“What were you saying?” she asked him.
Rwy’n dy garu di. I love you. But he wasn’t quite ready to have that discussion yet. It was too soon. There were too many things unsettled between them at this point. It was one thing to know what he felt and quite another to express it.
“I can’t remember exactly. Buried inside you, I wasn’t quite in my right mind, I’m afraid.”
She laughed and said, “It was beautiful, whatever it was. Say something else for me, please?”
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and then whispered, “Diolch i chi am heno. Rydych wedi anrhydeddu mi eich rhodd,” in her ear.
“And, what did that mean?” she asked curiously.
“The direct translation was ‘Thank you for tonight. You have honored me with your gift’.”
“It was perfect,” she said.
He smiled at her earnest words and agreed, “Yes. It was.”
When she spoke next, he was startled by the subject change. “Welsh is a beautiful language. I thought with the red hair, you’d be Scottish. At least I guessed the right island.”
“You were close,” he acknowledged, smiling. “Wait until you meet Lachlan. I don’t think he could be more Scottish if he tried. He’s lived in Canada for thirty years now and he still has that thick brogue. ‘Dinna fret, wee lassie,’” he finished, his voice rich with humor.
“Who’s Lachlan,” she asked, laughing at his impression.
“My business partner. Probably the closest thing I have to family. You’ll meet him at some point soon, I’d imagine. He was very curious about you in Miami.”
“Oh really,” she said, sounding more than a little smug. “You talked to him about me in Miami?”
“I did. He was a little concerned with your Scotch choices. I tried the Balvenie 12 Year by the way.”
“Did you like it or was I off base?”
“It wasn’t bad. I was surprised that I liked it as much as I did. You should have seen Lachlan’s face when I ordered it though. He was so disgusted that he offered to loan me some cash for good Scotch.”
Lilly laughed. “What a good friend.”
“I made him try a sip and he ended up saying he didn’t hate it. Considering he’s a purist, that’s a ringing endorsement.”
“He sounds like a Scotch snob,” Lilly said. “Not everyone can afford a sixty-dollar glass of Scotch.”
“He is. You’ll like him, though,” Talan admitted. “He’s the only other person besides you that treats me like a person. He speaks his mind and doesn’t tiptoe around me.”
“That would be important in a business partner. He’d have to stand up to you or he’d get trampled,” she said.
“Trampled?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.
She gave him that indelicate snort of hers and explained, “You’re a powerful man who’s very used to getting his way. Your business partner would have to be both smart and strong-willed or they’d be replaced.”
Talan considered her assessment and then said, “You’re absolutely right.”
“I know,” she replied smugly.
He couldn’t help but laugh. She had him pegged already. He found that he rather liked it. He was used to being catered to. He was used to being feared. He was definitely not used to being considered just because someone wanted to understand him.
He watched as she lifted her hands from the tub. She said, “I’m shrivelling, Talan.”
“I see,” he said. “Would you like to leave the tub then? Is that what I’m hearing?”
Before she could answer, he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her against him.
She wiggled and then took in a sharp breath when she felt his cock stiffen against her lower back.
“See what you do to me,” he whispered in her ear. He dipped his mouth to kiss along her shoulder.
Lilly shivered against him and said, “It’s the same thing you do to me.”
He smiled and said, “Come, little one. Let’s get out of the tub before you turn into a raisin.”
A few minutes later they were curled up under the covers. She lay in the crook of his arm, their legs tangled together. He stroked a hand idly through her hair. The way she relaxed against him, he was almost certain she was drifting to sleep. He didn’t blame her since he felt delightfully relaxed himself.
“Sleepy?” he asked.
“Not sleepy. Just very content.”
“Same here,” he admitted. “It’s been a long time since I’ve curled up with someone.”
“Not much of a cuddler?” she asked as she traced her fingertips lightly over his chest.
He captured her hand and said, “When you’ve been alive as long as I have, things tend to lose their shine. Food, drink, movies, music, sex. It’s been awhile since I’ve been with anyone and even longer since I’ve been in a relationship—nearly twenty years.”
Lilly was silent for so long that he began to wonder if she’d fallen asleep. Eventually she looked up at him, a plea in her voice. “You can’t say things like that to me, Talan.”
“Why not? They’re true.”
She studied him for the longest time before she said, “I have a hard enough time now controlling my feelings where you’re concerned.”
“Then we’re very much on the same page, Lilly. I feel things. For the first time in longer than I can remember, I enjoy being awake because I know I’ll get to see you soon. Experiencing things through your eyes makes the things I once thought were so mundane seem interesting again. I feel like a new man, and none of that would be the case without you,” he said, earnestly.
“You make me feel so special,” she said softly.
Finally, he thought. She was understanding him. “You are special.”
A smile dawned on her face as she said, “So are you.”
Unable to resist her anymore, he flipped them until she lay partially beneath him and then crushed his mouth down on hers. He tried, without words, to show her the depth of his feelings. Certainly there were fears about the future, but in this moment, he was absolutely certain that he loved her, and he wanted nothing more than to show her.
When she gave a low moan in the back of her throat, he let his hand slip down to cup her bare breast. Lilly shifted beneath him, rolling her hips against his in silent invitation as he plucked and teased her nipple. His cock hardened, even though intellectually he knew there was no way they’d make love again tonight. She’d flinched when he ran the washcloth over her earlier. As much as he’d like to be inside her, there was no way it wouldn’t hurt her.
He let out a groan of his own when Lilly’s hand snaked down between their bodies and wrapped around his cock. When her warm palm began to slowly but firmly stroke him, he tore his mouth away from hers and said, “Like that. That feels so goddamned good.”
With her free hand, she reached up and pressed him so he lay flat against the bed. She began working her way down his chest, placing hot, open-mouthed kisses in her wake. He would have been surprised by her somewhat aggressive actions if he had been capable of thought. As she made her way down his body, he felt his cock straining against his belly in anticipation. Each swipe of her tongue and nip of her teeth had him gripping at the sheets. By the time she swiped her tongue over the head of his cock, he was ready to explode.
She licked a line along the underside of his cock from his balls to the tip and then took him deep into her mouth. He almost embarrassed himself when she swallowed him down until he nudged at the back of her throat. “Christ, Lilly,” he groaned.
In answer, she cupped his balls and massaged them as she continued to wrap her pretty pink lips around his cock. He watched unabashedly, enjoying the sight of her so intent. She raised her eyes to his like some sort of tremptress, watching as he took his pleasure.
He wanted to give her the same pleasure. He wanted her to feel some measure of the intense sensations he felt. “Turn your body, Lilly. I need to touch you,” he gritted out.
Without breaking th
e rhythm of her movements, she managed to move her legs so that they lay near his head. Sadly, this put his mouth nowhere near where he wanted it, so instead he ran his index finger down the seam of her sex.
He let out a low groan when he found her dripping. He gently began to swirl his fingers around her clit and was rewarded by her sharp intake of breath around his throbbing cock. When he sped the motion of his fingers and increased the pressure slightly, she whimpered around him.
Lilly began working her hips against his hand as she continued to swirl her tongue around his now-throbbing cock. The tiny moans and sounds of pleasure she was making had him on the edge. With his free hand, he reached down and tangled his fingers in her hair. His grip tightened as he nudged against the back of her throat again. His need became almost overwhelming.
Fuck,” he cursed. “I need you to come for me, Lilly. Let go and come for me.”
The rocking of her hips became more steady as she reached for her climax. Quickly, her moans became more pronounced, and he knew she was right on the edge with him. Christ, he thought. If she didn’t come soon, he was going to lose it.
“That feels too good,” he groaned. “I don’t want to come without you.”
Her mouth continued to work up and down his length as if she hadn’t heard him. When he felt the light drag of her teeth over the tip, his hips jerked of their own volition and his incisors popped out. Much more of that and he was going to come down her throat, her orgasm be damned.
Adjusting the position of the fingers that rubbed against her clit, he gave it a sharp pinch just as he exploded in her mouth, no longer able to hold back. He vaguely registered the fact that she let out her own long, shuddering moan around his cock as she swallowed.
His head fell back and hit the pillow. He took a few shuddering breaths and waited for his incisors to retract. “Jesus,” he mumbled, his whole body lax. “You’re alarmingly good at that, Lilly.”
She laid there, watching him with careful eyes for a moment before she slowly shifted her body so she was next to him again and asked, “Alarmingly good?”
He gave a soft laugh and said, “I almost feel beholden to alert the media. I’m fairly certain I blacked out for a minute.”
Lilly smiled like a cat with a belly full of canary and said, “Perhaps we can convince the prime minster to declare today a national holiday.”
He frowned and said, “Just so long as he’s willing to take my word for it.”
“Your character is unimpeachable. I don’t see why he wouldn’t,” she responded.
“Exactly,” he agreed. “Sleepy now?”
“I could definitely sleep, but I need to get home. It’s almost four. I’ve got a class at ten a.m.”
“I wish you could stay with me,” he said. “I’d like to fall asleep next to you. I know our schedules don’t exactly mesh, so I’d still be asleep when you woke, but...”
She gave him a lingering kiss on the lips and then said, “I’ll pack a bag next time.”
He watched as she slowly moved off the bed and started to get dressed. Reluctantly, he climbed out of bed and began to dress as well. When he saw her grab her purse and pull out her panties, he laughed.
“What,” she asked, shrugging. “I’d been going insane. I was about two minutes from telling you I wasn’t wearing any panties when you invited me up here.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to haul you out of the club fast enough,” Talan said honestly. “I didn’t even like that other men were looking at you. I’m afraid I find myself somewhat possessive where you’re concerned.”
A pretty flush spread across her cheeks as she slid back into her tank top. “I, um... I think I like that.”
“Do you?”
“I like the idea of belonging to you. The idea that you’d belong to me. It’s old-fashioned, but so am I. I was a twenty-four-year-old virgin until a few hours ago.”
His shirt half-buttoned, he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. “Then until such time as you wish to change things between us, we belong to each other.”
Lilly melted into his embrace with a hum of contentment until eventually she said, “I need sleep or I’m going to be a zombie in class.”
Reluctantly, he let her go and they finished dressing. After a quick stop in the employee locker room, where she had stashed her coat, they walked out to her car. He kissed her thoroughly, and then watched as she slid into her car and drove away.
Ignoring the bitter cold, he walked slowly back toward the hotel. Even though he was thrilled to have taken the next step with Lilly, and to know she felt the same about him as he did her, that really just created an entirely different set of issues. How could things possibly work between them?
Chapter Nine
When Lilly finally got home after class, she groaned. Her muscles ached. As she trudged through the door, Marissa shouted, “Oh good. You’re home. I need details!”
Lilly set her backpack on the counter and said, “Just let me sleep. I didn’t even get home until almost five in the morning and then I had to be up at nine for a class. I’ll give you all the details you want after I nap.”
“Fine,” Marissa groused. Pointing, she added, “Those came for you, by the way.”
Lilly followed the direction of her finger. Her eyes widened when she took in the large vase filled with scarlet red lilies.
“Not the most original choice, but still pretty classy. I’m assuming you guys finally did the deed and he’s thanking you,” Marissa snarked.
Flushing, Lilly said, “Yes.”
“I knew it! Go nap. I’ll expect a full report while you’re getting ready for work.”
“Same goes,” Lilly said with a smirk. She plucked the card from the flowers and then trudged up stairs, opening it as she went. It read:
Lilly,
Thank you for a beautiful night.
Yours,
Talan
She smiled as the warmth suffused her. He was incredibly thoughtful. Lilly set the alarm on her cell phone and slid under the covers, clothes and all. Talan was her last thought before she slept.
****
When Lilly walked into the sports bar later that evening, she was surprised to see that Marcus, her manager, was still there. She slid her book under the bar and said, “Hey Marcus. What are you still doing here?”
“Lilly, good. You’re here. Let’s have a quick chat before Caroline leaves for the night.”
Hesitantly she followed him into the back. When they had both settled in his office, he grinned and said, “It’s not bad. I promise.”
“Oh,” she said, letting out a small sigh of relief. “You had me worried.”
“It’s actually good news,” he said. “You remember the recent issues with the nightclub? The bartender that was arrested? Well, it turns out the night manager was involved as well.”
“How is that good news?”
“It leaves a job opening on the managerial team. Would you consider taking the job?”
“Why wouldn’t they promote from within the club?” Lilly asked.
“I dunno,” he said, shrugging. “This came from up—way up. I can’t say that I entirely disagree, though. You’ve got way too much experience to be here tending bar, based on what I’ve seen.”
Biting her lip, she said, “Thanks. So what exactly does the night manager job entail? I mean, hours and such.”
“It’s basically the same hours you’re working now. You’d be monitoring the bartenders, scheduling...”
Lilly tuned him out for moment as she realized that this had Talan written all over it. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind that they’d be discussing this at length. Did he have any clue how it would look if people realized they were dating?
“I don’t know what the salary would be exactly, but I know it would end up being a considerable bump from where you are now. I think HR will be bringing it up with you once they have a formal offer. I received an e-mail from the boss man himself. Y
ou must have made quite an impression on him.”
Flushed now, she said, “I guess that gives me a lot to think about.”
“So it does,” Marcus agreed. “Congratulations, Lilly.”
“Thanks,” she said, feeling completely awkward. “I appreciate you giving me the heads up.”
“Not a problem. I’ve gotta head home now. Kara is probably tearing her hair out by now. Our twin boys just turned two,” Marcus explained, grinning.
“Oh Jesus. Poor woman. Go,” Lilly said laughing sympathetically. Her own brother had been a demon at that age. She couldn’t imagine two of him. She was ten when her parents had informed her she was going to be an older sister. She had been so excited.
By the time Peter had turned two, she’d had a clear understanding of what ‘terrible two’ really meant. He had thrown some of the meanest tantrums she’d ever seen. As much as she loved him, he had been the best advertisement for birth control of all time.
Bidding Marcus and Caroline both good night as she settled in for her shift, she brooded. Not only about the job, but about her family. It had been a long time, but she still felt entitled to do it on occasion.
Marcus’s comment about his children had made her think of Peter. He had just started preschool a few months before the attack. She remembered that he’d been filled with stories about his day. She’d thought he was a pest. What she wouldn’t give for a ‘do-over’.
She could still remember standing in the basement, paralyzed with fear as she’d heard their screams. She had heard the attackers laughing. The deeper voices didn’t carry well, but she could still hear the woman’s laughter. It haunted her dreams.
Lilly shivered and then shook her head, willing herself not to go down that dark road right now. Especially not at work. When she looked up, she saw that Daniel and Rob, two of her regulars, were waving her over.
“Hey guys,” she said, pasting on a smile. “What can I getcha?”
Rob said, “Same old. How ya doing? Looked like you were having some long thoughts over there.”
Giving him the most genuine smile she could muster, she said, “I’m just fine.” She looked to Daniel and said, “You ready for another?”
The Darkness Calls Page 6