“Oh my God, Nixon. Are we going to Doolin? I love Doolin!”
“Kind of.”
She looked at me with her brows all scrunched up adorably. Shit, I was going to have to throw an ax soon or something. My man card was going to need some serious punches. She brought out these weird emotions that I wasn’t really comfortable admitting to just yet.
“What does kind of mean, Nixon?”
“It means just that. Kind of.” Oh her face was priceless. I reached across and squeezed her hand quickly. I was driving a stick shift and steering through the narrow streets, so two hands were mostly necessary.
“I don’t like surprises.”
“I’m feeling that.”
“Then are you going to tell me what kind of means?”
“Yup. In about 35 seconds.”
“One. Two. Three.” Like I said, fucking adorable.
I pulled into the marina’s parking lot and shut off the car. I turned and was finally able to look at her full on. “You’re beautiful, Keeva Murphy.” I swept a rogue hair off her forehead and tried unsuccessfully to tame it. “Trust me?”
I could see her mulling it over. She had control issues, that was for sure, but I think underneath it all, she wasn’t as angry as she made out to be. She was here, wasn’t she?
“Not entirely.”
“That’s fair. Hopefully I can fix that. Consider this our first exercise in trust building. Ready?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Nope, come on. Let’s go. He’s waiting.”
“Who? Who is waiting? Nixon! Nixon!”
But I’d already gotten out of the car and was coming around to drag her out. She had chosen well for the night. Knee high brown boots covering dark blue leggings, topped by a flowing, lightweight top and a classic ivory Irish cardigan.
I took her hand and held on tight, grabbing my bag with my other hand and propelling her along.
“What’s in the bag? Where are we going? On a boat? Oh God, Nixon. Please tell me. I can’t take it much longer.”
“You can take it.”
We approached the bearded man waiting on shore. He smiled a nearly toothless smile and pushed up off the post he was leaning on.
“’Bout time you made it. Nixon, is ya?”
“Yes, and thanks for the last minute booking. This is Keeva.”
The man pumped my hand heartily and then enveloped Keeva in a warm hug. “Keeva, a right proper Irish name lass. Are ya ready, then?”
She looked up at me, eyes boring holes into my face. “Yes, yes, sir? I sure am,” she replied.
“Name’s Ewen. Let’s get a move along, then shall we? Sun’s setting and I’ve got sheep ta tend to.”
I tugged on her hand again and we followed Ewen down the dock to his boat, if you could call it that. It was basically a zodiac and I had to give Keeva credit. Having no clue what end was up, she bravely hopped on board, settling in to the single middle seat I stepped in next and took the seat at the front, Ewen bring up the rear and firing up the motor, skillfully backing us out and into the open water.
I took off my glasses and stowed them in the V of my sweater. The spray of water was regretfully massive up at the front and I turned to squint at the assumed smirk on Keeva’s face, from her dry perch in the middle seat.
“Aran Islands, huh?” She was yelling to be heard over the motor. “Smooth.”
I just grinned at her, unable to really open my mouth for fear of something splashing in it. I wasn’t much for seafaring. Thankfully the ride wasn’t all that long and soon we pulled up alongside the pier, the next part of the plan patiently waiting there.
“Mr. Rivers?”
He handed me a towel and helped Keeva out of the boat. “Ms. Murphy. Welcome to Inis Meain. My name is Ruairi. My wife and I will be your hosts this evening. Can I take your bags?”
She looked flustered so I stepped in to save her. “Here’s our bag and thanks for the last minute arrangements.”
“Nixon? Why do I need a bag?”
It was time to show her just how committed I was to this first date, and many, many other dates after it.
Chapter 21
Keeva
“Nixon?”
Oh he was in so much shit. The sneaky bastard had kidnapped me! And without my stuff. How did a girl do an overnight, on a remote island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean without her girly stuff? And, on our official first date to boot.
Ruairi walked ahead of us, leading us to a sleek, black Range Rover, silently waiting to take us wherever it was we were going. Nixon slipped his hand into mine and my anxiety instantly calmed at his strong guidance. I needed to relax and enjoy his efforts. If the past hour was any indication, he was going all out to convince me to take a chance on him. I had a feeling I’d only seen the tip of the iceberg.
We got into the SUV and bounced along the rough road towards our destination. I knew the island was only five kilometers long and three kilometers wide, so wherever we were going, it wouldn’t take long. The sun only had about thirty minutes left before darkness overtook it and the effect was breathtaking.
All around us was dark ocean, cut through by the gorgeous pink and orange stripes from the sunset. Behind us I could see the mountains off in the distance and the mainland was somewhere close by.
Ruairi chatted lightly in the driver’s seat, talking about the island and its history, but I was too nervous to pay much attention. Nixon, however, was engrossed in what he was saying, ever the knowledge seeker.
He was dressed in a light, V-neck navy sweater, dark wash jeans and my favorite Blundstone boots in brown. His long, straight nose held those damn glasses and his chestnut hair was curled all over from the ride over to the island. He still had that dusting of a beard that called its siren song to me. So much so that my hand lifted on its own to softly slide through the rough texture. He turned sharply to me and the heated look he gave me sent chills straight to the center of me.
He took a deep breath and turned back to face forward. We came over a small hill and I mirrored his deep breath. We’d arrived and what a place. It was shaped like the earth it covered, round at one end with windows that spanned the entire building throwing soft light out into the night. It was made of grey stone, matching the rugged terrain it stood atop. It was a completely modern building, but somehow had been designed to blend in with its historic surroundings.
“Oh Nixon.”
He was smiling, looking only at me and I felt my body heat up. He picked up my hand and brought my palm, open to his lips.
“How did you ever find this place?”
“I came across it while visiting a friend.”
“You’ve been out here already?”
“Yes, Hawk and I have some business here.”
“Ah.”
“Yes, ah.”
Ruairi opened my door and offered me his hand to get down. “Thank you. Is this place yours?”
“Yes,” he took my arm in his. “My wife and I built it a few years ago. It’s our sanctuary, one that we share with the world. Welcome to the Inis Maein. Come right this way. Dinner is ready.”
I looked behind me to see Nixon staring out across the sea and I wondered what he was thinking about so intently. We turned and headed into the building. A long table was waiting for us, set only for two people. Looking up at our host, I asked, “Are we the only two dining tonight?”
“It is only the two of you here tonight. You’re very lucky as we are often fully booked.” He gestured to one of the settings. “Please, let’s get you two seated so we can begin. I hope you like seafood. It’s what we do best here.”
“It’s my favorite.”
“Excellent. Mr. Rivers? May we begin?”
Nixon sat down next to me so that we were both on the bench seat, facing the magnificent sunset. “Please.”
Ruairi hurried off and I gazed at the view. “So.”
I pulled my eyes away from the view to look at him. He had a concerned look on his
face and I swallowed some of my guilty feelings. I was supposed to still be figuring us out. Not stuck together on a remote island, sighing like a love-struck girl.
“What is all this, Nixon?”
“It’s our first date.”
“My last first date took me to Blarney Castle.”
“Amateur.”
I laughed and threw my head back, letting go a teeny, tiny bit.
“I love watching you laugh. You use your whole body, you know?”
I sobered at the sound of his emotions. “You haven’t answered my question.”
He gazed out the window, his hands fiddling nervously with his silverware. “I just wanted something we could look back on and brag about to anyone who asked where I took you on our first date.”
My breath hitched and I lifted my index finger and dragged his chin to face me. “Wow.”
“Yeah, wow.”
Our host decided to choose that emotion laden moment to reappear with our first course and for the next hour, I ate like it was nobody’s business. There wasn’t much in life that could beat food harvested and caught and served up within the same day. Everything was either grown or caught on their land or in the sea off the pier and it was spectacular.
I didn’t do food porn, but I totally snapped a few Instagram pics of my dinner along with a couple of shameless selfies with my dinner date.
I sat back after we were done, completely stuff and unsure as to how I was ever going to digest all of the food in my stomach.
“Oh my God, Nixon. That was amazing.”
He tucked an errant piece of my hair behind my ear and didn’t say anything in response. He leaned in and simply brushed a soft kiss on my lips, lingering while leaning his forehead against mine.
“Ready?” he whispered.
“For what?”
“For what comes next.”
“I’m scared.”
He shifted closer and wrapped his arms around me, giving me his entire body for support to lean on. He gently guided my head to rest on his chest and I felt safe here with him, in this strange place out here in the middle of nowhere.
“I know baby. I’ve got you. You’ve got to believe that.”
I didn’t answer, just contentedly stayed still, waiting for him to fill me in on our next adventure.
I felt him shift and we let go of each other smiling. He stood and held out his hand for me to take. Pulling me up, he had a funny look on his face.
“What is it?”
“This is the part you might not, um, well, I don’t know. I’m a little unsure about the rest of the date.”
I laughed and held both his hands in mine. “Lead on. I’m ready.”
He raised an eyebrow and pulled a single key out of his pocket. “This way, madame.”
He held out his elbow and I looked around, suddenly noticing no one was around. “Are we totally alone out here?”
“Don’t worry. Ruairi and his wife live behind us and the rooms have Wi-Fi and I packed chargers for both of us.”
“We’re staying over then.”
“Bingo.”
I took a deep breath in and tried to analyze how I felt about that. I guess my vagina felt pretty damn good ‘cause it propelled me forward without waiting to see what my brain came up with.
We walked outside to get to our room and passed a pair of bicycles outside of the door. “Oh, bikes! Can we go for a ride tomorrow?”
“Way ahead of you.” He opened the door and turned to look at me.
“Nixon—"
He placed a single finger on my lips. “Nothing has to happen. I just wanted to do something amazing for our first date. We can go in, hang out, get to know each other-“
I didn’t wait for him to finish. I’d made up my mind, the analysis was done, I was in. Both feet, jumping. Him, preferably.
I placed both my hands on his chest and pushed him over the threshold and into the stunning room. I’d take my time admiring it later, but for now, I was going to erase a solid month of pent of sexual frustration.
Dropping my purse on the concrete floor, I continued to push him, backing him up against the wall, all the while exploring his mouth with my tongue. I was greedy and wasn’t interested in taking it slow. Slow was for next time. Now, was for fast.
He trailed his mouth down the side of my neck, and I was unable to hold in the soft moans.
“You taste amazing.”
“Nixon.”
“I know, I’ve got you.”
He nipped at my shoulder, making me wild with need. So wild I think I was trying to climb up his exquisite six foot frame. He dropped both his hands to my hips and tugged. “Up, baby.”
What was it about that word? It did all sorts of melty things to my stomach. I immediately jumped, wrapping my legs around his and hung on for all I was worth. I fused my mouth to his while he carried me over to the California king bed, trying desperately to keep my cool, but still let him know he needed to get on the non-stop train to orgasmville.
He set me down on the edge of the bed, and settled between my legs, while continuing his attack on my lips. For once, I was so thankful I was as tiny as I was. Kneeling, he was just the perfect height to match me kiss for kiss.
I wound my hands around his neck, nestling them into his hair, tugging gently, making sure he stayed right where he was.
While his mouth focused up top, his hands were diligently working on my jeans, unbuttoning and unzipping while missing a key point.
“My boots, Nixon. I need my boots off.”
He broke our kiss and angrily glared at the offending boots, kneeling back to peel first the left, then the right boot off. Leaning back on my elbows, I looked at the man kneeling before me and knew he was meant to be mine. How in the hell we were going to make this work, was another thought for another time, but here and now, I had to think this date was going down as the best I’d ever had. Done.
He had made his way past my jeans, slowly peeling them down my legs, carelessly tossing them to the floor behind him. His fingers tugged at my panties and I had a moment of crisis. The landscaping down there had pretty much gone by the wayside. I mean, I was relatively good, but I wasn’t first time having sex good. Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
“What’s wrong? I can feel your anxiety.”
I flopped back onto the bed and covered my face with my hands. “Ugh, it’s nothing.” I popped back up and decided avoidance and distraction was going to be my plan for the evening.
Grasping his face between my hands, I pulled him up off the floor, enticing him to focus up top, not down in the original garden of Eden. Overgrown and in need of a good trim.
I smiled at him and the DNA that had been ingrained in all women since the beginning of time, successfully pivoted his attention to where I needed it to go. He slowly pushed my cardigan off my shoulders and rolled up the edge of my top, until I was laying there, underneath him, in only my medium good bra and panties.
Hey, I was a first base, first date kinda girl on the regular. This wasn’t a La Perla panty date normally, so stop judging.
He tugged a nipple into his mouth through the lace of my bra, causing me to arch up, trying desperately to get closer to him. Giving the other nipple equal treatment, he reached over and plucked my other breast out of the cup, pinching and pulling on my nipple until it was paying the utmost attention to him. He then decided to switch sides and repeat the action all over.
“Nixon, please.”
“Say it again.”
“Please.” I barely recognized my breathy voice as I wriggled and moved underneath him, trying to gain some traction in all the key places. His free hand slipped into the front of my panties, and I lit up, trying to frantically find some release.
Slipping one finger inside me, he moved his thumb to match the rhythm we were setting. With his other hand, he captured my neck and pulled me towards his head, crashing us together, grabbing at each other with our teeth like we were starving and the other could feed our hunger.
And with those words of encouragement, I took off, falling apart in his arms, just like that, and I was done.
I kissed away my climax, dueling with his tongue, giving him my heart as best I was able to at that moment.
He threw his arms behind him, digging into his pocket, coming back successful, the happy owner of a condom. He quickly shed his jeans and shirt-I really had no idea how they were still on his body-and peeled off his boxer briefs and rolled the condom on his impressive erection.
I clung to him, unsure of a lot, but positive I could finally trust my gut on this man.
“Touch me, Keeva.” I could see in his eyes he was hungry. I skimmed my fingers across the hard plains of his body, occasionally jumping over rigid scars and tiny divots, unsure I wanted to know the answers to where they had come from. “Please. Touch me.”
He took a deep breath in, and on his exhale he proceeded to slam into me, pushing us farther and farther up the desperation ladder. I needed to feel him, over me, around me and under me. I suddenly couldn’t get enough of this glorious man.
At his stillness, I opened my eyes and made sure he knew this was what I wanted. I was currently a very happy women and it was all thanks to him. That should pump up his ego for a few months.
It was all he needed to surge ahead and God it felt right. It felt like I needed to always be right here. Right in this spot with this man.
He drove into me, over and over again until he was chasing his orgasm like I had done mine. The good news just kept on coming. It turned out I really could have a second orgasm.
WE DRIFTED OFF INTO a peaceful, exhausted sleep many hours later, in the fabulous, gigantic king size bed, something you didn’t see a lot of in Ireland. I awoke the next morning clear on where we were headed. We had talked and laughed throughout the night and I discovered that more than physical attraction, this man now lying beside me, completely dead to the world, was an amazing human. He was funny, kind, smart and loved life. He had an appreciation for life that I loved.
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