"Oh, God. You're amazing." Flynn leapt to her and dragged her to the front of the boat, where he tossed some towels on a long, low lounge bed that dominated the front of the yacht. He turned and pulled her to him, running his hands over her curves. "I can't, I have to." Without saying anything more he dipped his head and captured her right breast in his mouth, his hands coming up to cradle both. Keelin gasped as sensations whiplashed through her and she moaned as he circled her nipples with his tongue.
"Oh, yes. Please, I love that." The gentle pressure of his mouth heightened as he sucked on her more deeply. Keelin ran her hands through his thick hair and tried not to melt into a puddle on the floor. She moaned as he ran one work-roughened hand down her waist and cupped her generous butt. Flynn slowly bumped her back to sit on the bed. He stood over her, panting as he reached to unbutton his shirt.
"Wait, let me." Keelin kneeled on the bed and smiled at him coyly. She was trying hard to keep her wits about her but sensations flooded her body just as much as emotions did. She bit her lip nervously as she unbuttoned the first button of his shirt and revealed his tanned chest. Testing him, she leaned forward and kissed his chest gently. At his soft intake of breath, she smiled against his skin, which smelled of the sun. Keelin quickly undid the rest of the buttons and followed the path that she had opened with her mouth. Flynn groaned as she reached his belt buckle, an obvious bulge straining against his pants. Keelin leaned in and kissed the small ridge of muscle that dipped into his pants. She laughed as he let out a low growl and she trailed her tongue across his stomach to kiss his other side. She squirmed as sensations flooded her. She ran her hands up his hard chest and locked gazes with him. "I want you. All of you."
"God, Keelin. I've wanted you since the moment I met you. Before then, even. I swear I've dreamt of you." It was the most revealing thing that Flynn had said to her and Keelin smiled at the warmth that spread through her. Holding his gaze, she undid his belt buckle and worked him free. Bending over, she took him deep into her mouth in one smooth motion. Flynn moaned as she taunted him with her mouth, owning her power, taking the reigns in their lovemaking. Giddy with her control, Keelin increased her movements until Flynn suddenly lifted her and threw her back on the bed.
"If you keep doing that we'll be over before we've started and I have a lot of plans for you, my love," Flynn said as he straddled her on the bed and pulled her thong down over her curvy legs. Keelin's heart clenched at him saying she was his love. She wondered if he meant it or if it was a simple term of endearment. She leaned her head back against the bed and stared up into the night sky, the stars beginning to wink out of the darkness as the pale full moon slowly began to rise. Keelin jerked as Flynn's rough hands slid up her legs. His mouth followed their path and he licked at her delicate inner thigh. Her legs twitched at the sensation and she tried not to squirm. Keelin glanced down to see Flynn's head between her legs. His gaze was predatory and he flashed her a wolfish grin.
"I want you to watch." Keelin's body spasmed as he dipped his mouth to her most sensitive of spots and caressed her with his tongue. She watched his dark head bob between her legs and his muscular arms came up to wrap around her legs and cup her butt. He lifted her and brought her closer to him. Keelin's head fell back against the bed and she writhed against his mouth as a suddenly bolt of heat whiplashed through her. Keelin screamed as he held her there while she bucked against his face, her sensitive core tingling at his touch. As the shudders racked her body, Keelin almost wept with gratitude. When she was spent, he softly lowered her to the lounge and moved so he lay between her legs and propped his arms around her. A pounding lust pulsed through Keelin and she wrapped her arms around his strong shoulders, pulling Flynn's full weight onto her. Hungrily, she kissed his mouth and tasted her sweetness on his lips.
"I need – I want –" Keelin gasped at him as she wrapped her legs around him and pulled his hard length closer to her core. "I want you."
"Ah, Keelin, my love. I want you too." Flynn sucked at her bottom lip as he thrust long and deep into her. Keelin gasped and moaned into his mouth as he filled her to her very core. Her muscles tightened around him instinctively and small fissures of sensations began to shoot through her as Flynn rocked slowly into her. Suddenly frantic, Keelin clawed his back as Flynn picked up his pace. Over and over he stroked her deep within as she held on to his shoulders. With one final shout, they shattered at the same time. She held her arms tight around Flynn and opened her eyes over his shoulder. A strange light seemed to emanate around them and Keelin jerked. Craning her neck, she saw the waters of the cove glowed a deep blue. Flynn whispered in her ear, "Are you okay?"
"What? Yes, I am just fine. Better than fine, really." Keelin watched as the light dimmed and disappeared as quickly as she had seen it. She recalled Fiona's words that the cove glowed in the presence of love. Shaky, and unsure of herself, she dipped her face into Flynn's neck.
"Um, I should have asked this. Are you on the pill?" Keelin shot a quick look at Flynn's face. It held a mixture of concern and regret.
"Yes, I am. No worries on that part." Keelin could have kicked herself. She had never been so impetuous before. What had come over her? Flynn gave her a small kiss and rolled so she was on top of him. She looked down into his gorgeous face and smiled. Flynn was what had come over her, that was what, she thought.
"I'm famished. Ready for dinner?" Keelin asked.
"Oh, I am. Just one more thing though," Flynn said.
"What's that?" Keelin asked, and shrieked as he pulled her to him, already ready for her again. "No, really?"
"Really."
Chapter Twenty-One
Later, Keelin used the small restroom below deck. She had pulled her dress back on and examined her face in the mirror. Her skin looked dewy from a healthy, make that two healthy, rounds of sex, she thought. A small flush of color highlighted her cheeks and her brandy eyes looked bright. She smiled at herself. She looked happy for the first time in a long time. She was happy, she thought.
After refreshing herself, Keelin came upstairs to the scent of scallops. Flynn must have seared them while she was using the bathroom. The plate was set with a small board of cheeses, fruits, and brown bread. Small bowls held salads and he plated the scallops on pretty stoneware dishes. A bottle of white wine chilled in the bucket.
"Wine?"
"Yes, I'd love some." Suddenly shy, Keelin blushed as he moved towards her with a glass. Flynn laughed at her and gave her a small kiss.
"No need to blush now, my love. I've seen every part of you." Keelin groaned as he laughed at her. There it was again, the love word. She'd have to pay attention and see how often he used it around other people or if it was just with her.
They settled around the table and soon Flynn began to her regale her with his boyhood tales of growing up in the hills. He told her of his love for dogs and how it had grown into an avid hobby of his. Keelin told him what life was like growing up in Boston – a single kid with a single mom. His childhood seemed much richer than hers. She said as much as she let the butter and scallops melt on her tongue.
"It seems like the perfect childhood."
"I have no complaints. I'm not sure how well I would have done in a city. A boy needs the hills to roam and learn. Luckily, my parents indulged me and allowed me to develop a variety of interests. Hence the fishing, the restaurants, the dogs. I have a hard time focusing on just one job."
"Well, that is very admirable of you. Tell me about your restaurants." Keelin sipped her wine and listened as his eyes lit up and he talked about creating jobs in small villages that needed the tourist attractions. She admired how committed he was not only to his businesses, but also to the struggling Irish economy. "How do you juggle so many businesses?"
"I have managers that I trust at each place. They all own a percentage of the restaurant so they are just as invested in it as I am." Flynn gestured with his fork as he speared another scallop.
"That's smart. I have to say, you really are a
kind man. I see how you are with your dog, and now with your employees. Fiona loves you."
"And I her." Flynn nodded at Keelin as he broke off a crust of brown bread.
"Does the healing thing freak you out?" Keelin asked casually as she popped a piece of cheese into her mouth.
"Why would it? People have been using herbs for natural remedies for centuries. It isn't that uncommon." Flynn dismissed their powers easily, Keelin thought.
"No, I mean, well of course that. But you know, the whole other stuff." Keelin wasn't sure how to say it.
"What, the rumors that she is a witch? That woman is no more a witch than my dog is." Flynn laughed as he got up to clear their dishes and headed below deck.
Keelin was stunned. She sat there and stared at the darkness of the cove. He didn't know. Fiona had never told him of her ability to heal with her hands. Heat flushed through her. She didn't know if she should tell him. She was scared to. What if he would hate her?
"You know all of that stuff is just nonsense. And people who subscribe to that line of thought are just nuts," Flynn said as he came upstairs with small slices of cheesecake on plates. "Don't worry, I would never believe anything so horrible about Fiona."
Keelin nodded and quietly took a gulp of her wine. She trembled. She couldn't tell him. He would think she was a freak. Could she have a relationship with Flynn and hide this from him? She looked at him as he smiled and proudly presented her with the cheesecake. Oh, yes. She wanted this. She wanted a chance with him. Deciding to keep her mouth closed, she took a quick bite of the cheesecake and groaned as the sweetness exploded onto her tongue.
"This is amazing."
"I know. Isn't it? This old woman in town who looks like a troll makes the most delicate of desserts. I use her to supply all of my restaurants with baked goods. It tastes like heaven."
Keelin devoured her piece along with her glass of wine. She wondered if tonight would be all she would get with Flynn before he found out about her true identity. It would come out at some point. Suddenly desperate, she jumped up.
"You haven't shown me the downstairs yet, Flynn." Keelin raised an eyebrow at him and cocked her hip. Flynn's plate clattered to the table and he jumped up to wrap his arms around her waist. His lips tasted of cheesecake and she smiled against them as he led her downstairs. She didn't want to look at the cove this time.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Later that night, Flynn parked in her drive. He leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips before getting out and rounding the hood of the car. Flynn opened the door and helped her down. He held her hand lightly as he led her to the door.
"I'd ask to spend the night with you but I don’t want to shock Fiona," Flynn said as he rested his forehead on hers. Keelin felt warmth pool through her as her heart clenched a bit and trembled.
"Someday, maybe."
"I'd like to take you out again." Flynn laid a whisper of a kiss on her lips.
"Yes, I had fun." Flynn laughed at her as she blushed at the thought of the fun they'd had.
"I'll stop by to see you the day after tomorrow. We can go for a walk in the hills?"
Keelin nodded. She had to see him again. She didn’t want him to go. Heat pulsed through her at every point his body came into contact with hers.
"Yes, Monday. I'll plan for it." She turned and slipped in the door only to hear his quiet words.
"Goodnight, my love."
Chapter Twenty-Three
The next day, Keelin kept reviewing the date in her mind. She was unaccountably nervous. All morning, she had replayed his words to herself. Was "my love" the same as "loving" someone? Was it just a term of endearment? Her heart clenched at the thought of loving him. The view of the cove's glowing water haunted her.
Fiona bustled in from the outside, bringing in sunshine and a rambunctious puppy. Keelin smiled as Ronan raced to her and wiggled at her feet, begging for a scratch.
"Keelin! How was your date last night?" Fiona asked breathlessly. She hung up her coat on the hook by the door and moved to the table with the bag of herbs that she had collected that morning. Keelin blushed as she thought about how to answer the question. "Ah, so he's a fine lover then," Fiona said as she caught the blush on Keelin's face.
Keelin sighed. "He's wonderful. Everything about him. He's a good employer, concerned about the economy, loves dogs, honest, and hardworking. Not to mention gorgeous." Keelin kicked at the table leg.
"So, why aren't you happy?" Fiona stopped sorting her herbs and gave her full attention to Keelin.
"I just…I don't know. I couldn't tell him about our power." She looked at Fiona nervously. "How did you tell Grandpa?"
"Well, honey, I was honest with him. If you can't show the person you love all the corners of your soul, do they really love you or just an image of you? Why would you want to live like that? Forever hiding a secret?"
"I don't know. I really don't. I guess I'm not used to discussing this and I have seen how it has led to destruction in my past relationships. I'm scared. I really think that I have a thing here with Flynn. The cove glowed last night."
"Ahhh." Fiona rushed around the table and gave Keelin a small hug. "So, it is love. On both parts. You have to tell him, Keelin."
"I know. I know. I will. We are going hiking tomorrow. Maybe I will tell him then."
Chapter Twenty-Four
Restless, Keelin decided to take a drive into the village to tell Cait about Flynn's boat. And, well, just to talk to someone with similar issues to hers. Keelin pulled up to the pub and stretched, feeling twinges in muscles that she hadn't felt in a long time. Even though she was nervous, it was almost impossible to keep the smile off of her face. An evening of being lapped up like she was the best dessert on the table would do that, Keelin thought, and swung through the door of the pub.
"Well, I'm not one of those fancy women that you take up with, am I now?" Cait shouted at Shane. Her heated tone had Keelin stopping in her tracks.
Cait and Shane faced each other across the room, mere inches apart, both of their chests heaving.
"Whoo, boy," Keelin whispered under her breath, and didn't move.
"Who said that I want one of those fancy women?" Shane countered.
"It's plain as all can see, isn't it? Nothing but the richest for Shane," Cait said.
"I don't know where this is coming from, Cait. You're being crazy," Shane said, and ran his hands through his hair in frustration.
"Oh, crazy is it? Well, then you can just take yourself right out of my pub. Wouldn't want you associating with a mad woman, now," Cait sputtered at Shane.
Keelin's mouth dropped open as Shane wrenched Cait to his chest and captured her lips in a smoldering kiss before shoving her away from him.
"You're crazy. You drive me crazy. This is all crazy," Shane muttered to himself. Seeing Keelin, he threw his hands up in the air and breezed past her out of the door. Keelin turned to watch him go and then looked back to Cait, her eyebrow raised.
Cait stood with her hand to her lips, her face slack with a mixture of shock and lust. Keelin walked over and waved her hand in front of Cait's face.
"Hello…earth to Cait," Keelin said.
Cait's eyes snapped to hers. "Sorry about that."
"Oh, don't be. Really, it was most entertaining," Keelin said and laughed down at Cait. Cait moved behind the bar and poured them both a cider without asking. Keelin settled onto a stool and studied her friend's flushed cheeks.
"So, want to tell me about that?" Keelin asked.
"Nope, not in the slightest. I can see it all over you that you have way more exciting news. So, dish." Cait gestured with her cider.
Keelin eyed her for a moment. "Okay, I'll give you a free pass. For now. And only because, yes, I have the best story for you."
Keelin all but glowed as she filled Cait in on her night.
"Three times? Three!" Cait squealed at the end of it and Keelin laughed.
"Three," she said.
"So, when do
you see him next?" Cait asked.
"Tomorrow: we are going hiking. I'm nervous," Keelin admitted.
"Because you haven't told him about yourself, have you?" Cait asked, reading Keelin's mind.
"I haven't. I…he just seems so resistant to the concept. How do I even begin?" Keelin asked as she tore apart a bar napkin.
"I don't know. I really don't. But all I can say is…the sooner, the better. You don't want to get too far along with him and have him find out. He'll never forgive you," Cait said ominously.
Keelin finished her cider and mulled it over. Cait was right. She'd just have to do it on the hike tomorrow. Worst-case scenario, he'd run screaming over the hills to get away from her. Keelin could only hope that it was far less dramatic than that.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Fiona helped Keelin to pack her hiking bag the next day. The old woman fussed nervously over her.
"I'm fine," Keelin said.
"I know, I know. I just…never mind," Fiona said as a knock on the door interrupted them.
"Coming!" Keelin yelled out, and snagged her small pack for a day hike. "I shouldn't be too late."
"Good luck, my dear girl. Remember, true love sees all."
Keelin nodded and stepped into the sunshine and the warmth of Flynn's smile. He scooped her up immediately and caressed her lips with his. Startled, Keelin let out a laugh as she sunk into his mouth. He tasted elemental – all manly and earthy. On a small moan, she stopped herself and leaned back to look into his deep blue eyes.
"Morning, handsome." Keelin smiled up at him and tried not to sink into his eyes. Oh, she was for sure a goner, she thought as her heart tripped a bit and seemed to fall off a ledge into her stomach.
Wild Irish Heart (The Mystic Cove Series Book 1) Page 15