The Pleasures of Autumn

by Evie Hunter

  There was no way she could refuse it, but how was she going to tell Niall?

  ‘When do they want me?’ Please say a week. Let us have a few more days together. She prayed.

  ‘As soon as possible, chérie. There’s a flight leaving Geneva tonight at 8 p.m. How many seats shall I book?’

  Sinead glanced over at Niall. How could she leave him so soon? Regretfully, she sighed. She had no choice. ‘Two. I’ll see you there.’

  She disconnected the call.

  ‘Everything okay?’ Niall asked.

  ‘Not really. There’s good news and there’s bad news.’

  He patted his knee. ‘Come here.’

  ‘I think I better –’

  ‘I said come here.’ The edge in his tone warned her not to argue and she crossed the room and perched on his knee.

  ‘Who was that?’

  ‘Gabriel.’

  ‘And it wasn’t good news he was giving you. What’s the story?’

  She cuddled into his embrace. God, she would miss him so much. She didn’t know how to tell him.

  Niall gathered her into his arms. ‘This is about money, isn’t it? Are you broke?’

  As he gazed at her, her heart flipped. Of course, he knew. She hadn’t had a salary cheque for months, but the bills still needed to be paid. She owed him €38,750 for sapphire earrings that she could no longer afford and her legal bill would hit five figures, maybe even six if she was unlucky. The kind of lawyers Tim knew didn’t come cheap, and she wasn’t willing to let her uncle pay her legal bills. Not after everything he had done for her. She needed to deal with this herself.

  ‘Apart from some jewellery in London and £50,000 worth of costumes in Paris, I am pretty broke. Arnheim –’

  ‘I can take care of Arnheim.’

  She shook her head. ‘No. I’ve already cost you enough. But thank you.’

  ‘So what did Gabriel say?’

  ‘Lottie is in demand. I can make enough money to pay all my bills and have a nest egg to start my own business. But I’m going to have to travel.’

  His grey eyes clouded and he sighed.

  ‘Where to this time, and for how long?’

  ‘Vegas,’ she whispered. ‘For three months, four allowing for rehearsals.’

  ‘Ouch,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a job starting in London next week. The client asked for me personally. And your uncle wants me and Flynn to sort out some security issues in Buenos Aires after that. I had kind of hoped that you’d come with me.’

  Misery bubbled up inside her. This wasn’t going to be easy. Another separation on top of the one they’d already had would be devastating.

  Niall’s arms tightened around her. ‘When are you leaving?’

  ‘Tonight.’

  He seemed to stop breathing.

  ‘Tonight?’

  She couldn’t restrain the tears that threatened.

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  Time stood still for what felt like an eternity, though it was just a few seconds. Then Niall gathered himself.

  ‘You can go, on two conditions.’

  More conditions. She mustered a half smile. Even when he was down, Niall never gave up control. ‘Anything.’

  Niall picked up her hand and kissed it, never taking his eyes off her face. ‘We get married six months from today and we spend the rest of the day in bed. What do you say?’

  Her fingers were shaking slightly. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Surer than I’ve ever been. I’ll travel to Vegas every chance I get. All you have to do is say yes.’

  She wound her arms around his neck. ‘In that case, take me to bed and prove it.’

  Even though she had challenged him to do it, she was startled by the speed with which he scooped her up in his arms and headed for the bed. He lowered her onto it, and followed her down for another deep, drugging kiss.

  There were so many things she had wanted to tell him about her life, about Lottie, but they were running out of time. Would Niall ever grow bored with her? Lottie was a part of her, but only a small part. At heart she still felt like Plain Jane Super Brain, the timid girl who hid in corners at parties and envied the confidence of her cousin, who could charm a room with a smile and a wink.

  Niall had been fascinated by Lottie for so long. Now he had the real thing.

  ‘I haven’t had a string of lovers, you know,’ she blurted out before she lost her nerve. ‘And the Omani prince did offer me diamonds, but I didn’t accept them.’

  He had been ripping off his shirt, but her words stopped him. ‘So we’ll have to do without the diamonds? Bummer. That would have solved your money problems.’ His voice was light, as if it was all a joke.

  ‘And I did bathe in champagne at that party, but I was wearing a thong.’

  He leaned over, holding her face between his hands. ‘What’s all this about? I don’t care what you wore.’

  His face was stern, the dim light making his cheekbones harsher and his mouth a firm slash. She had never seen anyone so beautiful. How could she compete? Or even keep up?

  ‘I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed. Everyone thinks I’m some sort of temptress, but I’m not. I’m just plain Sinead O’Sullivan. I’m ordinary.’

  He threw back his head and laughed. The movement caused the muscles in his stomach to flex, highlighting the chiselled abs and the tight line of hair that disappeared into his pants. ‘Ordinary? Have you seen yourself in a mirror? You’re the least ordinary person I know. You’re beautiful and you’re smart and you turn me on.’

  ‘Really?’ She knew she sounded pathetic.

  ‘Oh yeah. No doubt.’ His eyes pinned her, allowing no escape.

  She tried to lighten the atmosphere, not sure if she could cope with what she saw in his face. ‘You’re just saying that to get your way with me. But don’t worry, I’m a sure thing.’

  He held her still. ‘You are. I’ve never been more sure of anyone in my life. But never doubt that you are a temptress. I’m just grateful that you hide so much of your beauty so that I’m not fighting off every man we meet. It’s bad enough worrying about Bertrand and warning Andy to keep away from you –’

  ‘Andy?’ As if she would be interested in him when she had Niall.

  Niall kissed her, a swift, punishing kiss. ‘Forget about him. This is between us. You turn me inside out, and I’m determined that I’ll be the only man you do that to from now on.’

  Sinead hooked her arms around his neck. ‘Then how about I do some of that now?’ She tugged him down on top of her. She only had control for a moment, then he took over the kiss, ravaging her mouth, pressing her back into the bed and leaving her nowhere to go.

  ‘Mmmm,’ she purred, revelling in the strength and passion of the man who seemed bent on dominating her.

  His kiss became more gentle, nibbled at her lips, teasing her with licks and nips so that she raised her head, determined to deepen the pressure. But Niall was in charge, and he was intent on showing her that.

  He trailed kisses across her face, up to her eyes, where he muttered a complaint about her ridiculously long eyelashes, and down to her ears. He swirled his tongue around the contours, making her giggle and twist. ‘Hold still,’ he growled, then nipped the lobe of her ear.

  She squealed and jerked, but he held her still and did it again.

  ‘Oh god.’ The things he was doing should be illegal. She couldn’t bear to look away from him, but she couldn’t keep her eyes open. The sensations that washed over her were coming too fast; she had no control over them.

  His long fingers traced down her collarbone, along her sides, up around her breasts. She held her breath, waiting for them to touch her nipples, but instead they dipped down to her belly button. She gasped. When had that turned into an erogenous zone?

  Those tormenting fingers continued on their path, touching lightly on areas where she wanted more pressure, skating around places where she would have welcomed any pressure at all.

  When he just grazed
her mons for a fleeting second, leaving her bereft and aching, she opened her eyes and glared at him. ‘You know, if you are not going to get on with this, I can find someone else to take over. Andy, maybe.’

  Niall’s eyes darkened, the playfulness replaced with something much more dangerous. ‘Oh no, darling, you’re mine now. Now and forever.’ He traced a line from her hip to her nipple. ‘This is mine. Soft and delicate. And mine.’

  He grazed her nipple, making lightning flash through her, but took his thumb away too soon. ‘Mine. Get used to it.’

  Sinead had to look away from the naked possession in his gaze. The sheer strength of his will was overwhelming. But she wasn’t going to let him have everything his own way. ‘You think so?’ She was proud her voice didn’t shake the way her insides did.

  ‘Oh yeah.’ He nudged her thighs and, helpless, she allowed them to fall apart, granting him access to anything he wanted. He stroked up the seam of her lips, forcing a moan from her. ‘This is mine.’

  He moved back just far enough to unfasten his belt and shove his trousers down. His erection sprang free, hard and fierce.

  Sinead followed it with her eyes. She had done that to him. Niall’s control was legendary. If she could make him that hard, she had power over him, too. She reached for it.

  He caught her hand. ‘Not this time. I’m going to show you how much you mean to me. And you are going to lie there and let me.’

  ‘I am?’ She tried to sound challenging.

  ‘Yep. Now lie back and let me work.’

  She couldn’t help it; she giggled. He sounded so much like a surly workman. But she lay back obediently.

  He gave her a mock glare, then caught her hands and wrapped them around the bed frame. ‘Keep them there,’ he told her, then proceeded to drive her out of her mind.

  He kissed and licked and sucked, moving from one sensitive spot to another, never letting her catch her breath. His hands were equally busy, caressing and teasing and stroking.

  She twisted, trying to contain the pleasure he was lavishing on her. Her eyelids would not stay open, as if her brain were unable to process all the stimulation and operate her eyes as well. It seemed impossible that he was only one man. She registered a nip on her neck, a pinch on her nipple and a lazy circle on her inner thigh. The Rangers were known to be resourceful, she thought dimly, before abandoning the effort.

  The heat that emanated from him was a caress in itself, and she ached to be closer to it. She let go of the bed frame to reach for him, but he caught her hand.

  ‘Please, I need to touch you,’ she pleaded.

  He held her hand in a strong grasp. ‘Not this time. I need to concentrate on you.’ His voice was strained.

  Even while he caught both her hands in his and held them above her head, she exulted. She was driving him to the edge of his control, and she would drive him to lose it.

  He drove his tongue into her mouth in a possessive, dominating kiss. She allowed him to exert his command, then she sucked delicately on it, tangling her own with it and shifting so that she rubbed his chest with her nipples. The feeling of his hot skin against the hard points was almost too much for her, but the groan that ripped from his chest was worth it.

  She undulated against him, caressing his rock-hard cock with her belly, and she treasured the muttered curse he couldn’t conceal.

  ‘You’re a bad girl, Sinead,’ he said.

  ‘I know. What are you going to do about it?’

  ‘This!’ That was all the warning she had before he moved between her thighs and surged into her in one smooth, powerful movement.

  All the breath left her lungs. Her nerve endings went into overload. How had she forgotten the size and strength of him? The heat and power? He filled her, completed her. She wanted to spend the rest of her life like this.

  ‘More,’ she managed.

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’ Then he was moving, slowly at first, the friction so deliciously dizzying that she forgot how to breathe. He sped up, going faster and faster. She twisted, desperate to hold onto him, but he still held her hands, so she gripped his hips with her legs and drove him on with her heels.

  Niall had obviously intended this to be a slow seduction, but he was no more able to resist her than she was him.

  ‘Niall, Niall,’ she gasped, not able to form any other words.

  She had no idea where he stopped and she began, who was moving, which of them was groaning. It didn’t matter.

  Now his hips were moving powerfully, driving her higher and higher. She fought to get breath, and expelled each one in a scream. The tension inside her tightened harder and harder, until she began to fear she would not survive what he was doing. But she would have killed him if he had stopped.

  ‘Sinead, I love you,’ he gasped, then surged into her in a last series of thrusts. Knowing that she had broken his control was all it took to push her over the edge. With a wail, she fell apart, her body convulsing around his in spasms of pleasure so intense she could not contain them.

  When she recovered, he was holding her tightly. ‘Never forget how much I love you,’ he said, and kissed her, a tender kiss that told her everything she needed to know.

  She snuggled into him and yawned. ‘I have a terrible memory. I expect you’ll have to remind me several times a day for the next fifty years.’

  He laughed. ‘Deal.’ Then he tucked her against his body and settled down to sleep.

  Epilogue

  ‘I’ve never spanked anyone at a wedding,’ Niall said thoughtfully.

  ‘And you won’t be starting now.’

  Sinead cursed as she tried to fasten the tiny clasp on her necklace.

  ‘Here, let me do that.’ Niall took the platinum chain from her and deftly fastened the ends together.

  Sinead gave him a sly grin in the mirror. ‘You’re still not spanking me. Come on, the others will be waiting.’ She headed for the door.

  ‘Ahem, haven’t you forgotten something?’

  Hearing the laughter in his voice, Sinead pivoted on her high heels and returned to where he was waiting. Cupping his face in her hands, she brushed her mouth lovingly against his.

  Despite the hectic months of Lottie’s last revue, she had never been so happy. After the wedding, they would finally set up home together instead of snatching weekends in hotels or overnights when Niall came to Las Vegas on business.

  Niall’s broad hands grasped her waist and he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. His tongue plundered her mouth, and she gave herself up to his passionate embrace. It was easier than fighting him. She would save that for later.

  In forty-eight hours’ time, they would be sailing in the azure seas off the coast of St Martin. There would be nothing to do but laze around, eat and swim in the crystal Caribbean waters. She couldn’t wait.

  The telephone beside the bed rang and Niall reached for it. Sinead saw the number on the display and snatched it from his hand before he could answer. She put her finger to her lips, warning him to be quiet. Granny O’Sullivan was horribly old-fashioned. If she even suspected that they had spent the night together before their wedding, she would have a fit. As it was, they had booked adjoining rooms, one of which hadn’t been used.

  ‘Yes, Gran? Okay. I’ll be there in two minutes.’ She put the phone down and glared at Niall. ‘She wants to see me.’

  Niall laughed. ‘She probably wants to give you a few tips about your wedding night.’

  ‘Oh you …’ She raised her hand threateningly and he ducked out of the way. ‘I’ll be back in five minutes. Make sure you’re ready.’

  Sinead hurried down the corridor to her grandmother’s suite. Her uncle had spared no expense to ensure his mother’s comforts on her first transatlantic trip. It was just a pity he hadn’t arrived yet. Tim O’Sullivan was in the middle of acquiring another airline. If he didn’t make it on time for the wedding, she would have no one to give her away.

  She knocked on the door and her grandmother answered, resplendent in pale
mauve silk. She was a small woman who radiated energy and authority. No one argued with Granny O’Sullivan.

  ‘Come in, pet. I won’t keep you long. I just wanted to give you a little something.’

  From a folded envelope, she produced a silver St Christopher medal on a piece of faded blue ribbon. ‘I wanted you to have this for your something blue.’

  Sinead didn’t have the heart to tell her that she was wearing a blue garter beneath her Forties-style ivory dress, or that Niall had insisted on putting it on her thigh earlier.

  ‘It belonged to my own grandmother. I had hoped to pass it on to your mother, but …’ Her voice shook. She pressed the medal into Sinead’s hand and closed her fingers around it. ‘My grandmother was working as a nurse in Cobh when the Lusitania sank. One of the passengers she looked after gave it to her as a remembrance.’

  ‘Thanks, Gran. I’d be honoured to wear it.’

  ‘You do that. They say that St Christopher looks after travellers. You’ve done a lot of travelling already and you’ll probably be doing more with that dancing lark.’

  Sinead’s eyes filled with tears. Her grandmother was right. She had come a long way, from an encampment in Mayo to the bright lights of London, Paris and Las Vegas. ‘Lottie is retiring,’ she said.

  ‘Is she now?’ Her grandmother’s eyes twinkled. ‘We’ll see. Now, dry your eyes and go fetch that chap of yours before we’re late.’

  Sinead was about to open the door and then stopped. How did Granny O’Sullivan know that Niall hadn’t left for the church already? A soft laugh came from behind her and she turned.

  ‘Your grandfather was a passionate man too,’ her grandmother said with a smile.

  Fighting the blush rising in her cheeks, Sinead fled from the room. Her cousin Summer was right. Granny O’Sullivan was a witch.

  Sinead hurried back to the room and found that Niall was tapping away on his laptop. ‘Five minutes,’ he said. ‘I have to get this done before we go.’

  Sinead tapped her foot impatiently. They would be the last to arrive at the church. ‘Mr Moore, I do believe we have a date at noon. You remember? Church, priest, wedding rings?’