“You really are a she-devil, aren’t you?” he growls, then pushes me back on the bed and lays on top of me, nestling between my thighs. I wrap my arms around his neck as he kisses me. He groans into my mouth as his stiff erection teases and rubs deliciously against my entrance.
I close my eyes and let out a whimper as he slides slowly inside me, giving me time to get used to his girth. I feel my pussy stretching around him as he nudges, inch by pleasurable inch. He’s so tender and gentle as he slowly fills me. His hands roam my body as he continues kissing me. I gasp when he’s finally buried himself completely, making me arch my back off the bed.
His lips search for mine and we melt into each other. I shift a little, getting used to his cock. I’m sure I can’t take any more when he grabs my arse to hold me in place and thrusts again, building the rhythm. The feeling of his length sliding in and out of me is incredible. I know I’m going to come again and I lock my legs around him. His lips trail over my jaw, my neck, my mouth, kissing me everywhere. I groan, then scream, giving in as my body convulses, my pussy clenching around him as my orgasm hits.
He growls as he continues to drive his cock into my drenched pussy. With one last thrust, he grunts and jerks, pulsing inside me as he climaxes hard against me. We keep holding each other tight, kissing and caressing with his shaft still deep inside me. Then he rolls off and collapses on the bed next to me, out of breath and exhausted. We lay there for a minute or two, enjoying the afterglow of our orgasms. Then I glance at him and smile, my body warm and sticky.
“Breakfast, huh?” he says.
“Best in Dublin,” I reply, and he turns to me and smiles.
We get cleaned up, taking a quick shower together, then we crawl back into bed. He pulls me against him, wrapping his arms around me. My eyes feel heavy, and I close them, a smile on my face as I listen to the sound of him breathing. I feel so safe, and wanted, snuggled up against him. Like nothing can hurt me while he’s here with me.
* * *
I wake up with a start to someone pounding on the door. I roll over and see Conor lying there naked, partially draped in the sheet from the bed. I smile because, for the love of Mary, he looks so good. The pounding starts again, springing me into action. I creep off the bed and over to the door, opening it just far enough for me to peer outside. Siobhan stands there, smiling at me. I frown back at her, still annoyed that they all left me the way they did the night before.
“There you are,” she grins.
“Here I am,” I agree, scowling at her. “Right where you left me.”
“Left you?” she laughs. “You seemed to be getting pretty cozy with that stripper. We figured we were doing you a favor.”
“A favor?” I repeat, sniffing. “By leaving me with some guy I didn’t even know? What if I’d ended up raped, or at the bottom of a ditch or something? How would you have felt then?”
“Come on, Kayla,” Siobhan sighs. “It was just a bit of fun. We all hid in the stairwell and when we came back later, you were gone. I did try calling, and anyway, what about all the times you’ve done the exact same thing to me?”
“What? When?” I ask.
“Really? Remember when you left me in Vegas to go on a road trip with two nerds you just met. How do you think I felt about that, being left out in the desert on my first trip to the States?”
I frown at her and hang my head when I realize it’s the exact same situation, and what I did was so much worse than just hiding. I hadn’t thought about it like that and now, I feel so guilty.
“I’m so sorry about that, Siobhan. I’m a very bad friend. Will you forgive me? You mean the world to me and I promise I’ll never do it again,” I plead.
“Of course, I forgive you, Kales,” she says, opening her arms and giving me a big hug. “You’re my best friend, always.” I kiss her cheek and she kisses mine back, then she takes my hand and pulls me through the door into my room before I can say anything. She stops in her tracks when she sees Conor, then giggles, clasping her hand over her mouth.
“You seriously just stood there, lecturing me about your safety when you spent the night having sex with the stripper?” she whispers as she turns back to me, all excited.
I shake my head and smile. “No, actually. He really is a cop.”
Her eyes grow so wide, I’m worried they’re going to pop out of her head. “You’re kidding me!” she hisses. “And you dragged him up to your room? Oh, that is hysterical,” she says, trying to stifle her laugh.
“Oh, it gets better,” I say with a grin. “You’ll never guess who he is. Do you recognize him?”
She looks thoughtful as she brings her fist under her chin and frowns at him, thoughtfully. We were all in the same class at primary school, so she’s going to know him when I say his name. I stifle my own laughter as she drops to the floor and creeps like a cat around the bed until her face is level with his. She studies him for a moment and I’m worried he’s going to wake up.
“Siobhan,” I hiss, calling her back, and she turns around and crawls her way back. She stands and looks at me, shrugging her shoulders.
“No idea,” she says. “Should I know him?”
“It’s Conor Murphy,” I say in a whisper.
Her mouth drops open and her eyes widen again.
“No fucking way,” she says out loud.
I wince as the sound of her voice causes him to stir, and I brace myself, holding my breath when he wakes. He sits upright and rubs the sleep from his eyes with his palms then looks around and jumps when he sees Siobhan.
“Jeez! What the hell’s going on here?” he asks, grabbing the sheet and pulling it over his exposed body. Siobhan folds her arms over her chest and smiles sweetly at him.
“Hi, Conor,” she says enthusiastically, tilting her head to one side and batting her eyelids at him. “How the devil are ya?”
“Um…hi,” he says, giving us a half-hearted wave. “Am I dreaming? Only I’m not used to waking up to find two beautiful girls staring at me,” he says, smiling. “Do I know you?” he asks.
“Oh, don’t you just wish, Conor Murphy,” she says, and laughs. “It’s Siobhan. Siobhan Maguire? We were in primary school together?”
“Siobhan? Is that you? Oh, jeez. Sorry, I didn’t recognize you there, all grown up. It’s been a while, so it has, and I’m grand, thanks for asking. Apart from you catching me almost naked after sleeping with your friend, that is.” He smiles at her then flashes me a glare. I shrug helplessly.
“She pushed her way in,” I say, fighting back laughter.
“Well, if I’d known you had a man in your bed, I wouldn’t have,” she says with a smile before turning toward the door. She turns back to me when she reaches it. “Hey, you want to have lunch?” she asks me.
“Oh, that sounds a great idea. I’d love to.” I glance at Conor. “Would you like to join us for lunch?”
He nods, still frowning at me. “As long as a guy can get a bit of privacy to get dressed, then yeah, sure,” he mumbles.
Siobhan winces. “Yeah, sorry about that. I’ll leave you both to it. Meet me at O’Donoghues at say, one? That should give you just enough time.”
“That’s two hours away,” I say, frowning.
“I know,” she says with a wide smile, then she winks at me. “Like I said, just enough time. Bye, Conor. Nice to see you again.”
I shake my head, push her out the door, and close it behind her.
I love that girl, and she’s right. I want to make it up to Conor for his rude awakening and that’s more than enough time for what I have in mind. Poor Conor. He doesn’t know what he’s let himself in for.
* * *
We meet Siobhan for lunch at O’Donoghues, a popular pub in the middle of downtown Dublin. I pick at my beef curry, not overly hungry, while I listen to Siobhan chat to Conor. It’s a good thing I’m not really feeling like talking, because I wouldn’t be able to get a word in. She’s oblivious to the fact that I’m not saying much. It’s funny, because usua
lly I’m the one who doesn’t shut up or pick up on social cues.
One person who has noticed my mood though, is Conor.
He glances at me and raises his eyebrows. I smile to let him know that I’m okay.
I honestly don’t know what’s wrong with me today. I don’t regret being with Conor at all, but maybe I should be regretting it. Maybe that’s part of my problem? Am I’m too quick to jump into situations like this? It’s what got me into a mess back in L.A. in the first place.
I mean, I trust Conor, as much as a person can trust an old school friend. However, I thought I could trust people back at college, too and it turned out I couldn’t. What if this situation is no different and he’s hiding something, too? I sigh and push my food around on my plate. I know I’m being paranoid, but it’s with good reason.
When am I going to learn from my mistakes instead of repeating them?
After we leave Siobhan, Conor and I spend the rest of the afternoon together, walking through the city. We do some window shopping and have a coffee, which we take across to the gardens. We settle ourselves below a large tree. I smile at him.
“Don’t let me hold you up if you have something else you need to do,” I say.
It strikes me that I’ve occupied all his time over the past twenty or so hours. Maybe he can’t wait for an excuse to get away from me? He shakes his head.
“Not at all. I’m off work for the next three days, so I’m yours for as long as you want me.” I flush at the thought of him being all mine.
“You get three days off?” I say. “That’s pretty cool.”
“Only because I work six days on,” he explains. “But it suits me, and I like being able to have a decent break. It’s particularly useful for going over to London to visit Dad. Hey, on second thought…” He glances at me. “Would you mind if I drop you off at your house now?”
Well, that deflated quickly.
He laughs and reaches for my hand when he sees my disappointed expression.
“I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I was about to add that I’d love to take you out for dinner tonight. Somewhere nice.”
“That sounds great,” I say with a small grin. Suddenly going home to have a shower and get ready sounds pretty good.
We hang around the gardens long enough to finish our coffees. As we walk to his car, he holds my hand, wrapping his fingers around mine. I shiver, loving the feel of his touch.
The whole drive out to my parents’ house, he holds my hand. It’s such a little thing that evokes all sorts of feelings inside me. I glance at him and smile. He looks over and catches me looking at him, his lips creeping into a smirk.
“What?” he asks curiously as he pulls into the driveway.
“Nothing,” I say. “I guess I’m just still in shock that it’s you,” I grin. I unbuckle my belt and reach for the door handle. “I guess I’ll see you later?”
He nods, then reaches out and gently pulls me toward him so he can kiss me. I smile, my heart racing as I pull away.
“I’ll pick you up at seven,” he says.
I nod. “I’m looking forward to it.”
I walk inside, still smiling like an idiot, when Mum appears out of nowhere, making me jump. She glares at me.
“Where the hell have you been, Kayla?” she gasps, her eyes firing at me as she speaks.
“What do you mean?” I say, frowning at her. My heart races. I know my phone was off, and I didn’t even think to check it. I didn’t even know it had gone flat. “The bachelorette party. I told you I was staying in town,” I remind her.
“No, you didn’t tell me,”” Mum growls. “You said you were going out and you’d be back later. Don’t you think I’d remember a little detail like you staying somewhere else last night?”
Shite. I was sure I told her.
“You can’t remember, so you’re blaming me?” I say, frowning at her. “I fail to see how this is my fault—”
“I’m angry because you’ve been gone all night and all day, and because I was expecting you home last night,” she says. “You weren’t even answering your phone.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t think—”
She cuts me off. “That’s right, you didn’t think. You never do, Kayla. I was worried sick about you. Do you have any idea how I felt when you didn’t come home?”
“I’m sorry,” I mutter, blinking back tears.
She shakes her head.
“I know you’re not a kid anymore,” she says, softly, “But you can’t go doing stuff like this. It will get you into some serious trouble one day.”
I frown at her.
That little piece of advice is only about a month too late.
“I said I’m sorry, Mum,” I whisper.
I move past her and walk down to my room, not wanting her to see me cry. I wipe my eyes as she follows me. She stands in the doorway, watching me as I unzip my dress.
“Are you home for dinner?” she asks softly.
I shake my head. “I have plans,” I mumble.
“With Siobhan? Invite her here,” Mum suggests. “We’ve barely seen you since you got back. In fact, your father hasn’t seen you at all.”
“Isn’t that the way you like it?” I retort, before I can stop myself.
She stares at me, bewildered. “What are you talking about?”
“Nothing,” I say, sighing. I take a deep breath and smile at her. “I’ve already made plans and I’m not going out with Siobhan.”
“Then who?” she demands.
“Someone I met last night,” I say.
Her eyes widen. “Let me guess. The stripper you hired that Amelia didn’t want?”
“Yes, the stripper,” I snap, not bothering to correct her. I don’t even want to know how she knew about him, or that Amelia didn’t want one. “Is that okay?” I say testily.
She shakes her head, a look of disappointment in her eyes.
“Does it matter what I think?” she asks. “Is this what America has done to you?”
“No, Mum. I was like this before I went, remember?”
I sigh and kiss her on the forehead as I ease her out of the door, so I can close it to finish getting ready. When I’m alone, I sit down on the bed, half-naked and reach for my laptop. My heart races as I navigate to that awful site, a feeling of dread coming over me. More pictures have been uploaded, and they’re just as bad as the ones before. It takes my breath away.
I can’t even look at them.
I snap the laptop shut and then toss it on my bed, tears rolling down my cheeks. I take a deep breath and force myself not to cry. It’s hard, because maybe Mum’s right. Maybe everyone’s right. Maybe this is as good as I get.
Chapter Five
Conor
Holy shite.
She’s standing out the front of her house when I pull into the driveway. I let out a low whistle, because she looks fucking gorgeous. She looked good last night, but tonight…wow. She’s taken sexy to a whole new level.
Her short black dress dips dangerously low in the front, flashing me just enough cleavage to want more. The fabric of the dress hugs her curves perfectly. She’s ridiculously good-looking and I’m shocked that she’s agreed to go out with me again. Surely, she must be sick of me by now?
I get out of the car and walk over to her. She smiles as she takes my hand, but her lips are pressed into a tight line. She quickly leads me back to my car, making it clear she’s keen to get away from here. I chuckle, because it’s like she’s afraid her parents are going to run out and try to meet me. I wonder if she’s told them who I am? That’s assuming she’s told them about me at all. We get in the car. I glance at her, because she still hasn’t said anything.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
“Sure,” she says, not looking at me. “Can we go?”
I nod, start the car, then reverse out of the driveway. After a few minutes of neither of us talking, I turn to her again.
“Are you sure that everything’s okay?” I ask.
She sighs and takes a deep breath and then shakes her head.
“I’m fine. Really, I am. I’m sorry, I guess I’m just not the best company to be around at the moment.”
“What’s going on?” I ask, concerned. “You were fine a few hours ago when I last saw you. In fact, more than fine,” I say, wiggling my eyebrows.
“It’s nothing,” she repeats. “Just my mother treating me like I’m twelve.” She sighs. “I thought, coming back to Ireland, things might be different. But if anything, they’re worse.” She glances at me. “Do you get on well with your parents?”
I shrug. “Pretty well, actually. Mum and I get on great guns, and Dad has always been more like a friend than a father. But, that’s not always a good thing,” I say with a chuckle.
“Yeah, well I’d settle for any kind of family relationship that doesn’t end in fighting or tears.” she mumbles.
We pull up outside the restaurant and I walk around the car to open her door. She smiles as I take her hand, wrapping my fingers around hers. After I help her out of the car, she links her arm through mine. We walk across the car park together and into The Sussex—arguably, one of the nicest restaurants in Dublin.
“Wow! You’re out to impress,” she says, grinning as the head waiter seats us at an intimate candlelit table for two.
“I am,” I agree. “Have I succeeded?” I ask her.
“Maybe,” she says with a shrug of her shoulders. “I’ll let you know later.”
I love her nonchalant attitude. Like she’s going to make me work for her approval, and I admire that. After we look at our menus and order dinner, she glances around and smiles, but she seems distant, and I still see sadness in her eyes. I reach for her hand, and she glances down as I stroke my fingers along hers. All through dinner she’s unusually quiet. Nothing like the little firecracker who dragged me from the hotel foyer last night.
I’m doing my best to make conversation, but she seems preoccupied. After we finish our meal, I place my napkin on the table, and motion for the waiter to bring me the bill. Kayla looks up at me in surprise, her cheeks flushing red.
The Claddagh Trilogy: Irish Affair - Irish Love - Irish Heart Page 24