“You said you wouldn’t hurt me.” She tried her best to sound accusing, but was afraid it came out breathless. Now, there was a frisson of fear skittering through her that had nothing to do with the dark.
“And I kept my word. I only made you more comfortable. If I snuck a peek, it was only because I’m a man attracted to women. And you, my dear, have a body worth doing more than sneaking a peek.”
LeeAnn sucked in a breath. That really shouldn’t have made her break out in a sweat and her sex clench as if aching to be filled. The only thing she knew about this man was that he was an O’Shea. All she knew about the O’Sheas was that she didn’t want to know them because they were seriously bad news. Her father had told her to stay away from them and here she was in this one’s bed.
“I’m so fucked,” she muttered, swinging her legs over the side of the bed once again. When she stood, her feet sank into plush carpeting as she walked to the bathroom. Fionn O’Shea stood by the door, arms crossed over his chest. He’d changed clothes, but looked anything but relaxed and ready for a night in. This time, he wore black jeans that molded powerful thighs. A black T-shirt molded his torso to tuck into his pants neatly. A black belt and black combat boots rounded out the menacing outfit, along with a big, butch military watch strapped to one brawny forearm. Reddish-gold hair dusted his arms just as she imagined it would his chest. God, the man was fine! Why did he have to be a killer? Her dad had said as much about the O’Sheas, but even if he hadn’t, she’d have known this one was. Fionn had a look about him. This one had seen too much death.
LeeAnn made an attempt to shut the door, but Fionn didn’t budge, standing in her way, looking at her with those intense green eyes. “Um, privacy?” He didn’t say anything, simply shook his head, an amused grin on his face. “Well,” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, “I need a shower. “You might have seen everything I have to offer, but I’m still not undressing in front of you.”
“I’ll leave, but the door stays open.”
“But—”
“Or I stay inside. Your choice.”
“Why? I’m not going anywhere. I don’t even know where I am. It would be foolish of me to jump out a window and take off in the dark.” She cocked a hip, bracing her hand on it. “I may be a lot of things, but I’m not stupid.”
“The door stays open, or I stay inside,” he repeated slowly, looking for all the world as if she amused him.
“Fine,” she snapped. “Just stay outside.” There was nothing else for it. At least he was being fairly nice to her. Whatever his agenda, he didn’t seem to want to hurt her. That could change if her father didn’t cooperate, she was sure. Maybe if she could get him to like her. Not “like” as in she was going to try to seduce him. He was too intense for that. If she could get him to see her as a person he enjoyed being around, maybe this would all work out for her.
Only one way to find out.
Chapter Five
Why the fuck was he torturing himself like this? Fionn was so captivated with LeeAnn he could hardly contain himself, yet he knew he couldn’t have her. Which puzzled the shit out of him because there were very few women he wanted who were out of bounds. Normally he’d have enjoyed her for a few days until Shannon told him his next move, then been done with her. If that meant he killed her father, if that meant he had to kill her, he’d have done it. Without regret or hesitation. He’d have made sure she had a clean, painless death, but other than that he never felt anything for anyone other than his brothers. Even those feelings were muted. But the need to make this woman feel safe, to protect her, was making him seriously edgy. For a man who though he was long devoid of feeling, this was a very uncomfortable place to be.
He stepped out of LeeAnn’s line of sight, but watched as she undressed and climbed into the steaming tub. As he’d noted when he’d undressed her for bed, the woman was stunning. Dark, dark, creamy skin looked as if she’d been airbrushed to perfection. If there was a mark on her body, he couldn’t find it. Her skin had a healthy, sexy glow about it that made him want to lick it to see if she glistened with honey. Which made him want to cover her in honey dust just so he could lick her from head to toe.
Note to self…purchase honey dust ASAP.
She groaned as she slid deeper into the water. A pang of regret for drugging her punched him in the chest, but he didn’t regret taking her. Only the means by which he’d acquired her.
Once she was safely in the water, he entered the bathroom, moving to lean against the vanity so he had an unimpeded view of her. When she gasped and covered her breasts, he felt the corners of his lips tug upward.
“It’s not as if I haven’t seen all of you. Besides, I have some questions for you. I promise I won’t look any more than necessary.”
“Can’t your questions wait until I’m decent? And sober?”
“I find that a little inhibition often loosens the tongue.”
She shrugged, still not moving her arms from her exquisite breasts. “I have nothing to hide. You don’t have to pull information out of me. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
“Everyone has something to hide,” he said. Fionn knew his voice and expression had gone suddenly cold. Secrets were a fact of life. One he hated, but, in his experience, anyone who said they had nothing to hide was a liar.
“I’m not everyone,” she said simply, meeting his gaze steadily. Fionn held it, wondering how long she could hold his stare. Surprisingly, she didn’t back down, didn’t gaze at him in fear or disgust. Who was this woman? LeeAnn Bates was either the bravest woman he’d ever met or the stupidest. Worse, he could detect no deception in her. She was simply stating a fact as she saw it.
Finally, he began his questions. “What do you know about your father’s ambitions regarding O’Shea business?”
“As far as I know, he has none,” she said simply. “All he’s ever told me about you is that I should stay away from anything to do with the O’Sheas. In fact, had I listened to him, I wouldn’t be here in the first place.”
“What do you mean?”
“He told me to stay away from the Irish. That the O’Shea family frequented the place and I didn’t want to be mixed up with them.”
“He was right, you know.”
“Yeah,” she said, arching an eyebrow. “I sort of figured that one out on my own. Now, can you please leave?”
“One more thing,” he said. “Is there a good chance your father will pay a ransom for you if we offered one?”
“Are you kidding? Of course! He’s probably worried sick about me! You are going to send me home. Right?” She gave him a look so innocent and trusting, Fionn scowled, rubbing his chest because something felt like it was stabbing him.
“We’ll see,” he said before exiting the bathroom. He left the door open, not wanting her to think she could simply dictate to him.
Fionn used the time to center himself. To get a grip on his raging libido. He’d blame it on not having been satisfied earlier but he hadn’t been in a bad way until he first laid eyes on LeeAnn. The woman had looked at him, not like the killer he was, but with complete trust he’d ransom her back to her father. Why would she do that?
She had to be willfully ignorant. Which meant she wasn’t the kind of woman he wanted hanging around. He knew she was intelligent, but sometimes intelligent people were so caught up in whatever seemed important to them, they couldn’t see the problems inherent in the real world.
It wasn’t long before she peeked her head around the door. “Um, I need something to wear.”
“You have my shirt. That will do for now.” He was curious to see how she’d handle this situation. And, God help him, scenario after scenario as to how he’d get her back in his bed—with him on top of her—was running through his mind at lightning speed.
“Panties?”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Fine,” she said with a huff. “No panties.” Opening the door wide, she exited the bathroom. All that dark, dark skin be
neath his white shirt made him want to strip it off her quicker than she ever could have put it on. Those long, slender legs seemed to go on for miles. As she walked across the room to sit primly on the edge of the bed, Fionn took in her every move. Unfortunately, the shirt was long enough he wasn’t catching a glimpse of her sex or her ass, but he’d had hopes.
She pulled the shirt tight over her knees, covering every inch she could. Still, she didn’t flinch away from his gaze. “So, now what?” She might as well have been asking “What’s for dinner?” for all the emotion she showed. LeeAnn wasn’t afraid of him like she had been in the car.
“You don’t seem as…agitated as you were in the car. Have you forgotten how you got here?” Fionn had no idea why he was trying to stoke her fear. He’d hated it earlier, but now, he was puzzled as to her abrupt turnaround.
“No,” she said simply, with a shrug. “But you’re not a bad person. Besides, if you were going to hurt me, you’d have done it way before now.”
“You know nothing about me,” he snapped.
She blinked at him, as if he’d startled her with his outburst. “Well, no. But, like I said, you could have already done horrible things to me if you’d intended to. I don’t exactly want to buddy up with you but I’m not going to spend energy on useless worry.”
It was his turn to blink at her. Was she for real? “You’re shitting me. Aren’t you?”
“Why would I do that?”
“To get me to let my guard down. Let me assure you, better women than you have tried.”
“I’m not trying to do anything. But I would really, really like to have some underwear. It’s a bit drafty.”
After a lengthy pause, Fionn finally said, “You’re insane. Utterly insane.” There was no way to keep the dismay from his voice; he even chuckled a little before he caught himself.
Instantly her face changed, hardened. Fionn got the sense that she was only just now giving him her full attention. “I assure you, Mr. O’Shea, I’m perfectly sound of mind.”
What a puzzle! She was totally captivating. “I’m not convinced,” he muttered. “You’re in the home of a man who drugged and kidnapped you. You’re being held for ransom. And you’re more worried about not wearing panties?”
“It’s a valid concern.”
“I’m more interested in why I’m only now worthy of your notice.”
“I don’t like people assuming I’m not intelligent just because I don’t concern myself with trivial things. You said you weren’t going to hurt me. You said you were only waiting to ransom me to my father. If you were going to hurt me, you already would have. Why should I dwell on these things when there are other, more important things to do? Worry wastes energy I could spend on work.”
“You don’t have a job. You’re a full-time student.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m not working. I’m working on my doctorate in aerospace engineering with my emphasis on astronautics. That means I’m doing research when I’m not teaching classes. Once my project is complete, the research I’ve done will be enough to finish my Ph.D. So I have more on my mind than a man who has said he wasn’t going to hurt me.”
“Did it ever occur to you I could be lying?” Anger was beginning to smolder inside Fionn. Not because she was arguing with him or because she was disrespecting him. The woman had no concept of saving her own skin. There truly was no fear due to her situation. She should be begging him to let her go, offering to do anything he wanted if he’d just not harm her. Instead, she was taking him at his word? What was wrong with the woman?
“Why would you do that? You already have me where you want me. There’s no reason to lie to me.”
She sounded so reasonable, rational when he felt anything but. With a growl, Fionn stalked toward her, not stopping until he snagged her arms, pulling her to her feet. Fisting a hand in her hair, Fionn fastened his lips to hers. If he was turned inside out by her on every emotional and physical level possible, then, by God, she was going to be as well.
Chapter Six
The last thing LeeAnn expected was for Fionn O’Shea to kiss her. In her experience, men like him simply weren’t interested in women like her. Not really. Unfortunately, the second he swept his tongue into her mouth, LeeAnn could have cared less about his motives. She was…changed. Altered. Something inside her seemed to click into place. She had to have more.
Eagerly, she met his tongue with a lick of her own, moaning into his mouth. Dimly, she had the thought that he was probably used to worldly women. Women whose touch was practiced, who knew well how to pleasure a man and pleasure him well. LeeAnn hadn’t ever really given sex much thought. She’d experimented in high school, but nothing had ever stimulated her as much as math and science so she’d given up on it, figuring she just wasn’t a sexual person. Now, she had to rethink that assumption. Perhaps she’d just needed the right man.
Every nerve ending in her body seemed to surge to life, pleasure filling all the holes inside her she’d never known were there. It was as if pieces of herself had been missing and this man was filling them with molten heat and raw sensuality. Just his kiss alone was enough to make her crazed with desire. There was no way LeeAnn could prevent herself from not only kissing him back, but from clinging to him and begging for more.
Her frenzy seemed to fuel Fionn’s own lusts. Wicked thrusts of his tongue were soon followed by nips with his teeth. His hands seemed to be everywhere, shaping her body as if he had to touch her everywhere at once. The next thing she knew, his big, rough hands were at her sides, yanking up her shirt as he slid them up her bare skin. The slight scrape of his palms was the most erotic sensation she’d ever experienced. Even more than his kiss. She knew he was about to touch her places few men had ventured and she ached for it.
At the first touch of his thumb over her nipple, LeeAnn arched her back and screamed. Her pussy clenched, moisture rushing to ready her for his body. Fionn growled as he whipped the shirt from her body only to wrap his arms around her and latch on to her nipple with his lips. Again, sensation seemed to swamp LeeAnn, nothing making sense except that she had to have this. The pleasure he could give her was unlike any she’d ever experienced and she was, indeed, starving for it, as Benita had observed.
“Fuck!” Fionn’s coarse interjection echoed loudly in the room as he let her go long enough to strip his own shirt from his body. LeeAnn was helpless not to touch him. All that rigid, muscled flesh jumped at her touch. When she raked her nails down his torso, he hissed in a breath, letting his head fall back on his shoulders. Tendons and veins stood out in relief from his neck to his chest and shoulders, evidence of the strain he felt. When he met her gaze again, his green eyes burned with a fiery passion she’d never before witnessed. Instead of scaring her, it only excited her more. If she didn’t stop this, she knew he was going to fuck her. And, right now, she wasn’t sure she wanted him to stop.
Once free of his shirt, Fionn lifted her, urging her to wrap her legs around his waist. Crawling up onto the bed, he laid her down with his body pressing her into the mattress. LeeAnn found she loved the weight of him pinning her down, loved how heavy and big his body was compared to her own. She was naked beneath him. He was clad only in his jeans. As he settled over her, he lifted his head enough to look into her eyes. His were full of lust and confused desire. LeeAnn knew she had much the same expression in her own eyes but didn’t know how to adequately describe to him what she felt or needed.
“If you don’t want this, tell me now. Once I start, I’m not stopping until you’re well and truly fucked,” Fionn said with a hoarse rasp to his voice. Forming words or even a coherent thought was impossible. All she could do was nod as she threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled him back to her.
He didn’t hesitate to take her mouth again, thrusting his tongue over and over, seeking hers to suck into his own mouth. Once LeeAnn figured out what he wanted, she responded eagerly, whimpering helplessly as she writhed against him. Sweat slickened their skin, making t
hem slide together erotically. As LeeAnn clung to him, Fionn took her to a world of dark sensuality she’d never dreamed existed. Her breasts ached. Her clit throbbed. And LeeAnn simply let him take over, losing herself in this unfamiliar place she knew she’d forever crave like a drug.
Fionn had no idea what was driving him. All he knew was an unholy lust had seized him and he was going to have this woman writhing so sweetly in his arms. She had no inhibitions whatsoever. Gone was the modest, backward woman he’d taken from the Irish. In her place was a wanton, more passionate and needy than any woman he’d ever paid for sex. She was real. Full of life. And she wanted him with a need as desperate as his own.
He licked his way down her body, enjoying her cries when he nipped one nipple. Then he nipped the other one before sucking it into his mouth and drawing strongly. The bite of her nails as she dug them into his shoulders was like spurs urging him on. In a frenzy, Fionn trailed his lips down her body until he got to her sex. She was panting as hard as he was as she raised herself up on her elbows to watch. Fionn met her gaze as he lowered his face to her cunt and took his first taste.
Bliss! Musky, honeyed delight greeted him with a wet rush when his tongue made its first swipe. Her head fell back on a cry. All that dark skin glistened with a fine sheen of sweat. She trembled beneath his touch, thrusting her hips to get her sex closer to his mouth. Finally, she fell back on the bed, bracing her feet on the mattress so she could raise herself to meet his tongue.
“Oh, God!” she cried brokenly as he flicked her clit several times, fluttering over the sensitive nub. “What are you doing to me?”
“Are you going to come for me?”
“I don’t…ah, God, I don’t know!”
“Never come before?” There was no way to hide his surprise. His first instinct was to call her a liar, but he deep down, he realized she was telling the truth. His little sex kitten was so driven in academics perhaps she had neglected her sexual needs.
Fionn Page 3