10. Harper
Chapter 10
Harper
Cian’s answering smirk infuriates me.
“Like this?” His face disappears into my hair while he slides one of his long, thick fingers inside me.
A burst of need explodes inside me. I brace my legs to hold myself upright as he pumps that finger. His thumb on his other hand returns to circling my clit.
Lust and arousal blanket my insides.
Whimpers of pleasure escape me, one after the other.
My quads twitch and shake as Cian adds a second finger and continues his seductive assault. When he curls both fingers, I actually whine his name.
He chuckles against my shoulder, and I swear my entire body blushes. He’s loving his control over me.
I should hate that, but I can’t summon up the motivation to care. I can barely keep my eyes open when he thrusts his fingers deeper in.
He purrs in my ear. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to hear you say my name like that.”
Astonishment cuts through the pleasure bog I’ve fallen into, bewilderment prying my eyelids open. I glance over my shoulder in delirious confusion. “What…what does that mean?”
Naked lust has rearranged Cian’s expression. Hunger sharpens his features, his heavy, green-eyed gaze lidded with lust.
“I want to watch you when you come for me.”
“N-no way.” Self-consciousness flits through me, and I avert my gaze.
“Yes.” This time when he sinks his fingers inside me, he grinds my clit against the palm of his hand.
“Oh, god.” The pleasure he’s generating starts to coil tighter.
“I don’t care if it takes all night.”
“I don’t want to.” I defy him, adamant.
He nips my earlobe again. “Why the hell not?”
I swallow my cries as his fingers drill me harder and I shove into his hand, seeking additional friction. The delicious tension continues to build. If he keeps this up much longer, I’m going to blow. “It’s personal.”
“Tell me.”
When I don’t respond, he removes his fingers, leaving my body pulsating with need. He spins me around to face him, pressing my back against the door.
My panties still trap my thighs until I narrow my stance, and they drop to hang off my ankles.
“I’m waiting.” Keeping his eyes locked on mine, he slowly sticks the fingers that were just inside me into his mouth and sucks, then follows up by licking them like I’m a dish he intends to savor. “Fucking delicious, just like I knew you would be. Why don’t you want me to make you come?”
I’m still shaking a little while my heart rate and breathing slow to a manageable speed. “It’s private.” I fold my arms over my chest, hugging myself for warmth in the absence of Cian’s overwhelming body heat.
“Why?” Annoyance sharpens his voice. “Who’re you saving yourself for? Finn?”
My eyes snap to his, fire erupting in my belly. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“Why are you such a fucking asshole?” For Pete’s sake. Maybe if Cian was a nicer guy, I’d be okay with him making me come. But he’s not.
Cian Mahoney is a menace. A self-indulgent player A taker .
“Why are you such a monumental pain in my ass?”
“Oh, I’m a pain in your ass?” I spit the words. “How about this? I’ll go jump off a cliff, and you can go home and tell everyone I died. Then you can wash your hands of me.”
This is the part where I should storm off, only marching away with my underwear binding my ankles seems like an exercise in humiliation. And I refuse to tarnish my dignity by bending over to hike them back up.
Instead, I step out of them and try to leave.
Cian blocks me with his arm. “Where do you think you’re going?”
His voice drops another octave, generating fear and a little too much fascination within my chest.
I ignore his question. “Move.”
He stands firm. “Not this time.”
He pins me against the door again, propping one of his legs between mine to prevent any ideas of escape.
Even though I hate his guts, reignited lust reignites rises like bread inside me.
“Look here, you little flight risk.” He presses his forehead to mine. “It took months to track your ass down. I’m not losing you a second time.”
My heart performs a nervous somersault. Losing me? What is he even saying?
Determination darkens his eyes. “And I’m going to make you come, whether you like it or not.”
Oh crap. Nerves flicker in my belly like fireflies. “Cian?—”
Cian cuts off my protest by hooking his hand under my left knee and hoisting my leg up. Before I can demand an explanation, he shoves three fingers back inside me with his other hand.
He growls near my ear. “Shut up and enjoy it.”
“Fuck you.”
A torrent of pleasure rips another moan from my throat, negating the bite of my words.
Cian chuckles again. “You should know that you cursing only turns me on more. Besides, you actually want me to fuck you, don’t you?”
I dig my hands into his shoulders, trying to push him away, but he leans against me. I’m no match for the density of his body combined with gravity.
I drop my head, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing my face as he comes closer to wrecking me. Watching his muscular, veiny forearm propel his fingers in and out of my body arouses me more than I thought possible.
His palm grinds against my sweet spot again, and like a standing ovation gathering enthusiasm, pleasure mounts, carrying me along for the ride.
He’s going to do it. He’s going to make me come all over his fingers.
I wanted my first penetrative orgasm to be with someone who loves me, and instead, I’m sharing what should have been a special moment with someone who probably forgets his sexual encounters the second they end.
Fooling around with him a little is one thing.
This is different. He wants me to reveal a truly intimate moment and fall apart in front of him.
He wants to watch as he reduces me to a whimpering mess.
No.
The word becomes a chant in my mind, but the more I repeat the refusal, the more it loses meaning. The pleasure Cian kindles in my body snaps my coherence to pieces, along with my resolve.
My legs shudder as the tension building in my core stretches to the breaking point. As if sensing this, Cian pinches my clit. The sharp pulse of pain mixed with pleasure flings me right over the precipice of ultimate release.
I cry out and convulse, spasming around Cian’s fingers as he thrusts them back in with such intensity, I black out for a second. The orgasm hits in three big waves, and I ride the aftershocks out in a state of hazy delirium that seems to go on forever.
Once they taper off, Cian pins me with a grin. “See?” He gently releases my elevated leg. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“I hate you.” I groan the words while my pulse and breathing regulate. I won’t give him the satisfaction or the ego boost of admitting that was freaking amazing.
Cian’s more dangerous than I give him credit for. When he’s all over me, it’s like I’m teetering on the edge of something, and he keeps pushing and pushing. And when I fall, he laughs.
He’s a bully.
Once my heart rate returns to normal, I dare a peek at Cian’s face. The triumph I find there inspires me to strongly consider kneeing his nutsack into next week.
“ What ?” I snap to mask my own discomfort.
One side of his mouth hitches up. “Didn’t know you cared enough to hate me.”
Savage frustration rips through my body. I want to scream my loathing of this man to the sky.
All I can do is grace him with a bitter smirk. “What’s your name again?”
“Don’t worry.” He leans down and throws me over his shoulder like a potato sack. “By the time we’re done, I guarantee even the neighbors will have my name memorized, since you’ll be screaming it so loud.”
The size of the ego on this guy! “Put me down.”
I smack his back while he straightens to full height as if I weigh no more than a kitten.
Damn, this man is strong. And tall. I could probably see the whole island from up here on his shoulder…
“Patience is a virtue, Harper Brennan.” He turns away from the door and strides deeper into the house.
I can’t see where we’re going, but my money is on the nearest available mattress.
I hate the way my lower belly clenches at the thought. I hope to hell Cian can’t sense it.
My eyes zero in on the door as we move farther and farther away.
I feel as if I’m literally watching my freedom disappear.
The sight of my underwear in a tiny, sad heap in the threshold tells the depressing story of my capitulation.
Not only have I been captured by Cian the Barbarian, the brute conquered me as well.
And now, he’s taking me back to his lair to conquer me all over again.
Never give up.
My sister’s voice suddenly echoes in my mind. If she could see me right now, that’s what she’d say.
Strength fills me, but it’s not mine. It’s Riley’s.
So what if Cian found me?
I’m not going back to New York City. Even if resistance kills me.
Hopefully, it won’t come to that.
All I need to do is outsmart him, and the good news is that I’ve inadvertently set the stage already.
Cian is a slave to his sex drive, plus he obviously gets off on driving me crazy.
I hate to say it, but all those years of getting men killed while acting as hit bait are about to come in handy. I just need to convince Cian I want him, need him, crave him …
His ego will be his downfall. Works like a charm every time.
And then, once I snare him in my trap, I’ll ditch him. I still have enough money to buy tons of plane tickets. If need be, I can flee from country to country.
He may be counting his win already, but he’s wrong. I refuse to let him defeat me.
I’ll escape him if it’s the last thing I do.
So, while he carries me up a staircase, I take stock of our surroundings.
The first level expands into an open and spacious floor plan, with brown tile instead of carpet and tasteful artwork decorating the cream walls. The entry leads into a living area with a set of rattan couches and a stone coffee table.
Past the couches, to the right, glass sliding doors lead to a veranda with outdoor seating lit by soft fairy lights in bougainvillea bushes.
On the left, a bright and modern kitchen gleams with white countertops and cabinets, and if I’m not mistaken, a back door opens on the far side. The room disappears from my sight as we reach the upstairs landing, which is more of a balcony attached to the bedroom that overlooks the space below.
Across from the bedroom, I spy what appears to be a study, but I don’t get a good look before Cian dumps me on the mattress. Before I can recover from the surprise of the drop, he’s on the bed and crawling over me on all fours.
He drags his nose along my body starting from my inner thighs, then my waist, up through the valley of my breasts, and all the way to my hairline, where he nuzzles his face into my waves.
“You smell so good. The whole time you were gone, I couldn’t get that smell out of my head.”
With my heart flying in my chest, I struggle to remind myself of the plan I just came up with sixty seconds ago. Operation Lure Cian into a False Sense of Security via Seduction.
That means I need to make him think I… like him like this .
Throwing myself at Irish King enforcers is so not me.
I’ll never make it through this facade unless I pretend Cian’s a regular guy. Just a simple, average, everyday sex machine on assignment from my father to drag me back to hell.
I bite back a groan. Yeah, right. Who do I think I’m kidding?
I’m so incredibly screwed.
And not in the fun way.
Cian kisses me again, and every thought in my mind dissolves into a sea of renewed lust. I lose myself for a few minutes in the perfect sexual harmony that is kissing this one terrible man.
Honestly, I should count my blessings. At least we share an intense physical chemistry. Distracting him with my body would be a lot less palatable if, like many of the mafia guys I know, he resembled an extra from the set of Shrek.
Instead, the man I need to outsmart could pass for a supermodel.
Though his hotness does present other unique challenges. Such as, if he kisses me for too long, I might just forget the entire plan.
Cian’s hard cock digs into me while his body blankets me on the bed. It’s a little uncomfortable, having a steel pipe smashed between us, but there are much scarier places where he could shove that beast, so I won’t complain.
He traps my bottom lip between his teeth, and, ugh . He needs to stop, because I’m this close to moaning again.
That will land us back at square one faster than I can say, “Fuck me, Cian Mahoney.”
And man, his ego would love that.
He removes his mouth from mine. I open my eyes, and we stare at each other again. Only now, his face doesn’t telegraph unbridled lust.
His green eyes appear distant and unreadable.
Once again, I get the bizarre sense that he almost looks hurt.
“What’s wrong?” I ask on instinct, though I should be glad he’s stopped of his own volition.
Before another word can pass between us, a loud, grating ringtone breaks the tense silence.
Cian climbs off me, leaving my body suddenly cold and bereft as he retrieves his phone from his pocket.
One glance at the caller ID has his face darkening like a storm.
Uneasiness squirms in my stomach. “Cian?”
“ Stay here .” His voice grows rough. “If you run away again, I won’t be nice about it this time when I drag your ass back.”
I scowl. “Oh, and you’ve been such a gentleman so far.”
He’s not listening to me. Instead, he strides straight out of the bedroom, into the study, and slams the door shut behind him.
I huff at the empty room.
Drama king, much?
In seconds, I hop off the bed, rip off my flats, and pad as quickly and silently as possible down the stairs.
I was right about the kitchen having a back door.
The smart course of action would be to run outside, jump in Cian’s Porsche, and drive far, far away.
Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure he has the keys on his person. And with my non-athletic ass, I doubt I’ll get very far on foot.
Creeping toward the front door, I snatch my underwear off the ground and yank them on. There. At least part of my dignity’s restored.
Back to an escape plan.
If I run, Cian will probably catch me. And after fleeing him twice today, he’ll be pissed as hell.
Maybe third time’s the charm?
If he does catch me a third time, whether he wants to sleep with me or not, he’ll definitely confine me. That’s the worst-case scenario. Because if he ties me up and smuggles me back to New York City, I’m screwed.
I need to keep him happy enough with me that he won’t try that.
Which means, the best thing I can do is go back upstairs, play nice, and plot my manipulation.
Another thought hits me. If he wants to sleep with me after he emerges from that study, and I’m wearing my underwear again, he’ll know I came down here even though he told me to stay upstairs. He might suspect I’m up to something.
Damn it.
Hate, hate, hate my life sometimes.
With great reluctance, I peel off the panties, place them back on the floor, and hurry upstairs as discreetly as possible. When I reach the upstairs landing, I glance at the still-closed door of the study. I can hear Cian’s voice as he talks on the phone.
To figure out the best time to ditch him, it would be helpful to understand more about his assignment.
My feet shuffle me toward the door, where I settle in to eavesdrop.
No matter what he says, I’m sure Cian Mahoney still sees me as the same compliant, eager-to-please good girl, but I aim to prove him wrong.
He will not get the best of me.
And neither will the rest of the Kings.