“Too much information, Kieran. Well, don’t take too long, because I’m only staying for a quick drink,” Kathleen said, putting on her coat. “I really am so proud of you, son,” she said, cupping his face gently.
“Thanks, Ma,” he replied and kissed her on the cheek.
Within minutes, the room emptied and it was just the four of us. Em and Con cosied up on the sofa, while Kier led me into the bathroom. I’d resigned myself to turning up to the party with wet hair and no makeup, but when I considered all of the delicious things we could do to each other in that shower, it seemed totally worth it. I was more than a little shocked when he lifted me onto the bathroom counter and… left me there.
“If you’re imaging right now that I don’t want you, you’d be wrong. I am so hot and hard for you, Irish, that you’d pretty much only have to sneeze next to me and I’d come. But I want us to remember our first time together for the rest of our lives, and I’m not settling for a quickie in the bathroom. I want long and slow, then deep and hard. I want it every which way I can with you, and then I want it all over again. So consider tonight foreplay. We’re going to relax and have fun. Then Monday I have a surprise for you,” he said cryptically.
I let out a huge sigh of frustration, but I knew he was right. We’d been building up to this for a long time. Half an hour in the shower wouldn’t do anything to take the edge off. We needed time and privacy, and tomorrow we’d have it.
“The shop is shut tomorrow, and I have somewhere I have to go on Monday morning, but then I’m free all day Monday as well,” I told him, wondering how I could find the act of him unwrapping his knuckles so sexy.
“I know. You have a hospital appointment for a check-up. I saw it on your calendar. I’m coming too,” he told me.
“You don’t have to do that,” I said. “Em said you’re going to be in a world of hurt for at least a couple of days. The last thing you want is to be dragging yourself out of bed to sit on a crappy plastic hospital chair with me.”
“You’re going to be there, which means that’s exactly where I want to be. The only place I want to be.”
“I’d like that, if you’re sure. Mum covers the shop for me, so I usually have to do the appointments alone, although Luca takes me if he’s home,” I said, rambling nervously as the shower started to steam up the room. “I hate hospitals,” I whispered as he walked towards me.
“I know,” he replied. “Which is why I’m coming too.”
Kissing the end of my nose, he walked to the shower and, yanking off his shorts and whatever was underneath in one go, climbed in. I crossed my legs, then uncrossed them. Hoping, fruitlessly, that the friction would help the ache. The view of my man from behind was so fine that I was literally sliding forward on the counter as he showered. It was like he had some magnetic connection with my vagina. Through the steam-filled haze, hot water sluiced down the most beautiful body I’d ever seen. His tribal sleeve only emphasized his ridiculously huge biceps. Strong, powerful shoulders and a broad back tapered into indents at the top of his hips. I wanted to touch those indents so badly. Scrap that, I wanted to kiss them, then run my tongue over them. I’d just worked my way down to his phenomenal gluteus maximus when the water shut off abruptly and he slung a towel around his hips. Tutting with amusement, he chuckled.
“Hold that thought, Irish,” he said. “I fully plan on eyefucking you in the shower tomorrow. Unless you want to blow off my family and have some fun?”
I sighed as I contemplated whether that was actually an option, but he was already dressed by the time I’d run through the ramifications of going straight back to the hotel room.
Kieran looked good in pretty much anything, but in dark grey tailored trousers and a fitted black shirt, he was breathtaking. I wondered why he hadn’t put on sweats and gone to the hotel to change, but when we arrived, I realised why. The crowd at the hotel bar was so big, they’d spilled out into the lobby, and Kieran was accosted as soon as we made it through the door.
“I’ll get the drinks in, Marie. What do you fancy?” Em asked.
“I’ll give you a hand and let Kieran catch up with everyone,” I replied.
“No you don’t,” Kier said, wrapping his arm around my waist and yanking me back as I went to walk away. “The next few weeks are about me and you, and that starts tonight. I need to do the rounds and say thank you to everyone for their support, but tonight I don’t want to be apart for any longer than we need to be. I’ve missed you the last few weeks, and I don’t want to miss you anymore.”
“Aww,” Em said, “you guys are so cute. Con and I will get the drinks in, and we’ll come and find you,” she said, walking over to Con who was already at the bar.
“You don’t mind, do you? If you’re feeling tired and want to grab a seat, I understand,” he said, looking worried that he was being selfish.
“If you’re there, then that’s where I want to be,” I said, echoing his earlier sentiments back at him. He kissed me gently, then held my hand as we worked our way around the room.
Getting him to have an ice bath before bed wasn’t a problem, because we never actually made it to bed. The party literally went on all night. The hotel must have made a killing, and as Con had all the drinks charged to his room, they were happy to keep the bar open for as long as we wanted. By 6.00 a.m., I was curled up in Kier’s lap with my shoes off, sharing a bag of salt and vinegar crisps with Em who was sat the same way on Con’s lap. Tommy was completely passed out in bucket seat, and Liam had discreetly slipped upstairs around 3.00 a.m., hand in hand with Albie.
“Tired, Sunshine?” Con asked Em, as she finished eating and tucked her face under his chin.
“Yep, but right now you’re soft and warm, and I’m too tired to contemplate even walking to the lift,” she answered sleepily.
“You sleep, love. I’ve got this,” he answered, and I was pretty sure she was out before he’d finished his sentence. He bumped knuckles with Kier then leant over to kiss my cheek.
“’Night, guys,” he said and lifted his wife up as though she was weightless and carried her to the elevator.
“Ready for bed, Irish?” he asked, and I nodded with a yawn as I climbed off his lap and gathered up my shoes.
“What do we do with Tommy?” I asked Kier, and he sighed.
Standing up with a groan, he patted down the pockets of Tommy’s jeans until he found what he was looking for and pulled out a room key.
“Can you hold this?” he asked and handed it to me. Pulling Tommy by the arm, he managed to hike him over his shoulders in a fireman’s lift and we followed after Con and Em.
“If he pukes on me, I swear it’s the last thing he’ll ever do,” Kier said, as Tommy burped in his sleep. We got him safely tucked up and put a champagne bucket by the side of the bed as a precaution. Though by the heavy snores as soon as Kier laid him down, I figured he’d be out for at least a good few hours As we walked back towards the elevators, Kier lifted our joint hands to kiss the back of mine.
“Are you still on cloud nine after your win?” I asked.
“It wasn’t the win, Irish,” he replied. “It was knowing that you were there with me. Best feeling in the world.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Kieran
I WOKE UP warm and happy, then realised the reason for that was wrapped around me. Her body was pressed against my side, her hand rested over my heart, and her leg tangled with mine. Careful not to wake her, I just lay there completed contented and inhaled the smell that was uniquely her. A combination of her subtle perfume and apple shampoo, it smelled like home. Lying there I knew, without a shadow of doubt, that I wanted to wake up like this, every day for the rest of my life.
She wriggled a little in her sleep, burrowing deeper into my warmth. I held my breath as she brushed against my painfully hard erection. I wondered how it would feel when I no longer had to hold myself back. For months, I’d dedicated myself to training. Now I planned to dedicate myself, with the same single-minded
focus, to worshipping her body. It was more than that. I relished in the idea of being able to be a normal boyfriend, of taking her out to dinner and other dates, knowing that this angel, who could have any guy she wanted, had chosen me. I wanted to pick her up from work and cook dinner for her and take care of her in a thousand ways that the training hadn’t allowed. Most of all, I just wanted to love her. The greatest gift of all was that she’d let me.
Unable to take this blissful torture anymore, I reached down to stroke the creamy skin of her thigh.
“Arghhh,” I cried out, unable to contain the almost pathetic squeal of pain. Every muscle in my body screamed out together in protest.
“What’s wrong?” Marie said, sitting up sharply. Her hair was rumpled and an adorable pillow crease ran down one cheek. Disorientated and sleepy, her face was a mask of concern.
“I’m pretty sure Schmidt broke every bone in my body last night, then ran over me a couple of times afterwards,” I whimpered.
“I’ll go and run you a warm bath,” she replied. “Em warned me this would happen and said that if you missed your ice bath, I should run you a warm one in the morning.”
“Not yet,” I said, lying down and dragging her back into my arms. “I want five more minutes. I’ll be all right as long as I don’t move.” She laid her head on my chest, and all was right with the world.
“Move in with me,” I whispered to her.
“You want to move into my place?” she asked, bolting up to look me in the eyes.
“No, I mean give up your place and let’s find somewhere together. No offence, but your place is a little small, and I have a chunk of money saved, especially when I add in last night’s winnings…” I trailed off, not sure if I was selling her on the idea. We’d known each other for years, but we’d only been together for a few months. Maybe we should wait, but every minute I spent away from her was a minute too long. I craved the intimacy of seeing her toothbrush next to mine every morning and knowing it was there to stay.
“Do you mean it?”
“Of course I do.” I laughed when she jumped on top of me and planted kisses all over my face. That was until my body cried at the contact.
“Fuckin’ Schmidt. I hope he feels as bad as I do,” I groaned.
“I imagine he feels worse, given that you walked away with the belt and the girl,” she pointed out, smiling.
“Yes I did,” I replied with a smile on my face. My girl was so goddamn beautiful, it made my heart hurt to look at her. “So, just to be sure, do the kisses mean that’s a yes to moving in together then?” I asked her nervously.
“That’s a hell yes,” she replied with a grin as she shuffled down the bed.
“What are you doin’, baby?” I asked in confusion.
“Kissing it all better,” she said.
She carefully peeled my boxers down my legs and leant forward to kiss the tip of my penis. I closed my eyes as she tortured me with each stroke of her tongue. When I couldn’t take any more, she took the whole of me into her mouth and I knew what heaven felt like.
Two hours later, I sat in a tub full of bubbles and girlie-smelling shit with my arms wrapped around my girl. It hadn’t taken much convincing for her to join me. The steam from the bath was curling tendrils of her hair that had slipped from the elastic into ringlets. I was playing with one when I suddenly remembered something.
“What was your ex doing at the fight?” I asked her. She stiffened, and I almost regretted ruining the moment by bringing it up, but I wanted to know.
“I have no idea,” she replied. “You can’t even call him my ex. We only went out a few times. I explained to him when he asked me on a date that I didn’t want a relationship, so we agreed to just be friends. But he became intense pretty quickly and I could see that he wanted more, so I broke it off completely. After that, he used to stop by the shop, or run into me in places that I go to regularly, telling me he was just passing by. It was starting to get a little uncomfortable, and when we got together last, I explained that it was best we didn’t see each other anymore. He wasn’t happy that I had a boyfriend, considering I’d told him I didn’t want a relationship, and to be honest, I felt a little guilty because he had a point.”
“Irish, I’m a force of nature. I was prepared to hunker down for the long haul and wear you down until you gave into me. Wanting a relationship or not, I didn’t give you much of a choice,” I said, trying to reassure her. She hadn’t misled this guy. She really hadn’t wanted a relationship. Thankfully, true love was both deaf and blind to reason.
“Falling for you was the easiest and most selfish thing I’ve ever done,” she said.
“It wasn’t selfish.”
“Yes it was, and you know why.”
“We’ll agree to disagree, love,” I said, kissing her temple. She leant into the kiss for comfort, and I held her a little closer.
“He was a few rows back from the ring, sitting with a bunch of guys in suits. I didn’t notice him until Tommy asked who the guy staring at me was. Then Alastair waved and went back to talking with the suits. Maybe he was entertaining clients. Lots of companies take important clients to sporting events,” she said, like she was trying think of a reason for him to be there that wasn’t fucking creepy.
“Sure. Of all the sports, he chose boxing, and of all the events, he chose the one your boyfriend was fighting in. I don’t like it, Irish. Maybe I need to have a word.”
“Don’t,” she implored. “He hasn’t really done anything wrong. I’m making him sound like a stalker, but maybe he’s just as determined as you were. I’ve told him honestly how I feel, so if he shows up randomly again, then I’ll tell you, I promise.” She turned in the bath and the subject of Alastair was forgotten.
With her tits level with my eyes, I struggled to remember my own name. I certainly didn’t remember my aching joints or how I’d planned to wait until my surprise to take things further between us. In fact, I couldn’t remember a single reason why capturing her nipple in my mouth and suckling wasn’t the best idea I’d ever had, and so I did it. When I held her other breast in my hand and rubbed my calloused thumb over her nipple, she cried out in ecstasy.
Before she had time to register what I was doing, I lifted her tiny frame until she was straddling me. When I switched breasts to even the love, she rocked back against me. It was an instinct as old as time to reach between us and settle myself in the right position. When she rocked back this time, the tip of my cock slid inside her, making her shiver. As she reared back to take me in deeper, water sloshed over the side of the bath. Neither of us could give a shit. There was nothing outside of this moment but the two of us, and it was just as perfect as I imagined it would be.
“Ride me, baby, as hard and as deep as you can,” I growled. Being inside her was nothing short of nirvana. Her nipples were puckered hard, and I blew over one gently to make it even harder. The water made her slippery, but my grip on her hips was firm as I lifted her up and down, encouraging to move faster.
To ride me deeper.
Her rhythm was nothing short of flawless as we moved together effortlessly. I thrust to meet her bounce, and every time I caught that magic spot, she clenched me tightly. I knew I couldn’t hold on much longer. No sane man could in the face of such perfection. When her back bowed in ecstasy, I wet a trail of kisses along her exposed neck all the way down until I could feast on her nipple.
“God, Kieran, please,” she cried out. Her thighs trembled the closer she came to orgasm. I’d never experienced anything like this. Having sex, even good sex, didn’t come close to the way it felt to make love. To know that she’d given me her heart, along with her body, was nothing short of humbling. Having her friendship was a gift, holding her heart was a miracle, and if I had to spend every day for the rest of my life doing it, I’d prove to her that I was worthy of that miracle.
“Make me come,” she pleaded. Knowing I could never refuse her anything, I bit down gently on her nipple as I rolled my thumb over her
clit. Watching her fall apart was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. She rode the wave of tremors as she clenched and tightened around me helplessly. Wrapping her tightly in my arms, I buried my face in her neck and held on as the fiercest orgasm I’d ever had ripped through me. She lay down on my chest as our boneless bodies melted into each other.
“I love you, beautiful,” I told her, and I could practically feel her smile against me.
“I love you too, Kieran,” she replied. “It would be impossible not to.”
***
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise,” I replied, smiling. I had weeks to plan this. Weeks of running mile after endless mile, deciding how I would spend my time when the fight was over. A sunny vacation where she’d spend all her time in a variety of tiny bikinis was my first choice, but I knew she’d never leave the shop for long. Instead, I was taking her to my second choice, and if I was lucky, she’d spend the next three days naked to make up for the bikinis.
“I feel like a weight has been lifted off me,” she said, leaning back against the headrest with her eyes closed.
This morning I’d taken her to the hospital for a check-up on her heart condition. After all the visits to hospitals I’d made with Da, I fucking hated them. But you would never have known that from my face. Marie’s body had been wracked with tension as we ate breakfast in the hotel and then checked out. I’d still felt like I’d been run over, but a good night’s sleep with my girl tucked into the side of me had definitely helped.
The whole time we were at the hospital, she had a death grip on my fingers. People stared as we walked hand in hand through the corridors. There was no hiding the fact that my face was fucked up. It would be weeks before I even resembled the man I was before. Irish didn’t care though. She loved me regardless. I sat patiently for hours while she went through test after test until, finally, she was called to the doctor’s office.
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