Burning For Claire (The O'Connell Family Book 2) (12 page)

“Hey, Mel. What’s up?” I said as I picked up the phone.

“Hey, Claire. I was wondering if I could stop by with my family.”

“Sure. Why is something wrong?” I asked since I hadn’t heard from her after they left the house.

“Nothing’s wrong. You’re going to be my sister-in-law. I want to get to know you better.”

“That’s great. After the funerals yesterday, I totally could use some life in this house,” I said.

“Is everyone there?”

I was starting to think she was up to something. “Well, the guys are at work, but they left us with enough security to prevent a siege.”

“Great. Eli has been on my ass about leaving the house. He’s still worried that they would come after us. I highly doubt it though.”

“Well, come on over. Travis dropped off Sam at the hospital this morning, so my mom and I are only home.”

“Okay. We’ll be on our way,” she cheered before hanging up.

I got ready for the day in a rush just in case they were already on their way. Once I was showered and dressed I called the hospital to check on Rick, but there was no news. The doctors were already talking about pulling the plug, but my family was completely against it. There was no way they would give up on him.

I needed the diversion. I loved and missed Travis. I couldn’t wait for him to come home, but playing with the kids would be a nice substitute.

They entered the house, and I was in for a big surprise. When she said family, she neglected to tell me it was her and Travis’s family. There were two big muscle bound young men along with an older version of Travis. Mel was a complete replica of her mother and the little sister was a tall version of them.

I eyed her and greeted her with a hint of irritation. “Hi, Melanie. You’re sneakier than your brother.”

She tried to apologize for misleading me. “Sorry, they really wanted to meet you, but I was afraid you’d refuse.”

The striking older woman approached, looking everything like a mother. “Hi, Claire. I’m Vivian Williams, Travis’s mom. Once Braxton told us about you, we couldn’t help but intrude.”

A very similar version of Travis approached and took my hand in his before bending to kiss it. Southern charm I presumed, nevertheless I still blushed. “So you’re the salon girl. I’m Braxton, Travis’s older, more handsome brother,” he said with a crooked smile. He was really handsome, but Travis was the only man for me. 

“Ha, boy you’re uglier than a toad. I’m the good-looking young one. I’m Tyler,” chuckled the other attractive brother. 

It was the older man that shoved his youngest boy out of the way and grinned. “Don’t mind the boys, they are just a bunch of brats. I’m Braxton Sr., it’s a pleasure to meet you.” I shook his hand and smiled nervously. His likeness to Travis was uncanny, yet his brute strength actually made me scared.

“Thanks,” I said with an awkward pause. That was when my mother appeared. Her tears were still evident on her face. I made the introductions, and she turned into the ever-gracious hostess she was.

“Please join us in the sitting room for some refreshments and some conversation,” my mom said.

“Mrs. O’Connell, you don’t need to go through all that trouble for us. We know it’s a difficult time for you,” Mrs. Williams said kindly.

“It’s Caroline, and it’s nonsense. I have employees to do such things. Besides, I need something to keep my mind off my baby.” My mother smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes, and it was noticeable to everyone in the room. She turned to me and said, “Sweetie, please escort them there. Thank you.” Then she left to get everything together.

I walked them into the next room. Everyone took a seat, except the big burly Braxton. I could have sworn Travis told me he was a forensic accountant, but he sure as hell didn’t look like one. He was more like a wrestler or something like that.

Mrs. Williams was the first to speak. “We’re really sorry about your brother. We know you have to be in a great deal of pain and fear.”

“We have been. I just want him to come home already, but Travis has helped keep my mind on other things,” I sighed.

“I bet,” Tyler chuckled as he elbowed his father, who returned the comment with a whack to the back of the head.

“So what gives on the fire at the Salon?” Braxton asked.

“I don’t really know. They believe it was some of my employees.”

“It’s crazy that you’re a salon owner, and I’m only going into my final year in college,” Abby the youngest Williams muttered. She was meek and quiet, even though she was giant. Abby had to be at least five-nine and very beautiful. She sat on the edge of the seat, almost afraid to be here. She looked ready to run. According to Travis we were the same age, but we were completely different.

“I used to own a salon, but that’s gone now, and your brother doesn’t want me to open another one.”

“Not here at least. I’m sure he wants to take you back home to McAllen with him,” Braxton commented.

“Not even then. He says I work too hard,” I griped and pouted. His unwillingness to budge on the subject was a sore spot for me. 

“That’s true dear,” my mom said as she and the maid walked in with glasses, and pitchers of tea and lemonade. Both the burly brothers jumped up to take the trays from them. “Your father and I talk about it all the time. You spent so much time trying to pay your father back that you’d left no time just for yourself.”

“I needed to get it off the ground and running,” I complained.

“Well, I happen to agree with Travis. I think you should focus on being a wife, and then only working at a salon if you want to get away,” my mom added.

“I think that’s a great idea, too. You shouldn’t work that hard. That’s what we men are for,” Braxton stated.

Mrs. Williams rolled her eyes and said, “See what I have to deal with. These men are stuck in the fifties”

“Woman, you love it,” Mr. Williams said to his wife. Then he turned to me and my mother and added, “Don’t pay her no mind. She’ll have you doing the same. A woman should want a man to care for her needs and to be the providers and protectors.”

“I agree too, dear. Your father is just the same. It’s wonderful to feel that safety and love.”

“I feel like this is a losing battle,” I grumbled before dumping my head into my hands in frustration.

“It is,” Tyler added.

I heard the door and thought it was Travis, but it was just Ethan. He was supposed to be working. “Hey bro, what brings you home so soon?”

“Just wanted to check on you two ladies, but I didn’t realize that there was a party going on here,” he said slowly as he looked around the room and stopped directly on Abby and lingered.

“This is the Williams family. They came to meet me.”

“Yeah, right. More like check up on you,” he scoffed. I knew what he was thinking because I was thinking the same thing. They were evaluating me to determine if I was good enough for their son. 

“Ethan, please behave yourself,” my mother warned him.

“I’ll try, but it’s not looking like I can,” he groaned as he stared right at the anxious Abby and shamelessly licked his lips. 

All three Williams’s men looked right at him like they were ready for a fight.

“Ethan, may I have a word with you in the kitchen?” my mother asked in the “get your ass up” tone because she really wasn’t asking. Like a boy in trouble he got up and walked into the kitchen ready for a scolding. I didn’t see Ethan the rest of the visit because mom sent him back to the office.

Travis’s family stayed almost all afternoon, but were tired from their trip and returned back to Mel and Eli’s house.

I smiled and addressed them all at once. “It was really nice to meet all of you.”

“It was nice to meet you ladies as well. Perhaps we’ll see each other before the wedding,” Mrs. Williams said.

“Oh…” I was a bit embarrassed about the whole wedding thing. Nothing was official yet, and I wasn’t even sure they liked me.

“Come now, we know our boy,” his father said with a Travis-like smile. “It’ll be sooner than expected. He isn’t a patient man.”

Mom and I were talking about wedding plans because we all knew that Travis wanted us to marry like yesterday, so we were in planning overdrive. Neither of us really wanted to celebrate because Rick was still in a coma, so it would be a small wedding with just the immediate family.

I let my shoulders fall as I tried to get in the spirit to do the planning, but it was hard. “Mom, I want to marry him, but with Rick in a coma…I don’t think it’s right to be celebrating.”

“Me either, but he may never wake up. I’m just trying to take my mind off that possibility and your wedding is a welcome distraction.”

“I’m sorry, Mama. I want him back too. I know he’ll be back,” I murmured the last part to myself. Then I laughed as I thought about the last day we spent together and how insane he was over Sam.

She looked at me like I was losing it. “What’s funny?” she asked.

“I was just thinking about the first time Sam and Rick met. He demanded that I leave her hair alone. I better not dye it or I would be in trouble.”

“See…he’s too stubborn to leave her,” my mom added with unshed tears in her eyes.

“Yes. So let’s continue to plan this wedding. Even though technically he hasn’t asked me or given me a ring—yet.”

“That can be fixed…” I turned around to the sound of that sensual voice that called to all my womanly bits.

I smiled up at him and whispered, “Really…”

My mom looked between the two of us and realized we needed some privacy. She picked up some of the magazines and her notes, “If you two will excuse me, I need to make some calls,” my mother said as she rushed out the door.

He smiled as he walked up to me with his swagger that just exuded manliness. Travis was naturally masculine, and it was such a panty ruining thing. My heart raced as I watched him drop down to one knee.

“Claire, I’m madly in love with you. Will you let me love you until my dying day? Will you marry me?”

“I think you know the answer already. Yes.”

He slid the large diamond ring on my finger.

“I hope you like it. It was my great-grandmothers. It was to go to the first of us to get married. If you don’t I can always get you something else.”

I looked down at this spectacular ring and thought why would I want to get rid of it. The ring was gorgeous.

“It’s beautiful, Travis. I love it.” My tears seemed to have been almost nonstop since I met him, but I couldn’t stop them flowing at that moment.

“Please tell me those are happy tears,” he said as he wrapped his hands over mine.

“Yes, they are,” I muttered and nodded before reaching up to kiss him. 

Once they picked up the suspects they gave us a call. “So what do you want us to do with them? They aren’t ready for interrogation. They’re completely doped up,” Chicago PD officer McKnight said.

It was collectively decided to let them sit in the holding cell before they were interrogated. We had twenty-four hours, and I was going to use them all up, besides they were all too strung out to even talk to us.

Eli and I left the office and made our way to his house, so I could meet with my family. Once we got into the house, I knew something was up. I saw a bunch of suspicious looking characters. Every single one of them had been up to no good. It took a second, but I figured it out.

“You went to see her, didn’t you?” I asked as I gave them a knowing look.

“We like her, my boy,” my father said, clapping my shoulder trying to pacify the anger they knew would come.

“Really. Was it necessary to bombard her without me being there?” I growled.

“Your mother was itching to meet her and well, all of us were curious about you falling for the enemy’s daughter,” my pops replied.

“Sweetie, you know we just wanted to make sure you picked a nice girl, especially considering she’s related to that criminal. I hope you’re not mad,” my mom said so sweetly my teeth hurt. She knew that I couldn’t stay mad at her, the damn sneaky woman.

“Not as long as you didn’t offend her. So tell me what happened.”

They told me all about the boys flirting with my woman, which I threatened their lives if they did it again. Then they just talked about the salon and her plans for the future. I left them after an hour with the promise of bringing her around in a day or two depending on my work schedule. I told them that I didn’t want them over there unless they’d been specifically invited by Claire. After my father handed the family heirloom to me and told me about Ethan’s interest in my baby sister, I left to go find my girl.

I entered the house without any fanfare because I wanted to surprise my woman. Ethan was going to pick up Sam from the hospital when he and Richard left the office, so I had Claire almost all to myself.

I listened in to the conversation between Claire and her mom, I felt like an ass for rushing a wedding. I didn’t want it to be next week or anything like that, but I wasn’t going to wait five months either. Then her mother made a good point, they needed something else to focus on besides Rick’s condition.

I couldn’t imagine what they were going through. I was the dangerous one in the bunch. The worst that ever happened to my family was my brother getting speared by one of my father’s prized bulls. It wasn’t as bad as it had looked, but it scared us all. Even with my recklessness, we’d never faced anything like what they were going through with Rick.

I was nervous as hell asking her to marry me. I knew since we didn’t really know each other long, she could put the brakes on our relationship. As I waited for her to say yes, a thousand different scenarios of rejection went through my mind. The moment she said yes, I felt my heart pause for a moment as I absorbed her words. I slipped on the ring, sealing the deal and told her so.

“Travis, is there another way we could seal the deal right now?” she said seductively.

“Hell, yes!” I growled as I scooped her up and carried her up the stairs taking two at a time.

“You’re nuts,” she squealed.

“What about my nuts? Do you want to touch them?” I suggested.

“You’re a fool.” She only giggled before she kissed my cheek.

“Only for you, babe,” I whispered as I slid her down onto her feet in front of the bed. “But for real do you want to touch them?”

She gave me a whack to my arm before she asked, “Travis?”

“Yeah, baby?”

Grabbing my balls softly, she pleaded, “Could you hurry up? I need you now.”

“You want it fast, babe?” She only nodded. “Come on, Claire. Where is that demand temptress that I just heard? Tell me what you want, woman.” She blushed brightly and hung her head. “No. Don’t be shy, baby. Look at me and tell me what you want me to do to you.”

Claire paused for a moment playing with her hands before she looked at me and made her demands. “I want you to strip me and eat me out.”

“Fuck, babe. That’s hot,” I groaned as I gripped my cock for some relief. My jeans were tight as fuck, my cock ached to break out. I grabbed the hem of her grey tank top and lifted it off her, letting her tits bounce. My mouth went to hers for a quick taste of her plump parted lips. They tasted like strawberries. “Mm…you were eating strawberries before I got here.”

“Can you taste the chocolate?” she teased.

“No, let me try again,” I murmured. This time I slid my tongue along hers tasting only strawberries.

“Hmm…you didn’t have chocolate,” I whispered as I pulled away from her sweet mouth and looking at her suspiciously.

“You got me. I just wanted you to do it again,” she said with feigned remorse.

I kissed her softly down her chin and around her neck. Her eyes closed halfway as she became intoxicated from my touch. I knew my eyelids were just as heavy from her hands as they rubbed my cock through my jeans. I pressed into her hips, forcing her to move her hands. I wouldn’t last if she continued to stroke me with such unabashed need. My mouth roamed lower, taking one of her peaked nips into my mouth, sucking hard on the hardened flesh, and extracting cries of pleasure from her lips.

My hands slid down to her shorts and unbuttoned them. I felt her body shiver slightly as my hands caressed the bare skin on her hips as I removed her shorts. I growled when I realized she didn’t have any panties on. My thumbs pressed into her hips as I pushed her down onto the bed. I tried not to get jealous that she was walking around with my two brothers here and wearing no underwear.

“You’re not wearing panties,” my jealousy prevailed though.

She explained, “I was in a hurry.”

“Never do that again,” I demanded as I gripped her bare ass roughly.

“Why?” she moaned out.

“My brothers were here. Just the thought of you with nothing underneath and other men around, isn’t good for either of us.”

I believed she got my warning when she moaned out an “Okay.” 

I crawled in between her thighs like a hungry predator searching for the kill. Spreading her wide, I pressed my face into her heat, taking in her scent. Opening her pussy up with my fingers, I tasted her wet lips. My tongue made love slowly to her clit as I nipped, licked, and sucked on her tiny nub. Her body danced to the rhythm of her pleasure as her hips rose and fell while she rode my face.

“Oh, ah…” she moaned. She lifted her legs and wrapped them around my shoulders and pushed my head hard against her pussy, silently begging, demanding more. I bit down on her thigh, teasing and tormenting her before I moved back her core. I lifted up and pushed her to the middle of the bed without detaching my greedy mouth from her heat. Pressing her knees into her chest, I ate her out until she screamed with a full-body shudder, and her sweet release glazed my tongue.

I looked up at her with a naughty grin and commanded, “Relax your legs for a minute, babe. I’m going in deep.” She put her legs down on the bed and gave me a worried look. She messed up, the view of her with her knees pressed to her chest was such a tease and gave me ideas. I got up off my knees and stripped myself; my body was covered in a light sweat as I burned for her. I used my shirt to wipe the sheen from my chest in an exaggeratedly slow motion, and stopped just above my cock. She eyed my body like it was a sight to behold. Her eyes brightened and her pupils dilated as she’d seen something she really desired. I shook my head; my dick was too eager for her pussy to play with her mouth—at the moment. She could assuage that need later.

I climbed up on the bed. Gripping her legs, I pushed them back into her chest as I lined up my cock with her sweet center. Her pink petals were puffy and soaked with her longing. My nostrils flared and a loud growl rumbled from the center of my chest and out my burning lungs. I leaned in as I pushed my way into her tight confines.

She groaned as I filled her up. I continued to kiss her as her calves rested on my shoulders, and I pumped into her. Her legs were shaking, but I was way too gone to care. I groaned out as I felt my orgasm on the brink of exploding. Her moans were getting longer and softer.

“Baby, do you want to come again?” I managed to get out.

“Yes,” she purred, looking up at me with love and longing. 

“I’ll try, baby.” I couldn’t promise that I wouldn’t come before she did. I was ready to shoot before I got into her. I pulled back and rested my ass on my heels, setting her legs down on the bed.

I needed a moment. It was time to change it up, but I was still going deep. “Claire, turn around and get on your knees now.”

“Yes, sir.” She grinned and teased me before she got on all fours.

I didn’t wait. As soon as she assumed the position, I whacked her ass.

“‘Yes, sir’ me again and see what happens.” I knew she wouldn’t be able to resist and would say it again.

“Yes, sir,” she purred for me this time.

I gave her another whack on her plump little bottom before pushing my way into her heat. Gripping her hips, I started riding her hard. My hips pushed into her ass with each stroke.  This view was the best as I watched my dick slide in and out of her. I ran my finger down her spine lightly causing her to shiver. Her back was so tiny and had a light sheen to it as her body heated for me. I turned her upper body a little so I could get a look at her tits and her beautiful face. I groaned at how sexy the sight was.
Damn.

“I love you, my pixie.” I took my time pumping into her because I was trying not to finish before she did.

“God, Travis, Ah,” she moaned. “Faster, please.”

My eyes rolled back in my head with those words. I tilted my head back and bit my lips as I started thrusting harder into her from behind. Her ass and breasts bounced with each pump. I looked at her round booty thinking one day I was going to plow into that little ass. Claiming it too as my own.

“Come, Claire. Damn, you’re too sexy for me,” I groaned as I smacked her pretty little ass again, causing her second orgasm. The instant her walls squeezed me I turned into a beast and rammed her over and over again until I came in her, flooding her pussy.

We laid in bed for the next hour before getting up to shower. Her father would be home soon, and I didn’t want to deal with him giving me the death glare. If he knew I’d just been boning his daughter, he’d probably kill me. He tried to overlook that we slept together every night, so I didn’t want to push the man.

We scrubbed up in the shower while I helped wash her hair. “You’re so good at this,” she moaned. “You could work in my salon as a hair washer.”

“We’ve been over this you’re not having a salon.” My words were harsh, but she didn’t seem to care.

She moaned and started scrubbing her breasts, intentionally trying to distract me. “We’ll see.”

“We won’t see shit because it isn’t happening.” I slid my hands around her waist and up to her breasts helping her massage in the soap. Just the simple touch was too much for me. I moved her hair to one side as I nibbled on her ear before I sensually whispered, “Besides, do you want me washing other women’s hair?”

“Hell, no,” she hissed and turned around to look me in the eye with a glare. “You touch another broad, and I’ll gut you.”

“Have you been hanging around your uncle lately?” She sounded scary for a moment.

“Ha-ha.” I knew she was insecure because I was her first, and only. She might have acted tough, but she didn’t fool me.

“Claire, you’ve got nothing to worry about. You’re the only woman I want to touch,” I groaned as I grabbed her wet round ass. “The only one I want to share a shower with or my bed.” My finger rubbed against her bottom lip and down her chin. “The only one I’d like on her knees right now.”

“Wow, such a romantic.” Claire rolled her eyes and turned back into the water.

I turned her back to face me. I bent down so we were face to face and said, “I wasn’t being romantic. I was being serious.”

“You’re a bossy man,” she said with a raised brow and smirk.

“Well, I just want you to get used to it.” I shrugged and pointedly stared down at my dick, like it wasn’t going to suck itself.

“Whatever. Just know that I’m not doing it because you told me to but because I want to,” she warned as she slowly slid down onto her knees with a mischievous grin. 

I wasn’t going to call her on her bullshit because I wanted her mouth on me. I’d been thinking about that shit all day. Then she stared at it earlier like a starving woman. Then the no panties, she was asking for my cock. She made me jealous, and I didn’t like the feeling for shit.

My jealousy flew out the window the second her tongue touched the slit on my cock. She was going in for the kill right away. She was on a mission to make me come. Well, I was on the same mission; I wanted to come too. I gripped her wet hair and started fucking her mouth as I looked down at her. While I was violating her pretty mouth my girl was stroking her tit and her pussy. I loved that sucking me off turned her on too. She didn’t fine it a chore, like some broads did. I pulled her off my cock, lifted her up and before she knew what I was about I slammed her against the shower wall and entered her sweet cooch.