Bottom Line: Callaghan Brothers, Book 8 (10 page)

This
was the man she had sensed just beneath the surface, the one that had the heat pooling in her center.  As much as she liked charming, thoughtful Aidan, this one made her breathless.  The lust that had been coiling slowly around her suddenly tightened, binding her in its unbreakable hold.  She whimpered, but not out of fear as a sudden wave of desire rose up inside her.

Mary ran her tongue nervously over her lip.  What was wrong with her?  She had never had such a fierce reaction to a man before.   

Aidan invaded her personal space, his chest only inches from her upturned face.  He glared at her, his eyes glowing with intensity and
hunger
.  With one smooth, practiced move, he turned her to face the sink and pressed her body into the counter with his own.  He held her in place with his hips, his muscular thighs braced just outside of hers, his feet planted immovably against hers.  It only magnified her desire.   

Reaching around, he grabbed her hand and unwrapped the towel from it.  She barely noticed.  The heat from his body burned up and down her spine; his rigid erection pressed against the swells of her backside and extended into the curve of her lower spine.  The knowledge that he was aroused too sent her need into overdrive.

“You burned yourself.”  A growl of displeasure, as if seeing her hurt was unacceptable.  Deep.  Dark.  Supremely male.  It made her feel ... precious.

“Just a little,” she managed.  “I already put aloe on it.  It’s fine.”

Another sound rumbled from deep in his chest.  Delicious tingles erupted in her core and spread through her like wildfire.  She could feel every inch of him so clearly, pressing up against her.  It felt so good; she had forgotten just how good a man’s body could feel. 

Mary couldn’t help herself.  Lost in the sensations, wanting more, she rubbed against him.  It was just a tiny movement, but it was enough.

* * *

S
he turned her head, looking at him over her shoulder.  He saw the flash in her eyes.  Defiance, and something else.  Desire.  It poked at the darkness he kept chained and tethered deep within.

Aidan growled and increased the pressure, using his bigger body to pin her against the counter.  Rather than heed his warning, she whimpered and rubbed herself against him.

It was too much, too tempting.  He’d been holding himself back all afternoon, nearly breaking several teeth by repeatedly clenching his jaw each time she bent over in front of him.  Or brushed innocently against him.  Or reached for something that made that little sweater rise up enough to show him the creamy perfection of her skin.  Mary wasn’t consciously trying to seduce him, and that made him burn all that much hotter because of it.

At least she hadn’t been.  Now, he wasn’t so sure.  That sweet ass stroking his cock through his jeans seemed clear enough.  Dare he hope that she was ready and willing to take it to the next level?  He was trying so hard to control his baser instincts, the ones currently screaming at him to take her right then and there.  Chances were, she had no idea the fire she was playing with. 

One thing he did know:  if she kept moving against him like that, his beast was going to break free and he wouldn’t be able to stop it from devouring her.

A soft moan, a cry really, spilled over her lips.  He’d never heard anything like it; it was a plea of need and longing barely audible but so fierce his inner beast howled in response. 

“Christ, Mary.  Do you want me to bend you over and fuck you right now?” he ground out, his hands gripping her hips to still the movements that would unman him.  His question was crude and raw, spoken from visceral need and without rational thought, meant as a final warning before that last tenuous hold on his control snapped entirely.

But it was her response that blindsided him, annihilated any chance he had at proceeding slowly with her.

“Yes.”  A whisper.  A plea straight from his naughty dreams.  Aidan froze.

Every dominant cell in him fired to life.  He grew taller, broader, his jaw flexing right along with the rest of the muscles in his body.  His hands squeezed into fists and then released, as if it might satisfy the sudden need he had to fill them with her soft flesh. 

Several moments passed.  Aidan remained still, his hands like a vice over her hips, keeping her from moving, too, despite her attempts.

“Please,” she pleaded softly, and still, he hesitated. 

“Please what?” he managed.  He needed to hear the words so there would be no doubt.

“Yes.  Bend me over and... and fuck me right now.”

A brief, violent war took place inside Aidan at that moment.  It was over before it even started.

He cupped the back of her neck and pushed her forward with one hand, firmly but gently as the other started tugging at her jeans.  Seconds later they were kicked aside and Aidan’s long, skilled fingers were testing her readiness.  He choked on a groan when he found her dripping wet and swollen with need.

* * *

W
hat was she doing?

At that moment, she didn’t know.  Didn’t care.  The only thing that mattered was getting Aidan to give her what she so desperately craved.  It was what he wanted, too.  She couldn’t see his face, but she had felt the proof only moments earlier. 

Aidan pulled away.  She was just about to protest when she heard the soft “whoosh” rent the silence.  Her lust-crazed mind recognized it for what it was – Aidan removing the leather belt from his pants.  She moaned as the ache ratcheted up yet another notch.  How could one tiny sound make her want to weep and beg?

“Feeling naughty, are we?” he crooned smoothly, so much darker, infinitely more dangerous.

Mary said nothing.  The sting of leather upon her bare bottom had her crying out a moment later.  It didn’t hurt, not really, but it had been so sudden, so unexpected.  So... incredibly
erotic
.

And exactly what she needed.

“Answer me,” he commanded as his hand smoothed over her ass cheek.  The slight sting receded, replaced by heat.  Pure, scorching heat that begged for more of his touch.  “Answer me when I ask you a question.  Are you feeling naughty, Mary?”

She pressed her lips together.  As much as she felt compelled to answer him, to obey, she felt the need for his leather more.  Aidan complied.  Another strike, stinging, firing all of her nerves to attention.  She hissed and gripped the edge of the sink until her knuckles turned white.

Aidan ran his fingers along her sex, hissing when he found the wetness now dripping down her inner thighs.  “Fuck.  You like that, don’t you, baby?”

He removed his fingers, but the sense of his touch remained.  Another quick snap of leather shot bolts of sheer need through her core. 

“Yes!” she cried, the tears flowing freely now.  Mary wasn’t sure if they were from relief or embarrassment.  At that moment, it didn’t matter.  “Please!  More!”

* * *

“B
are,” he whispered hoarsely as he fingered her short, soft curls and gave them a little tug.  “I want you bare here.  So I can taste you.  So you can feel everything.” 

She whimpered, but whether it was in agreement or acknowledgment he didn’t know.  It was quite possible that she didn’t even register what he said; she was so aroused she might simply have been responding to the sound of his voice.  The thought that he could do this to her with little more than a few words and light taps stoked his own need, already at critical levels.

He should have drawn it out, made it last, but he couldn’t.  Not when she was wet and begging for what he wanted so desperately to give her.  His pants quickly joined hers in a pile on the floor.  Aidan snaked the leather belt around the front part of her hips, then positioned himself at her entrance.  As he pushed into her slowly, he pulled on the belt, forcing her back into him.

It was good.  So fucking good.  She was so wet, so tight, closing around him like the hottest fist.  Inch by inch he penetrated her, feeling her legs quiver against his thighs.  Aidan fought the urge to plunge into her; dominance was not about pain, it was about pleasure.  And Aidan was going to give Mary every drop of pleasure he could.

When he was fully seated inside her, he stilled.  He leaned over, caging her body with his.  In contrast to their lower halves, their upper bodies were still fully clothed.  It was both strange and hot to experience the two different sensations at once.  He slipped one hand beneath her shirt, lightly pinching her nipples through the soft satin of her bra.  She moaned, her sex clenching against the sensations of being thoroughly stretched and filled to capacity while he tweaked her breasts.

“Are you on the pill?” he asked suddenly, his voice rough.

“No,” she gasped. 

Several moments ticked by, marked by the second hand of the clock on the wall.  He didn’t have a condom handy, not believing for one minute he would need one.  Engaging in unprotected sex was unthinkable, but that was under normal circumstances.  There was nothing normal about this, or this woman.  Stopping now was out of the question. 

“I’m clean,” he said.

“M-me too.”

“Do you trust me, Mary?”

“Yes,” she answered without hesitation.  “Yes, Aidan.  Please, don’t stop.”  Mary nearly collapsed with relief when he began moving inside her.

He should have stopped.  He should have pulled out the instant she admitted she was not protected.  But he couldn’t.  God help him, he just couldn’t.  This was one in a series of recent late night fantasies – capturing the sweet Mary against the counter, having her submit to him, taking her from behind.  How often did such dreams come true in such exquisite detail?

He rolled his hips, plunging into her repeatedly as she held on to the counter and met him stroke for stroke.  She felt so good, so perfectly soft and hot and wet around him.  He wanted it to last forever, but this was not the kind of coupling that could go on indefinitely.  Brutal and carnal in nature, this wasn’t just sex; this was a claiming, a marking of the most primitive kind.

Relinquishing his hold on the belt, Aidan brought one hand around and started to rub at her swollen center.  He needed her to climax, and soon, because he felt his release coming on hard and fast.  With this claiming came responsibility and he would always see to her needs before his own.  She cried out, rolling herself into his fingers to get the contact she so desperately needed while pushing back, impaling herself upon him with increasing speed and force.

“Do you want it harder, Mary?” he gritted out, clutching one hip so hard he feared it would leave a bruise.  “Faster?  Deeper?”

“Yes!” she sobbed.  “Yes, Aidan, please!”

Hearing his name on her lips nearly broke him.  Aidan groaned and doubled his efforts, the sound of his flesh hitting hers loud enough to be heard over her gasps and moans of pleasure.  Just when he thought he would have to stop, he felt her sheath squeeze him so hard stars began to burst behind his eyes and she
screamed
his name.  He pumped once, twice, three more times before pulling out.  One hand pushed her upper back down, the other stroked with desperation.

“Fuck!” he yelled, watching as he came fast and hard all over her beautiful ass.

For several minutes, there was nothing but the sound of heavy breathing as Mary gripped the counter to keep from sliding to the ground, her knees shaking uncontrollably.  Aidan’s thighs held her in place so she would not fall as they returned to earth. 

Then reality seeped in.  What had he just done?  It wasn’t like him to lose control like that.  Aidan began to pull away.  “Mary, I - ”  

She turned in his arms.  He expected her to look ashamed, or sorry, or angry, but she didn’t.  He saw none of those things.  Instead, he saw bliss.  A beautiful, rosy flush colored her skin; her eyes shone with radiance.  Before he could register that, she dropped to her knees before him and took him into her mouth.

“FUCK!” he shouted, his knees weak as he fisted his hands in her hair and held on for dear life.  She was gentle, loving, as she licked him clean.  Only when she was finished did she look up and meet his gaze.  Aidan was completely blown away by what he saw there.

He dropped to his knees and pulled her into his arms.  He didn’t know what had just happened.  All he knew was that he had to hold her close to him until his heart started beating in a normal rhythm again.

“Mary, I’m - ”

* * *

“D
on’t say it, Aidan,” she said, her voice little more than a whisper.  “Don’t you dare tell me you’re sorry this happened.”

Whatever Aidan was about to say was interrupted by the ringing of the telephone.  Mary looked up, the desire to stay in Aidan’s warm embrace far more appealing than answering the call.  After four rings, the machine picked up.

“Mary?  Mary O’Rourke?  Is everything alright over there?”  The shrill, grating voice jolted Mary back to her senses and she scrambled to her unsteady feet, grabbing the receiver from the base.

“Mrs. Shaughnessy?  Is something wrong?”

“Oh, thank goodness, Mary.  There’s a strange vehicle parked out in front of your house.  Did you know that?”

The machine didn’t automatically shut off when Mary picked up the phone.  Therefore, Aidan could hear everything said as her neighbor’s voice sounded loud and clear through the speaker.

“Yes, Mrs. Shaughnessy, I do know.”

“You have a visitor?”

“Yes.”

“A
male
visitor?”

“Yes, Mrs. Shaughnessy.”  Mary’s mortification grew.  If the floor opened up she would have gladly jumped right in at that moment.

There was a brief pause, then, “Who is he?  What’s he doing there?”

To her credit, Mary kept her voice calm and level.  “He is a friend of mine, Mrs. Shaughnessy, and he generously offered to help me drag all of my Christmas stuff back up into the attic.”

“A friend?  What’s his name?  Do I know his family?  And why didn’t you let Malcolm know you needed help?  You know he loves to help you, Mary.  My Malcolm’s a good boy.”

“Thanks for your concern, Mrs. Shaughnessy, but I’m fine.”

“I’ll send Malcolm over, just to be sure.”