Hope Restored (Gallagher Brothers Book 3)

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “Holy…” She couldn’t even finish that thought because he had his mouth on hers in the next instant, taking in her words and her breaths. Somehow, she found the energy to push up his shirt, as well. She needed to see him, feel him. He moved away from her just enough so she could peel his shirt off of him and pull it over his head. When he looked down at her, she lost all sense of what she had been thinking about before and softly raked her hands down his chest, somehow finding the strength to pull back enough not to hurt him since he bruised so easily.

  Her hand went to the bruise on his hip that had spread from where the showerhead had hit him, and she bit her lip, sadness creeping up and spreading through her.

  Murphy lifted her chin and stared intensely into her eyes. “Don’t think about that. Don’t think about anything except you and me and what we’re doing right now. I’m fine, I’m here. I’m here with you. So stop worrying and let me get your pants off so I can eat you out. How does that sound?”

  Tessa laughed at the sudden change in his tone and planted her feet on the couch so she could lift her butt. “Jeans off. Got it.” She winked even though fear for what that bruise meant was still on her mind, just as she knew it was on Murphy’s. But they both needed this right now, needed each other, and she’d give him that.

  He undid the button of her jeans, and she bit her lip. As he slowly slid the denim and her panties down her legs, she met his gaze, needing him more than she ever thought possible.

  “Get naked,” she panted. “I want to see you.”

  “You just want to see my piercing.”

  “That is true. Your beautiful dick has nothing to do with it.”

  Murphy barked out a laugh and stood up so he could take off his jeans and boxer briefs. When he gripped his already hard cock, she slid her hand between her legs to brush over her clit. She was already so wet, she should have been embarrassed, but she saw the moisture on the tip of his dick and knew she wasn’t alone in her need.

  “Aw, baby, do you think my dick is pretty?”

  “You know your dick is pretty. I bet you admire it in the mirror every morning.”

  “You caught me. Little Murphy is quite fetching. It’s why he has jewelry now and everything.”

  She rolled her eyes and started to touch herself. She was already so tender and swollen from her orgasm, but she needed more. Murphy reached between her legs and dipped his finger inside her. Before she could gasp and arch into him, however, he moved his hand back to his cock and used her wetness to slick his hand up and down his cock. Soon, they were both moving their hands fast, bringing themselves closer and closer to orgasm.

  “You are so fucking hot right now. Are you thinking of my cock inside you right now in place of those fingers? Am I fucking you hard? Making you want to come? Talk to me, Tessa.”

  She licked her lips, increasing the speed of her hand. “It’s you. It’s always you. Hell, I’ve been coming on my own thinking of you for months now.”

  She would have hated herself for admitting that if Murphy’s eyes hadn’t gone dark at that exact moment.

  “I stroke off way too fucking much thinking of you. I’m going to end up with chafing burns one of these days from jacking off to you.”

  Tessa arched her back, fingering herself as he stroked his dick. They weren’t even touching each other, and it was the single most erotic moment of her life.

  “I’m coming,” she panted.

  “Good,” Murphy growled.

  They came together, her body shaking as her inner muscles squeezed her fingers. Murphy spurted over his lower belly, grunting as he squeezed his dick even harder and played with the ring on the tip.

  Before she could come down from her high and let herself be disappointed that he hadn’t come inside her, he’d cleaned himself off and had her legs over his shoulders in the next instant.

  “What?” she asked, her body already on alert again and ready to climb that peak.

  “I told you I was going to eat you out. And while I’m doing that to make you come a couple more times, I should be ready to go again so I can fuck you hard into the cushion. How does that sound?”

  “That sounds like I’m going to be walking funny tomorrow,” she teased. “I’ve never come more than three times in a night, and that was with a vibrator, not a man.”

  Murphy clucked his tongue before licking her in one long swipe. She shivered, clamping her thighs around his head. “I’ll have to change that, won’t I?” And when his stubble scraped her inner thighs, she knew this man just might wring every damn orgasm she had out of her until she was a puddle of sex and limbs.

  He licked and sucked at her, using his fingers until she was ready to scream his name and tug on his hair so he’d fuck her already. But the damn man refused to budge until she orgasmed on his face. And since he looked so sexy with his dark hair between her legs, and his tongue was a master all on its own, she came not once, but twice on his face.

  She wasn’t sure she could take any more, but as soon as she saw Murphy standing and slowly rolling the condom over his cock, she knew she could at least try one more time.

  Murphy knelt on one end of the couch, gripped her hips, met her gaze, and thrust into her wet heat in one demanding movement. They both cried out, her inner muscles so swollen and tender from multiple orgasms that she was afraid she might not make it, but she knew she’d never felt anything like this and wouldn’t again.

  This was Murphy.

  Her Murphy.

  Then he moved.

  He did as promised and made love to her, at the same time fucking her until they both came hard, her body going limp while Murphy shouted her name, filling the condom. When he turned them so he could tuck her into his side with his semi-hard cock still buried deeply within her, she knew she might have made a mistake. She wouldn’t regret what she’d done with Murphy, but she had a feeling she wouldn’t want to let him go. Ever.

  This wasn’t just sex. It had never been about sex. And that was the problem.

  11

  Murphy stared down at Tessa’s sleeping form and prayed they hadn’t made a mistake. After they’d fallen on top of each other on the couch, and he’d taken care of the condom, they laid there for another few minutes before they stumbled into her bedroom and fell asleep in a pile of limbs. He’d woken her up in the middle of the night and slowly made love to her by holding her back to his front, slowly thrusting into her from behind until they both came and fell asleep again. He would be sore for the rest of the day and knew Tessa would feel it even more. But now, in the light of day, he was afraid she’d want to take it all back. He had never met another woman like Tessa, and he wanted to know her more. He wanted to see who they could be if they were together and not just Murphy and Tessa: roommates. They had been friends, then roommates, and now, he hoped they could be something more. But he had seen the fear in her eyes the night before, and had been afraid that would happen. They would have to talk, and he had no idea where to start.

  Tessa mumbled in her sleep and buried herself closer to him. Murphy ran his hand through her hair, trying not to wake her. He just needed to keep touching her, as if he were afraid if he stopped, everything would go back to the way it was before last night. He could still feel her on his skin, in his soul, so he knew it hadn’t been a dream. Yet part of him was afraid it had been.

  He hadn’t been lying to her when he’d said he didn’t want to worry about the future. Though that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried about the future. Hell, all he did these days was wonder about what would happen. He was worried about Max. He was worried about himself. He was worried whether he would have a future at all. Hell, he was even worried about the fact that he had forgotten to tell Tessa that he’d met her parents. How stupid and idiotic was he that he had not mentioned to her that her parents were planning to remodel their home? With Gallagher Brothers Restoration. It had honestly slipped his mind with so much going on. Between his illness, work, Tessa, and the fact that Brent had ended his relationsh
ip with her all during the same time, it had literally slipped his mind. He didn’t know how she would react to the fact that her parents wanted to work with the Gallaghers, but telling her while they were both in bed, naked, after spending their first night together making passionate love until the wee hours of the morning? That would’ve probably been the most idiotic thing he could’ve done.

  And now, here he was, somewhat keeping a secret from her while naked in her bed, and had no idea what he was going to say when she opened her eyes. Did he want a relationship with her? Dammit, of course, he did. He’d wanted one with her even before he found out he was sick. He’d hit on her in that bar, and had wanted her from that first moment. But he’d been so afraid of what would happen if it didn’t work out that he hadn’t taken that step. That was just careless. Being afraid of what could happen if things didn’t work out meant not taking the risk at all. By not taking the risk, you could lose out on something greater than any disappointment in the end.

  And from what he knew of Tessa, she could be something far more than a fling. For a man who had spent so long trying not to think of the exact type of person he could settle down with, he was surprised at the idea that it could be Tessa. Yes, it was moving way too fast, but it wasn’t like he didn’t know her. Of course, he didn’t know everything about her, and he didn’t know if he loved her. But the idea that he could love her told him that he needed to step carefully and not mess this up before it had even started. Murphy had spent the beginning of his life trying not to think about death and yet staring it in the face every day with every breath. And when he’d gotten healthy and finally walked through that veil of uncertainty, he hadn’t wanted to think about who he could be with or what he could become if he were to fall for someone. He had wanted to find out the man he could be without that end in sight. He had gone into business with his brothers, but had always been a step apart. He had rented a home instead of buying one. The first thing he’d ever bought was his truck, and that was for work, considering he carried around heavy materials all day from site to site. It wasn’t as if he never thought to settle down; he just hadn’t pictured whom that could possibly be with. And now that he was thinking it could potentially be the woman in his arms, he was surprisingly calm.

  Okay, maybe calm wasn’t the right word. He was still anxious about the fact that he had no idea what Tessa would say when she woke up. And he knew he was moving far too fast in some respects since he wasn’t even sure they were together, but he wanted to find out more about her. For that to happen, however, he had to make sure she didn’t run away at the first sign of tension.

  In other words, Murphy had no idea what he was doing.

  At that moment, Tessa blinked awake, and Murphy did his best not to tense up.

  “Good morning.” He traced her jaw with his finger, loving the soft skin underneath his touch.

  She didn’t tense up, but neither did she lean into his caress. She looked just as confused as he felt, and he knew they would have to talk. He just didn’t know what he needed to say.

  “Hi,” she said softly.

  “Uh…”

  She smiled slightly and let out a breath. “We should get up or we’ll be late to work.”

  He leaned down and kissed her lips. “We should talk, though.”

  She looked up into his eyes, confusion on her face, but when she nodded, a small knot in his belly relaxed—marginally. “I know. But…after work. I…I don’t want to say something I don’t mean because I’m not awake or confused. Okay?”

  He let out a breath, understanding and agreeing with her even if he was a little disappointed. He had never reacted this way to another woman before, and it confused him. “After work, then?”

  She winced. “I promised Liz I’d go wedding dress shopping after work.”

  “Shit. I promised my brothers I’d hang out with them tonight anyway since Owen wanted to talk a few things out. I had forgotten. Tomorrow?”

  She shook her head. “I have dinner at my parents’ tomorrow.”

  Murphy stiffened and opened his mouth to tell her about her parents’ visit, then froze as her alarm went off.

  She let out a short laugh and sat up, pulling her sheet up to cover her breasts. “I need to get ready or I’ll be late, and my boss gets pissy if I’m even just on time. But, Murph? I don’t regret anything. I don’t do regrets. At least, I try not to. But I need time to think about what it all means. So, after I do dinner at my parents’, let’s sit and talk about everything.”

  He sat up with her and brought her close for a kiss. God, he could get addicted to her taste. “I’m glad you don’t have regrets. Because I don’t either. I just…”

  His phone went off in the living room, and she laughed. “That’s your alarm, Murph. Let’s get going for the day and then we’ll figure out what the hell we’re doing.” She stood up, gave him a quick kiss, and fled to the bathroom.

  Well, that could have been worse, even though it hadn’t been the reaction he’d hoped for. Instead of staring after her like some lovesick fool, he went into the living room and turned off the alarm on his phone. Then he picked up his clothes, the condom wrapper, and everything else they had left out the night before, and went back to his bedroom so he could finish getting ready for the day. He had installed a temporary showerhead in the guest bathroom so he would be able to use that one instead of her shower that morning. However, he knew he would have to change it out later for one that she would actually like in her house. It felt weird, picking things out for a house that wasn’t his, and yet one he lived in. It was part of his job to help pick out the little things like showerheads when restoring a building, and yet doing so for Tessa felt like something different.

  And…he was officially losing it if he was sitting here thinking about the intricacies of bathroom fixtures and how they connected to a relationship.

  Like he’d said before, he was in so much trouble.

  By the time he got out of the shower and dressed for the day, Tessa was already gone. She must have gotten ready at the speed of light so she could run out before she had to see him again. He hoped it was just nerves and not anything worse. Yet there was still doubt. He made his way to the main Gallagher offices to meet up with his brothers. They still had two small, ongoing projects, but their crew would be working without them that morning. He and his brothers had a few things that would be easier to go through at the main offices rather than at the small trailer they kept at some of the sites. Even Jake would be there, even though the man didn’t always attend these meetings. But since Murphy knew they would be talking about the large, potential, upcoming project—a.k.a. Tessa’s family’s remodel—all of the Gallaghers would be there.

  And once again, Murphy was reminded that he was an idiot for not mentioning it to Tessa at first. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be too angry since nothing was set in stone. He wouldn’t sign a single piece of paper or meet with her parents again until he spoke with Tessa. He already had enough riding on his relationship with her as it was. He wasn’t going to add stupid secrets and misunderstandings to the mix.

  As soon as he walked into the office, he knew he’d made a mistake. He might’ve washed Tessa’s scent from his skin, and he might’ve showered and tried to look completely normal, but there was no way his brothers weren’t going to figure out that something was different with him.

  “You slept with Tessa,” Jake said the moment Murphy walked into the room.

  “What?” Murphy set down his briefcase and tried not to look his brother in the eye. It was no use.

  “I know that look, I’ve had that look.” Graham shook his head. “That’s the well-lubed-by-a-woman-you-actually-like look. I’m pretty sure I had that look for the first month I was with Blake. Hell, I’m sure I still have that look most mornings.”

  Owen narrowed his eyes. “You’re going to fuck this up, Murph. You’re going to fuck this up, and someone is going to get hurt. And if my pregnant, soon-to-be wife gets upset because you’ve fucked
this up and hurt her friend in the process, I’m going to get pissed off.”

  Angry and confused, Murphy looked at his brother and then turned to the other two in the room as he shook his head. “Why on earth do you think I’m the one who’s going to ruin everything? I have spent months being her friend. Hell, I am her friend. She’s quickly becoming one of my best friends. She opened her home to me.”

  “And you thought it would be a good idea to sleep with her?” Owen scowled.

  “I think I’m falling in love with her,” Murphy blurted and then rubbed his eyes. “Fuck. Forget I said that. I don’t even know if that’s true. But I really like her, and I never would have done anything to jeopardize what she and I have together. I know it’s complicated because we’re all connected, but damn, man, I’m not going to sit back and let her walk away because I’m afraid. I’m not going to be afraid anymore. I spent most of my life scared of one thing or another and never having the power to do anything about it. But what’s going on between Tessa and me, that’s between us. Yes, everyone is going to have an opinion, and yes, everyone is going to want to tell us. But no matter what, in the end, it’s between her and me. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I want to find out. Do you really think I would’ve taken this step without thinking about what could happen? Of course, I thought about what could happen. I’ve spent months thinking about what could happen. But she is worth it, guys. Tessa is worth it.”

  Jake blew out a breath. “I never heard you sound so passionate before, man. If she gets you this riled up after just one night with her, I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

  “You know we’ll always worry about you.” Graham started to take a step forward but seemed to think better of it. “I think Tessa could be great for you, but she has a lot of baggage. Maybe more than you, which is saying something, considering us Gallaghers have enough baggage to fill a couple of airplanes. But I like the way she makes you smile. I always have. It’s why I tease you so relentlessly. And while we’re worried about what could happen, it’s because we don’t want anything to hurt you. You’re already going through so much, but if Tessa can make that better, then I’ll stand right by your side and do what I can to help.”