“Wait just a minute now, lass,” Lachlan blustered. “You said middle-shelf. If I can buy an entire bottle for ten dollars, that wouldna qualify!”
His brogue had gotten thicker with each word. Talan bit back a laugh and waited for Lilly to respond.
“I only suggest a glass of Clan MacGregor first so you can truly appreciate the Auchentoshan Three Wood I’d actually recommend. You can see what the actual swill is, then drink something that’s incredibly palatable in comparison. It’s the only way you’d appreciate it. You’re already convinced I’ve got crap taste.” She made air quotes as she said ‘crap taste’ and also managed to absolutely nail his thick Scottish accent in the process.
Lachlan stared at her, dumbfounded, then he began to laugh. The loud, booming sound filled Talan’s office. He couldn’t help but join in. It wasn’t often that Lachlan could be rendered speechless.
“Oh, lass. I think I just fell a wee bit in love. You let me know if you get tired of this one,” Lachlan said, still chuckling, as he tilted his head in Talan’s direction.
“Mine,” Talan interrupted, feeling the unfamiliar jealousy flare again, even though he knew Lachlan was just goading him.
“His,” Lilly agreed, pressing herself up against his side with a smile.
Lachlan grinned and said, “Had to try.”
“Well, then,” Lilly said, laughing. “I’ll think I’ll take this as my cue to leave.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Lachlan said giving her a slight bow. “You really aren’t going to make me drink Clan MacGregor, are you?”
“Oh, totally,” Lilly said, laughing. “I’d really like to be there when you do.”
“That,” Talan said, grinning, “can absolutely be arranged.”
The frown on Lachlan’s face was tempered by the humor in his eyes. It made Talan even more glad that he’d staked his claim on Lilly. He had no doubt Lachlan would even now be trying to talk her into bed.
Talan said, “Be right back, Lach,” and then turned his attention to Lilly. “I’ll walk you out.”
She gave one last smile and wave to Lachlan and then followed him out of the office. As they passed the darkened alcove that contained a copier and a fax, he immediately spun her around and pressed her up against the wall, taking her mouth with his. Talan kissed her with all of the pent-up frustration from earlier.
Lilly’s gasp of shock melded quickly into a moan. Her fingers slid up from where they had gripped his shirt to brace herself, to rest on his shoulders. Her body pressed into his as their tongues duelled.
When he felt her hips rock against him, his cock hardened in response. He tore his mouth away from hers and said, “Bloody Lachlan. I want nothing more than to take you upstairs and love you until neither of us can see straight.”
Her laugh was somewhat thready when she said, “I’d be up for that. I’m just saying.”
“Tomorrow,” he promised, leaning back in to take her mouth with his again. He indulged himself, nipping at her lips until she sighed. His hands slid from her waist to her shoulders, but regretfully, he softened the kiss.
Lilly let out a groan of disappointment and then said, “Enjoy your meeting.”
Talan ran a finger along her pouty lower lip and said, “I’ll be thinking of you.” He leaned in and gave her one last kiss before he said, “Good night, Lilly. Let me know you’ve arrived home safely, please.”
Her facial expression softened and she said, “I will. Night.”
Talan watched as she walked back toward the entrance to the executive offices. He took several deep breaths, willing his erection to die down.
When he managed to get himself under control he wandered back into his office.
Lachlan grinned at him and said, “She’s a wee slip of a girl, but she’s a fireball, Talan.”
“Lilly is something else,” he agreed, unable to stop himself from grinning.
Over the next few hours, they went over the progress on the Miami casino, discussed the excess expenditures in another one of their co-owned properties, and then talked at length about the firing that had taken place in the nightclub.
Talan had been convinced after their initial conversation following the arrest that the night manager was somehow involved in the drug dealing. He hadn’t had the proof, though, until security had managed to catch him red-handed. Idiot.
The moment he’d walked back into the building after seeing Lilly out, his security team had alerted him. He’d spent the rest of the morning going through the remainder of the bar staff, deciding who he needed to interview next. It was unlikely that they’d been the only ones involved.
Somewhere around eight this morning, when he’d been cloistered in his suite with the blackout panels activated, he’d had the bright idea to nudge Lilly toward the job. Perhaps he should have discussed it with her first, he realized in hindsight. It nagged at him that all of her concerns had been so valid and yet he’d not been able to see them.
He feared, where Lilly was concerned, he wasn’t exactly objective. If tonight’s blow-up was any indication, it wasn’t likely to get better anytime soon. The more time he spent around her, the more out of his depth he felt.
Chapter Eleven
Lilly felt strange using the key card that Talan had given her. He’d stopped by shortly before the end of her shift and dropped it off, citing issues with the night cleaning staff. He told her to go on up to his suite while he dealt with some staffing issues. The housekeeping manager had apparently under-scheduled for the day, as there was some sort of Transfigured accountants’ convention happening on-site.
When he’d stopped in, both Daniel and Rob were at the bar. He had called her down to the end of the bar, passed it to her, and then given Daniel a stony glance. When she had raised her eyebrow at him, he’d merely smiled at her and then left.
She flipped on the light, then slid her shoes off. Glad to have the opportunity to clean off, she slipped into the gigantic bathroom and turned on the mammoth shower. Stripping off her clothes, she stepped into the shower. One of the taps had been acting up tonight. She’d ended up covered in beer foam. She could think of nothing less sexy than smelling like stale beer.
Fifteen minutes later, she stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped around herself. Talan opened the partially ajar bathroom door the rest of the way and asked, “Hmm. What do we have here?”
Lilly jumped and said, “Jesus, you scared me. Did everything work out with housekeeping?”
“Fine, fine,” he said, barely hearing her question as he took her in.
She could feel his eyes on her even as she stepped past him and walked into the bedroom. As soon as she reached the edge of the bed, where her overnight bag sat, she turned to look at him over her shoulder. When she was absolutely certain she had his complete attention, she let go of the towel.
Before Lilly’s towel had finished hitting the floor, Talan was pressed against her, his lips licking and sucking hungrily at her neck. Even through his clothes, she felt every inch of his warm, hard body against her back. She moaned softly when his hands slid up her rib cage to cup her breasts.
She felt the beginnings of arousal bloom as he caressed her. Each stroke of his fingertips against her tight nipples sent a signal straight to her clit. He seemed to be able to draw out such intense responses from her. For a moment, she marvelled over the fact he was such an incredibly skilled lover.
A frown crossed her face as she realized that he had a lot of experience. She stiffened against him even as she tried to push the thought from her mind. After all, it’s not like she could have expected him to wait for her. And it wasn’t like she wasn’t reaping the benefits of his experience with every touch. Realizing that she was just one in a long line of lovers he’d take left her, understandably, a little cold.
“Lilly,” he asked. “What’s the matter?”
She relaxed back against him and said, “Nothing. Just a wayward thought. Feel free to continue what you were doing.”
Hi
s hands stilled and he made a noise of displeasure. “Uh-uh. What was the thought?”
Sighing deeply, she said, “It’s nothing. I just…I was thinking about how you’re so good at that and I realized it’s because you’ve got four hundred plus years of experience. I don’t like the thought that I’m just one of many lovers that you’ll have over your lifetime.”
When he froze behind her, she said, “Sorry. I know it’s not a fair thought. I don’t know what I’m thinking, honestly.”
Talan let out a sigh of his own and turned her to face him. She ducked her chin, feeling incredibly awkward. She let her forehead rest against his shirt until he tipped her face up.
The look in his eye was wary when he said, “I won’t lie to you. I haven’t been celibate, Lilly.”
“I know you haven’t,” she said, feeling foolish. “I wouldn’t expect you to be—”
“Shh. Let me finish,” he said, stopping her.
Feeling naked both literally and figuratively, Lilly waited.
“It’s not always like this. It’s never been like this for me. I’m just reacting to your body’s responses. The way you move, when your breathing picks up, the way you press into me. That’s what tells me you’re enjoying what I’m doing. It’s the combination of you and I together that makes this so good. Not my past experience.”
She gave him a sheepish smile and said, “I’m not normally one of those girls that needs constant reassurance. I’m sorry. I feel so silly, but I’m just a little bit out of my depth.”
Talan let out a shaky breath and said, “Lilly. I love you. I think I was half in love with you by the time you tried to return the bag. You’re anything but one of the many.”
Lilly’s breath backed up in her chest at his declaration. Holy shit. How was it even possible that this beautiful, sweet man could actually love her?
She stood there, speechless for so long that eventually, a pained look crossed his face as he said, “Say something. Please?”
“Talan,” she answered, her heart pounding. “I love you too. I don’t have any idea how this can possibly work between us, but I do love you.”
Talan’s hands reached up to cup her cheeks. The look on his face was absolutely indescribable. It was a combination of awe and pleasure. She had never seen him like this. He looked almost...boyish.
She hadn’t understood what she was feeling until he’d said it. As soon as he’d said the words, it was as if the she’d found the answer mirrored in her own soul. It was a relief to finally put a word to the tumultuous feelings. Love.
His eyes shining, he leaned down and took her mouth with his. Her heart beating wildly in her chest, she gave herself over to the kiss. As their tongues mated, she began to work the buttons free on his shirt. Now, more than anything, she wanted to be with him. She needed to be with him.
Talan groaned and started pulling haphazardly at the remaining buttons. Eventually, he tore the shirt free, the last few buttons popping off. He placed his hands over hers when she struggled with his belt buckle, and then took over the process.
Mouths still connected, they managed to strip off the rest of his remaining clothing. When they climbed on the bed, he rolled them until she straddled his hips. Their hands roamed over each other urgently as mouths continued to mate.
Lilly rolled her hips, rubbing her aching pussy against the ridge of his cock. Though her arousal grew, each time her damp flesh drug over him, she felt so empty. She wanted him buried inside her. His cock stretching her. Filling her to the brim.
He seemed to be on the same wavelength as he slowed the rolling of her hips with a groan and said, “Let me get a condom, love.”
She moved off of him, smiling at the endearment. No man had ever called her “love.” Certainly no one that had ever truly meant it.
Talan tore the wrapper on the condom and rolled it over his thick length. Lilly watched as his hand slowly rolled it down. There was something about seeing him stroke himself, even briefly, that left her breathless.
He looked up at her, saw the direction of her gaze, and said, “We’ll explore that more when I’m not aching to be inside you. Are you still hurting?”
“No. Not anymore,” she said breathlessly. “I need you inside me.”
He gazed with such sexual promise that she shivered in response. When he picked her up and settled her back on him again he said, “Ride me.”
She reached down, wrapped her palm around him and poised him at her opening. Lip caught between her teeth, Lilly slid down over him, sighing in pleasure as the feeling of emptiness left her. In this moment, with him buried inside her, watching her with those dark, soulful eyes, she had never felt more beautiful.
Once he was fully seated inside her, Talan moved his hands to her hips, guiding her up and down along his rigid shaft. “Yes,” he moaned.
Lilly began to roll her hips as she adjusted to the feel of him inside her. Once she began to more confidently guide the motion, Talan reached up and began to tease her nipples. Gasping, she cried out as pure unadulterated pleasure rushed through her system.
The motions were unfamiliar to her, but her body seemed to move on instinct. She worked her hips against his frantically, seeking the release that hovered just out of reach. Between the way his fingers pinched and pulled at the sensitive peaks of her breasts and the way his cock seemed to drag across every single nerve ending she possessed, she knew she wouldn’t last much longer.
When he reached down and rubbed his fingertips over her swollen clit, she moaned his name. Seconds later, her whole body went rigid as the swirling sensations finally reached their peak. She cried out as a million tiny explosions went off inside her. Lilly dug her nails into his chest, her body shuddering as she climaxed above him.
Talan watched, his thoughts written plainly over his face. If she hadn’t already known, she certainly would have now. She wasn’t just one of many. She was going to be the only one. The unmasked pleasure on his face made her certain of that.
Talan pulled her down to his chest and began to pump into her from below. She propped herself up on her arms and began to meet him thrust for thrust. She let out a gasp as his pelvis rocked against her clit. When her hair slid forward to curtain them, she shoved it back and over one shoulder.
Lilly saw the moment that his eyes shifted to her neck. When his incisors popped out, his movements stuttered for a moment and his facial expression changed. His mouth, once lax with pleasure, closed. In a flash, she realized he was trying to shield her from that part of himself.
She’d witnessed it a couple of times now. Despite the fact he had hidden it, she knew what he wanted. Maybe it was some primal desire thing. She didn’t know for certain. What she did know absolutely was that he would never ask her for it either.
The fact that he would give up something he wanted for her without any qualms was amazing. That was love though, right? The realization made her want to give him everything. Her voice was so husky that she barely recognized it when she said, “You can drink from me if you want.”
He gave her a startled look that turned into a moan. Even through his passion, he still studied her as if he was trying to read her mind. She could see the internal struggle written all over his face. Finally, he whispered, “I can’t.”
She was on the verge of another orgasm when she cried, “Talan. Drink from me. I want you to.”
Talan’s eyes darkened at her admission. He leaned up, slamming her down on his cock at the same time his incisors sank into her neck. Almost immediately, he shuddered to his own climax, moaning against her neck as he drank.
She was startled by the white hot sensation that ripped through her. The strange combination of pain and pleasure sent her senses reeling. She screamed out his name as her pussy clamped down on him. Wave after wave of pleasure battered her until she she felt wrung out from it.
When he released her neck, she collapsed onto his chest, complete dead weight. Snuggling into him, she made a contented sound that was almost a purr.
He shifted and regretfully said, “I need to get rid of the condom.”
She groaned unhappily as he left her body, then she moved to his side. She watched as he walked toward the bathroom, seemingly unaware of what the sight of him did to her. He was gone for a few moments. When he reappeared, she watched him unabashedly until he reached the bed.
He pulled back the covers and they both slid underneath. As soon as she had settled, he immediately placed her back on top of him. He said, “Better.”
She nuzzled into his neck and then relaxed. She felt the rumbling of his chest when he said, “You amaze me, love.”
“You’re pretty amazing yourself,” she answered lazily, pressing her lips against his jawline. She was certain her body had never been this relaxed before. Her blood was beginning to slow, but she still felt the remnants of her release all the way to her toes.
“Thank you, but that’s not quite what I meant. Much as I don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, I want to know why you let me drink from you. I won’t deny that I wanted to, but I know what you’ve been through. I never, ever would have asked that of you.”
She tilted her head up to look at him and saw his frown. Reaching up, she smoothed the wrinkles of his forehead and said, “It’s a part of you. If I can’t or won’t consider what that part of you wants, how can we possibly work, Talan?”
His eyes softened at her words. His voice husky with emotion, he said, “You’re absolutely fearless.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Not fearless. I just fake it really well.”
He froze against her and said, “I don’t want you to fear me. That’s the last thing I want.”
“I don’t know all that much about you. I probably should be afraid of you. I’m not, though. Even when we first met, I was aware of you, but never afraid. Does that even make sense? I felt it the moment you walked into the room.”
“I know precisely what you mean,” he said. “The awareness flips on like a light switch whenever I’m with you. I’ve never felt anything like it. I feel as if we’re connected. It feels otherworldly.”
The Darkness Calls Page 8