fumbling with the sleeve of his jacket, too big for her as it was.
“Don’t mention it. I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” he said, his attention now fully on her.
It felt like standing in a ray of sun. It made her feel all warm and fuzzy all over and she couldn’t help but grin. God, he was cute. And so sweet! And so… She glanced at the window, seeing her father now standing right beside it, his arms crossed over his chest.
Kelly sighed, shaking her head a little.
“Sorry, he’s a bit overprotective of me.”
“I can understand the reasoning,” Pran said simply.
Kelly peeled the jacket off her shoulders and handed it back to Pran with some obvious reluctance. She knew she was going to catch some flak for it but she didn’t particularly care, so she went in for a hug, her arms wrapping around Pran’s neck. He returned it immediately, enveloping her in his comforting warmth and safety and she didn’t want to let go.
Her father tapping on the glass however made her do so.
“Can I see you again?” he asked, almost a whisper as he flung the jacket over one arm, tucking his hands awkwardly in his pockets again like she’d seen him do a few times.
Now she realized that he might be doing it when he felt a bit uncertain. It was adorable, especially coming from a guy like he was, who came off so cocky most of the time.
“I think we can work something out,” Kelly said, her dad already opening the door and obviously ready to give them a piece of his mind. “I gotta go now. Duty calls! Stay warm!”
“You too,” Pran said as she brushed past him, hopping up the two steps and pushing into the pub before her father could say anything.
When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw Pran putting on his jacket, his clear blue eyes tracking her all the way to the center island, making her blush. She was going to hate to see him go.
“Kelly, who was that?” Liam asked.
“My buck in shining armor,” she replied automatically, before clapping a hand over her mouth.
“Your what?” he repeated dubiously.
“Nothing, Dad.”
She wasn’t sure how, but she was certain Pran had caught that, judging by the grin on his lips. He tossed her a quick wink and then walked off down the street. She tracked his movement until she couldn’t see him out the window anymore.
Yup, she was right. It sucked to watch him go.
***
It was Sunday evening and the weekend had been far longer than Kelly had expected. Maybe it was the fact that the crowds were especially boisterous that year or maybe it was because every time someone pushed in through the do
or, a tiny part of her expected to see Pran. Whatever it was, by Sunday evening, Kelly was pretty done with the whole St Patrick’s thing and she couldn’t wait to close up shop and go home.
The Callahans had a good turnout again that day, with Liam commanding the forces as the pub was getting slowly cleaned up while the last revelers nursed their beers. Sunday was always the wind-down day because everyone needed to be back at work on Monday, so it was much calmer than the rest of the weekend. Still, in the aftermath of everything else that had been going on, it was anything but calm until the later hours of the day.
Kelly was just about to consider starting on the mountain of dishes that was waiting for her when a huge bouquet of flowers blocked her view. There were roses and lilies and a bunch of flowers she couldn’t even imagine, all following a green and white color scheme.
“What the...” she started, only to silence herself as she saw the man behind it.
Pran Frost, looking mighty pleased with himself.
“These are for you,” he said, handing the large bouquet over the counter to Kelly, who accepted them before she could really process the thought. “And I need to talk to your father.”
“You need to what now?” Kelly echoed, quirking a brow as she had difficulty seeing over the wall of blooms.
“You heard me. Oh, there he is. I’ll be back in a minute. Don’t miss me too bad,” he said with a wink, turning toward the back of the pub where Liam Callahan was exchanging a few words with one of Kelly’s brothers. “Mr. Callahan! Can I have a word with you for a moment? I promise I won’t take up a lot of your time!” Pran called, leaving a shocked and somewhat appalled Kelly staring after him.
“What does he think he’s doing?” Miriam asked, appearing from the other side of the bar island. “Is he suicidal?”
“Maybe,” Kelly answered weakly, watching as Liam gave Kelly a stern, muddled look and then turned the full force of his attention on Pran, looking anything but amused. “Okay, certainly.”
“Nice flowers though. Maybe we can use them for his funeral.”
“It can’t be that bad, can it?” Kelly asked, her brows stitching together as Liam Callahan led Pran to his office like a lamb to slaughter, though Pran seemed blissfully ignorant to the danger he had put himself in.
Nothing like the rage of a grouchy father.
What followed was like something out of Pride and Prejudice, where Kelly was flitting back and forth behind her father’s office door after not being able to contain her curiosity for too long standing around at the bar. She kept glancing back to the beautiful arrangement and then the door, chewing on her lower lip as the “few minutes” turned into half an hour and then more.
When Liam and Pran had been in there for almost an hour, Kelly thought she was going to burst.
What the hell are they doing in there? I don’t hear any yelling, no cursing…
She bit her lip so hard she almost drew blood.
“Goddammit,” she cursed.
“Watch your lip, missy,” her father said, having opened the door just in time to hear her outburst.
His arm was thrown around Pran’s shoulder and he was grinning widely, the two tall men walking out of the office like they were old pals who hadn’t seen each other in far too long.
“I... uh, sorry, Dad,” Kelly responded, green eyes wide with surprise. “Are you two... is everything okay?” she asked, trying to make sense of what exactly she was trying to make sense of.
Why is Pran still alive? Why do you two seem like you’re getting along so well? What the hell, what the hell, what the hell?
The last one seemed to make the most sense.
“Everything couldn’t be better. Your friend here told me a bit about his family and I have to say, I think you’ve found the right man, sweet pea,” Liam said, throwing his other arm around Kelly and turning her to walk back toward the main bar area.
“I... what?” she asked, feeling like with added information, the whole thing kept getting more and more impossible.
“You should listen to your father, Kelly. He’s a smart man,” Pran said, nodding sagely.
They reached the front of the bar and Liam Callahan released both of them from his strong grip.
“Miriam, get Kelly’s jacket. She’s going out.”
“I am? I mean, I am!” Kelly said, sharing a quick, confused look with Miriam, who gaped like a fish out of water for a moment and then ran to get her jacket. “Are you sure, Dad? I was supposed to help clean up.”
“Don’t argue with the man, Kelly,” Pran said, giving her a private wink.
“Pran’s right. Don’t argue with me,” Liam echoed as Miriam came back with Kelly’s jacket.
Pran snatched it before Miriam could hand it over to Kelly and he helped her put it on. Kelly grabbed her purse from behind the counter and with a quick hug from her father was sent off and out of the door, Pran holding her hand. In public! In front of her dad!
She thought she was going to get dizzy from how impossible it all was.
“What did you tell him?” she asked as they got outside and out of the view of the windows of Callahan’s Shamrock.
“What do you mean? I simply made my case as an upstanding citizen and a fine option for his daughter’s affections,” Pran said with a shrug of his shoulders, that devilish fire burning in his eyes.
“I get that, but how?!” Kelly asked, clutching the front of his jacket and stopping him on the street, though there was a smile on her lips now.
“A buck never tells his secrets,” he said with a smirk, backing her up against the nearest wall and slipping his arms around her so there were only a few inches between their lips.
“Nuh-uh. No kisses for you until you spill the beans, mister,” Kelly scoffed, though her gaze kept going to his lips, wanting them on hers as much as he must have. “What was that sorcery in there?”
“Oh, you mean the thing with your dad? Well, I simply told him a bit about myself and pointed at my family’s longstanding history of being both magically dependable and completely trustworthy,” he said, shrugging again.
She bumped him in the shoulder for it, making Pran give her a wounded look.
“What was that for?”
“You’re not being straight with me!” she protested.
“Ah, but you see, I had to tell your dad. You, I can show,” he said, his eyes twinkling with the promise of adventure.
“What do you mean you can show me?”
“The thing that made your father decide that I might not be some random lout with the hots for his daughter but a dependable kind of guy, of course. Got any plans for the next few days?”
“No,” Kelly answered carefully, frowning at him in confusion. “Why?”
“Great. Then we’re going on a bit of a road trip. You’re not afraid of flying, right? Because that’d be a problem.”
“I’ve got no issues with planes. But... Pran, what the hell?”
Finally the question she’d been meaning to ask!
“Shh, baby. Trust me. And now, kiss me,” he said, that devilish grin turning damn near predatory as he leaned in and stole a long, passionate kiss from her.
“Okay,” she responded a bit dreamily when he pulled away, taking her hand in his securely. “Where are we going?”
“Just paying a quick visit to my uncle Nick up North.”
“How far up North?”
“The farthest you can go.”
Well, one thing was for sure. St Patrick’s or not, around Pran Frost the luck never seemed to run out. And there would never be a shortage of adventure.
EPILOGUE
Pran
Almost exactly one year later…
“You can’t be serious about this,” Ru said, every fiber of his being pulsing with obvious disbelief.
“What?” Pran asked, giving his brother a mild, pained look, which very barely hid the grin that he was masking underneath it. “Is this not classical enough for you?”
He turned back to
straighten his tie, giving it one more stern look before deciding it was straight enough. It would only have to last through the ceremony. As soon as he and Kelly had said their I do’s, he’d rip it off like a bandage.
Hopefully along with Kelly’s dress, he mused to himself, jauntily humming a tune.
“Not really, no. Couldn’t you have gone classic, like Dash did? You know, not… this?” Ru asked, holding up one of the place settings that had been left in the dressing room, a big green shamrock with golden edges.
“Nope. No can do. I promised myself that the day I start taking marriage too seriously it’s all going downhill for me,” Pran said, turning to clap his brother on the shoulder while gently removing the monstrosity from his hands.
“But… you’re getting married. Is this not the time to start taking it seriously?” Ru questioned dubiously.
“Seriously, yes. But not too seriously. There is a difference there, my dear man. Now come on, let’s go find my bride,” he said, grinning as he almost forcefully made the youngest Frost brother leave the dressing room.
The rest of the Frost force was spread out, haggling with the Callahans on what someone should be doing. Pran wasn’t entirely sure how it had happened, but somehow putting together the great minds that brought Christmas every year, and the equally-as-brilliant minds who could keep half of Boston drunk and disorderly during St Patrick’s every year had resulted in a fun clusterfuck of a party.
As far as Pran could tell, everything was sort of coming together. And that was just fine with him.
He was wearing a green bowtie and his suit was this rich, velvety green as well. He’d been haggling with Kelly over wearing a floppy top hat like the one she’d put on him at Callahan’s Shamrock the first day they met, but in the end common sense—meaning Kelly—had won out, and here Pran was, completely hatless. He was sure it would be one of the smallest things he’d give up in the name of his soon-to-be wife over their long life together and frankly, he didn’t mind one bit.
“Go on, go do groomsman-y things,” Pran said, shooing Ru off as he skipped to the side and out of the view of the many pews filling with Kelly’s extended family and the ever-increasing number of people on the Frost side of things as well.