James grinned at Lily. “Marking your territory, sister dear?”
“Yes,” she said with a resolute nod. Stroking Ian on the cheek, she smiled. “You belong to me and me alone, husband.”
He caught her hand and placed a kiss in the center of her palm. “That I do, milady,” he agreed.
James sat back in the booth, put his arm behind Beth on the back of the seat and slid closer to her. “You can mark your own territory any time now, gypsy,” he hinted with a broad wink.
Beth gave him a cheeky grin. “So where’s that, Irish?”
He didn’t hesitate. “Right over here.” Dropping his arm to her shoulders, he pulled her close and lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her hungrily, licking and nipping at her full lower lip. Her hand lifted up of its own accord and slid around the back of his neck, pulling him even closer. “Want you,” he whispered against her mouth and every nerve ending in her body quivered with a burst of hot energy.
“Yes,” she gasped as his other hand came to rest on her thigh under the table. He squeezed it gently and she felt the curve of his lips against her cheek. “Not here, though. There’s crumbs on the seat,” she joked, desperately trying to get her heartbeat back under control and failing on an epic scale.
James didn’t answer, but his entire body shook with quiet laughter. Wiping a tear of mirth from his eye, he straightened and gave her a chaste kiss on the temple. “Crumbs, is it? The booth’s definitely out then.” He picked up a cocktail napkin and began to daub at the droplets of water condensation on the high gloss table. Placing a hand flat against the hard surface, he looked back at Beth. “And this is too cold, Goldilocks.”
Beth burst into laughter. Ever intuitive, Ian stretched and shifted in his seat. “I believe we’ll be calling it an evening,” he said to Lily with a knowing wink. “Are you ready to take me home, my sweetheart?”
James reached for Beth’s hand, threading her fingers in his. “It is getting late, don’t you agree, Miss Beth?” he asked. She shivered, and he tightened his grip. “Don’t you run from me,” he warned, lifting her hand for a kiss. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you get away a second time.” He deliberately wet his lower lip, allowing his gaze to drop to her mouth.
Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the intensity burning deep in his eyes and she realized she was seriously in over her head. She shivered, thinking of the last steamy romance novel she had read, wondering if it would be anything like that. Goddess, I hope so,
The foursome walked arm in arm to the front doors, hidden from the cluster of eager photographers gathered just outside. Once summoned by security, the big black limo arrived within minutes. Lily got in first, followed by Ian who poked his head out and called, “We’ll see you tomorrow.” Lily waved, and gave Beth the call me gesture. Closing their door behind them, the doorman patted the roof twice and the big car slowly pulled away from the curb.
The flashes fired nonstop, the paparazzi in a feeding frenzy trying to get close-up pictures of the couple. Beth stared after the disappearing car. “Um, James?” she stammered, “I…uh…wasn’t that our ride?”
His eyes twinkled. “No, my darlin’,” he said softly, motioning toward the shining white limousine pulling up to the curb, “this is our ride.” His hand moved down her lower back as he gallantly helped her into the car then slid in beside her. “I didn’t have a white horse handy so I’m hoping this’ll do, my lady.”
As they pulled away from the club, Beth avoided meeting those intense green eyes. She ran her hands over the expensive leather, studiously admiring the luxurious interior. “Are we going back to the hotel now?” she squeaked
He smiled and put a finger to his lips. “Sssh…it’s a surprise,” he whispered. Pulling the chilled Moet & Chandon out of the ice bin, he expertly popped the cork and caught the effervescent overflow in the ready champagne glasses. He handed one to her in toast. “To you, beautiful lady.”
“And to you,” she added bravely, hoping he wouldn’t notice the tremble of her hand as she held the fine stemmed crystal. She took a sip and narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to ply me with alcohol so you can have your wicked way with me, sir?”
“Of course I am,” he crowed. With that, he threw back his head and laughed with boyish delight. “I’m so happy to be here with you. I’ve been looking forward to this forever, it seems.” Capturing her hand, he held it palm down to his chest so she could feel the rhythmic pounding. “See what you do to me? You make me feel alive, my darlin’.”
He brushed his lips over hers and kissed first across the line of her jaw then down to gently nip at the pulse point at the base of her throat, drawing a soft moan from her parted lips. “I meant what I said,” he murmured, his breath hot on her neck.
Beth’s world was at the moment spinning out of control, but his words managed to pierce through the fog. “Mmph?” she mumbled, trying to recapture his lips. “Stepped in what?”
He cupped her face with his hand and raised her eyes to meet his. “I love you, Beth, and I’m hoping one day I can hear you say those words back to me.” He caressed her face then held his champagne glass up to her lips for a sip. When she obliged him, he lazily ran the tip of his tongue over her lower lip, tasting and nibbling. Her senses blazed to levels of intensity she didn’t know even existed by the erotic gesture. Every touch of his hands set her on fire, every brush of his lips stole her breath away.
Before she lost herself in him again, she steeled herself to ask a niggling question weighing on her mind from earlier. In a quick, jerky movement, she shifted her body to look out the window and asked, “The last song. You looked at me and said it was you. What did you mean?”
He shrugged a broad shoulder. “I had a real deja vu moment out there, like I had sung that song to you before.” He rested his chin on her shoulder, nuzzling her neck. “You feel…right to me, sweetheart, like…we’re supposed to be together.” With a gentle nudge, he turned her to face him again. “Do you know how much talking to you at night has meant to me? So many days it seemed you were the only real person I talked to, the only that actually listened to me. It made the days bearable, just knowing I had that to look forward to.”
He fell silent, his face cast in intermittent shadow from the glare of the streetlights whizzing by. With shaking hands, Beth pressed his palm to her hammering chest. “Feel what you do to me,” she whispered, her eyes stinging hot with tears from the pain and loneliness in his voice. “James, I…”
“Seamus,” he interrupted. “My name is Seamus. James isn’t a real person, darlin’. Always with you, I want to be real. Always.”
Without ceremony, the last remaining piece of her armor fell away. “Seamus,” she began, tumbling headlong into his hopeful gaze. “…I love you.”
He sat unmoving, frozen for the longest moment before enfolding her in trembling arms. “Thank you,” he whispered into her hair, “thank you.” Feeling suddenly very peaceful and…right, she laid her head down on his shoulder and snuggled against him. He chuckled softly, lifting her into his lap. Thus settled, they both breathed a contented sigh.
They rode in silence for a while longer until Beth raised her head and looked around. “Ja…Seamus? Do you have any idea where we are?”
He peered out the window. “Erm….no. I don’t know the area very well, but I think we have a ways to go yet judging from what I’m seeing, which appears to be naught but water. Wait. There’s a sign.”
The green highway signs announced that they were crossing over the bay on the uber-long Howard Frankland Bridge, heading west. When they pulled off at the 54th Avenue exit, Beth’s phone vibrated in her purse. “Tell Lily you’re fine and you’ll talk to her tomorrow.” James laughed. “Tonight you’re all mine.”
She gave him a coy smile as she pulled out her cell phone and looked at the text from Lily.
okay?
better than okay
They rode on through the cloudless night, watching the neon signs fly by. At la
st, the bright lights of the Don CeSar hotel on St. Pete Beach rose up from the sand like a pink castle straight out of a fairy tale. “Oh, my,” Beth gasped. With a mysterious smile he said, “We weren’t about to get any privacy at my hotel and being alone with you tonight is what I want more than anything.” The car rolled to a stop and the attentive doorman jumped to assist them, opening the car door. James waved the concierge away. “No bags,” he explained. They scanned the lobby quickly then headed straight for the elevator. James fumbled with the key card then held the door open for Beth.
The airy pastel room itself was beautifully old world with a king-sized bed in a wrought iron frame. The private terrace overlooked the Gulf of Mexico. Vases of fresh cut flowers were scattered throughout, the turned down bed littered with rose petals. A bottle of champagne sat chilling in an ice bucket on the table next to two elegant crystal flutes and a glass covered plate of fresh strawberries and chocolates. “Surprise,” he said, closing the door behind them and locking it with a quiet snick of the tumblers.
No turning back now. She gulped.
14
“Make yourself comfortable, my darlin’,” James said, taking her by the hand and leading her to a plush chair in the parlor area. He knelt before her to remove the anklet. Unzipping the back of her open-toed sandal, he slid it from her foot and placed a gentle kiss on her instep. “The shoes are hot, but I bet you’re glad to be out of them,” he smiled, massaging the ball of her foot with strong hands.
She groaned at the sheer pleasure of his soothing touch. “I always heard beauty requires a sacrifice, so I’m paying my dues.” She sighed, wiggling her freed toes in pleasure. “If you ever decide to quit singing, let me know. I’ll hire you as my personal foot masseuse.”
“Tempting offer, but I’ll be wanting to rub more than just your feet, cute as they are.” With a smile, he stood and opened the champagne, pouring each of them a glass. “Slainte, mo gra,” he said, raising his glass to her.
Panic reared its ugly head and she scrambled for a reason to stall. Bingo. She repeated the toast back to him and asked, “So you speak Gaelic too?”
“Yeah,” he nodded, setting his glass down. “I don’t use it so much, so I understand more than I can speak.” He tugged off his boots and lined them up next to her shoes. “My whole family is fluent. You can always tell when one of them is getting pissed off because the Irish starts slipping in,” he added with a laugh. “Megs and Ian are the worst. They switch back and forth so fast it’s hard to keep up.” Taking her by the hands, he tugged her to her feet. “Come to me, darlin’, I can’t wait one moment more,” he pleaded.
He kissed her with savage intensity, cradling the side of her face in his hand. His thumb brushed the corner of her mouth, encouraging her to part her lips for him and she did, allowing his velvety tongue to explore. Bit by tantalizing bit, he was rewarded for his efforts. Encouraged, his kisses became more insistent. He teased her, retreating and advancing in foreshadowing of what was to come.
Using the utmost care, James unfastened the pins holding the gypsy ribbons. “When I bought these, I dreamt of taking them out of your hair just like this.” As he spoke those words, the ribbons came free and her hair tumbled down loose and wild over his hands. “Ah, my Lisbeth but you are a lovely thing.” He sighed, burying his face in her curls and inhaling deeply.
His hands molded to the curve of her hips and she felt him tug at the short zipper. “I need to see you, sweetness,” he said softly. Beth leaned into him to give him better access and he unzipped her, allowing a cool breeze from the ceiling fan to flutter across her exposed skin. His hands were on her back at once, sliding over her upper back and murmuring his delight at the softness. The dress slid from her shoulders to drift gracefully down and pool at her feet. She stood before him wearing only a backless lace bra and matching panties.
With a smile hot enough to melt sand, James guided her hand down to the hard bulge straining against the soft leather pants. “Feel what you do to me,” he rasped, but when she obediently took hold and squeezed, he yelped and his eyes crossed at her unexpected reaction. He hastily relocated her hand before she could squeeze again and walked her backward toward the bed, laughing when they fell upon it. With a fierce growl he rolled over on top of her, long fingers tickling her ribs playfully. She squealed and tried to squirm out from underneath him. When he prevented her escape, she took the offensive and tickled back. James made a strange choking noise, jerked and promptly tumbled off the foot of the bed, landing on the floor with a thud.
“Oh my God,” she shrieked, “Are you all right?”
There was no answer. Jumping off the bed in a panic, she crouched down next to him and leaned over to check for injury. She suspected a trap only a split second before his hands came up to ensnare her waist and pull her down to him. “No, sweetness, I’m not all right,” James snickered as he rolled over on top of her, pinning her to the floor. “We’ve got far too many clothes on for me to be all right.”
Beth giggled in spite of her nervousness. “So what do we do about that?” she asked.
He bounced up and pulled her to her feet then sat down on the side of the bed, tugging her forward to stand between his splayed leather clad knees. He dusted her stomach with feathery kisses then gently unfastened her bra and pulled it off with his teeth. He groaned with pleasure when her full breasts sprang free of their lacey confines and immediately kissed the tender area in between them. “Darlin’, I have to say it. Your breasts are truly a thing of beauty,” he sighed. A soft gasp escaped her lips when he nuzzled first one, then the other, finally taking one pink nipple in his mouth. His tongue curled around the hard peak and he suckled lazily, kneading her bottom with both hands. When his hungry mouth relinquished its prize, her whimper of regret turned into another moan of pleasure as he found the other one and gave it the same loving treatment.
“Can’t…stand up…,” Beth gasped. When her knees buckled, he caught her easily and laid her back on the bed. He hovered over her, kissing her open mouth with single-minded intensity. She kissed him back every bit as fiercely, and it only served to throw gasoline on an already out of control fire. He showered a rain of scalding kisses down her chest and stomach and when his fingers tugged at the sides of her lace panties, a hard shiver went through her. She closed her eyes and ran her fingers through his hair, reeling from the internal havoc being wreaked by his tongue licking a slow circle around her navel.
Her panties came off inch by torturous inch, followed by a deep sigh of heartfelt pleasure. “Oh, my darlin’, I just knew it would be red,” he chuckled. She wondered at the odd remark, her last conscious thought before his tongue caressed her inner thighs with long, velvety strokes. His mouth seared her tender skin, his fingers and lips relentless in their quest to bring her pleasure.
She surrendered to the sweet assault. The sensation was overwhelming. She couldn’t think. Couldn’t form words. When his tongue plunged deep inside her, her world exploded in a rush of pleasure so intense she was afraid she would never catch her breath again. Wave after orgasmic wave broke over her and she cradled his head with her hands, holding him close as he guided her to mindless ecstasy.
The next few moments brought Beth the closest she had ever been to an out of body experience, the residual seismic ripples rocking her very core. It took several moments before the haze cleared enough for her to realize that the sensual onslaught had stopped. Her eyes fluttered open to catch him smiling up at her, his eyes slanted with dark satisfaction. He rose to his feet with catlike grace, pulling his shirt over his head and dropping it to the floor. Her mouth went dry, forming a silent o at the symphony of sculpted muscles.
When his hands dropped to the button on his pants, she sat up in a sudden burst of courage and reached for him. He stood still while she unfastened the button on his pants with trembling hands, easing the short zipper down. His fingers closed over hers as she tugged down the sides of the skintight leather. To her shock, she realized he was command
o as soon as she saw the amber curls peeking from the top of the vee, and…oh, my. The beast is loose.
As a rule, romance novel guys were always extremely well-endowed, the better to scare the living crap out of their virgin heroines. This, she decided, would definitely qualify. Scared? Oh, yeah…you betcha. She knew that it was impolite to stare, that she shouldn’t stare, but curiosity just wouldn’t permit her to look away. He sucked in a sharp breath as she reached out to touch the straining erection jutting out proudly from its crisp nest, growling softly when she ran a fingertip from the base to the tip of his impressive length. Soft like velvet with steel underneath. This is so not me doing this, she thought. Wrapping her hand around him she tugged him forward, her fingertips barely brushing each other around his thickness.
“That’s not a pull toy, darlin’,” he chuckled, kicking the pants from around his ankles. She flushed and giggled nervously, relieving the intensity of the moment. He scooped her up into his arms then shifted her to one arm as he reached down with the other and yanked the bedcovers back. With a gentle smile, he laid her down amidst the rose petals and settled down to recline beside her, his head resting on his hand.
Lifting her hand to his lips, he lightly brushed them over her fingertips. He kissed her palm, her wrist, caressing her arm and shoulder as he spoke in deep, almost reverent tones. “You have no idea how beautiful you are and what you do to me.” He lightly brushed the corners of her eyes. “Deep eyes, all gold and brown and green. I can tell what mood you’re in just by looking at the color. Right now, passion has made them all dark, and it tells me you want me as badly as I want you. And these lips full and sweet and just beggin’ to be tasted.” He leaned down and gave her a teasing kiss, sucking sensually on her lower lip.
James resumed his exploration, his hand gliding down her neck. “Your skin is soft and smooth like the finest satin.” He cupped her breast, his thumb brushing her nipple and sending shivers of pleasure racing through her body. “These are a masterwork, my love, full and lush and fittin’ my hand perfectly.” Lowering his head to give it a light kiss, he released her breast, lifted and kissed the other one for good measure, then slid his hand down lower over the slight curve of her abdomen. “Now here,” he said, “ah, here is a real woman. You’re soft in all the right places, just made to be touched and loved over and over again.”
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