by Mari Carr
“Vikings,” he corrected.
“Protectors and conquerors.”
He’d warned her that he wanted to conquer her, and she couldn’t deny it felt as if that was exactly what he’d done. Funny how the words sounded like something negative, when in truth it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever experienced. “You’ve given me so much, Lochlan.”
He stood up. “If you’re doing that damn tally in your head again, trying to decide if it’s equal, you can stop right now. I’ll never be able to give you back a tenth of what you’ve given me…what you’re giving me right now.” As he spoke, he rubbed his hand over her belly.
May curled into his arms, loving the way it felt to be completely wrapped up in Lochlan’s warmth. “I suck at understanding unconditional love, don’t I?”
He kissed the top of her head. “You’ll get there. I’m not worried about that.”
She lifted her face, wanting him. One look in his eyes told her he wanted the same.
May leaned forward, rising on tiptoe for a kiss, but he shook his head.
“Bedroom,” he whispered as he grasped her hand and tugged her down the hallway, not stopping until they were next to the bed.
She sat on the edge of the mattress, holding her hand out to him.
“I think maybe I’d better lose some clothes too.”
Lochlan treated her to her own striptease, tugging his tie free from his collar. He reached for her wrists, loosely binding them together in front of her. She could slide the silk off easily, but she didn’t make the attempt. She knew this bondage was more for aesthetics than capture, especially when his eyes darkened with hunger.
He shed his shirt, then slid his belt out of the loops. Lochlan bent the leather in half, slapping it against his leg.
She giggled. He loved to tease her with the threat of his belt, especially when she was being a brat in bed, but he’d never followed through on it. He rolled his eyes at the sound of her laughter before tossing the belt to the floor.
“One day,” he murmured.
“Promises, promises,” she whispered in return.
Lochlan took off his pants, boxers and shoes without fanfare, pressing her legs apart as he knelt between them. Gripping her ass and tugging her to the edge of the mattress, his mouth was on her clit in an instant.
May gasped, her head thrown back as sparks flared, her body humming with pleasure. It hadn’t taken Lochlan long to find all her hot buttons. He sucked her clit roughly, and then nipped at the distended flesh as she cried out, begging for more.
He dipped his tongue inside her, fucking her with it as she gripped his hair, pulling it in a desperate attempt to keep his mouth on her. Not that he was going anywhere. Lochlan was a master of foreplay. Actually, he was a little too good. Too many nights he’d keep her on the edge of an orgasm for hours, until she was covered in sweat, struggling to breathe and begging hoarsely for completion.
“Lochlan,” she said after several minutes. She needed more, and he knew it.
“Yes, Mrs. Wallace,” he murmured, the vibration of his voice adding another sensation to the mix.
She shivered, loving the sound of her new name.
“Come inside me.”
Lochlan stood and watched as she scooted to the middle of the bed, then he followed her, caging her beneath him.
“I love you,” he whispered as he placed the head of his cock at her opening.
“I love you too.” She tried to recall why it had been so difficult to say those words the first time. Now they flowed out of her like the most natural thing on earth.
He pressed in slowly at first, but neither of them was ever satisfied with that for long. Their lovemaking grew wilder with each encounter, both of them turning into ravishing beasts. May joked that every time with him felt like an out-of-body experience. She’d thought that would make him laugh, but he’d only agreed, claiming that was the best description of it for him as well.
She came twice, both times the pleasure roaring through her like a freight train, loud, powerful, earth-shaking.
Lochlan slowed his thrusts, kissing her deeply, gently.
“Lochlan,” she whispered.
“Shhh. Let me love you, May.”
He punctuated his request by pressing in as far as he could go, then holding still. She loved being filled with him, loved having his baby inside her, loved being his wife.
Lochlan had given her things she’d never let herself dream of.
He pulled out leisurely, the deliberateness of his actions driving her as wild as his rough, hard thrusts.
He continued to move in and out as if they had all the time in the world. And it occurred to her that they did. A lifetime in fact.
Lochlan stroked her clit when he got close to the pinnacle, determined to take her with him. He didn’t need to worry. She was there too.
She gasped as she came again, Lochlan jerking roughly above her with his own climax.
He kissed her once more before lying next to her, his hand resting on her stomach, his thumb idly stroking up and down.
May gasped, pressing both her hands over his. “Did you feel that?”
“No, what is it? Are you okay?”
“I think…I think I felt the baby.”
Lochlan put his chin on the mattress and peered at her stomach.
She laughed. “I don’t think there’s anything to see yet. But there will be.”
“And I can’t wait.”
Epilogue
Lochlan sat in one of the chairs in Pop Pop’s room at Riley’s house and sighed. Little Wyatt was in his great-grandfather’s arms, sound asleep. The two of them were chatting in this quieter corner of the house, as May and the girls were in the kitchen with Riley and Bubbles, baking cupcakes for the Fourth of July picnic they were all attending on his boat tomorrow.
Pop Pop ran the back of his finger along Wyatt’s cheek and the infant grinned in his sleep.
“My first great-grandchild.”
Lochlan heard the wonder in Pop Pop’s voice, connected with it, felt it.
“I’ve done nothing but look at him since he was born. I can’t quite believe…”
His grandfather gave him an understanding smile. “That he’s yours. That you brought this beautiful, wonderful creature into the world.”
Lochlan nodded. “Why did I think I didn’t want this?”
Pop Pop laughed. “I never believed you’d hold firm to that no-kids comment. You’ve always had too much to give to keep it all locked up inside. Look at the difference you’ve made in those young girls’ lives. Jenny was silent when you first brought her around. Now it’s hard to get a word in edgewise around her.”
Lochlan chuckled. Truer words were never spoken. It was as if Jenny had spent every minute since saying the word “purple,” making up for lost time. Not that the transition had come quickly or easily. When they’d called Lauren to tell her about Jenny’s one spoken word, she’d insisted on seeing her. Jenny had actually gone silent again for about a week, but on the next visit to Lauren, the words came back…along with the tears and fears and pain.
Since then, Lauren had begun to talk with Jenny and Chloe individually, then the two girls joined May in a family session where they shared their grief and fears.
“She’s amazing,” Lochlan said, recalling Jenny describing the special red, white and blue cupcakes she planned to decorate today with Aunt Riley’s help. Her enthusiasm had been so contagious, Lochlan had been tempted to join them in the kitchen himself.
“I wonder if you might do something for me, son.”
Lochlan nodded instantly. There was nothing his grandfather could request that he wouldn’t deliver on. “Of course.”
“There’s a frame over there I need help putting back up on the wall.”
Lochlan glanced over at his Pop Pop’s “family” wall, the entire thing covered with photographs of every single one of his children and grandchildren. He noticed the photo of himself—grinning like a fool while h
olding up the Forbes Magazine with AdLoch featured on the cover—was gone. It had hung there for well over five years.
“I got a new picture?”
Pop Pop didn’t reply, just nodded his head toward the table.
Lochlan rose, smiling when he saw the recent picture. It was an impromptu family portrait, snapped by his mother the day they came home from the hospital with their son. Chloe was holding Wyatt, very carefully, as Jenny and May flanked her on the couch. Lochlan was perched on the arm of the sofa, and all of them were looking at the new baby.
“I like that picture,” Pop Pop admitted. “Like replacing my workaholic grandson’s photo with one of his new family.”
“Instant family,” Lochlan joked as he put the frame back in its rightful place. He took a moment to admire it, recalling how his heart had been so full that day, he’d thought it might burst.
Then he studied the other pictures, noticing that quite a few of the frames held newer pictures. Caitlyn’s now contained a photo of her and Lucas dancing at her wedding. There was one of Hunter, singing onstage as Ailis stood just at the edge of the curtains backstage, watching. The spotlight was on Hunter, but the camera’s focus was on Ailis. He swallowed down the lump in his throat when he saw Padraig and Mia’s picture, the two of them looking at each other, ignoring the rest of the world. He missed the kind woman.
His eyes traveled over the wall, and he realized that in every single one, Pop Pop had captured the same thing.
Love. In all its many forms.
He started to remark on it, but Pop Pop spoke first, talking not to Lochlan, but to the sleeping baby in his arms.
“Och, wee Wyatt. What a strong name for a strapping lad. Your parents named you well, my little warrior. I can just imagine your future…”
Lochlan stood quietly, listening as Pop Pop whispered to Wyatt about the importance of his name and family.
And love.
Did you enjoy May Flowers? Are you looking for another great family series to read with red hot romance, sexy ménages, and alpha men? Have you check out Mari Carr’s Big Easy series? If you loved Lochlan, you’ll adore Justin and Ned in Full Position. Bella doesn’t know what hits her when both of her sexy bosses turn their attention toward showing her a night she’ll never forget.
Have you read the entire Wilder Irish series? All the books are standalone, so they can be read in any order. Be sure to check out all of them!
January Girl
February Stars
March Wind
April Fools
Turn the page to read the first chapter of Full Position, available now.
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Full Position - Chapter One
“So basically I’m finished with men.”
Justin Lewis rolled his eyes. “Of course you are.”
Bella leaned closer, her face completely earnest. “I mean it. You guys are part of an entire gender of fucksticks. I’m done.”
Ned snorted. “Until next week, when your hormones get the better of you.”
Bella gave Ned a dirty look. “For your information, when that happens I turn to my boyfriend, Roger. He’s reliable, efficient and he doesn’t talk.”
Justin took a swig of Dixie beer. “Giving your rabbit a name doesn’t make it a boyfriend, Bells. It’s still just a vibrator.”
“Yes, but it’s the deluxe model. No expense spared. And thanks to my cushy job with you guys, I can afford the best.”
Bella Carper had worked at Lewis and Kinnaman Marketing since graduating from college with her graphics art degree six years earlier. Justin’s best friend and business partner, Ned Kinnaman, had taken one look at her portfolio and known she was destined to be one of their artists. Since then, they’d helped mold her craft, while giving her the creative freedom to try new things. She’d lived up to every professional expectation they’d had and more.
Ned rolled his eyes. “I’m glad to hear you’re investing your income so wisely.”
Justin laughed at their easy, off-color banter. He hadn’t anticipated that Bella would become a friend as well as an employee. He’d never really had many female friends. Not in high school or even after. He figured his sisters didn’t count. He’d chalked that deficit up to a personality thing. He was too much of a guy—prone to heavy drinking, cussing fluently during televised sports and flirting rampantly with any pretty woman who entered his dance space.
And, of course, he blamed Ned too. Ned tended to intimidate women, which wasn’t entirely surprising. At six foot four and two-twenty, Ned cast a rather large shadow. Add in his dominant personality and his far-too-serious nature and women tended to give both men a wide berth.
Well, most women.
The exceptions were the submissives at Extreme Connections, the private sex club he and Ned belonged to. Those women actually sought them out. Of course, that had everything to do with sex and nothing to do with friendship.
“So what was wrong with this last guy? Phillip?” Ned asked.
“Patrick,” she corrected. “And do you mean apart from the fact he was a complete male chauvinist pig, annoying and a know-it-all? I wouldn’t mind so much, but now I have to find a new personal trainer.”
Ned failed to suppress his I told you so grin. “He never should have started an affair with you. It was completely unprofessional.”
Bella flipped her hair over her shoulder. “You and your damn professionalism. He was hot, and I’m pretty sure I won him over with my incredible stamina and flexibility. He just couldn’t resist my lunges and burpees.”
She and Ned laughed at her joke, but for some reason, Justin was finding it difficult to play along with their irreverent, off-color banter tonight. While Bella’s sarcastic wit was as firmly in place as her smile, her pretty green eyes gave her away. She was sad.
Justin realized that look had been there a lot the past few months. “Regardless of your pretzel-like physique, I’m glad you got away from Patrick. I didn’t trust that guy.”
Bella’s eyes widened a bit, betraying her surprise at his confession. Justin rarely commented or expressed an opinion on her love life. “If you want the truth, he was meek as a kitten in bed. All those sleek, hard muscles turned to mush between the sheets. Kept wanting me to take the lead, get on top, blah blah blah. Boring.” She blinked a couple times as if realizing what she’d just said then winced. “God, I’m the queen of TMI tonight—vibrators and boring lovers. I must be drunker than I thought.”
Off-color humor wasn’t uncommon between them and none of them were exactly shy about discussing the whens and whos of their sexual affairs. However, Bella had never revealed quite so many details about the during. Justin put his beer bottle down. “Wait. Back up the bus. Are you trying to tell me you prefer to play the bottom?”
Bella’s brows creased and Ned flashed Justin a warning look. Unfortunately, it was too late. “Play the bottom?”
Justin tried to cover up his mistake. “I meant be on the bottom.”
Bella tilted her head, curiosity radiating. However, before she could question Justin, Ned intervened.
“I think you’re smart to take a break from dating for a while. Gives you a chance to reevaluate what you want in a relationship. Maybe you’re going for the wrong type of guy.”
“The problem isn’t knowing what I want. I know exactly what kind of man I’m looking for. Unfortunately, my fantasy guy doesn’t exist in reality.”
Ned waved the waitress over and asked for another round, even though Justin suspected Bella had been ready to wrap things up and call it a night. Now that she’d mentioned her fantasies, it appeared his friend’s curiosity had been piqued.
What did Bella want in a man? Justin knew Ned had always cast her in the role of a Domme. Not that Bella would know that. As a result, his friend had dismissed her as a compatible sex partner. Actually, Ned would never let himself consider Bella in a sexual way because of work, which made Justin wonder if his fr
iend had clung to that Domme excuse as a way to make it easier to stay away from her.
The truth was, Bella was quite beautiful. Her light-brown hair hung in long waves and had just a few touches of blonde highlights that glittered whenever she was outside. Her green eyes were tipped with dark lashes and incredibly expressive. Justin loved to watch them widen whenever she told a funny or exciting story. She also talked with her hands. It was rare to hear words coming out of Bella’s mouth without her hands waving around in front of her. Ned often warned her she’d take flight one of these days if she didn’t stop flapping so hard. She’d always laugh, but never attempted to still her hands.
All of those things had been apparent about her right from the beginning. What Justin had only started to notice lately was her body.
They had a very loose dress code at work, so he seldom saw her in anything other than jeans, t-shirts and her standard ponytail at work. However, about a year ago, Ned had been knocked down with a killer case of the flu the morning of a big presentation. Bella had created the logo, so Justin asked her to help him make the bid. She’d shown up in a short skirt, silk blouse and sexy heels that nearly had him falling to his knees in front of her, ready to beg for mercy—or whatever else she was willing to give him. Her outfit had actually been perfectly professional, but it had taken Justin’s dirty mind to places it had no business going.
The problem was, he and Ned had never revealed any details about their private affairs to Bella either. Instead, they’d sort of taken her under their wing like an adored kid sister, sheltering her from what small-town-girl Bella would likely consider extreme sexual practices. He suspected in her eyes, they were just her easygoing, laidback playboy bosses, kings of vanilla sex with lots of women.
If she knew the truth…
Well, Justin didn’t want to consider what she’d think of that because it would tempt him. He’d been fantasizing about her too much lately as it was. Way too much. Then, six months ago, something else happened. Something that turned the tide for him for good. It was a stupid thing really, but it had burrowed in Justin’s brain and driven him crazy ever since.