by Toni Aleo
Stupidly.
And the thing is, Fiona warned me of this.
Lacing her fingers with mine, she presses her chest to mine. “Why don’t I take ya to my room?”
I pause, though. “I need to ask you something.”
“What?”
“Where do you see this going?”
Her eyes widen a bit. “I see us going to my room—”
“No, I mean, like this relationship.”
Her eyes burn into mine. “Ya asking for my forever, Jackson?”
“I’m not asking for anything yet. I just want to know what you’re thinking.”
“I’m thinking that ya make me really happy, and I don’t want to lose ya,” she answers almost immediately. “I know what this looks like. Like I’m having to hide ya. But if they knew you, they’d adore ya the way I do. Don’t worry about that stuff. Worry about what we have.”
“Which is what?”
“Something special,” she answers as she looks up at me. “Something that has completely changed me forever, Jackson. Don’t ya realize that?” I stare into her eyes because I hadn’t realized that at all. “Ya came in, and ya turned my world upside down. Ya make me crazy with need, and ya make me smile when I don’t want to. Ya believe in me when I don’t, and because of that, I’m not ready to let go of ya. Like I said earlier, I don’t want this to end.”
“I don’t either, but what if—”
“Stop. Don’t put what-ifs on us. Let’s just see what happens.” Her eyes plead with mine. “Ya told me to be happy, to live a happy life. I am. With you.”
Wrapping my arms around her neck, I press my lips to hers. And as her eyes close, I know I have to let go of all this angst in my heart.
Or I am going to lose her.
Sooner than I wanted.
Once the door closes behind us, I push her back into it, seizing her mouth with mine. She tastes like whiskey and leaves me completely unsteady as I devour her intoxicating mouth. Her hands are all over me, my back, my waist, my chest, before we’re both yanking at each other’s clothes. Throwing her blouse to the floor, I mold her breast with my palm as she unfastens my pants, her breathing out of control. Just like mine. Her skin is flushed and oh so beautiful as I nibble on her shoulder. When my pants fall to my ankles, I kick off my boots and step out of the pants as she pushes her skirt down her legs.
Leaving us naked.
Inhaling a shaky breath, I drink her in, trailing my hand down the back of her arm as she watches me, her lips parted. Her cheeks are a beautiful pink color, her chest heaving as she draws in deep breaths, her eyes wild with passion. I take in her breasts, her flat belly, and then her slick center. I hadn’t gotten to take her in like this since our first time together.
And I want to get my fill.
When our eyes meet, a small smile pulls at her lips as she reaches out, gliding her fingers along my chest. “Yer body is dangerous, Jacks.”
I’m breathless as I hold her gaze. “So is yours.”
Her eyes flash with lust, and I’m unsure who moves first, but within seconds, we’re in each other’s arms, our mouths joining in heated hunger. As I lift her off her feet, she wraps her legs around my waist. I start for her bed, her mouth commanding mine. When the bed hits me in the back of my knees, I sit down, her hot center coming down on my dick as her legs straddle the sides of my hips. I groan against her mouth, and she nips at my lips as she moves her hand between us, guiding me inside of her.
She feels like heaven, and the raucous moan that leaves my mouth is proof enough. My fingers bite into the small of her back as she moves her sweet pussy against me, my dick going in and out of her at a slow and torturous speed. She holds onto my shoulders, her lips grazing mine as my eyes close, my dick sliding deeper and deeper within her.
I feel my release coming, but I’m not ready for it.
I want more.
Lifting her off me, I throw her to the side of me, and she laughs as she hits the bed. “Jaysus!”
“You love it.”
She doesn’t deny it as I cover her body with mine. My dick drags along her center, and thinking is out of the question. Kissing down her neck, her collarbone, I nibble at her shoulder before running my tongue down her chest and along the curve of her breast. I take her nipple in my mouth, and her legs squeeze around me as I flick the sweet bud with the tip of my tongue. Holding my head in place, she cries out, and I can feel her pulsating against my dick.
“Fuck, I want you in my mouth,” I mutter against her chest. A small little sound leaves her mouth as I slide my tongue along her torso to her navel. Squeezing her ass in my hands, I kiss her pubic bone before tracing my tongue along her lips, lapping up her sweetness. Her cries are loud and passionate. When I dip my tongue inside of her, she comes off the bed, crying out so loud my toes start to curl. Sucking her clit into my mouth, I squeeze her hips as I take what I want.
But I want more.
All of her.
I roll us over so that she’s sitting on my face, and she sits up, holding her breasts as I continue to suck her and lick her. When she starts to rock against me, I go taut, my whole body tight as I continue to tease her. Watching as she rides my face, I know I’ve never seen anything as beautiful as her. Her hair is in her face, her body is flushed, and her mouth is parted on the most erotic moan. When she starts to ride me harder, I hold her ass, bringing her clit between my teeth. She comes undone, falling forward as her body shakes.
Kissing her thigh, I move out from underneath her, clutching her ass before I move behind her, taking her by her hips. Entering her from behind, I groan as I disappear inside of her. She’s still coming, her body squeezing mine as I kneel there, drunk off her. I’m unable to control myself, and the tips of my fingers bite into her hips as I slam into her. Over and over again. I’ve never done a girl this hard, but Lena loves it. Her ass slams against my hips, and the sounds we make are arousing. Her head falls back, her hair spilling down her back as she cries out my name. She looks so beautiful. So sexy, and soon, I can’t handle what I’m seeing. When I squeeze her hips, it’s me who cries out as I slam into her, coming so hard, all I see are lights.
I’ve never been with someone who completely rocks my world the way Lena does.
Gasping for breath, I collapse to the bed but not before I reach for her, bringing her with me. She falls to my chest, hooking her leg across my stomach as my arms come around her, holding her tightly to me. Kissing her temple, I struggle to inhale as she gasps for breath beside me. I close my eyes, trying to calm my heart, but it’s so difficult. It’s always pounding when Lena is around.
When she starts to move up my body, I open my eyes to find her watching me, her fingers coming up to run along my jaw. Her eyes are a blazing blue, sparkling almost as she gazes into mine. Moving her finger along my lips, she says, “Well, that was awesome.”
My face breaks into a grin. “Yeah, it was.”
When I close my eyes once more, her lips trail along my jaw. “Hey, Jacks.”
“Yeah, baby.”
I don’t miss the pause, and when I open one eye, she’s grinning at me. “Ya never called me that before.”
I open my other eye. “Is that okay?”
“It’s grand.”
I exhale in relief. “Cool.”
She presses her nose to mine and sighs slowly. “Remember when ya said there was a pull between us?”
I nod, my nose moving with hers, our eyes locked. “Yeah.”
“Have ya ever felt that with anyone else?”
I don’t move, my eyes burning into hers. “No.”
Her lips quirk a bit as she cups my cheek. “I thought I had, but the more time I spend with ya, I’m sure I haven’t.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah,” she says, and I smile back at her. “Yer the only one to ever learn me right.”
“I am?”
“Yeah, you saw me at my weakest and my lowest, and you still wanted me. Even when you didn’t know
I was made of all the money.”
“Your money is nothing to me.”
She grins at me. “Well, I’d say so, ya got yer own.”
But I shake my head. “No, it doesn’t matter because, at the end of the day, I can run out of money, if I ever touched it, but I can’t run out of the way you make me feel.”
Her eyes gloss over as she presses her lips to my jaw. “You’s a special person, Jackson.”
My heart can’t take it. Her eyes, her smile, her words. Everything is overwhelming. This feeling is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I know it, and it scares the ever-loving shit out of me.
How am I ever supposed to get over her?
When she closes her eyes, I do the same, cuddling her closer to me, pressing my lips to the side of her mouth. I don’t know how I will ever leave, but I don’t want to think about it. I want to think about her. Her sweet, naked body pressed to mine and knowing that, in this room, which, by the way, is the size of the pub, we’re together.
Only us.
Downright content, I’m almost asleep when she moves her nose to mine, and she whispers, “Jacks.”
I don’t open my eyes; I just squeeze her tighter to me. “Yeah.”
“If I get you a tux, can you go to a gala with me on Friday?”
I open my eyes then, meeting her unsure gaze. “A gala?”
“Yeah, it’s for the cancer hospital up in Dublin. It’s one of the biggest events of the year, and I have to go. I want ya to go with me.”
My heart is jackhammering in my chest. “As your date?”
A little grin pulls at her lips. “As me man.”
It’s like she’s hit me square in the chest. “Your man?”
Her eyes burn into mine, her lips curving up into a full smile as her eyes dance. “I know ya think you aren’t good enough for me, but, Jackson, ya are. I actually think yer too good for me.”
“Never, you’re a princess—”
“I’m just a girl wanting the guy who drives me wild to go to an event with me.”
I press my lips together, my eyes not leaving hers. “Your mom?”
“What about her?”
“Won’t she freak? And everyone else, for that matter?”
Rolling her eyes, she squeezes my face. “I don’t care. I want to go with you. Will ya go with me?”
I don’t want to cause her any problems, but I also can’t say no if I try.
“I’d love to.”
As she squeals, cuddling closer to me, in the back of my mind, I know this is a bad idea. I want to go. I want to be there with her. But we’re ignoring the fact that I am leaving, and that she is who she is. The problem is, I’m unsure how long we can ignore it before it catches up with us.
And, ultimately, breaks us.
“You were a lumberjack?”
Lying on Jackson’s chest, I comb my nails through the hair of his chest as he shrugs shyly. “Not were. I am. I can still cut down any tree.”
“Really? That’s insane. Like, real life, ya climb the tree and ya cut it?”
He grins at me. “Yeah.”
“And ya train horses?”
“Yeah.”
“So you’s an outdoorsy guy.”
“I guess,” he says, weaving his fingers through my hair. “I hate being inside.”
“Cause of yer da?” I ask, and a haunted look fills his eyes. “I don’t mean to bring him up—”
“No, it’s fine.” He wraps my hair around his fingers. “I only got an hour outside every other day when he had me. Then when I got home to my mom, my brothers were buck wild, so I escaped outside.”
“Were they that bad?”
“They burned down our house,” he says dryly, and my eyes widen. “My youngest brother, Nick, has three kids with three different women, and Ray is in an abusive relationship with this chick, and they both don’t work. They borrow a lot of money from my parents.”
“Lord,” I cry out, and he nods.
“I don’t know how I’m related to them. I tell my mom it’s because she was so worried about getting me back, she didn’t focus on raising them, leaving it to Tom, my stepdad, who wasn’t really sure what he was doing then.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“It is. Meanwhile, I worked my ass off to save money to leave.”
“For yer holiday, right? But didn’t the inheritance money come in?”
He strokes his fingers along my shoulder. “Yeah, but when it was deposited, I already had the money to do what I wanted. I had a plan to work everywhere I go, so I haven’t had to touch it.”
“Not even a cent?”
“Well, I did buy my mom a new car, and I paid off her hospital bills from the cancer.”
My lips curve. “That’s nice.”
“Yeah, the boys are pissed I haven’t done anything for them. But when I came home, they really didn’t have much to do with me.”
I frown. “How so?”
“I was traumatized when I came back, and I really didn’t talk to anyone but my mom. She slept in my bed for a whole three months after I came home. I was messed up.”
My eyes widen as I hold my hand to him. “For good reason!”
He shrugged. “It drove a wedge between them and me, but when I got older and the cancer happened with my mom, Tom and I got closer. He’s a good guy.”
He exhales, and I cuddle into his side, kissing his jaw. “Ya love yer ma the most, though?”
A grin pulls at his lips as he nods. “My mom is my everything. I think she was scared I would forget her, but I never did. I still call her every day or text her.” His gaze falls to mine as he runs his finger along my brow. “She knows about you.”
“She does?” When he nods, I feel bad. I don’t talk about him to my ma, she wouldn’t have it, but he doesn’t have to hold back with his ma. How wonderful that must be. “Ya think she’d like me?”
“She’d love you. How could she not?”
I roll my eyes. “I’m a wee pain in the arse.”
“Not wee, babe. A big pain in the arse,” he says, teasing me, and I smack his chest.
“Whatever,” I snap, and when he wraps his arms around me, kissing me hard on the lips, I can’t help but grin against them. We haven’t left the bed since we fell into it the night before. Thankfully, he didn’t have to work at the stables. He does have to go to the pub this afternoon, but I am going to see my ma today, so I’ll meet him later. In the meantime, though, I am having fun getting to know him even more. I am finding that I like everything about him. His little stories, the small twitch in his nose when he thinks of something he doesn’t like. He is fun to talk to, and he gets me.
And bloody hell, he makes my body sing for him.
Tangling my legs with his, I kiss his jaw. “I’d like to meet yer ma.”
I feel him still underneath me. “You would?”
“Yeah, you talk about her so fondly. I want to meet her.”
He moves his hands down my back, grabbing my ass as he moves his nose in my hair. We’re still lusciously naked. His body swallows mine, and he’s so warm against my skin. “Maybe we can make that happen. I know she wants to meet you.”
“She does?”
“Yeah, she also wants a picture of us together,” he chuckles against my ear. “She’s one of those royal family freaks.”
I giggle softly. “She’d never heard of me until ya got here, huh?”
“Well, I told her about you, and then she did the googling.”
“We’re only famous here in Ireland. Unlike the real royals who are famous everywhere.”
“I don’t think she cares. She’s obsessed.”
I smile as I bite into his shoulder. He hisses out a breath, squeezing me in his arms. “What does she think of us together?”
“Well, I didn’t know we were really together the last time we talked.”
“Well, ya need to tell her,” I decide, and he nibbles at my neck. Closing my eyes, I lengthen my neck as he licks a path up it.
“It’s the first thing I’ll do the moment I leave this bed,” he mutters before moving on top of me, pressing his cock to my center. “First, though, I need you.”
His eyes are dark as he moves my hands above my head. “Need me, huh?”
“Oh, yes,” he says, his voice so raspy. “So fucking bad.”
Arching up into him, I open my legs for him, his cock hard against me. “Then what are ya waiting for?”
A grin starts to form on his mouth, but just as he moves to kiss me, a knock sounds at my door. His eyes widen as he looks down at me before glancing to the door.
“Miss Lena. Are ya awake?”
“Ah, fuck,” I mutter. “Yeah, Meredith, busy.”
She doesn’t seem to care, opening the door. Jackson drops back next to me, trying to cover up as I look to where Meredith is entering. Her eyes bug out when she sees me naked as the day is long. “Miss Lena!”
“You came into my room uninvited.”
“Cover up, please,” she says, averting her eyes.
I roll my eyes, reaching for Jackson’s hand to cover my center. His eyes are about to pop out of his head, but this will teach Meredith to stay out of my room. “Fine.”
She looks to me and glares. “You have tea at midday, they’ll come to do your—”
“I sent you an email to cancel. I’m going to see my ma today.”
Her glare deepens as she clicks a few things on her phone. When her face relaxes, I want to scream out “told ya,” but I hold it in as she looks at me. “I apologize, ya did.”
“I did,” I repeat, holding her gaze. “And don’t enter my room without being invited again.”
“Yes, madam,” she mutters, and then she leaves the room in a hurry.
“I need my own place.” When I look to Jackson, his eyes are still huge. “Ya good?”
“She just walked in. Do your parents do that?”
I laugh. “Oh yeah, Ma caught Amberlyn on her knees one time. It was bad.”
He whistles. “No wonder they left.”
“Yup,” I agree, rolling to my side. “But don’t worry, they won’t do that to us.”
He looks up at the ceiling. “’Cause I won’t be here when they are.”