Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Brendan
T he Legend VIP room I’m in is one of the small, private suites. I dimmed the lights and am waiting in the shadowed corner beyond the plush leather couch. It’s important that no one connects the two of us or Nora will be in danger. And so, I wait for my girl in the shadows, but it’s a genuine test of my strength.
The moment I see her, my breath is sucked from my lungs. Wow—she’s changed. She’s dyed three inches of purple at the ends of her hair, her makeup is smokey and dramatic, and the way her tight black skirt hugs her thighs and her full breasts challenge the open neckline of her uniform blouse, I’m practically a snarling caveman.
She’s embraced her inner fucking hotness.
And men are seeing her like this every night?
Men admiring what they want—what they will never have.
The possessive rage that hits me is unfortunately timed because when Nora steps into the room and sees my face, her nervous tension redlines.
“Brendan?”
“Inside, angel. Close the door and lock it.”
My voice is warped with desire and thankfully she does exactly what she’s told. The metallic click of the latch sliding into place has me striding across the ebony carpet. The moment I reach her, I lift her by the rounds of her ass cheeks and her arms wrap around my neck. “Who does this body belong to?”
“You, big guy. Only you.”
“Damn fucking right.” My lips meet hers in an explosion of lust, and her legs wrap around my hips. Reaching under the hem of her skirt, I cup the heat of her core. “I think you need a reminder of that.”
“I do.”
Her breathless invitation is such a sweet sound—and a relief because my cock is trapped and aching in my jeans. I didn’t anticipate being driven by my need for her so completely, but there you have it.
Nora is my drug of choice, and I’m an absolute addict.
I run my knuckle down the center of her core, the cotton growing damp and warm to my touch. “That’s my girl. So wet and ready for my cock.”
Her head falls back, her full breasts rising and falling with every breath.
“I hope you’re not overly attached to these.”
“Not at all.”
The snap of cotton clears the way for me to get where I need to be.
“Tell me you have a condom in your pocket,” she gasps. “My biggest regret the past three weeks is that I never had you inside me.”
“Is that what you want, angel?”
“More than anything.”
I reach between us and open my pants, shoving denim and cotton far enough out of the way to spring my erection free. With her pinned against the door, it’s the work of a moment to pull one of the foil packs from my pocket. Gripping it between my teeth, I tear the package open and then I’m rolling on the glove of love.
A couple of rough strokes get things really primed and then I slide my sheathed head through the wet heat pooling at her core. “Such an eager little cunny, so warm and wet.”
“Only for you,” she breathes, wriggling against me. “Aching for you.”
That’s my girl. She’s wet and willing and smells so fucking good my release is burning hot and building before we even get started.
There’s no nuzzling or sweet butterfly kisses for us tonight. I press into her entrance and am balls deep inside her with one glorious thrust. “Yes! Oh, how I’ve needed you.”
I laugh at the vocal outburst. Either she’s been left wanton for too long or my girl is really finding herself. As much as I want to pursue that, I want to get us both off more.
I doubt anyone will hear us with the thundering music of the club all around us, but I’m not willing to take that chance. Wrapping my arms around her, I move us deeper into the room and pin her against the one-way glass wall facing out to the dance floor.
Now she can cry out my name at the top of her lungs and no one will hear her. In fact, I’m looking forward to it.
“You fill me so good. Can you feel me pulsing around your cock?”
“Aye. I feel you, beautiful.” I swallow, closing my eyes, focusing on not going off early. Nora talking dirty to me is hotter than hell, but I wasn’t expecting it.
I love it a little too much.
Shoving her skirt up to her waist and out of my way, I hook my arms so I can spread her legs wider and get deeper. Her head falls back, and she lets off a throaty cry. “You’re rubbing my clit. Yes, that!”
Her orgasm detonates and her inner muscles grip and release, milking my cock with a vice grip. She’s got one hand clenched in my hair, the other tightened in the back of my shirt, and she’s grinding and riding me like a wild woman.
I fucking love it.
Panting, she meets my gaze, her blue eyes blazing into mine. “More.”
She’s so wound up. I know I can make her come again. But it’s her demand that snaps my self-restraint. I drop my mouth to the bare skin of her neck, alternating between biting and kissing.
The sting of pain. The rush of pleasure.
Her pussy pulses around me as another rush of wet heat hits my cock. The wet slapping of flesh-on-flesh echoes in the room, punctuating every greedy thrust of nailing her hard and fast against the wall.
“So wet for me.”
“Always.”
I continue my assault, drawing my tongue up the racing pulse of her throat. The walls of her pussy are clenching, building toward another release. When I get to her ear, I nip at her earlobe and growl. “Come again, angel. Scream for me.”
And that’s it.
She throws her head back, screams my name, and there’s no way I can hold back.
Heat explodes from the base of my spine, and I’m blinded by the force of my orgasm breaking free. It’s fucking bliss. I’ve needed this more than the breath in my lungs, more than anything.
My world detonates and as my cum spills free, I rock into her, tipping my head back and letting off a grunt of pure, carnal pleasure. I can finally breathe again.
Three weeks. Three fucking weeks I’ve been burning for her.
Tag sent me to get a job done, but even without his plan, I wouldn’t have lasted much longer. A day or two…a week at most.
No. This is my home—my happy place.
Buried deep inside the pulsing pussy of Nora with our spent cum leaking out of her and dripping down my balls. This is me.
This is us.
Nora
It takes a while before Brendan and I catch our breath enough to talk, but that’s fine. It’s not like I’m suffering, being wrapped in his possessive embrace. His cock is still inside me, but too soon, he eases free. I miss him immediately.
With our hungers momentarily sated, he carries me over to the leather couch and lays me on my back. Standing over me, he slides the used condom off and winks. “Relax there for a bit, angel. I’ll grab something from the jacks and clean you up.”
Who am I to argue?
And to think, my boss told me to meet the needs of the VIP guest. I’m getting paid while getting laid.
Best work shift ever.
Wait. “Is this something you do? Do you come here and get your VIP: Very Impressive Penis on with the server girls?”
He barks a laugh in the washroom. “I love that, but no. I’ve never had sex in a club VIP suite before. This is another first for me, angel. I just called in a favor from your boss.”
“Does Jay know about us?”
Brendan returns from the washroom holding a damp cloth. Looking down at me, he bites his bottom lip and waggles his brow. “He knows you’re a friend and that I expect you to be treated with respect, but he doesn’t know about this.”
He drops to his knees and nips the inside of my upper thigh. “Nobody gets to know about this.”
The cloth is warm as he swipes it up the inside of my thigh and warmer still when he cups it against the opening of my core. The sensation is luscious and makes my nipples harden.
“No, this side of you is only for me.” He kisses his way from my inner thigh to the tingling folds of my pussy. “Now hush and let me get reacquainted.”
I’m about to protest until his tongue sweeps over my nerve endings and pleasure ripples out from my core. “I thought we were keeping our distance.”
He lifts my leg and pulls me to the edge of the seat so his head is between my legs. He glances up at me, and there is something feral and possessive in his gaze. “I always prided myself on being a strong man, but I’m not strong enough to live in this city and not have you naked and at my mercy.”
He drops his head and gets back to business.
I arch my back off the couch and groan as two fingers sink inside me. “I’ve missed you so much.”
He breathes against my folds, nuzzling with his nose, lips, and tongue—all while his fingers are flexing inside me, stroking my G-spot and making me groan. “I can tell. Your pussy is greedy tonight. Very needy.”
“Are you up for helping me with that?”
“Angel, you won’t be able to walk by the time you leave here tonight.”
I love the challenge in his voice and if there’s one thing I know about Brendan Quinn—he’s a man of his word.
Several life-altering orgasms later, the two of us lay along the couch, my head resting on Brendan’s shoulder, my leg hooked over both of his. In a perfect world, we’d be back at the penthouse, naked and tucked in for the night. This isn’t a perfect world. We’re dressed and counting down the minutes before he leaves and I have to go back to work.
Still, his arms are wrapped around me, and I feel at peace for the first time in three weeks. I knew I missed him, but didn’t realize how much until now.
“So, what changed?” I lift my head and prop my chin in my palm. “Why are you here?”
He flashes me a cocky smirk. “What? A man can’t arrange a clandestine booty call for no reason?”
I chuckle but say nothing, waiting for an answer.
He searches my expression and then lets out a heavy sigh. “I wanted to keep you out of our business—and I honestly thought I could—but things got complicated.”
“Complicated how?”
He runs his hand through his hair, and I trace my finger along the tension in his chiseled jaw. “We found out that your father’s personal assistant is sleeping with Niall McGuire.”
I blink at him as that bombshell goes off in my mind. “What? Are you sure?”
“Aye, I’m sure. Tag is concerned—well, all of us are, really—that Niall might have undo influence on the focus of the task force’s investigation and make us out to be the bad guys. Or worse, use the task force to set us up.”
“Set you up how?”
He frowns. “We’re looking into that. We caught a couple of McGuire men skulking around our warehouse a few weeks ago. Now I’m worried Niall had them plant something incriminating and will manipulate the situation to have us raided.”
“How do you stop that from happening?”
He winks. “Let us worry about that. The less you’re involved, the better. We just don’t want to be painted as monsters, not when the McGuires are the real criminals.”
I sit up on my elbow, processing this new information. “I don’t want to come off sounding bitchy or judgy, but you’re rival mafia families. The Quinns and the McGuires are both criminal organizations. You both deal drugs and kill people. You both rule your territories and shut down the competition with whatever force is necessary. I understand the Quinn Laws and your code, but from my father’s standpoint, you’re both the bad guys.”
Brendan pegs me with a look, his green eyes piercing. “From the outside looking in, aye, it may look like that, but it’s not that simple. There are nuances that set us apart.”
I chuckle. “Nuances, you say. Well then, that’s different.”
He tugs at the vibrant purple tips of my hair. “The nuances do make us different. The McGuires deal in heroin and ketamine-laced addiction drugs. We deal in party, feel-good drugs. And yes, we run the gun trade in Ireland, but that’s ensures the number of guns in the country remains low and controlled so that people like the McGuires are kept in check.”
I understand that from his perspective, the Quinns are the lesser of two evils—and I have no doubt they are—but it’s all a matter of degrees. “You both break the law.”
He slides out from under me and sits up, pulling me into his lap. “But we believe in justice. It’s not perfect, but we have rules we live by. We do what’s best for our community, even if it means operating outside the law.”
I know all this and I made peace with it. Brendan and his brothers were born into a legacy of violence and yet they work to build up Dublin and protect the people of their territory safe. “You said you can’t keep me out of your business. Why? What does that mean?”
His arms tighten around me. “It means that if Billy Gravely and the McGuires know about your father, then they’ve already pegged you as the best way to gain leverage over him. You’ve become a means to an end—and with people like Billy Gravely and the McGuires, that is a terribly dangerous place to be.”
There’s no missing the gravelly tension in Brendan’s voice when he tells me this, or the fury flashing in his gaze.
This is serious. He’s genuinely worried about me.
“So, what do I do?”
“You keep living your life as if nothing’s wrong. I’ve got eyes on you, just in case. They’ll stay in the shadows unless you need help. But if something happens, they’ll be at your side within seconds.”
I swallow as he presses his hand over my pounding heart. “I want you to be aware, but not afraid, angel. I’ll raze the fucking city before I let anyone hurt you. I mean it.”
I know you do. The truth of his words is in every sultry look and every gentle touch that passes between us. Somehow, this violent, dangerous man has become as invested in me as I’ve become in him.
“How can I help?”
Brendan kisses my cheek and slides me off his lap while he grabs his leather jacket. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a plastic bag with an envelope inside. “I need you to give this envelope to your father. Just tell him you found it on the doorstep when you came home from work and walk away.”
I take the envelope out of the plastic, weighing it in my hands. “What’s in it?”
“Pictures of his assistant and Niall meeting up and time-stamped to prove the two of them are spending evenings together and afternoon getaways. We’re hoping it will level the playing field if he sees that he’s got a major breach in the integrity of his team.”
I bark a laugh. “Doesn’t you and I having wild jungle monkey sex also constitute a major breach in the integrity of his team?”
Brendan grins. “But we’re not the enemy. We’re not getting you to influence him. We just want to ensure the true bad actors don’t swing our fate.”
I understand this is a dangerous game we’re navigating, but I trust Brendan. “Why not just leave it on the porch yourselves?”
Brendan holds up a finger. “Again, I want you to be aware and not afraid.”
I close my eyes and get ready for the next bombshell. “Tell me.”
“One of my guys saw a silver Nissan scoping out your house. Last week, the driver even went so far as to look into the main floor windows one night while you were working. We’re not sure who he is or what he’s up to. The best way to make sure our package isn’t intercepted is to have you take it directly into the house.”
I unpack that and get stuck on that first part. “You have people watching my house?”
“Do you think your father doesn’t have people watching our house?”
I roll my eyes. “Why couldn’t I have fallen for the guy at my coffee shop or Teddy at the library? It would’ve been so much simpler.”
Brendan pulls me against his chest and lowers his face until our mouths are just inches apart. “Because you were meant for me. Teddy from the library didn’t stand a chance against the plans of áine .”
It’s so cute that he believes in the Celtic goddess.
I relax in his arms and smile up at him. “All right. I’ll leave the envelope on the table for him if he’s in bed and say I found it on the front step when I got home”.
He leans down and kisses me softly on the lips. “Thank you, angel. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
When he stands and pulls his heavy leather jacket over his shoulders, a lead stone forms in my belly. “Was this a one-time thing, or will I see you again?”
He dips his chin and slides his palm against my cheek. “Do you want to see me again? Like you said, life would be simpler with Teddy from the library.”
“Yeah, well, Teddy wears corduroys and brings juice boxes in his lunch.”
Brendan’s entire body shakes with his laughter. “Oh, I think you can aim higher than that for my replacement.”
I shake my head. “I don’t want to replace you. I just don’t want anything to happen to you because of me. If my father finds out….”
He brushes the pad of his thumb along my cheekbone, leaving a trail of tingles behind. “For as long as you remain safe, I’ll keep my distance and not complicate your life. If that changes, all bets are off.”
“So, I won’t see you?”
He pulls me against his broad chest and rests his cheek on the top of my head. “If there’s an emergency, you have my number. Otherwise, if we need to meet, we’ll do it here.”
The rush of excitement that hits me at the prospect of another visit like tonight is all kinds of wrong—but feels so right.
“Be careful, angel. Tell no one about us. Jay has an idea but doesn’t know the details. If the McGuires find out what you mean to me, you’ll be in danger—and that won’t end well for anyone.”
I listen to the sound of his heart as I breathe in the scent of leather and soak in his strength. “I’ll be careful.”
When we step apart, there are so many things I want to say, but reality has popped the bubble of our VIP suite respite. “You go out first, angel. Finish your shift and know I’m never more than a phone call away if you need me.”
I run a hand down the front of my skirt and adjust my girls so my blouse sits right. With Brendan’s envelope in my hand, there’s really nothing more to say except…
“Be safe, big guy. I love you.”