by Eden Bradley
“Can I make you a cup of tea?”
“I only came to get my phone. I need to get going. I have to call Triple A.”
“You weren’t in an accident, were you? Come and sit down.”
Why was he being so nice to her? She could see the sincere concern in his eyes.
God, his eyes were blue. Like the sky in summer.
But she wasn’t supposed to be noticing that. She was supposed to get her phone and get the hell out of there. Away from him. Away from the strangeness that had occurred in his bed.
Her body surged with yearning, both physical and…something else. Her head began to spin.
And then he was touching her, making her head spin harder. He slipped a strong arm around her waist and guided her to the kitchen. She followed him mutely, feeling numb and exhausted.
“Come on now, darlin’,” Reece was saying. “Let’s sit you down and have a cup of tea. You need to get dry and warm. Then we’ll talk.”
He settled her into a wooden chair at a granite-topped table, filled a teapot with water and put it on the stove. Destiny stared down at the striations running through the sandstone and amber-colored granite. She couldn’t look at him. It was too confusing.
Reece settled his big body down in a chair across from hers. “Now, tell me what happened.”
“I went through this huge puddle and my engine stalled. I couldn’t get it to start again. And it’s raining so hard, everything is flooding…”
“Where’s your car?”
“A few blocks from here. I managed to pull it pretty close into the curb. It’s not in the middle of the street.”
“Good, it’s safe enough. I think you’d better stay here until morning. The storm should pass by then. We’ll call a tow truck tomorrow.”
“I should take care of it now. I should go.”
“Destiny, you’re shivering with cold. It’s ridiculous for you to go back out into the rain and wait for them. You can stay here.”
She looked up at him and said quietly. “I want to go home.”
Why did that feel like a lie?
He nodded. “Aye, I can see that.” He ran a hand back through his already mussed hair, blew out a breath. “Look, stay here tonight. I won’t touch you, I promise. I didn’t mean to scare you earlier. I don’t know… I don’t quite know what happened, but I understand why you left the way you did. I was fairly freaked out myself. But, you know, I’m a man. I tried to ignore it in light of what else was going on. But it won’t happen again. I won’t touch you. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“It did happen…” Her heart was beating at a thousand miles an hour.
His dark brows creased. “Yeah. Something happened, though I’ll be damned if I know what.”
“I thought… I thought it was you who did it, Reece. Or that I was crazy.”
“Well, if you’re crazy, then I am, too. But I didn’t do it, whatever the hell it was.” His features relaxed, softened. “All I know is that up until that moment, this was the most incredible night of my life. And I didn’t want you to leave.”
His words warmed her through, and she hardly even felt her cold, wet clothes against her skin any longer. Something inside her loosened.
“Reece, what happened to us?”
“I’ve no idea. Not even a theory, which is odd for me.”
“Do you think it’s possible for people to…manifest things? To manifest their thoughts?”
“You’re the psychologist. You know a lot more about the powers of the mind than I do.”
Their conversation was helping to calm her, to quiet the confusion whirling like the wind outside in her head. This sort of problem-solving dialogue was something she was used to. And she found sitting in the warm kitchen comfortably reassuring, with his big, solid body across the table from her. Yes, something about him…his face, his hands, even, so familiar…
The kettle whistled, and Reece got up to make tea. Destiny watched the muscles ripple in his bare back before glancing away to look around the kitchen. It wasn’t large, but well designed, with state of the art brushed-steel appliances and granite counters that matched the tabletop. Wood cabinets in a maple finish gave the kitchen an earthy warmth. She loved the look and feel of the room. A kitchen to really cook in.
She hadn’t had anyone to cook for in a long time. A quick flash of herself standing at the stove over a pot of something fragrant with steam blazed across her mind’s eye like a movie. Reece coming up behind her as she stood there. Her sinking back into his big, warm body while his hands slipped around her waist…
What was she thinking?
Reece set a steaming cup down in front of her. “We really should get you out of those wet clothes.”
“I haven’t agreed to stay here yet,” she answered, wrapping her hands around the heat of the cup.
“Shall I beg you then?” His eyes twinkled, more blue than ever.
The corners of her mouth twitched. She couldn’t help it. “I can’t say I’d mind seeing that.”
“Ah, there’s that lovely smile, however grudgingly.”
“Just as long as you know it’s grudging.”
He nodded, grinned. Reece Kellan was the kindest man she’d met in a very long while. Warm and funny, caring and considerate. Nana would have loved him. And God help her, he was the hottest piece of male flesh she’d ever laid her eyes on. She had to repress the girlish sigh that wanted to well up in her. He was too close to perfect. Except for that truly bizarre, frightening moment.
But maybe it wasn’t him. Maybe it was her. Or maybe they’d both lost their minds. Either way, she was tempted to try it again, despite her scare.
Yes, his clever hands on her, his lovely, wet mouth, his body poised over hers for one exquisite moment before he slid his big cock inside her…
She groaned.
“Is your tea too hot?”
“What? No, it’s fine, wonderful.” She took another sip to hide the flush of desire she knew was creeping over her face.
“You should get out of those wet clothes before you catch your death, as my Nan used to say.”
“You were close with your grandmother?”
“Aye, she helped raised me. She’s the only reason I didn’t grow up to be a total hellion. Her and the willow switch she kept in the pantry.”
“In Ireland?”
“In County Clare. I grew up in a small fishing village called Quilty.”
“Quilty?” A strange knot began to form in her stomach.
“Yeah, why? You’ve heard of it?”
“My Nana grew up there.”
“Did she now? A small world. What was her family name? Perhaps my family knows her people. Everyone in Quilty knows each other.”
“It’s Gallagher. Rose Gallagher. Well, I guess she was known as Rosheen in Ireland—”
“Rosheen Gallagher? You’re sure?”
“Yes, of course I’m sure.”
“That was the very name of my Nan’s best friend growing up as a girl. She moved away to marry an American and her whole family followed.”
Goose bumps sprouted along Destiny’s spine. “Your Nan was Brighid O’Ryan?”
“The same!” His brows furrowed and he brushed a hand through his hair. “A small world, indeed. And you are the descendant of Rosheen…” he trailed off.
She waited for him to finish his sentence, but he just sat there looking confused.
“What? What is it?”
“Destiny, did your grandmother never tell you of the vow they made between them when she left the country? That some day their two families would be joined together again.”
“Of course she did, but I always wrote it off as nothing more than some silly sentimental—”
“Apparently not so silly after all.”
She set her teacup down and dropped her hands to her lap, her fingers twisting together. “It’s a coincidence. That’s all. A small world, like you said.” She tried to shrug it off, but the tiny hairs at the back of her neck stood straight up a
nd the chill she was feeling was more than her wet clothes. And somewhere at the edge of her senses she could swear she smelled lilacs again.
“You’ve spent too many years analyzing things, perhaps,” he said quietly.
“And why do you find this stuff so easy to believe?”
“It’s an Irish thing, I suppose, to accept the strangeness in the world. We’re a superstitious lot. And when we make a vow, we keep it. Even if it’s others who must keep it for us.”
He was silent for a moment, as though he were waiting for her to argue. But she couldn’t. In her mind she saw again her Nana’s face, remembered the stories about her girlhood in Ireland, her best friend who was like a sister to her. She remembered the letters with the foreign postmarks that had fascinated her as a child, letters talking about Brighid’s daughter, about her grandson who had moved to the States.
She could not believe this was happening. And yet, it was.
Reece shrugged, smiling a little, and she felt a flutter of heat in her stomach. “Come on then, let’s get you into something warm and dry.”
She followed him down the hallway to the bedroom, thinking of her superstitious Nana talking to her about the inescapable power of fate.
What did all this connectedness mean? Dissecting her feelings was second nature, but for the first time in her life, she didn’t want to question it, to analyze. It was too complicated, too surreal. She knew she didn’t have an answer.
In his bedroom she couldn’t help but eye the rumpled sheets. The room still reeked of the musky scent of sex. She closed her eyes, inhaled, savored. Her body began to heat up. And when she opened them again, Reece stood before her with another of those big, fluffy towels in his hands. The pale lamplight made his smooth chest gleam, golden skin over hard muscle. She knew the feel of him beneath her hands. She wanted to touch him now. Needed to. And when he laid the towel over her hair and began to rub, that sexual urge was joined by the hungry beat of her heart.
She’d been lonely, she realized, even though she’d never thought of herself that way before. She had her friends, her work, her hobbies. But it all seemed a bit empty when she stopped to think about it.
Reece smoothed the towel over her hair. She held very still, a strange series of sensations and emotions washing over her. The rain came down hard outside, the storm not letting up for a moment. In the distance was the muffled rumble of thunder. But here, with Reece, she was warm and safe. When was the last time she’d felt cared for this way? Could it all be an act to get her back into bed?
No. A man who looked like Reece Kellan had no need of such machinations. She was ashamed for even thinking it. He was simply a good man.
Good for her, perhaps?
Reece withdrew the towel, dropped it on the floor. Very carefully, giving her time to back away, he curled his fingers around her face, cupping it in his big hands. Warmth suffused her entire being. Her body trembled with need, lust and emotion.
His voice was soft. “I’d really like to kiss you, Destiny. Just kiss you. But I won’t unless you tell me it’s okay.”
His hand heated her skin, reminding her of what the rest of his body felt like pressed against hers. But she felt something else in his touch, something more. Something she didn’t want to fight.
The hell with it. She would figure it all out later.
“Kiss me, Reece.”
Chapter Four
Reece’s lips met hers, a soft caress. He pulled back. “So sweet,” he whispered, before leaning in and kissing her again.
The kiss was tender, careful. She wrapped a hand behind his neck and pulled him closer. He deepened the kiss, using his tongue to make a soft exploration of her mouth, and the heat was on her again, but different this time. Yes, it was desire, a fierce, burning lust. But it was also the warmth of comfort and trust.
Reece pulled away. “Come on. Let’s get these wet clothes off you, darlin’.” He spoke quietly, as though he didn’t dare ruin the moment.
He ran his hands lightly down her arms before he helped her slip out of her wet sweater. Next were her jeans. They were plastered to her skin, but together they peeled them off and he tossed them on the floor. He stopped, leaving her in bra and panties, and picked up the towel again. He rubbed it over her skin, carefully. Caringly. She shivered.
“You’re cold.”
She didn’t bother to correct him. He stood close enough that she could breathe in the male scent of him, clean and masculine and sexy as hell. She moved closer.
That was all the signal he needed. He swept her up into his arms, then laid her on the bed, brushed his fingertips over her face, her neck, her shoulders, before he slid one bra strap down, then the other. She trembled at his touch, fire blossoming between her thighs. Her breasts ached for his touch, and once more, as though he knew instantly what she needed, he drew his fingertips over the edge of her bra, undid the clasp in the front, and cupped her breasts in his hands. She moaned, her nipples coming up hard beneath his palms.
God, his hands felt good on her, but she wanted more. He paused long enough to strip away his pajama bottoms and get into bed with her. But not before she’d caught sight of his erect cock. Big and full, the head of it swollen, and God, she needed to touch him. Needed him inside her.
She ran her hands down the length of his body, loving the solid muscle she felt everywhere. Like iron sheathed in smooth, golden skin. When she feathered her fingers over the darkening head of his cock, he groaned. And the feel of him, that lovely velvet softness, hearing his gasping breath, made her wet. Soaking.
He worked her panties over her hips, her legs. And then he kissed his way down the front of her body, his mouth hot on her skin, leaving a trail of fire, of desire scalding her skin. When he reached the damp vee between her thighs, she opened her legs and arched into him.
He gave her curls a few teasing sweeps of his lips, then laid a soft kiss on the tip of her clit. A long shiver of desire rippled through her. She thought she’d go wild if he didn’t start working her in earnest.
“Reece… I can’t take it. I can’t wait.”
“I have you, darlin’. I’m right here. You’re so wet for me. Do you know what that does to me? Seeing you like this… Lord.”
Using his fingers, he caressed the seam of her pussy lips, a maddeningly gentle touch. And the small kisses that followed, over her swollen lips, her hard and aching clit. One soft kiss after another, making her crazy with need, never quite slaking the keen edge of desire.
“Reece, please,” she breathed. “Now. I need you now.”
“Your wish is my command, my darlin’.”
He spread the lips of her sex wide with his hands, took her clit into his eager mouth and sucked hard. At the same time, his thumbs entered her, pushing deep inside her pussy. In moments she was coming, fierce spasms of pleasure wracking her body, making her writhe while he sucked and stroked her. She shook with the force of it, ran her fingers through his thatch of dark hair, held on.
“Reece, I need you inside me.”
He snaked his way up her body to face her. His blue gaze burned into her. “You know it might happen again. I think it will.”
“I know. But I need to feel you. I won’t be afraid this time.”
He nodded, leaned over and pulled a condom from the nightstand drawer, quickly rolled it on. Then he was on top of her, and she opened her thighs for him. He kissed her mouth, his salty with the ocean scent of her juices.
“We’ll take it slow,” he whispered.
He raised himself up on his arms and she looked into his face, stunned once more by the pure male beauty of his features. She locked onto his fevered blue gaze as he pushed into her.
The first moment was a shock of molten pleasure that reverberated through her body. He inched further in, and she had that odd surge again of doubled sensation, of both cock and pussy, sheathed and filled. She saw his blue eyes go wide, saw her own green ones answer in kind, as he must see her. But she concentrated on the sensation, foc
used.
“Incredible.” His voice was ragged with pleasure and wonder. He thrust a little deeper, watching her face. “Are you all right?”
“It’s okay, Reece. I want it all.”
He groaned as he rammed in to the hilt. His thick shaft filled her, stretched her, made her shiver and clamp around him. And when he pulled almost all the way out and thrust home again, it was even better. For her, for him, it was all the same. Pussy and cock, skin and skin. Pleasure and pleasure.
He fell on her, kissed her neck, licked the sensitive skin there, moved his hips again. He began to pump in a rhythmic motion, and the sensation was overwhelming, flooding her mind with incomprehensible images and her body with a nearly painful pleasure. His thick cock pulled at her insides, he was sheathed and squeezed by her hot, velvet pussy. His balls contracted, pulled tight. And she felt it all as though it were her own male body. As though she were male and female at the same time. Two bodies, two sets of sensations.
Impossible, but she no longer cared. It was too good.
“Harder, Reece.”
“I want to take you from behind.”
“Yes. Do it.”
He flipped her over, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up onto her knees until her ass arched high in the air. She felt open, exposed. Lovely.
The tip of his cock brushed her opening, then pushed inside. One hand caressed her breast, teasing the nipple again, rolling it between his fingers, pinching. He reached down and teased her clit in the same way. When he began to move, sliding in and out of her, she was in his head again, feeling and seeing it all—her hard, tight nipple in his fingers, the swollen nub of her clit. And the sliding sensation. Moving in and out of her pussy. Even the sight of her own rounded ass was thrilling through his eyes.
She rocked back against him, wanting to come again, taking him deeper.
“Harder, Reece. Please…”
“Anything you want, Destiny. Anything for you.”
He rammed into her, his cock a solid shaft driving pleasure deep into her pussy, into her system.
Two bodies. Two sets of sensation. Cock and pussy and him. In her body. In her head.
“Reece!”