She made a noise in the back of her throat and he raised his head. “My stomach isn’t exactly flat. Not anymore.”
He had a raging hard-on and wanted nothing more than to fuck her senseless, and she was worried about the curve of her belly. Women were concerned with the oddest things. Shamus shook his head. “I adore your stomach.” He smoothed his hand over it. “The way it curves ever so slightly.” He allowed his fingers to trace the tiny mound. “Very sexy.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yeah.” Shamus hooked his fingers in the band of her panties and shoved them down over her thighs. “This is even sexier.” He sat back on his haunches and allowed his gaze to skim over her naked body. “Definitively sexy.”
His erection was throbbing like a toothache, so he flicked open his jeans and shoved his boxers aside. His cock sprang free and Cyndi stared at it, licking her lips. He groaned, wrapping his hand around it and pumping up and down. “See what you do to me.”
—
Cyndi was lightheaded as she stared down at Shamus. He’d barely touched her and she was already aching and wet, ready to take him. Her breasts felt heavy, her core damp.
He was so male and strong and gorgeous and hers. At least for the time being. Sitting on his haunches with his large hand wrapped around his erection, he was everything male and elemental.
He was unashamed of his sexuality, and that allowed her to relax. He didn’t seem to mind that she wasn’t exactly slender, but had curves and a rounded belly. In fact, he seemed to be turned on by it, by her.
She sensed that there was something wrong, something on his mind. But it was obvious that he wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. And right now, she didn’t want to talk either. She wanted to feel.
He stood slowly, but kept his hand wrapped around his erection. His cock was long and thick, veins pulsing as he pumped. The plum-shaped head was red and damp. Cyndi wanted to touch him. To taste him. She’d never enjoyed oral sex before, but like everything else, she knew it would be different with Shamus.
She lowered herself to her knees in front of him. “Cyndi.” His voice was a hoarse whisper that she ignored as she bent her head. He groaned as her tongue lashed out to stroke over the very tip of his erection.
His essence was warm and salty against her tongue. She pushed his hand aside and feathered her fingers over his hardness, reveling in the way his erection jumped. He was hard and soft at the same time. Fascinated by the texture, she wrapped her hand around him, feeling the heavy pulse of his need against her palm.
Her ex-husband hadn’t been as large. He’d also wanted to go straight for the climax, never allowing her ample time to explore. She tightened her grip and pumped her hand.
Shamus groaned, his hands fisting against his thighs. “You’re killing me here.”
“You’ll survive,” she assured him as she leaned forward again. This time she opened her mouth and allowed the tip to slip past her lips. She swirled her tongue around it, feeling the ridge that separated the head from the rest of the shaft.
His fingers tangled in her hair, tugging lightly. She responded by squeezing his shaft and lapping at the head with her tongue. Shamus gave a muffled laugh and then groaned again.
“Cyndi.” Her name fell from his lips and she could hear the urgent need.
Ignoring it, she took more of him into her mouth, sucking hard. His hips surged forward, pushing deeper. His fingers tightened, dragging her head closer to him. She pumped her hand up and down his shaft and reached her free hand between his spread thighs, cupping the heavy sac lying between them. She rolled his testicles between her fingers, eliciting another moan of pleasure.
She could feel her own excitement growing as she pleasured Shamus. Shifting slightly to one side, she rubbed one of her breasts against his thigh. Her nipple rubbed against the heavy material of his jeans. Cyndi felt the cream seep from between her legs.
Her head bobbed up and down as she pleasured him with her mouth and lips and tongue. His breathing got harsher and she could feel the tension in his body as he strained not to come. The more he resisted, the more she wanted him to lose control.
Suddenly, he shifted away, tugging her face away from him. She stared up at him, almost not recognizing him. His face was harsh with need, his blue-gray eyes glittering with lust. His eyes never left her face as he reached into his back pocket, grabbed a condom, and opened it. He had his erection sheathed within seconds.
Reaching out, she cupped his balls and squeezed. Shamus swore, all but dragging her to her feet. Her back hit the wall and suddenly she was being lifted. Automatically, her legs wrapped around his lean waist. The tip of his cock pressed against her opening and she squirmed to try to get closer.
He swore again as he pressed inward, not stopping until he was buried to the hilt. Breathing as if he’d just run ten miles, he buried his face against her neck. She could feel his cock pulsing inside her as her inner muscles expanded and contracted around him.
Digging her heels into his butt, she tried to lift herself. She managed to move an inch before lowering herself back down. She tilted her head back and moaned. It felt wonderful. Incredible.
But she needed more.
“Damn it, woman. I’m trying not to lose it.”
Cyndi grabbed the sides of his head and nipped at his kissable lips, pulling the bottom lip into her mouth and sucking before releasing it. “Lose control.” She bit the thick column of his neck, unable to believe it was her actually doing these things, saying these things. It was if a part of her had been unleashed. She wanted sex—hot, heavy, and hard—and told him so.
She felt the low rumble in his chest as he hooked his hands beneath her thighs. He shifted his hips back before slamming them forward. She gasped and bucked. “Harder,” she pleaded.
“Faster.”
Taking her at her word, he hammered his hips against her. The slap of flesh was loud in the cavernous foyer. Their skin was slick, sliding easily as he drove himself into her. It was raw and elemental and more powerful then anything she’d ever experienced. And she wanted more.
Fisting her hands in his hair, she tugged his mouth toward her breast. Shamus latched onto her nipple and sucked hard as he surged into her heated depths.
Her head thrashed from side to side as the incredible pressure grew between her thighs.
Shamus released her breast, hitched her higher and plunged faster and faster. Cyndi couldn’t catch her breath and didn’t care. She grabbed his shoulders and hung on as he pushed them both higher and higher. She felt herself toppling over the peak. “Shamus!” Her voice echoed around them as he yelled his release.
The world around her dimmed. Heat flashed through her as she convulsed. Her inner muscles grabbed him tight as he continued to thrust. She cried out again as another wave washed over her. A bolt of pleasure hit her hard, and she could feel the liquid gush from her sex. Lost in the maelstrom of desire, she hung on to Shamus as she rode out the storm.
When Cyndi finally came back to her senses, Shamus was leaning heavily against her, the weight of his body keeping her upright. Her legs had slipped from around his waist and her toes barely touched the floor. Her body was slick with perspiration, her hair plastered to her skull. She felt totally wrung out, yet totally replete. It was a struggle, but she raised her head to look at him.
As if feeling her gaze, Shamus turned his head, staring at her for the longest time, as if searching for something. “Are you okay?”
She could still feel him hard inside her. She didn’t think she could speak, but she managed after a few moments. “Never better.”
He shook his head, but his gaze softening. “I didn’t mean to jump you as soon as we closed the damned door.”
She could feel herself smiling. “I didn’t mind.” She tunneled her hands into his hair, which had come loose from its usual ponytail. It was like silk as it flowed through her fingers. “In fact, I rather liked it.”
“Hang on.” He shifted then, slowly withdrawing. S
he felt his shaft flex once as if in protest and groaned as her sex tightened around him, wanting him to stay right where he was. Without his weight supporting her, she started to sink to the floor.
Shamus grabbed her with one hand and braced himself against the wall with the other.
“We’re a mess.”
Cyndi laughed. She’d never done anything this wild or impulsive in her life. “We certainly are.”
Shamus hitched his jeans around his hips, and scooped her into his arms. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to his strength and the easy way he carried her up the stairs and into her bathroom.
Chapter Fourteen
An hour later, Cyndi was clean and dressed. She and Shamus had just finished eating a quick lunch of canned chicken noodle soup and ham sandwiches, and were now touring the house, clipboard in hand.
They were in the formal dining room with its dark burgundy walls and oak flooring. Cyndi threw back the heavy, velvet drapes to let some light into the room. “I want to get rid of the dining room table and chairs.” It was a monstrous thing that could seat two dozen easily. “I want to set this up as the dining room, of course. It’s close to the kitchen and the flow-through is good.” She pointed to the doors on either end of the room.
“But I want smaller tables scattered around to give people privacy as they eat their breakfast. Set up a large hutch against this wall.” She pointed to the head of the room. “Coffee, tea, muffins, and snacks could be left here for guests to help themselves during the day. I’ve been thinking I’d do breakfast and light lunch—soups, sandwiches and that kind of thing—and close the kitchen around two in the afternoon.”
“There’s certainly enough space for it. There’s not much work to do in here besides painting.” Shamus walked around the room, examining the walls.
“A lot of the house is the same. It’s just a matter of paint and changing the furniture and drapes.” She watched as he prowled around the room. There was something on his mind. She’d sensed it when he’d arrived and it hadn’t gone away. She wanted to ask him what it was, but held back. He’d tell her when he was ready. Hopefully.
There was no doubting that they were involved in a full-blown affair, but beyond that, she wasn’t quite sure how deep their relationship went. She knew that she wanted more, but she was also realistic enough to know that the odds were stacked against them. Their age difference was enough of a barrier without adding their pasts into the mix.
He’d stopped what he was doing and was staring at her. Cyndi cleared her throat and continued. “I’d like to see something lighter in here, maybe a sage green.”
“That would work. Or maybe a pale yellow.”
Cyndi noted both possibilities. “That could work, too.”
Shamus pointed to one large window overlooking the side garden. “You could easily put in French doors there that would lead right out into the garden. You could put in a patio and let guests eat outside in the summer months.”
“That’s brilliant.” And it would certainly take advantage of the large, sculpted gardens. “I need to get some work done to whip the yard into shape. Like the rest of the place, it’s too formal and needs some color and life.” She added the new projects to her growing list.
They went through the downstairs making notes in the library, formal living room, and front parlor as well as her father’s office. Finally, they landed back in the foyer.
“What do you want to do in here?”
Cyndi found her gaze going back to the spot just inside the door where they’d made love earlier. She knew she was blushing when she faced Shamus. She could feel the telltale heat on her cheeks. “Brighten up the place for sure. I want to change the lighting as well.” She wandered over to an alcove that held a large urn. “We could put a desk facing away from the wall here and make this the check-in area.”
Shamus took out a measuring tape that he’d gotten from his toolbox before they started their tour and walked over to where she was standing. “It’s only three feet wide. We could widen it, give you a bit more space.”
She stood back and studied it. “Wouldn’t that be a lot of work?”
“Not that much. But if you didn’t want to do that, I could build you a counter that wrapped around three sides, making it a small, enclosed area with a half door on the far end. That way you could have storage under the counter for your phones and paperwork and whatever else you needed. I could even build a small three-foot desktop into the alcove for you to work at or I could have one end of the counter low enough for you to sit and work there. It’s up to you.”
She could see the possibilities. “I like the counter with one side low enough to sit and work. It’s not as if I’d use it that often. I’m going to have an office area in my living space where I’d do most of my paperwork.”
“Sounds good. I’ll draw up some plans for you to look at.” With his hand at the small of her back, he followed her up the stairs.
They went through all the guest rooms first. Cyndi knew she was being cowardly, but she wanted to put off her father’s room and her old room as long as possible. Like most of the rooms downstairs, the work was cosmetic, although she did want to update the bathroom fixtures and lighting in several of the rooms.
Finally, they came to her father’s room. She took a deep breath and put her hand on the doorknob. “I haven’t been in this room yet.”
Shamus stilled beside her. “Not at all?”
“No.” She shook her head. “This room was pretty much off-limits when I was a child.”
Turning the handle, she pushed the door open.
It was slightly stuffy, but other than that, it looked as if the original occupant might be back at any time. A small glass, half-full of water, sat on the bedside table alongside a picture of her mother. There was a pair of slippers tucked beneath the bed and a robe was draped over a wingback chair that sat to the left.
Cyndi made herself take a step forward. Then another. She was very aware of the fact that Shamus was right behind her. His presence steadied her, made it easier to face the ghost of her father.
Looking away from the few personal belongings scattered on the top of the oak bureau, she forced herself to examine the room with a critical eye. “This is the largest room upstairs. I’d like to turn this into an executive suite or maybe the honeymoon suite.”
Shamus moved away from her side and strode to the other door and peeked inside. “Good idea. There’s already a Jacuzzi in here.”
“Really?” That hadn’t been there when she’d left. “It must be fairly new. At least within the past decade.” When she reached his side, she peeked around him. “This is definitely new, maybe within the past two or three years.”
The bathroom was huge, with the large tub in one corner. Low windows allowed for a view of the garden from the tub. All the fixtures were brushed nickel and the countertop was granite.
Stone tiles on the floor complemented the rest of the décor, which was surprisingly light and airy.
“I don’t think that this room will need any work at all.”
Cyndi stepped into the room and fingered the towels. “Paint and some new towels should pretty much take care of it.”
Finishing her cursory inspection, she headed back to the bedroom, which was really a combination bedroom and sitting room. “The furniture is too dark and large for this room. I’d like to take out the desk and put in a sitting area where a couple could relax and chat or curl up and read. I’ll probably put in a small entertainment center with a television, DVD player, and a selection of movies.”
“That’s not a bad idea.” Shamus ambled around the room, checking the view from each window. “This is great. You get a good view of the town from here.”
“Yeah.” Cyndi traced her fingers over the frame holding her mother’s photo. “That’s why my ancestors built this house here. They liked being able to look out over what they considered to be theirs.”
Shamus turned away from the window and came to sta
nd beside her. “What else do you want to do in here?”
“Paint, drapes, and new linens, of course.” She leaned back into him when he wrapped his arms around her waist. “I’ll have to check the attic for furniture, too. If there are any sofas or chairs up there worth keeping, I’ll get them reupholstered to suit the rooms they’re going in. I may bring a few of the chairs from the living room and parlor upstairs to use in the rooms.”
Sighing, she closed her eyes for a moment. “I need to clean this room out, box up my father’s clothing and give it to charity.”
“Yes, you do.” He leaned down and kissed her temple. “But not today.”
“No,” she agreed. “Not today.” Tomorrow or the next day was soon enough.
“What’s left?”
“My rooms—the old one and the new one. I think that I’m going to make my permanent quarters in the room I’m staying in now. I want to take out the wall with the small bedroom next to it and create a bedroom and sitting room area. The bathroom is large and will work perfect after it’s renovated. I want a new tub, flooring, vanity, and fixtures.”
Shamus laughed. “You want to gut it, in other words.”
“Pretty much.” She pulled away and headed for the door.
“That’s not a problem. I just hope the plumbing in this place is good or it’s going to get expensive.” Once again, Shamus was right behind her, his presence like a talisman, holding the worst of her memories at bay. It had been surprisingly easy to walk around her father’s room.
Probably because she’d never spent any time there as a child.
“That’s not going to be a problem.” She closed the door behind her and headed down the hallway. Her room was next. “I found a bill in my father’s papers. I haven’t gone through half of them yet, but from what I saw, there was some major plumbing work done when he had the kitchen renovated a few years back. I think his bathroom and several more upstairs were probably redone at the time.”
The Seduction of Shamus O’Rourke Page 15