Parting Glass

by Dani Wyatt

  “You men sorted things. I trust my husband. I know more than you might think. So, just go on. You’re wasting more time. Do as you will, as you two men agreed. I’ll be here to cheer you both on, no matter. Life is too short to be in a twist about the details.” She takes back her hand and reaches up to give me a soft tap on the side of my head. “Get on with you. I have work to do.”

  With that, I am out the back door and on my way to secure my future.

  When I hit the stairs inside the house, I take them two at a time even with my dodgy leg. My mind is rushing around with thoughts of the legend. I say a silent prayer as I open the only closed door in the small hallway upstairs, and immediately take in the sight of Riona, curled in her bed clutching Thunder.

  At my entrance, her head turns and her eyes snap wide.

  All I can think of is stripping her naked and being inside her, but we’ve come this far and I’m going to finish this off right. We have the rest of our lives for all the pleasure in the world but right now I’ll admit it’s a battle of will to keep from taking her right here.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Brann Maguire? You’re not supposed to be here. And how did you even get in? Dad will have your guts if he finds you—”

  I cut her off with my lips on hers. Her body is stiff at first, just a moment of resistance, then it softens beneath me as I slide my tongue into her mouth and pull her onto my lap facing me.

  “Your dad knows the truth,” I say as our lips part.

  She’s shaking her head, her eyes wide. “What truth? That you’re the en—”

  “I’m not the enemy, Ri. I’m not. I should have told you that I was invested in Harry’s the moment I met you, and I’m sorry about that. But I couldn’t change that. Not right then. Henry owns sixty percent of that place, which means he can run it however he likes. Well, he did anyway.”

  “What do you mean, he did?”

  “This evening he sold his share to me, for twice what it’s worth. We’re just sorting out the paperwork, and then it will be mine, but if you’d stopped to notice you’d have seen that there are no more promotions. The flyers for St. Patrick’s Day are gone, even with only two days to go. The offers of free drinks and the rest of the gimmicks, all gone.”

  She screws up her face as she absently plays with Thunder’s mane. “Well, that’s good, but Harry’s is still there and The Parting Glass is still having to compete and—”

  I’m shaking my head. “I’ll sell the place, but it will never compete with The Parting Glass again. After the place is sold, there will be a provision in the contract that says it can’t be an Irish themed pub. Ever. The new owners will be able to turn it into whatever they want, but not anything that’s going to compete with The Parting Glass.”

  Her eyes light up at my words. There are tears in the corners of them. “You’ve done that for me?”

  “I’ll always protect you, Riona.”

  She launches herself into my arms, wrapping herself around me and beaming. She’s wearing just a T-shirt and white panties, and as I pull her close the heat from her pussy has my cock painfully throbbing for her.

  “There’s something else as well,” I whisper into her ear. “Well, two things…”

  “What? Nothing bad?”

  I laugh. “Nothing bad. It’s about the loan that your parents had for keeping The Parting Glass open.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I didn’t even know until earlier today, but the person who lent them that money…it was me, Ri. My accountant told me there was someone looking for a loan, but I just assumed it was some local family back in Cork. I had no idea that I was putting up the money for The Parting Glass. It’s family now, there’s no more loan. No debt.”

  She mashes her lips against mine so hard that it almost topples us over. She tastes so good, like lemonade and lollipops, as her mouth moves against mine. When I finally bring us up for air, I clutch a hand into the back of her hair, the other one still wrapped around her waist, keeping her held against me. My heart is pounding in my ears and there are primal grunts threatening to come from my chest, but I fight them off. I need to sound somewhat civilized, at least for the next minute or two.

  “I’m writing off the loan, Ri. It’s my gift to your parents, for everything they’ve done for me.”

  She looks momentarily confused. “Done for you?”

  “They made you, and I can never repay them for that. I told you I was buying that house for us, Ri. I fucking love you. I know it’s crazy, I get it, but it doesn’t make it any less true. And you don’t have to say it back, but when you’re ready, I hope you will. I want to spend the rest of my life worshipping you. Doing everything I can to make sure you are happy, protecting you, being a part of you and your family.”

  Her face flushes and she blinks on an unsteady breath. Her hands come to run along my jaw and I hear the friction of my coarse few days of growth in her fingers.

  I lean in for a quick kiss, and on a sigh she says, “I do love you.”

  Her hips shift and begin to pulse against my erection, but I fight off my desire. I have to. Because I have to finish this conversation that we’ve started, or I don’t know if I ever will.

  “You will be my first. You will be my only. I’ve waited for you my entire life. And now that you’re here, I can’t wait much longer.”

  I drop the hand from her hair and reach into my back pocket to pull out the small emerald green velvet bag that’s been there since I left her at her parents’ house after our date. I couldn’t wait any longer, couldn’t bear the thought of not having this prepared. As I pull one of her hands from my face, I place the bag in her palm.

  “This is crazy.” She echoes my thoughts. “Fate or legend or whatever you want to call it, from the day you walked into The Parting Glass, something changed inside me. Like I was sleeping until I met you, or at least a part of me was.”

  “Well, we’re both wide awake now, Babygirl. Open the bag.”

  Her fingers tremble as she fusses with the cord, loosening the top, then reaches two fingers inside and pulls out the antique emerald and diamond ring. One of her hands flies to her lips as she stares at the jewel and I see tears form in her eyes.

  “Marry me, Ri. Tomorrow morning. I’d do it right now, but I don’t think the Justice of the Peace would be too keen.”

  She laughs and the first tear falls, and I lean in and kiss it away.

  “But—”

  “No ‘but’. I have things arranged. I talked to your Dad. I don’t want to wait any longer, Ri. I can’t. I don’t just want you, I fucking need you. I need you in my life. I need you in my bed. I need my damn babies inside of you. And my fucking cock. I swear if you don’t say yes and I don’t get inside of you soon, I’m not going to make it. I’ll die, Ri. And my death will be on your head.”

  I smile and poke a finger at her forehead and she giggles as a few more tears slip down her ivory cheeks.

  On a nod, my world turns brighter. My heart is about to pound through my ribs as I take gentle hold of the ring and slide it onto her finger.

  “Everything I do, from this day forward, will be for us. Everything, Ri.”

  “But, what will I wear? I mean—”

  I swallow and for a second I hate myself for being a selfish prick.

  “Baby, do you want a big wedding? The whole deal?” I’ll give her whatever she wants, but like I said it will probably kill me to wait. It doesn’t matter. I’ll happily die for her. Whatever she wants, I’ll give her one way or another.

  The seconds tick by like hours before she smiles and answers.

  “I don’t want that.” Her answer is solid, and a rush of relief flows through me. “You know, I never really was that girl that thought about her wedding day and planned it or anything. But now, I’m even less so. I think being married is what I want, not the wedding. I just want to belong to you.”

  “Well, thank God you live in a state where you can get an expedited marriage license. I looked into t
hat, because if it wasn’t the case we were on our way to fucking Vegas, baby.”

  “What about my parents? People…”

  I nod on a breath, I want her to have what she wants, but I have to tell her what I see. What her father told me. “Baby, you tell me what you want and I will move mountains to make it happen. But,” I pause making sure I have the right words. “When I spoke to your father. Asked me for this, for your hand, he told me about your parents wedding day. Have they told you?”

  Riona nods. “Yep. They eloped. No reason, just they wanted to belong to each other and nothing else seemed important.”

  “Right. How does that make you feel?”

  Her lips pull together then after a moment of thought curve into a smile. “I want the same. Just you and me and our love. But I wonder if my parents, if they will be hurt.”

  “No baby. Your father told me he’d seen it with you. That you would follow in their footsteps. He and your mother gave us their blessing. Told us to go and be happy. They will be here to celebrate when we get back. If that’s what you want.”

  “I see that too. Just us. Like they did. What do you want me to wear though?” I see the little girl in her eyes. The deeper pink on her cheeks tells me she wants me to like how she looks tomorrow.

  “I want you to wear whatever you have that makes you feel the best. You could wear anything and never be more beautiful to me.”

  “I have this one dress.” She shrugs one shoulder to her ear. “I bought it two years ago. I’d never really liked dresses before, but I saw it in this thrift store, and I don’t know, something about it just—” She sighs. “It’s antique, with ivory lace and it’s sort of Renaissance Fair…but without the tacky. I never knew where I’d wear it, but it feels like something I want to wear today.”

  I lay a hard slap on her ass and watch it jiggle.

  “Hey!” She wiggles against me.

  “That is what you shall wear.”

  “I don’t have shoes though…I don’t think the converse or my black boots would work.” She says it thoughtfully as if running through options in her head. “I have a few other pairs, but nothing I think that would look right with it.”

  “Where we are getting married, I think bare feet would be perfect, Sunshine. You good with that?” I don’t tell her what I have planned. I don’t need to. Bare feet will do for the ceremony, and I already have some things for what comes after…

  She nods, and that grin spreads over her face, and I know that she’s thinking exactly what I’m thinking. “Stay here. Tonight, I mean.”

  I shake my head. “We have about fifteen minutes before midnight, and then I’m going to have to leave. It’s bad luck for me to see you tonight at all, I’m certainly not going to risk it after the spirits come out.”

  Riona laughs. “You’re superstitious, Brann Maguire?”

  “Enough to mean I don’t want to take the risk. But I’m going to need you to put that grade A pussy on my face, and your hands on my cock. You are going to jerk me off, wear my cum on your face, and I’m going to wear yours on mine.”

  “You are such a romantic.”

  Before she can give me any more shit, I’ve rolled her over and got her split lips hovering over my face. I inhale deeply, taking her in before centering each hand on the globes of her ass and bring her down onto my mouth.

  I sigh with pleasure as my tongue goes in first. I spin it in her opening, so fucking tight, feeling the skin there that I will soon breach with my cock.

  Today, almost our wedding day. The thought nearly has me cumming on her face as her body floods me with her pleasure.

  Her hands are working my shaft, then I feel the tip of her tongue sliding around the engorged head of my erection and in a moment we are both lost in the spinning wonder of mutual pleasure.

  Her cunt drenches my face with her orgasm as her body shakes. Then she twists and makes noises around my cock, but she doesn’t release it even as I eat her more wildly than ever while she struggles to get away.

  “So…fucking good.” I hum into her swollen folds as I nip and suck her hard clit, causing her to make painful sounds as she sucks me off. “And such a good girl. Get that cum for you, Gingersnap. I’m close, but don’t swallow, I want it on your face, baby.”

  I proceed to suck at her opening, then move her hips over my face to spread her juices all over me. I want her scent on me forever. And mine on hers.

  “Oh fuck…” She does this tongue flick and deep suck thing on my cock a few times and I swear I’m at the damn pearly gates, it feels so good. “Right there, baby. Just like that.”

  I go back to eating her out and do my best to hold back my orgasm until she peaks again. Luckily, I’ve got her number, and with some work on her clit she’s bucking and shaking again and I’m all but over.

  We cum together and she finally releases my cock from the warmth of her mouth as her hands pump my jets of cum out. The pleasure is almost more than I can take and I’m lightheaded, seeing stars, wondering what the hell is going to happen when I get her under me the first time. I honestly think I may not live through it.

  I know I’ve taken the unconventional route to get where I am now. Not many men would have waited for their one, but for me, there was no choice and I take pride in knowing that every one of our first’s will be together. As I shift us both, our bodies covered in each other, my heart swells knowing that on our fucking wedding day, all her firsts will be mine and mine hers. There is nothing more precious.

  Nothing.

  15

  Riona

  Brann is holding my shaking hands as the Justice of the Peace listens to the last of my ‘I do’s’ and I do what I can to hold back the tears that spring from my eyes.

  He smiles at us both, and I can see that the love between us has brought a tear to his eye as well. “I now pronounce you man and wife,” he says, still smiling.

  Brann doesn’t wait for him to tell him he can kiss his bride. His hands are around my waist and he’s got me up and against him in a second, taking my mouth and kissing me hard and deep.

  He spins us around and the scent of the grass mixes with his masculine scent, making me feel lightheaded.

  By the time he sets me down, he’s walked us over to where the stable hand is holding onto two horses for us.

  “Snowflake,” I whisper, barely able to keep from sobbing.

  “She’s yours now.”

  I look over at Brann, barely able to believe what I’m hearing, but he nods, a little smile spreading over his lips.

  “I bought her for you. Well, actually…”

  “Actually what?”

  “You like this place, right?”

  I’m so confused. My heart is thundering. It’s almost too much to take in. “Why?”

  “I’ve bought the whole place. It’s ours, Ri. We can come out here and ride any time—”

  I cut off his words with a forceful kiss, hearing the sighs and laughs of those around us. I don’t care what they’re thinking, either. This whole thing is perfect.

  Brann has planned everything for today. We are back at the beautiful stables, just outside of the city where we had our riding date. I now know what all the secrecy was about going to see the owner of this place when we were here yesterday. Well, former owner, apparently. I’m not sure how he pulled it off in less than a day, but he did.

  The ceremony was short and to the point and honestly, I am good with that. As crazy as this is, I just want to be his wife. Mrs. Maguire. I don’t want or need the pomp and circumstance, I just need to be his.

  “Ma’am.” The young lady holding onto the pure white mare, my Snowflake…mine…tips her head at me as Brann lifts me up and onto the saddle.

  He reaches down and slips on a pair of black cowboy boots that fit perfectly, then mounts up on the black horse next to me.

  “How did you know my size?”

  He smiles, shaking his head. “Don’t you know me by now? I know a lot of things, Riona. I can get after a
task when necessary. Sleep is optional since I met you.”

  Nobody would believe that it’s only been a week since we met. How he put this together so fast I don’t know, but I’m beyond grateful.

  “Come on.” Brann reaches a hand out and I give him mine and he squeezes. “Follow me.”

  And with that, I’m off walking across a green pasture on my first day with my husband. It’s like a dream, but the best sort of dream. One that comes at you from nowhere and gives you everything you never knew you wanted all at once.

  We ride in silence, Brann looking over at me every few seconds with a smile on his face that tells me everything I need to know. He looks at me like he’s gained sight after being blind his whole life, and each time our eyes meet there’s a tingling that runs from my head down my entire body.

  Up ahead the trail opens up into a green field, and there are small cabins dotted here and there. We passed it briefly on our date yesterday, but it didn’t look quite like this. They looked abandoned, but now…at the far end I see one that looks more homely than the others, and even from this distance I can see the white roses.

  They are in vases all over the small porch and about a thousand candles are flickering.

  Brann looks at me and asks, “You think you’re up for a little trot?”

  I nod and he clicks his tongue and both horses pick up the pace. I feel free when I’m riding, like I’ve done this in some lifetime before, because it feels natural and I have no fear. Yesterday may have been my first experience in this life, but something tells me my soul remembers much more.

  We slow as we approach the cabin, and Brann dismounts, coming over to take me down, hands around my waist.

  “Stay right here.” He kisses the top of my forehead, then takes both horses and leads them to a small paddock just to the side of the cabin. I can smell the roses from where I stand on the dirt path in front of the porch.

  Brann looks so handsome in his black pants and white shirt, and I admire his ass as he walks with the horses. Then I admire all of him as he makes his way back to me. I see the outline of his hard cock and wonder how he manages to walk around like that all the time.