Chapter 31 #2
Baird kissed me hard, rough, desperate, and I clung to his shoulders as I tried to match his ferocity. Suddenly he pulled away, physically turning us and nudging me back toward the booth. What the heck …
He snatched up my purse, barely looking at our companions. “Maia and I need to leave. Catch you later.”
“What—” I shot my friends a look of apology as they catcalled after us, seeming to understand the situation better than I did.
“Baird!”
“Keep going.” He gently pressed on my back as I descended the mezzanine stairs.
“What is happening?”
Baird did not answer. Instead, he grabbed my hand as soon as we reached the bottom and bulldozed his way through the crowd of dancers, leading me out of the club.
“Hey, that’s McMillan and his bird!” some bloke shouted.
“Oh my God, it’s Maia and Baird!”
A phone appeared in my face. “Can I get a selfie?”
“No!” Baird barked, tugging me after him.
It was a chaotic departure, and my heart was pounding. “Baird, will you talk to me, please?” I demanded.
“As soon as we are alone,” he replied breathlessly.
“Baird!” I jerked on his hand, almost stumbling on a cobble.
He glanced back at me and bit out a curse at the uncertainty in my expression. “No, Maia.” He cuddled me close, cupping my cheek. I was surprised to feel his erection prodding my stomach as he confessed gruffly, “I’ve been in love with you since we met.”
“Really?”
“Aye, really. And you telling me you love me is the greatest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. Problem is, my cock thinks so too, so I need to get you alone. Now.”
Joy bubbled out of me in a flood of giggles. “Oh.”
Baird chuckled. “Aye. Oh. Can we hurry this along, please?”
From there we were a bundle of giddiness as we ran to my apartment. I nearly went over on my ankles a few times on the bloody cobbles, but Baird kept me upright.
He also practically dragged me up my flat stairs, but when we got inside, my laughter fled at the utter adoration in his eyes.
He locked the door and held out his hand.
And I wanted to burst into tears—the good kind.
I held it together as I threaded my fingers through his and let him lead us at a far less hurried pace to my bedroom.
Baird released his hold on me to unbutton his shirt, throwing the expensive piece of fabric on my bedroom floor.
He was so beautiful. I reached out to press my palms to his pecs and trailed my fingers over the artwork tattooed on his skin.
One day, as we’d lain in bed, I’d asked him about each piece.
Most of them were art he saw, loved, and wanted on his body.
The Celtic tribal mandala mishmash design that faded as it scribed its way up around his neck.
The dragon breathing fire on his leg. The Caley United logo caught between the thorns of a few roses as they spread down his arm and across the top of his hand.
When he was drunk, Ainsley dared him to get the word Love tattooed across the top of his knuckles, so he did, and he didn’t regret it.
“It’s what life is about at the end of the day. What we love, who we love … that’s what gets us up in the morning,” he’d whispered in my ear, and I’d held my breath waiting for him to tell me he loved me.
But now I knew that he was waiting for me to make that move, not because he was playing games but because he didn’t want to scare me off.
“I want you on here somewhere,” Baird suddenly whispered.
My gaze flew from tracing his ink to searching his dark eyes. I swear I nearly melted to the floor at his meaning. “Really?”
He swallowed hard and nodded. “I already know what I want.” He pointed to his left pec that was free of any ink. “Violets, for the color of your eyes, with the letter M entwined in them. Right over my heart.”
Emotion choked me. “Are you sure?”
He cupped my face in his big hands, bringing his nose to mine. “You are forever for me, Maia. Permanently tattooed on my fucking heart, whether I get it done in ink or not.”
“I love you so much,” I gasped on a slight sob.
Baird squeezed his eyes closed as if in pain. Then he pressed his forehead to mine, his reply rough with feeling, “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear that.”
“I’m sorry I made you wait.”
“Och, don’t you worry, gorgeous. It was worth every agonizing second.”
“You always say the most perfect things to me.”
“You make it easy.” He brushed his mouth over mine, and I sighed into the tender kiss.
Then his fingers tickled my stomach as he pulled gently on the cropped camisole I’d worn tonight.
We broke apart so I could lift my arms as he pulled it over my head.
His nimble fingers plucked off my strapless bra next.
As soon as it was gone, Baird wrapped his arms around me, crushing my bare breasts to his chest as he kissed me with a deep but slow, tender passion.
Baird kissed me like I was cherished and precious, and I wanted him to feel that in return. I reached up onto tiptoes, pushing into him as I wound my arms around his neck and curled my fingers into the soft, thick hair at his nape. Our tongues met in sweet, languid exploration.
He guided us back toward the bed but didn’t break the kiss even as we laid down on it. Finally, we broke apart, panting, and my belly swooped with arousal as he lifted me with ease into the middle of the bed.
Holding my gaze, Baird moved to kick off his shoes and unzip his jeans.
I shivered at the fierce, possessive look on his face.
My hungry eyes traveled over his six-pack, to that miraculous V-cut of his obliques that I loved to explore with my tongue.
His cock sprang free from his jeans and boxer briefs.
I licked my lips possessively. Because every inch of Baird McMillan belonged to me too.
“I want you bare tonight …” There was a question in his gruff words.
I’d gotten my health check, but we hadn’t yet had sex without a condom. I didn’t know if it was because Baird was being extra cautious or if he was waiting for me to suggest it. Now I realized he’d been waiting for me.
“I want that too.”
I tingled with anticipation as he kicked off his jeans and underwear and then bent over to slip off my high heels. He reached up to unzip my wide leg trousers. My nipples peaked into tight buds, my stomach muscles fluttering as he yanked down my pants, along with the barely there lacy knickers.
I didn’t know why I bothered with nice underwear because Baird took very little time to appreciate it before he whipped it off me.
He braced his hands on either side of my hips, his greedy eyes lingering between my thighs before climbing my body. The muscle in his jaw clenched as he drank in my breasts and then when his gaze reached my face, my breath stuttered.
There was such longing there mingling with the lust. Longing, lust … and love.
I realized then he’d been looking at me like that for weeks. Maybe even months.
Baird loved me.
A tear escaped down my cheek before I could stop it, and I reached up to flick it away.
“Good tears?” Baird whispered.
I nodded, my lips trembling.
In answer, he pressed a reverent, sweet kiss to my stomach, and I threaded my fingers through his hair as he trailed his knuckles across my belly and up toward my breasts.
His touch was gentle and claiming at the same time as he stroked my breasts, his thumbs brushing over my nipples.
I arched my back as he trailed kisses down my stomach toward where I wanted him most.
I groaned in need as Baird moved back upward instead. I could feel his cheeky smile against my skin as his beard and lips sent my senses into overload. Wanting my mouth again, he kissed me until I was breathless, then his lips moved down my chin in a path of affection along my throat and breasts.
He rolled us suddenly, again with such ease, until he was flat on his back, and I was braced over him. He caught my breast in his mouth, and I cried out at the sensation, straddling his waist and holding on to the headboard as he sucked and licked and laved at my nipple before moving onto the next.
By this point my skin was flushed and damp with sweat and I needed him inside of me. I needed to be connected to him in every way possible.
I pulled away, but only to straddle him properly, rubbing against his erection while I trailed my fingers over his pecs and abs. Baird let out a little groan, his stomach muscles flexing at my touch, and there was an answering throb in my clit.
Just as suddenly, my desire to thrust down over him was overwhelmed by my desire to claim every inch of him.
I kissed him again, hungrier, greedier, and his grip on my hips turned bruising as I rolled them over his cock.
Baird groaned into my mouth, and I rolled a little harder, making him break away to pant the word fuck against my lips.
A smile of pleasure curled my lips and his dark gaze heated at the sight.
I bent my head again, but this time to kiss his throat.
He liked having his throat kissed. It was one of his many erogenous zones.
Honestly, though, Baird was just one big walking erogenous zone.
The thought made me smile as I trailed kisses down his chest. His rough palms felt wonderful as he caressed my back, my breasts, my stomach, my arse.
My breath hitched as his thumb slipped between the crease of my cheeks.
I licked his left nipple and then sucked it between my teeth. He squeezed my arse, pulling me hard against him. His body was tense with anticipation, but I wanted to devour all of him. I kissed down his stomach, licking the sweat off his abs as I traced his sculpted contours with my tongue.
As I slid farther down his body, his hips jerked upward. “Fuck. Maia … fuck.”
There was no need to tease him. I didn’t want to. Instead, I took as much of him as I could into my mouth and fisted the base of his cock, stroking the length that was way too much.