When the shuddering stops I relax back into the water, endorphins flooding my body. I feel warm and floaty, a satisfied smile on my face, but I know I’m not completely satisfied.
Because I want more. I want Aiden.
Chapter Three
Aiden
Back in Tommy’s car I stifle a yawn. After that long flight I could have used a decent rest. It’s only a few days past the full moon, which always fucks with my energy levels. During the rest of the month we can shift any time we like, but on a full moon we have no choice. Then my brothers and I are all wolf for as long as the moon is shining.
I’ve never seen it as a curse, though family legend has it that it was because of a Druid curse that the oldest males in each generation of the Killanney family becomes a werewolf. As the older brother the last generation was Uncle Padraic. When my Ma had triplets no one was sure if all three of us or just Cormac would shift when we hit puberty, until suddenly there were three juvenile wolves running around. Now for the first time since the Killanney records began there is more than one wolf in a generation.
Thinking of my family makes me homesick for Ireland. Dublin and the surrounding countryside is our land and our territory, and being all the way across the ocean is a strange feeling.
Even stranger that I had to come all this way to set eyes on my mate. Because although I wish it wasn’t the case I know that Aisling O’Connor is mine.
I just have to convince her – and Tommy – of that.
“Aisling has grown up a lot,” I comment as Tommy drives, hoping that my voice doesn’t give my feelings away. Tommy just nods.
“She’s an angel isn’t she? Looks so much like her mother.” Tommy sounds wistful again, and I think maybe I’m not the only one who has been on my own too long.
“So tell me more about this Rizzi,” I change the subject. Tommy snorts loudly.
“Thinks he’s a big don in the Italian mafia...truth is he’s a thug,” Tommy sneers.
“Then why are we doing business with him?” I ask.
“Because his family pretty much has the lock on the South American route we want to use. But it’s in his best interest to do a deal with us.”
I nod. The sooner we get this over with the better. I’m dubious about the idea of getting too many players involved in our arms smuggling operations, but Cormac and Tommy seem to think this will make things easier in the long run...although the whole reason Cormac sent me here was so we could suss it out for ourselves. It’s not that I don’t trust Tommy – I would trust him with my life – but sometimes his ego gets in the way of making sensible decisions.
“Do you do much business with the Italians?” I ask, purely out of curiosity. America is a melting pot of cultures, and so much bigger than Ireland, that I always feel out of place in the States.
“Only if we have to. Better to keep it in the family, I always say.”
I nod, and go back to staring out of the window. I feel restless and frustrated and I know it’s more than just jet lag. I can’t stop thinking about Aisling. Those golden waves, big blue eyes and that body...I thought I was going to explode in my pants when she bent over in the kitchen and the fabric of her dress clung deliciously to the generous curves of her ass. Curves I can just imagine sinking myself into. I wonder if she’s got a boyfriend...but I can’t ask Tommy.
Not yet anyway. But if my instincts are right – and they’ve never yet been wrong – then sooner or later he’s going to have to know that his daughter is destined to be mine.
Of course, first I have to convince Aisling.
We pull up outside an expensive looking Italian restaurant. I follow Tommy as he gets out of the car, walks around the corner and enters through a back door. A huge guy in a badly tailored suit glares at us.
“Tommy O’Connor. I’m here to see Rizzi.”
The goon gives a nod and without a word disappears behind another door. We wait for a few minutes, and then he comes back out.
“Mr. Rizzi will see you now.” He makes no attempt to pat us down for weapons, which is just as well seeing as I know Tommy has a sawn-off inside his jacket. Perhaps they’re expecting it.
I don’t carry weapons, something that would no doubt panic Tommy. He doesn’t know that my speed, supernatural strength and canines are all the weapons I need.
The fact that I’m more or less impervious to bullets doesn’t hurt either. I don’t know if the legend about silver bullets is true or not. So far no one has tried that one.
I follow Tommy into a plush looking office. There are two more goons in the far corners of the room, both casually holding machine guns. No wonder they didn’t check us for weapons. I don’t think a machine gun would kill me, but it would definitely hurt. Next to me Tommy bristles and I know he finds the show of power disrespectful.
Behind a small desk in a leather chair that looks to be too big for him, is a slight, dark eyed man who I can only assume is Rizzi. Slender and fine-boned, physically he is the complete opposite to his goons, but I still feel my hackles rise as I look at him, recognizing another predator when I see one. But if I’m a wolf then Rizzi is a snake.
I don’t like him. I feel my fangs sharpen in my mouth and have to concentrate to retract them. My immediate reaction to this man tells me he’s dangerous, and I wonder how aware Tommy is of that. I’m used to dangerous men – I am one myself– but this is different. There’s a cold cruelty to this guy that means I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in a serial killer documentary in a few years or so.
His eyes flicker to me.
“And you are?”
“He’s the Irish contact I told you about,” Tommy says, sounding pissed off again.
“Aiden Killanney. Pleased to meet ya,” I say, trying to sound amiable. Rizzi nods at me, a flicker of surprise in his expression.
“One of the Killanney brothers?”
“I am.” So he’s heard of us. Good
Rizzi looks at Tommy finally and I see a glimpse of respect in his eyes.
“I didn’t realize you were so well connected Mr. O’Connor,” he admits. Tommy grins at that.
“I’m an Irish man,” he says as though that explains enough.
“Indeed. Please, sit down.” He waves us into two chairs and I sit down, waiting for Tommy to do the talking. The sooner we are out of here the better. I want to get back to Aisling.
Rizzi and Tommy confirm a few details, talking in an obviously coded way that annoys me. Maybe they’re worried about FBI bugs. I’m used to being more straightforward, and I listen impatiently until Rizzi finally turns his attention to me.
“So you’re at the other end of the chain Mr. Killanney?”
“You could put it like that,” I say with a yawn. “Nothing comes in or out of Ireland that we don’t know about.” I tap my foot impatiently, thinking that this meeting could as easily have been done over the phone, rather than this whole dick swinging exercise. Rizzi doesn’t impress me and is doing nothing but annoying Tommy. I wonder if that’s his intention.
Finally, we stand and leave, shaking hands. Rizzi’s hand is cold and surprisingly clammy and I fight the urge to recoil.
“So we’ll reconvene in a few days to arrange the first shipment,” Tommy confirms. “Then Aiden will go back and take care of things on his end.”
I nod and we leave, walking past the gorilla in the bad suit. I breathe a sigh of relief as we get back into Tommy’s car.
“You don’t like him?” Tommy says with a grin as we pull off.
“I don’t. He seems...slimy.”
Tommy shrugs. “Oh well, not like we have to have him over for dinner is it son? Let’s get home...I’m hungry. Are you hungry?”
I nod, thinking of Aisling, and how the hell I’m going to get through this evening without Tommy noticing I’m after claiming his only daughter.
By the time we get back it’s twilight and Aisling greets us in the lounge in a white robe with her hair wrapped up in a towel. She smells like some kind of musky
perfume and my senses feel like they’re on fire, overwhelmed with the smell and sight of her. The minute her eyes touch mine I see the desire in them...her pupils are dilated and her pulse working in her throat. I tear my eyes away and sit on the farthest chair away from her, leaving Tommy to sit on the couch with her. I sense her disappointment and it makes me ache for her...to tell her how much I want her...but the only way I can get through tonight without giving the game away to Tommy is to keep as far away from her as possible.
It’s torture.
Chapter Four
Aisling
Breakfast is unbearable. Dad keeps up his usual patter, reminiscing about when he was a young man and Aiden a kid who used to come over with his uncle...apparently he had his first beer with my father. As sweet as it is to hear him recalling his youth, all he’s doing is reminding me how unobtainable Aiden is and all the reasons I shouldn’t want him the way I do...like, he’s one of Dad’s best friends. He’s more than ten years older than me. He lives an entire continent away. And just like my father, he’s part of a very scary criminal network. These are all really good reasons to not sit here drooling into my croissants trying desperately not to make my desire for him obvious. And yet, although Aiden barely glances at me I’m sure he’s fully aware of my every movement. There’s a watchfulness about him this morning, and more than once I catch him staring at me over the rim of his coffee cup, his eyes dark and unreadable.
I swear the way he looked at me yesterday was the look of a man who’s seen exactly what he wants...but then the expression was gone and his eyes back to that opaque thing that they do. As if he’s got a lot of secrets.
My dad leaves for his trip...he never tells me exactly what he’s doing or where he’s going and I suspect I don’t want to know... after giving me a squeeze and a whole list of things not to do. None of them include jumping on Aiden and begging him to rip my clothes off. Aiden walks out to the car with him and I hear them talking in hushed voices. Business. It makes me think...do I really want a man who’s in the same game as my father? I’ve always longed for a semi-normal life.
But then Aiden comes back into the house and it hits me again just how goddamned hot he is. I’m drawn to him as though my whole body is now orientated towards him. I swallow and look away as he just gazes at me without saying a word. Unlike my father, he’s not the most talkative of men.
“Tommy said something about getting you to show me around,” he says nonchalantly.
“Sure. What would you like to see?” The only places I tend to go in town are the shops, the library and the beauty salon. I’m not convinced Aiden will care much about any of those places.
He just shrugs. “Whatever you like.”
“There’s a really nice park?” I suggest. I get the impression he might be the outdoors type...there’s something almost primal about him. I do see a flicker of interest in his eyes.
“That sounds good.”
He follows me into the car, and in my smart two-seater he seems too huge for the space and I’m aware of how close we are. He stares out of the window as I drive.
“I hear Ireland is beautiful,” I say, more to start a conversation than anything else.
“It is. You’ve never been?” He sounds surprised. I shake my head, and can’t help thinking about him taking me there. With him. I think my father might even be pleased if I met an Irishman.
“I’d like to. My parents were always going to take me but...well after Mom died Dad never mentioned it again. I think it reminds him of her too much...it’s where they met.”
He nods, and when he speaks there’s a note of empathy in his voice that I’m not expecting.
“It’s hard, that sort of loss. I lost both my parents, and was brought up by my uncle. But at least I had my brothers...we got through it together. It must have been hard being an only child.”
I nod quickly, feeling a lump in my throat. It was seven years ago but sometimes it seems like yesterday. I glance at Aiden, feeling his eyes on me, and there’s a raw emotion in his eyes that makes my stomach flip. It’s the first time since he arrived that he seems to have let his guard down. I turn my eyes back to the road, feeling flustered. What is it about this man that he has this effect on me?
We’re five minutes away from the park when the heavens open and it starts raining, big, fat drops that my wipers can’t get rid of fast enough. I pull over and look at Aiden. He looks amused.
“The park isn’t looking like such a great idea now,” I say.
“It isn’t,” he says casually. Then he leans towards me slightly, his eyes suddenly intense. “Can you think of something else we can do?”
I swallow, my mouth dry. His face is just inches from mine. Before I can answer, he continues in a low voice that makes something tighten deep inside me. “Because I would be happy to just sit here and stare at you. You’re a beautiful woman, Aisling.”
My mouth drops open, and all I can do is stammer “Really?” as his eyes flick up and down my body.
“Really,” he says in a low, husky tone that is almost a growl, his eyes darkening and narrowing with what unmistakably looks like desire. “Here, let me show you.” He leans towards me and my breath catches in my throat as he cups my face in his large, rough hands. They feel just how I imagined they would the other night in the bath, and as he bends his head towards mine I feel the pulse between my thighs fluttering wildly. My nipples stiffen and a shock of pleasure that’s almost electric goes through me as his lips brush mine.
His mouth is warm and he kisses me hungrily, his tongue slipping into my mouth and exploring it as he puts an arm around me and pulls me roughly into him. I place a hand against his chest and stroke him, feeling the hard muscles of his pecs under his shirt. I want him to take it off, to see that amazing body naked, just the thought has me moaning into his mouth.
I can feel my pussy getting wet, making my panties damp, and I’m stunned at how aroused I am just from his kiss. His hand moves from my waist up to the nape of my neck and he buries it in my hair and tugs lightly. My whole scalp tingles and it turns me on in a way I wouldn’t have thought possible. This is more intense than I could have imagined...my whole body is warm and throbbing, melting just from the touch of his lips. I know that if he asked I would happily let him take me here and now. As if reading my mind he deepens his kiss and then nibbles on my lower lip, pulling it lightly between his teeth before moving his mouth down from my lips to my neck. My skin burns where he kisses it and I feel dizzy with desire. I groan; gasping out his name, then have to stop myself from squealing in frustration as he pulls away.
He looks at me, his expression unreadable.
“I’m sorry,” he says, not sounding sorry at all. “I don’t want to do this here. But feck Aisling I was thinking about doing that all night.”
I blush, my tummy fluttering as I think about him thinking about me. So he does want me then, as much as I want him. My breath comes in ragged pants as he stares at me and for a minute I think he’s going to kiss me again, but then he leans over and starts the engine. I sit back in my seat feeling dazed, as my body throbs with desire. My lips feel almost bruised from the roughness of his kiss...and I like the feeling.
I drive us back home and try not to think about what will surely come next. We have the house to ourselves...and I know I want this more than I’ve ever wanted anything.
But I also know that means I will have to tell him I’m a virgin.
Chapter Five
Aisling
As I put the key into the lock Aiden stands so close behind me that I can feel the heat from his body, or perhaps I’m confusing that with mine as every nerve ending feels like it’s on fire. I don’t speak as he follows me into the dining room. I want him so badly that I don’t want anything to spoil this moment, but I know I have to tell him.
He stands behind me as I put my bag and coat on the table and places a hand lightly on my hip. “Aisling,” he says, “come here.”
I turn round and then I
’m in his arms, which is exactly where I want to be.
I can feel him rock hard length against my thigh through his jeans as he buries his hands in my hair and pulls my face towards his. “I want you Aisling,” he growls and I feel myself get wet just at his words. “I want you too,” I gasp, my voice thick with desire. And I do, I know that right now I’m so turned on I would happily let him take me right here over the table, even if it’s not quite how I’ve always imagined my first time.
I have to tell him. It’s not fair to him to let him continue not knowing I’m a virgin. Hell, the way I’ve practically thrown myself at him he probably assumes I’m super experienced. I hope he’s not disappointed.
But I don’t say anything. Instead I crush my lips to his, responding to his passion with a hunger that’s all my own. He inhales sharply and his hands squeeze me tighter to him so that my body is pressed up against his, my breasts crushed up against his chest and my thigh rubbing against his cock. I can feel him get even harder and my clit throbs. He feels huge and I wonder if it will hurt, although I’m so wet now that I doubt it. Already I feel ready for him, my breath coming in pants. I never even knew it was possible to be this turned on. A small voice in the back of my mind tells me to slow this down, that I have to tell him the truth before we go any further, but I’m melting in his arms and can’t seem to string a logical thought together. His tongue teases mine and I moan into his mouth, grabbing his ass and pushing my hips into his. It’s as though some other woman has taken over my body...one that knows exactly what she wants and needs.
Claimed By The Irish Wolf Shifter (Irish Wolf Shifters Book 2) Page 2