This Love

by Kelly Elliott

  I trembled as the feeling moved throughout me whole body. Warmth burst through, causing me to shake. Cord’s eyes met mine and I lost it completely.

  “Cord…I’m coming! Oh God!”

  I dropped back, no longer able to focus on him, only on the orgasm that was ripping through me, wave after wave. I swore me mind left me as I tried to breathe. I’d never in me life had such a powerful orgasm. I was rocking with such pleasure I thought for sure I’d pass out.

  “I can’t…take it. Cord.”

  I wasn’t even aware he was kissing me stomach until I was coming down from the euphoria.

  Lifting me head, I looked at him staring at me.

  Panting, I managed to speak. “You’ve ruined me…for all other men.”

  The corner of his mouth rose into a sexy-as-sin smile. “Good. Wait until I make love to you.”

  Me head dropped back down, and I let out a groan.

  When his lips touched mine and his tongue slipped into me mouth, I tasted myself. The only reason I didn’t pull away was because the man kissing me made me drunk with that kiss. I never wanted this moment to end.

  Ever.

  It all became so clear as Cord kissed me. I was completely and utterly falling in love with him.

  Maebh moaned into my mouth when I kissed her. I thought for sure she would have pushed me away. Most women didn’t want to be kissed afterwards. Not that I gave a lot of women oral sex. I could count on my hand the women I’d gone down on.

  Kylie Burks, my fuck buddy in high school and college, was the one I’d done it to the most. She’d taught me how to lick, when to suck, how many fingers to put inside. She would have slapped the shit out of me had I tried to kiss her after oral sex. Neither one of us was interested in a relationship, but we liked to fuck each other. A lot. Kissing was something we didn’t really do. Not sure why, we just didn’t. But I certainly kissed her pussy a lot.

  Thank you, Kylie, for letting me learn on you.

  “How do you feel?” I asked Maebh, noticing that her breathing still hadn’t settled down. It could have been because I just kissed the hell out of her.

  “Like I’m floating.”

  I kissed her lightly. “You’re okay?”

  With a sleepy voice, she replied, “Ah, sure, I’m grand.”

  With a laugh, I asked, “Does grand mean good?”

  She giggled. “More than good.”

  Her fingers twirled in my hair, and it was relaxing as fuck. I bet she could put me to sleep each night doing that alone.

  “Good. I’m still hungry though.”

  Her eyes widened, and I laughed. “For food, Maebh.”

  She smiled big, and warmth radiated through my body. An ache grew in the back of my throat, not to mention my chest.

  “If you’ll let me get dressed, I’ll get back to dinner,” she said.

  I peeled myself away from her and reached for her panties, helping her slip them back on just as slowly as I’d taken them off, leaving kisses in my wake.

  With a wink, I said, “It’s sort of a shame I had dessert before dinner.”

  She blushed and goddamn it if my heartbeat didn’t quicken.

  Gripping my hair with her hands, she leaned down and kissed me, then buttoned her shorts and made her way back into the kitchen while I sat on the floor staring after her.

  I’d never in my life met a woman like Maebh.

  Never.

  I rubbed the back of my neck, then moved my hand to my chest and touched the strange ache. Standing, I saw my reflection in a mirror. I was smiling. Exactly like my three older brothers had been when they realized they had fallen for a woman.

  Taking a step back, I slowly shook my head. There was no denying what I saw.

  Holy. Fuck. I’m falling in love with Maebh.

  We ate out on the back deck since it was such a beautiful evening. It was cool for this time of year, thanks to the breeze blowing off the lake. Maebh’s dinner was fantastic, and I devoured it faster than I should have.

  “Do you want something else to eat?” Maebh asked, glancing at my empty plate. It was so good I damn near licked the plate.

  “I’m stuffed. Thank you, babe. It was delicious. Do you cook like that every day?”

  She shook her head. “No, I rarely get to cook these days outside of the restaurant, and even then I don’t do a lot of the cooking. The most cooking I’ve ever done was in culinary school, and after I moved into me first house.”

  “You didn’t help your mom cook when you grew up?”

  Her eyes darted away for a quick moment and then back. She simply shook her head.

  Was her mother a sore subject? I thought she had moved to Oak Springs because of her mother.

  “Do you not like talking about your mom?”

  Maebh’s eyes widened. “What? I love talking about me ma. It’s just, she didn’t cook much when I was growing up. I wish she had. She was the one who first taught me to cook, but me da’s ma, me grandmother, well, she didn’t think it was Ma’s place to be in the kitchen.”

  I frowned. “Why?”

  She squirmed in her chair, and I knew this was a conversation she didn’t want to have. As curious as I was, I was going to let it go. For now.

  “Tell me what life is like back in Ireland? Where exactly are you from?”

  Her eyes lit up, and I knew this was something she was interested in talking about.

  “I’m from Cork. It’s beautiful there.” A smile spread over her face. “Lots of water and boats. Beautiful old buildings and small markets. There’s so many things to do and places to visit.”

  “I’d like to go sometime.”

  “That would be amazing. I can show you around.”

  Reaching for her hand, I brushed my thumb over the top of it and grinned. “It’s a date.”

  Maebh dug her teeth into her lip before softly saying, “It’s a date.”

  “How about I clean up these plates, then take you somewhere fun?”

  “What kind of fun?” she asked, her brow quirked up.

  “We could head over to the Buchanan Dam Beach Club. Live music and cold beer.”

  She smiled. “Sounds like fun. Are you sure you don’t want help?”

  “I'm positive,” I said as I grabbed the plates and walked back into the house, motioning for Maebh to go in first.

  “Alright! Let me go change.”

  Standing, I watched her until she was out of sight. A strange twinge happened in my chest, and I pushed it aside as I quickly cleaned up the kitchen and ran upstairs to change as well.

  “Cord?” Maebh called out.

  When I poked my head around the corner, I nearly tripped over my own feet.

  “Holy shit.”

  My eyes moved over her perfect body. There was no fucking way she was wearing that out.

  Daisy Duke shorts, cowboy boots, and an off-the-shoulder, off-white shirt. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on, and I nearly choked on my own tongue as I stared at her.

  “Is this alright?”

  I shook my head.

  “Should I change? I didn’t bring a lot of clothes. I figured I’d be staying in all weekend. If I look bad I can…”

  I crossed the room and pulled her into my arms. Lifting her, Maebh wrapped her legs around my body and her arms around my neck. I pressed my mouth to hers. She returned the kiss with as much passion as I was dishing out.

  Turning, I laid her on the bed and crawled over her body. Slipping my hands under her shirt, I groaned when I found she wasn’t even wearing a fucking bra. My hips pushed into her, making her moan and dig her nails into my bare back.

  Shit, I wanted to strip her bare and bury my cock into her so bad I could hardly stand it.

  “You look so fucking hot, Maebh. I’m going to kill any man who looks at you the wrong way.”

  She smiled, her cheeks flushing slightly. Then her smile faded, and she opened her mouth to say something, but closed it.

  Resting my arms on eit
her side of her, I studied her face, locked my eyes with hers. “Talk to me.”

  Her lips pressed together, and she rubbed them quickly. “I want you, Cord. I’m scared of how badly I want you.”

  My eyes closed, and I dropped my mouth to hers, kissing her ever-so-lightly.

  “Baby, I want you so much, too. So fucking much.”

  We laid there for a few more minutes before I spoke.

  “But I want you to be sure, Maebh. The first time with you has to be perfect.”

  “If it’s with you, it will be perfect.”

  Swallowing hard, I trembled from the way she looked at me.

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  A slow smile moved across her face. “Physically or emotionally?”

  “Both.”

  She touched my cheek while her green eyes searched my face. “I’m ready for you whenever you’re ready. I’m not as fragile as you think I am. I know the risk I’m taking.”

  My head pulled back. “Risk?”

  “I’m not naïve, Cord. I know the moment we make love you might run for the hills.”

  “I won’t,” I promised, pressing a kiss to her lips. “I swear to you I won’t.”

  Her eyes filled with tears, and I knew a part of her didn’t believe me. “I believe you,” she whispered.

  I pushed up to look down at her. She was so beautiful with her dark hair spread out over my pillow. Taking her hands, I pulled her into a sitting position. I lifted her shirt over her head, taking in her beautiful tits. They were mine now. All mine.

  And I’d do whatever I had to do to prove that I was also hers.

  “Lie back, Maebh.”

  She did as I asked. Leaning over, I took one of her nipples into my mouth and sucked on it hard, drawing out a low groan from my Irish beauty.

  “Yes,” she hissed, gripping the sheets and arching into me. “Oh, Cord.”

  My phone started to ring, and I ignored it as I kissed all over her breasts. She was so worked up that I knew if I reached between her legs she’d come on the spot.

  The voicemail on my phone went off, then a text message. I continued to ignore it. Then my phone rang again, and I groaned.

  “Don’t stop,” she whimpered, wrapping her legs around me to keep me where I was.

  Fuck whoever was trying to call. I didn’t care if it was Trevor saying the bar was burning down. I was about to make love to Maebh and nothing else mattered.

  Her hands went to my jeans, quickly unbuttoning them and pushed them down.

  My girl had a greedy side, and I loved it. I wasn’t going to last a minute inside of her, I knew it.

  When I heard my phone ring again, I cursed and moved away. Maebh sighed when I drew back.

  “I need to get it.”

  Her eyes filled with disappointment, but she nodded in understanding.

  Rolling off, I grabbed my phone from the side table. I nearly threw it when I saw Tammy’s name. What in the fuck did she want?

  “Hold on, baby. It’s the bar.”

  She forced a smile, and I knew she knew it was Tammy.

  Tapping the phone, I tried to push the anger down, especially when I saw Maebh slipping her shirt back over her head. Clearly the moment was gone.

  “Cord, I hate to bug you,” Tammy said.

  “What’s up?”

  “You didn’t pay the invoice for one of the IPA distributors, and they won’t deliver until it’s paid.”

  Frowning, I pushed my hand through my hair. “Get Trevor to pay it. He knows what to do.”

  “Trevor’s writing checks now?”

  I could hear the hurt in her voice. Tammy managed the bar and did a hell of a job keeping all the employees in line, but I was not ready to give her control of my books.

  “Just have him take care of it. I left him in charge for a reason, Tammy.”

  Maebh walked out of the bedroom, and I sighed.

  Fuck. Why did I answer the phone?

  “You’re sure?”

  “What? Why are you questioning me? Yes, I’m fucking sure.”

  I instantly felt terrible for lashing out at her.

  “Shit, I’m sorry, Tammy. I didn’t mean to jump all over you. It’s just, I took this weekend off to get away from the bar, and I haven’t even been gone a full day. Trevor’s staying upstairs at my place, I thought I told you that. If you need something, give him a call.”

  “You did tell me,” she stated.

  Anger raced through my veins. If she fucking knew, why the hell did she call me? “Just call him and he’ll take care of it, not me.”

  “Fine, I won’t bother you again.” Her voice was short and filled with hurt.

  “Wait, Tammy.”

  She sighed. “What, Cord?”

  “I’m sorry. You just caught me at, um, a bad time.”

  Her silence nearly killed me. The last thing I wanted was to lose Tammy. She was the best manager I’d had since I’d opened the bar and she was damn good at her job.

  “It’s okay. I’m not really much of a manager if I can’t handle these kinds of things while you’re gone, and like you said, it hasn’t even been a day. I’ll call Trevor and get him to pay them ASAP.”

  “Thanks, Tammy. Everything else okay?”

  “Yeah, it’s picked up some for a Thursday night, but nothing too bad.”

  Nodding, I grabbed a shirt. “Good. Listen, I’m going out with Maebh for the evening. If you need anything, get Trevor to handle it.”

  “Maebh?” I could hear the shock in her voice. “She’s with you? At the lake house?”

  “Yeah, it’s a long story, but we’re fixin’ to head out for the evening to catch a live band so I doubt I’ll be able to hear my phone anyway.”

  “Well. Well. Well. When did you get with her? I thought you didn’t like her.”

  “What?” I choked out. “I never said that.”

  “Are you…together?” Tammy asked, a hint of something I didn’t recognize in her voice. The last thing I was going to do was talk to her about my personal life.

  “Listen, I need to go. Only call if it’s an emergency. Okay?”

  “Of course, boss.”

  I hit End without saying goodbye. I had no idea why I was trying to get off the phone with Tammy so fast. Maybe it was because of what Maebh had overheard, that Tammy was after me. Shaking my head, I brushed the thought away. Slipping on my boots, I grabbed my wallet and headed downstairs.

  “Maebh?” I called out. “Maebh?”

  Shit, where in the hell did she run off to?

  Walking into the kitchen, I looked out the back window. She was down at the dock, laughing at a guy who had pulled up next to my father’s boat in similar boat to ours.

  It didn’t take me long to head down the trail made of crushed granite and wood.

  “If you’re interested, I can show you around the lake,” he said.

  My mouth dropped. What in the hell?

  “She has me to show her, but thanks for the offer,” I said loudly.

  Maebh turned to look at me, and so did the guy. He held up his hands as if saying, Sorry, dude, I didn’t know she was yours.

  “You finished with your call?”

  My eyes bounced to Maebh. She was smiling, but it didn’t reach her eyes. I wanted to take her in my arms and tell her how sorry I was that I answered the damn thing, but I couldn’t worry about that right now. What I had to worry about was some fucker moving in on my girl and me trying not to beat his ass.

  I stopped walking. It hit me so fucking hard, I stumbled a few steps, nearly falling on my ass.

  Am I…jealous?

  I was fucking jealous that this asshole was talking to Maebh. Making her laugh and offering to show her around. I’d never been jealous of another man in my entire life.

  “Cord?” Maebh asked, rushing over to me. “Are you okay?”

  Dragging in a deep breath, I fought to find air for my burning lungs.

  “Is he okay?” I heard the bastard say, snappin
g me out of my moment of insanity.

  “I’m fine. Sorry about that. I guess I moved too fast and got a little dizzy.”

  Maebh looked at me with concern in her eyes. “What are you doing out here?” I asked, looking at her and then directly at the dick in the boat.

  “I wasn’t sure how long you would be on your call. It’s a beautiful evening, so I came outside.”

  “I’m going to go ahead and dock the boat. If y’all would like to come over later, we’re having a small party.”

  Staring at the guy, I asked, “You live next door?”

  He grinned. “My grandparents own the property.” His smiled dropped some, and he looked at me hard. “Holy shit, Cord Parker, is that you?”

  Fucking hell. Trent Winston.

  I nodded, trying not to act like I knew who he was.

  “It’s me! Trent! Dude, tell me you haven’t forgotten all those crazy nights! The booze, the girls, the good times.”

  I could almost feel Maebh stiffen. It wasn’t a secret that I had slept with a lot of women, and I knew Maebh knew that. She didn’t have to hear about it, though.

  “Sorry, it’s not ringing a bell. If you’ll excuse us, my girlfriend and I are heading out for the night.”

  Maebh sucked in a sharp breath as Trent’s eyes widened in shock.

  Before he could make some shit comment about “the Cord Parker he knew wouldn’t have a girlfriend,” I laced my arm around Maebh’s waist and started back toward the house.

  “Hey, if you feel like joining us when you get home, just come on over!”

  Maebh glanced over her shoulder and was about to respond when I beat her to it. “Thanks, but we’ll be fine.”

  I could feel her eyes on me, and I was positive she was wondering why I had acted like a complete asshole. Not to mention my little freak-out moment when I could barely move another step without losing my shit.

  “Are you alright?” she asked, looking at me as I opened the door to let her into my truck.

  “Yes.” I was short with her and I instantly regretted it.

  She didn’t move except to cross her arms over her chest and glare.