by K. Renee
Last week he brought over this Keurig thing and a bunch of different types of coffees. I swear I was in heaven when he made me the first cup. It was amazing and so much faster than my old coffee pot.
Just as I grab another cup down from my partially bare cabinets, hands come to rest on my hips. His nose runs along my neck, and his breath tickles my skin. “Ye look sexy as feck in me shirt.” His hands slide lower, and they disappear under the fabric of his shirt.
The minute his hands are on my skin, all thoughts of coffee and breakfast are out the door, and my mind goes straight to sex. He’s made me into some sex-crazed woman, and I don’t know how I feel about that yet. His hands grip my ass, and he pulls me into his body. I can feel his erection through his dress pants as he presses it against me.
“Jaysus,” he mutters as he kisses a trail down my neck. His mouth comes to the top of my breasts, and he starts to unbutton the shirt to get to my skin. His mouth trails along my skin and I feel my nipples pebble from the cold air. He takes his time kissing every inch of me, not worrying about a thing.
“Feck, I need to be inside ye,” he groans, grabbing my ass and lifting me up onto the counter.
“We just had sex twenty minutes ago.” I sigh as he kisses his way back up my neck.
“Don’t care. I need ye now,” he murmurs against my skin. I giggle, and he kisses my jaw. “Yer like a bad habit, I can’t stop coming back fer more.”
He starts to undo the zipper on his slacks and lets them slide down his legs. I can already feel myself getting wet just at the sight of him. Everything about him calls to me, and I can’t say no. I don’t want to say no. I’ve fallen into his web of mystery and false hopes, and I can’t bring myself out of it if I tried. I belong to him in a way that scares me. I can’t even say the words for the fear that he may not feel the same way I do.
He doesn’t waste any time pushing the head of his cock into me. The feel of him stretching me brings a tingle of satisfaction through my entire body. Every nerve ending is on fire, and as he pushes into me completely, I feel whole. I feel like this is right where I’m supposed to be.
His mouth comes down on mine, and he kisses me deeply. Each slam of his hips brings me higher than before. I can’t get enough of the feel of him inside me. The delicious way he pulls me in and holds me tight as he pounds into me roughly. I close my eyes, letting him take the lead. Every thrust of his hips is planned and hits the right spots. My fingers dig into his shoulders as I come closer to the edge.
Nothing feels better than being right on the edge, waiting to let go. My body tenses and I kiss his neck. He rolls his hips as he presses back inside me and I can’t hold back any longer. We move in perfect sync as he slides in and out of me at a quicker pace. My eyes close and I swear I can see stars as I come.
“Oh god,” I moan. I’m sure my neighbors have heard us having sex more times than they want. The things he does to my body makes it hard to stifle down any sounds.
“Feck, Banphrionsa,” he groans against my skin, pressing himself into me deeper. He rests his forehead against my chest as he tries to catch his breath. “I can’t get enough of ye.”
Running my nails down the back of his head, I don’t move. I just stay right where I am, coffee forgotten.
Nothing is better than having him hold me like this. Like I’m the only person that matters in his world.
I know that this isn’t the truth, but I like to believe it for a few minutes before he has to run out like he does every other morning.
“Are you staying for a while this morning?” I feel needy asking him, but I want to spend more than just a few hours with him for once.
“Aye, unless I get called away.” He kisses my cheek before slowly pulling out of me. I grin back at him, and he runs his hands down my chest. “I rather get lost in ye all day though.”
“Well, you can if you stay in bed with me all day.” He grins back at me, and I pull him back to me. “You want coffee?” I ask.
“Aye,” he says kissing my lips once before pulling his slacks back up and zipping them again. I slide off the counter and grab the second cup to put it under the coffee maker. I put a new pod in the machine and hit the brew button. Clutching my coffee cup, I take a sip, and it’s now cold. Sighing, I put it in the microwave.
As I start to button the shirt, Jerick stops me. “No, I don’t allow shirts in bed.” He winks at me and takes his coffee cup towards my room without a backward glance.
As soon as the microwave beeps, I grab my cup and make my way back to the bedroom. When I walk in, I see Jerick leaning his back against the headboard with his cup to his lips. He’s on his phone like normal, but it doesn’t bother me anymore. Having some of his attention is better than none.
Making my way towards him, I drop the sleeve to his shirt, and that gets his eyes on me. Switching my coffee cup to my other hand, I lose the remaining sleeve, letting the shirt fall to the ground. His eyes follow my every movement as I make my way to the bed. I set my coffee cup down on the side table before climbing under the covers. I slide over close to him and run my hand down his chest.
His hooded eyes give away everything he’s thinking at the moment, but I have other plans.
“So I was thinking,” I say, batting my eyelashes at him.
“Oh yeah, what about?” He asks, his accent making it difficult to understand the words. The more he’s turned on, the harder it is to follow him.
“I thought that you should take me out tonight.” He doesn’t answer; he just nods his head as his eyes continue to scan over my body. “Eyes up here, babe,” I say pointing to my eyes, grinning still. He finally looks up at me, and I scoot closer to him. “It’s Saturday, and I want to do something fun.”
He reaches over and runs his hand along my jaw and back into my hair, tangling his fingers in the strands. “Ye want me to show ye off.”
I just watch him. I don’t know if I want to be shown off, I want to have a night of fun. It’s something that I haven’t done in years. I think Rhett and I may have gone out a hand full of times, but it was mainly for work things for him. We never did anything fun where we could let our hair down and have a good time just being us.
“Aye, I can take ye out. But I can’t promise that I won’t kill anyone who looks at ye. Yer mine and I don’t share.”
A chill runs down my spine at his words. There is talk around the office every time he comes to pick me up for lunch, but I ignore it for the most part. He hasn’t done anything to make me think that he is anything other than the amazing man he’s been since I’ve met him.
“We can go out?” I ask somewhat giddy. I want to get dressed up and everything.
“Aye, love. We can do what ye want. I know a few places that ye might like.” His eyes scan over my body again, but I don’t give him the chance to make his move. I launch myself at him, and he sets his cup down just in time. His arms wrap around me, and he brings his mouth down to mine.
Before he can deepen the kiss, his phone starts to go off. I sigh and pull back enough to look into his eyes. He seems regretful, but it doesn’t stop him from checking to see who the message is from. I watch as his face changes when he reads the message on his phone. “I need to make a call, love. I’ll be right back.” Really its code for I need to leave. It’s not the first time this has happened.
I nod my head in understanding and move over to my side of the bed, letting him get up. He pushes a few buttons before putting the phone to his ear and walking out of the room. Lying back on the pillows, I look up at the ceiling and listen to the sound of his accent through the paper thin walls. His words are muffled, so I don’t know what he’s saying, but his accent gets thicker, almost like he’s talking in a different language or something.
Grabbing my coffee cup, I take a few sips of the lukewarm coffee and close my eyes. It could take him a while on the phone. Most of the time, he disappears when he needs to make phone calls, but other times he sits in my living room talking in hushed whispers while
I stay in here and stare at the blank walls.
I wonder where he lives… I know that’s probably a random thought, but the more I think about it, the more I realize we only spend time here. I’ve never been to his place before. Maybe he doesn’t like his home? Or he could have some terrible roommates or something… That could be who he fights with all the time. I should probably ask him about that.
“Jest fecking find him.” His words are clear as day, and I freeze. I don’t know what he means by that and to be honest; it scares the shit out of me. Is he talking about the guy who attacked me? I haven’t thought about him in weeks. What if he has hurt someone else?
Before my mind can run a million miles in the wrong direction, Jerick comes back into the room. He looks angry, so I don’t say a word. I just watch him move across the small room towards me. He gets on the bed and leans back against the headboard, looking down at the phone in his hands.
“Everything okay?” I ask. I don’t want to push, but I’m concerned.
“Aye, love. Everything will be fine,” he murmurs, looking over at me. I put my hand on his thigh and give it a little squeeze.
“Who are you looking for?” I don’t ask if it’s the guy that attacked me because partly I’m afraid of the answer. If he’s looking for that man, then there is more to the story. Either he’s hurt someone else, or he’s coming after me again. I don’t want either of those things to happen.
He sighs at my question and runs his hand over his face. He hasn’t shaved in a few days, and his stubble is slowly turning into a beard. “It’s that lad that come stateside from Belfast. He’s not a good guy, and I rather have tabs on him in case he decides to strike.” My eyes widen at his words. In case he strikes? What the hell is he talking about?
“What do you mean strike? Are you in trouble?” I’m on the verge of a freakout, and I don’t know what to do.
“He wants revenge on me fer something that happened a long time ago. No need fer ye to worry about it. I won’t let anything happen to ye.”
He reaches for me and pulls me into his body. I rest my cheek against his chest and wrap my arm around his waist.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“Aye. Everything will be handled. Ye won’t even notice it.”
Ten
Jerick
Spending most of the day in bed had its benefits. I got to hold her naked body against mine for hours. We talked, we fucked, and we made plans fer tonight.
I know that she’s excited to be able to go out tonight, so I have a few of the boyo’s coming along with us. I don’t want anything happening to her while we are out because of me. If that bastard Ciaran wants me, he can have at it, but I won’t put Stana in danger.
The feelings I have fer her are getting stronger by the day, and I don’t know what to do about it. I’m trying to keep them at bay, but they keep coming on stronger every night that I spend with her in me arms. Everything about her is goddamn perfect, and I want to drown meself in her beauty and innocence.
The more I learn about her, the harder I fall. I want to protect her from all the feckers in this world that have hurt her. She still doesn’t tell me about the bloke that broke her heart before. It concerns me. Maybe she’s still in love with the bastard.
I hear a knock on her door, so I make me way over to it and open it. The fecker on the other side looks at me strangely before he checks the number on the wall by the door again. “Aye?” I ask when he just stares at me.
“Sorry, I must have the wrong apartment,” he says sizing me up. I don’t know who the feck he is, but he wouldn’t have come here if he wasn’t looking for someone specific. “I used to live here with my girlfriend, Stana. She must have moved.”
“Jerick?” I hear her call from the bedroom. “Have you seen my bra anywhere?” When he hears her voice, he freezes.
“I’ll be right there, love,” I call back to her over me shoulder. His eyes narrow on me, and I watch his expression change. “No, she still lives here,” I say to rub it in that I’m the one with his lass now. He’s pissed, and I don’t blame him. If I knew me lass was with another man, I’d be pissed too.
“I want to talk to her,” he grates out.
I raise an eyebrow at him and laugh. He’s fecking hilarious if he thinks I’m really going to let him near me girl. “No. If she wanted to talk to ye, she wouldn’t have been moaning me name all morning as she came on me dick.”
“Jerick? Who are you –” She goes silent as soon as she sees the guy on the other side of the door. She’s only in a towel, and I pull her body behind mine. I don’t want him getting another chance to see what he’s been missing since they split up.
“Stana,” he says quietly. I feel her hands gripping the back of me shirt. Her fingers tangle in the fabric, and I don’t make a move. Either she’s afraid of him, or something bad happened between them to get them to break up.
“Wh… wh… what are you doing here?” she finally asks.
“I came to get you back,” he says, trying to look at her around me. I chuckle at that.
“She’s moved on, fecker. Get the hell out of here and don’t come back.” I don’t care what she says when I get him the feck out of here, we are talking about their relationship. I need information about him if I’m going to keep him away from her.
His eyes keep trying to catch a look at her, but it’s no use. I’m larger than he is and I have a whole lot more to protect than he does. He won’t want to feck with me. I will take him out, and no one will find out about it.
“I didn’t ask you, foreigner,” he spits. He’s getting pissed that I won’t let him see her, but I don’t care. She’s shaking behind me, and I won’t make her do anything she doesn’t want to.
Looking behind me, I whisper, “Go to the room.” She releases me and runs back into her room, closing the door behind her. If she’s that scared of this fecker, then there is a reason behind it. When I turn my attention back to him, he’s even more pissed that she’s gone.
“You can’t keep me from her,” he says snidely.
“Ye want to bet? I can make her disappear, and ye’ll never see her again. Stay the feck away from me lass.”
He rolls his eyes at me and grins. “When you give her up for some new piece of ass, she will come crawling back to me. I’ll be waiting, ready to break her spirit worse than I did last time. Tell her I’ll see her soon.” He turns and walks down the hallway and towards the stairs. I watch him until he disappears down the staircase. Shutting the door, I make sure to lock it before heading to her room. When I open the door, I see her sitting on the edge of the bed, arms wrapped around herself.
As I get closer to her, I can see the tears running down her cheeks. Something happened between them, and I will find it out. If I have to deal with him, I will. I don’t want anything to hurt her. Sitting on the bed next to her, I pull her into me lap and let her cry on me. Wrapping me arms around her, I hold her tight until the tears are gone.
When she looks up at me, she wipes her eyes and apologizes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect him to ever show up here. I should have moved when things between us ended. I should –” I stop her right there.
“This isn’t yer fault, love. Ye did nothing wrong.” I kiss the top of her head and continue to hold her. “But I need to know what happened. He will come back and if I want to protect ye I need to know what I’m up against.”
At first, she doesn’t say a word, but soon she gives me the whole story. “We met four years ago. He was a perfect gentleman. He opened doors for me, walked me to my door. He did everything right. We went out on dates to expensive dinners. The perfect relationship to most people on the outside. When we moved in together, things changed, but not much. He began drinking and staying out late, while I was here, cleaning and taking care of the apartment.” She pauses and takes a deep breath. “One night he came home drunk, and he yelled out for me. I was cleaning the bedroom and didn’t get there in time.” I watch her swallow before she continues.
>
“When I didn’t answer him, he got angry. I told him that I was sorry, but it didn’t stop him from backhanding me. As soon as it happened, a look of regret washed over his face. He apologized, but I couldn’t believe him. He hit me for not answering him…” She trails off, and I see the pain written all over her face.
“He said how sorry he was and that it would never happen again, but he lied. It happened more frequently after that. I spent three years with him, two of those years he hit me. He never left bruises just in case someone came over for dinner or if we had a work dinner to attend for his job.”
I brush the tears off her face. Me blood is boiling, and I want so bad to find that bastard one more time. He’s lucky I didn’t know what he did while he was here. Things would have gone a whole lot different. He will regret ever putting his hands on her.
“How did ye get away from him?” I don’t know why I even ask. It doesn’t matter as long as she did.
“He just left one day. Never came back.” I see the way her shoulders sag after she says that. Most men don’t leave when they abuse their woman. They continue the abuse them because they know she won’t turn on them, but he did. Something else must have caught his attention. So why is he back now?
“At first I was relieved, but then I grew depressed. I felt like I wasn’t good enough for him anymore. My life turned into a train wreck, and I could barely get out of bed most days. After a while, I pulled myself together and moved on.”
Then she was attacked. I know how things went after the attack, I’ve been watching her ever since.
When she doesn’t say anything else, I just hold her. We sit fer hours before either of us move. “Maybe we shouldn’t go out,” she finally says, running her fingers through her now dry hair. It’s a mess, and it’s one of her best looks yet.
“No, we are still going out, and I’m showing all those feckers what they are missing.” I kiss her on the nose and push her gently off the bed. She stands there staring at me like I’m crazy, but I don’t care right now. Tonight is about her, and I will make sure she’s treated like the banphrionsa she is.