by Angela Blake
“Did I fall asleep?” he asked and she snorted.
“No,” she said her tongue literally in her cheek.
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s no problem. I had plenty to do,” she said holding up her kindle. He glanced down at it then back at her eyes, his mouth twisted slightly.
“You shouldn’t have had to entertain yourself,” he said.
“Okay well, we’re about to land. Is your seatbelt on?” unthinkingly she reached down to his waist to check and her hand accidentally brushed against his crotch. He jerked and she jumped, pulling her hand away fast.
“Er, sorry,” she said cheeks flaming.
“It’s…fine,” he replied, his voice higher than usual, “it was an accident right?”
“Right,” Rachel said turning away and staring fixedly out of the window.
‘What a lovely way to begin the trip,’ she thought, ‘way to go, Hart!’
She sat stiffly, hoping to calm her flaming cheeks before they hit the ground, eyes fixed on the view outside the window. So she was startled when she felt a hand sliding over hers, and squeezing gently. She turned slowly to face Brendan and found him smiling softly at her.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said and she lifted her eyebrows at him.
“What is?” she asked.
“Everything,” he replied.
***
They were staying at the Sheraton Hotel in Athlone while Brendan tried to locate someone. She took full advantage of the indoor pool, the sauna and even ventured into the gym while he was off finding whoever it was. He’d told her she had free run of the place, she could partake of the fine dining on offer in the bar, a French restaurant and a café. Even though she was close to the city centre, she didn’t venture out much. She wasn’t about to get lost in Ireland because she wanted to see the city. She decided to wait for Brendan to be her guide. He’d promised that as soon as he found this person; they would do the tourist thing.
She did sometimes wonder why he’d brought her all the way here just to leave her at the hotel. He was being very mysterious about it all and it made her a little antsy. That coupled with the fact that he hadn’t tried once to get in her bed had her on tenterhooks.
Just why had he brought her here?
***
Brendan didn’t know how he was going to tell Rachel what he needed. How did one begin to tell a practical stranger that one bears a family curse which causes one to turn into a stag at will? It was crazy. Rachel wasn’t going to believe him anyway. He had decided that bringing her to Ireland and letting her see for herself what he was dealing with was the best way to approach things. He knew he wanted Rachel in every way that he could have her, but he did not want to seduce her under false pretenses. She had to know who he was, who she might be saying yes to…he could not bear for her to say yes to him and then some time down the line turn her back on him when she learned what he could do.
His family didn’t know this but as soon as he was able to, he’d started hunting for the fortune teller who gave his mother the news about his past. He had traced the circus they went to, following them halfway across the country before he caught up with them. He asked after the fortune teller, gathering any tidbits he could. It wasn’t much but it was a start. He had been on her trail for years before he had found out that’s she’d moved back to Ireland and was currently staying at Meath. Brendan figured he could get her to tell his story to Rachel and then he could corroborate it by turning into a stag in front of her. That way she would have all the information about who exactly he was. He hated to think about how he might feel if she recoiled from him. He could hardly bear to imagine it.
He paid the Uber driver as he dropped Brendan in front of the hotel. It had been another fruitless day of searching and he was beginning to get a little discouraged. He nodded at the concierge as he stepped into the Sheraton and he could not help how his face lit up as he caught sight of Rachel exiting the lifts.
“Brendan!” she cried smiling back and he spared a minute to savor her reciprocated delight in seeing him.
“Hi.” He called as she hurried over to him.
“You’re back early,” she said a question in her eyes. His own dimmed as he realized that he’d brought her to a foreign land only to leave her alone for most of the time.
“I’m sorry I’ve been so AWOL. Like I told you-”
“Yeah, you said you needed to find some woman.”
Brendan sighed, “She isn’t just some woman. She is very important to me.”
He could feel Rachel pull away from him even though she didn’t move a muscle, “I understand.” She said.
“No. You don’t.” he replied reaching out to clasp her hand firmly in his.
“Well then why don’t you explain?”
Brendan closed his eyes and then opened them again, considering her. It was only fair that she understood the circumstances even if he wasn’t ready to give her specifics.
“Okay then. How about we go have a drink?” he asked.
Rachel turned and pointed to the left, “there’s a lovely bar that way.”
“I know but…well you must be tired of being cooped up in this hotel. Why don’t I take you to an honest to goodness Irish bar?”
Rachel shrugged nonchalantly but she was smiling wide, “Okay,” she said.
“Excellent.”
***
The bar was mostly full even though it was an early Wednesday evening.
“Guess it’s true what they say about the Irish and booze huh?” Rachel joked.
“Uh yeah,” Brendan replied ushering her to a relatively quiet corner, “Why don’t you take a seat and I’ll get us some beers?”
“Um, okay. But…I don’t really drink so…”
“I’ll get you a pilsner. They’re usually quite light.”
“Okay then,” Rachel replied even though she had no clue what he was talking about.
He returned in no time with pitchers full of yellow frothy liquid and Rachel took a cautious sip, finding that it wasn’t as bitter as she’d been expecting.
“How is it?” Brendan asked and she realized he’d been watching her steadily as she drank.
“It’s…okay.” She said and took another sip. He smiled and took a sip of his own drink.
“So…” he said staring into his glass.
“So…” Rachel repeated peering at him. His hazel eyes flitted towards her caramel ones and he blushed. Rachel laughed.
“What is it Brendan?” she asked.
“Well, I wanted to tell you about the woman I’m looking for.”
“…okay…”
“She’s a uh, fortune teller,” Brendan said cutting his eyes toward her and then back to his glass.
“Uh hmm?”
“Yeah and…well, she knows something about my past that I need you to know.”
“Why?”
Brendan glanced at her in surprise, “Why what?”
“Why do you need me to know?”
“Oh well, see…I’m not like other people?”
“Yeah I guess that would be true. Not many people are as well off as you.”
“No. That’s not what I mean.”
“What do you mean?”
Brendan took a long gulp of his beer before replying and Rachel followed suit because she had a feeling she wasn’t drunk enough for this conversation, “I was born with an…anomaly.” Brendan said and then hesitated to continue.
“Uh huh?” Rachel encouraged.
“And…well. This anomaly…it…” Brendan glanced at her, opening and closing his mouth, trying to find the words.
“This anomaly…what Brendan?”
He took a deep breath, “Is it okay if we just wait until we find this fortune teller?” he asked at last.
Rachel reached over, placing her hand on top of his, “Sure Brendan, no problem.”
Brendan heaved a sigh of relief, “Thanks
.” He said standing up, “Can I get you another pitcher?”
“Sure, why not?”
One more pitcher became five more and by the time they staggered out of the bar, Rachel was seeing double. She thought vaguely that she should have eaten first before consuming all that beer but it was a distant concern. She was more concerned about the wall of warmth on her left side and the strong arm firmly wrapped around her waist, keeping her vertical.
“That last pitcher might have been a mistake,” Brendan said his voice sounding deeper than usual and causing a shiver to run down Rachel’s frame. She laughed watching the play of the streetlights in his eyes and thinking that he had the most unusually colored eyes of anyone she’d ever seen.
“I think if you want to blame one particular pitcher it should probably the fir-first one,” she said as she unsteadily fell against him.
“Ooop. You alright there princess?” he asked as his other arm also went around her waist. He was practically carrying her and Rachel wasn’t hating it.
Not at all.
“I’m fine,” she said looping her arms around his neck and smiling at him. They ambled along quietly for a while, Rachel enjoying the feel of him plastered to her side.
“Brendan,” her brain decided to speak up.
“Yes Rachel?”
“Do you like me?”
Brendan turned his head to peer curiously into her face, “Why would you ask me that?” he asked.
If Rachel had been sober, there was no way they could have been having this conversation but she wasn’t so, here they were, “well, you bring me all the way to Ireland, you say, to meet someone who can tell me about your past. But you haven’t so much as kissed me. Like…I don’t get it.”
Brendan stared at her stupefied, “I…I just thought you should know who I am first.”
“I do know who you are.”
“No you don’t.”
“Yes I do.”
“No you-” Brendan cut himself off seeming to realize that it was stupid to argue with a drunk person, “Okay then, if you know who I am then tell me,” he challenged instead eyeballing Rachel as she staggered along.
“Okay…” she said and blinked a few times, “You’re super cute,” she began and Brendan laughed.
“What else?”
“Well, you’re kind. And you really look at someone when they speak to you. You listen and not just wait until it’s your turn to speak.”
“Oh,” Brendan said blushing a little.
“And you’re like this alpha male but you get so embarrassed when someone pays you a compliment. It’s kinda very cute.”
“Uh…” Brendan said his arms tightening around her.
“And you’re such a gentleman. I like that about you.” She continued.
“Okay stop,” Brendan said sounding a bit breathless.
“Why? I’m not finished yet.”
“I get it. You know who I am.” Brendan said.
“Okay then, so you gonna kiss me or what?”
“Let’s get to the hotel first, and then you can sleep it off. If you still want me to kiss you, I will. Tomorrow.” He said.
“You see what I mean?” Rachel said with satisfaction, “Gentleman.”
Chapter Eight: Revelations
Rachel woke up to a strange pounding and it took her a while to realize that it was her own head. She reached up; eyes squinched shut and rubbed at her forehead. A soft cold cloth landed gently on top of her hand and she opened her eyes in startlement to behold hazel eyes regarding her with amusement.
“Good morning,” Brendan said.
“Ugh,” Rachel replied closing her eyes.
She felt a warm hand close gently around her wrist and lift her hand off her forehead. The cold cloth was flattened against her pounding temples and she heaved a sigh at how much better that felt.
“Better?” he asked softly and she nodded her head as slowly as she could. She felt his fingers against her mouth, pushing a small round something between her teeth. She opened her mouth, trusting that he wasn’t trying to kill her.
“Painkillers,” he said as she felt a glass against her lips. She swallowed the pill but he didn’t take the glass away but held it against her mouth until she’d finished all the water. She sighed as he took the glass away, turning onto her side and curling up under the duvet.
“Sleep a little more. I’ll be back later with breakfast.” He said and she smiled.
“I love you,” she murmured even as she drifted off into sleep and so she missed the pensive look on his face as he answered.
“Yeah, if only that were true.”
***
“I meant it you know?”
Brendan looked up putting down the newspaper he’d been reading in the chair by her bed.
“You meant what?” he asked cautiously.
“Last night. When I asked you to kiss me,” Rachel said sitting up in bed.
“Huh.” Brendan replied.
“Yeah. And I’m sober now so…” she was staring fixedly at him, as his eyes stayed trained on his shoe, where his foot lay resting on his knee.
“You really want me to kiss you?”
“Please.” she said with a grin, “The suspense is killing me.”
Brendan laughed ruefully, “Okay then. Wouldn’t want to kill you.”
He put his leg on the ground before standing up and transferring his butt to the bed. He sat, looking down at her, seemingly considering her ability to make decisions, “You’re sure?” he asked.
“Hundred percent.” She answered promptly.
He stared a bit more before nodding and leaning in. She closed her eyes, opening her mouth and waiting with bated breath to feel him against her lips. She tensed a little when she felt his lips, not on her mouth as she’d expected but on the curve where her shoulder met her neck. His lips kissed her pulse point, and for sure he could feel how fast her heart was pounding. His tongue came out and licked gently and Rachel forgot how to breathe. His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her in and she went willingly, looping her own around his neck and urging him closer. His tongue traced patterns into her neck before licking upwards to the underside of her jaw. She was trembling with reactions, her body feeling hot and then cold. She wanted more.
“Please,” she whispered against his ear even though she didn’t know what she was asking for.
“Shh, let me,” he said as his fingers softly pushed aside her pajama top and skimmed along her skin, simultaneously ticklish and sensual, making her want to both shy away and arch closer.
“Brendan,” she whispered instead and then his mouth was on hers, tongue tracing the shape of her lips before he pressed his lips against hers, giving her all the contact she could desire. He moved back, pulling her pajama top off before latching his lips back onto hers. She could feel a cold breeze against her nipples emanating from the open window and she arched closer to Brendan so she could feel his warmth. His hand trailed upward, cupping her breast and squeezing gently as his mouth explored hers. She let her moan get swallowed by his tongue as he teased her nipples to arousal.
She felt her back land on the pillow as his mass settled above her, neither his lips nor his hands ever disengaging. She felt inadequate, like a log lying there while he did all the work. But she had no clue what to do, where to touch, in order to elicit the same reactions in him that he was pulling from her. He seemed to know just where to touch her to make her hiss and gasp with pleasure. And all she could do was just lay there, weak with sensation after sensation.
“Touch me,” he whispered as if he’d read her mind.
“Uh, okay,” she replied tentatively lifting her hands and placing them on his chiseled chest. She ran her fingers along the ridges and valleys of his six pack, marveling at the rock hardness of his abs. He might be a spoiled lil’ rich boy according to the blogs but he’d clearly worked for his muscles. And Rachel was nothing if not appreciative. She let out a little s
igh, poking out her tongue to follow the path of her fingers. She was gratified to hear him gasp and redoubled her efforts, using fingers and tongue to trace the entirety of his abdomen.
“You taste good,” she whispered as she ran her tongue along his narrow waist. He seemed to have stopped breathing, simply placing a hand benevolently on top of her head, guiding her gently downwards. She allowed him to gently lead her to where he wanted her to be but then hesitated. She’d never done this before, though she’d once watched a porno on Sergio’s laptop that had been pretty damned comprehensive on what to do. Sergio had called it her necessary corruption.
She stuck her tongue out, licking him like a lollipop, a little reluctant in her movements, not knowing if she was doing it right. His rapid intake of breath followed by a long drawn out groan let her know that he was at least feeling something. She chanced a glance at his face and saw that his eyes were scrunched shut and his face was red.
Surely that had to be a good sign.
She reapplied her efforts to sucking him off with renewed gusto.
“Oh my God,” he moaned, sounding like he was in pain. But he didn’t tell her to stop so Rachel chanced that it was a good pain and continued to suck.
“Rachel, Rachel,” he whispered sounding frantic, “You gotta stop now or I won’t-” his words were cut off by a groan and Rachel let him go with a plop so she could look up into his face.
“Did I do something wrong?” she asked.
“Never in life,” he replied grabbing her shoulders, “I just…didn’t want to come so fast.”
“Oh,” Rachel said eyes wide with surprise.
“Come here,” he said pulling her towards him. She came willingly enough, letting him propel her up until she was flush against him.
“What do you-” she began to say before he’d covered her mouth with his. His hand was questing inside the waist of her pajamas and before she knew it he was pressing against her sensitive heat, long fingers finding every single g-spot she’d ever had. She widened her legs a bit, letting him play as she tried to regulate her breathing. It was a lost cause because her hips gave her away, thrusting a little desperately against his hand.