Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
~LEXI~
“ Y ou did not.” I stare at Shawn in surprise as he smirks and sips his whiskey. “You seriously cut your sister’s hair off?”
“I mean, I was four years old,” he says with a shrug. “And she was barely two. It’s not like I cut it before school pictures or something.”
“Ma cried for days,” Maeve says, giggling into her glass. “Mary Margaret had the prettiest curls when she was a wee babe.”
“I still do,” Maggie points out.
“Yes, but you were her baby, and the last to have a first haircut. And Shawn went and snipped those baby locks right off your head. I thought Da was going to take a switch to him.”
The bar closed down thirty minutes ago, but the siblings all stayed to chat and drink. I get the impression that they used to do this often, but that they haven’t enjoyed each other like this in a long while.
It’s fun to witness.
“What’s something you did as a child to get into trouble, Lexi?” Keegan asks as he pours more whiskey into my glass.
“I set the school on fire.”
Shawn spits his drink out in surprise. “You what ?”
“It was an accident,” I continue. “I didn’t know the Bunson burner was still hot.”
“Oh, I like you,” Maeve says, clinking her glass to mine. “We’re already friends.”
“Because I set the school on fire?”
“That’s one of the reasons,” she says with a laugh. “I’ve never set anything on fire. That I’m aware of.”
“Let’s play Never Have I Ever ,” Maggie says, clapping her hands.
“Yes!” Anastasia agrees. “Does everyone know how to play?”
Keegan’s eyes narrow. “You’re all going to call a rideshare to get home tonight.”
“Of course,” Stasia says, waving him off before turning to me. “Do you know how to play?”
“Uh, yeah, I went to college.”
Granted, college was a long time ago, but I’m pretty sure I remember how this goes. With my drink in hand, I wait for the first question.
“I’ll go first,” Maggie says. “Never have I ever set the school on fire.”
I laugh and take a drink, while everyone else looks on.
“I’m going to have such a hangover tomorrow.”
“No, lass,” Keegan says, “You’re drinking top-shelf whiskey tonight.”
“Okay, my turn,” Maeve says. “Never have I ever been to Africa.”
I look on while Shawn is the only one to drink. “You were in Africa?”
“In college,” he confirms.
“Never have I ever stolen a car,” Kane says, staring at Keegan while Keegan takes a shot of whiskey, making us all laugh.
“You stole a car? ” I ask.
“It was our parents’ car, but technically, yes, I stole it.” Keegan refills our glasses. My lips are already tingling, and before long, I know I won’t be able to feel my legs. Keegan asks the next question. “Never have I ever married a jackass.”
Both Maggie and Stasia drink, making everyone laugh.
“I do believe I’ll be spankin’ your arse this evening,” Kane says to his wife, who simply laughs and kisses his cheek.
“I couldn’t help myself. It was too easy.”
“Oh, he can be a jackarse, that’s the truth,” Maeve says. “Okay, never have I ever been in a threesome.”
Without thinking, I take a drink, just as Keegan does. I look around to find the rest of them staring at me in shock.
“Are you telling me that only Keegan and I have not been in a threesome?” I demand. “Jesus, I’m too sheltered. I guess I need to get out more.”
Maeve bites her lip, and Kane throws his head back and laughs. Shawn shakes his head. “Honey, you drink when you have done it. Remember?”
I squint at him. “Why are there two of you? And…oh, yeah. Oops. Do I have to throw it back up or something?”
“Please don’t,” Maggie says, laughing so hard I’d bet her stomach hurts.
Suddenly, it occurs to me that Keegan also drank. “Wait. You drank.”
He winks at me and gives me that same charming grin that Shawn has down pat. “That I did, lass.”
I blink at him. “You know I’m a writer, right? I need details.”
“Give me a few more shots of the Irish, and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
“Right on. Is it my turn now?”
“Go for it,” Kane says.
“Okay. Let me think.” I bite my lip, trying to come up with a really good one. “Okay. Never have I ever had sex in a cemetery.”
Maggie is the only one to drink. The room goes quiet as we all stare at her.
“You don’t want to know,” she says at last, breaking out in laughter again. “You really don’t.”
“I mean, I kind of do,” I admit.
“I don’t,” Keegan says, holding up his hand. I notice Shawn and Kane are also shaking their heads.
“Nope, I’m good,” Shawn says.
“Don’t say another bloody word,” Kane agrees.
“I’m going out on a limb here to say that no one at this bar is a virgin,” I say. “Better yet, never have I ever had sex.”
We all drink.
“See?”
“Doesn’t mean we want to hear stories about our baby sister in the biblical sense,” Keegan says.
I roll my eyes and feel myself getting a little wobbly, but Shawn catches me and sets me straight.
“You doing okay, Lex?” he asks.
“I’m great, thank you for asking.” I boop his nose with my finger. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time. “You’re adorable, by the way, Shawn O’Callaghan. ”
“Adorable?”
“Like, super adorable. Okay, maybe you lean more toward hot.” I give him a good once-over. “How do you feel about orgasms?”
He chokes on his spit but then nods and looks as if he’s going to give me an honest answer.
Which is good, because that’s exactly what I’m looking for. Always. Every day. I’m all for honesty.
“I guess I’m fond of them.”
I grin. “Right? So fun. Okay, who’s next?”
“I feel like you belong here,” Maeve says to me, and I clutch my chest in joy.
“You do? That might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. For real.”
“You’re the best,” Maggie agrees. “You served all of those meals tonight, on one of the busiest nights we’ve seen in a long time, and you didn’t so much as flinch. Your feet have to be killing you.”
“I can’t feel my feet,” I realize and lean over to make sure they’re still there. In doing so, I almost fall off the stool, but Shawn catches me. “Are my feet there?”
“Yes.” He has laughter in his green eyes. “And we should think about getting you home.”
“It’s early.”
“It’s three,” Stasia announces. “We should go, too. I have to work in the kitchen all day tomorrow.”
Shawn taps on his phone and then looks up at me. “Our ride will be here in three minutes. Let’s go wait outside, and get you some fresh air.”
“Why don’t you seem drunk?” I ask after we say goodbye to everyone and make our way out to the sidewalk in front of the pub.
“Oh, I’m pretty wasted,” he says. “Definitely had too much to drive safely.”
“You’re not even slurring your words.”
“I’m a mellow drunk,” he says. “And I’m not quite as sloshed as you.”
“It’s the whiskey. I’m not used to it.”
He smiles and kisses my temple. It feels so damn good every time his lips touch me. I could quickly become addicted to having him near, to feeling his touch. And I’m not usually one to enjoy a handsy man, but Shawn has a special gift for touch.
Our car arrives, and we jump into the back. The driver is quiet, and we follow suit, sitting silently in the dark backseat. I lean my head on Shawn’s shoulder, and his fingertips drift up and down my thigh.
I may look relaxed, but my body is on high alert. I want Shawn O’Callaghan—in the biblical sense, as Keegan put it. But I’ll be damned if I say so. Because we’re working together, and I do not, under any circumstances, want to make it weird.
The ride to Shawn’s is fairly fast. Once we’re parked, Shawn thanks the driver and leads me to the front door, which he quickly unlocks. He gestures for me to walk in ahead of him, and I drop my bag on the table inside the door and slip out of my shoes. When I turn to face Shawn, I find him staring at me with intense green eyes, his hands fisted at his sides.
He looks like a wolf on the prowl for prey.
Moving around and getting the fresh air helped to clear some of the whiskey from my brain. I’m clearheaded enough to know exactly what I’m doing.
“I don’t know,” he begins, his words slow and measured, “if I’ll be able to keep my hands off you tonight, Lex.”
I feel the grin spread over my face. “Well, that’s a relief.”
He doesn’t smile in return. He also makes no move toward me.
“I’ve wanted you naked since the moment I saw you at that party, when I buggered everything up.”
“You were kind of a jerk. If that’s how you come on to women, you have a lot to learn. I could probably teach you some tricks, give you pointers, that sort of thing.”
Yes, I’m babbling. I babble when I’m nervous.
He slowly walks toward me, moving as if his feet are stuck in molasses. Or am I just still drunk enough that everything seems in slow motion?
“We need to set some ground rules,” he says as he reaches out and does his signature move, the whole slipping my hair behind my ear bit.
My earlobe tingles where his skin made contact.
“Ground rules.” I swallow hard as I stare at his supple mouth. I’m going to bite him. I just decided.
“First and foremost,” he begins, tugging my shirt out of the waistband of my jeans, “I’m not going to marry you.”
I giggle. “Thank God. Because as hot as you are, Shawn, you’re a massive pain in my ass. I’m absolutely not marrying you either.”
His lips twitch. “Excellent. I think.” He slips the shirt over my head and tosses it to the floor. I fist his soft gray cotton tee in my hands and pull it up, exposing rock-hard and tanned abs.
“Holy hell.” I swallow hard. “Are we still setting ground rules, or can I go ahead and lick your stomach?”
He growls. “Still talking, so keep your tongue to yourself. Because once we get started, there’s no going back.”
I take a deep breath and finish tugging the shirt over his head and throw it on the floor with mine. Next, my finger dives into the waistband of his jeans, and I bite my lower lip when the tip of my finger meets the head of his cock.
“Wow.”
He closes his eyes and clenches his jaw. “Fuck.”
“Oh, I hope we will, yes.”
He laughs and urges my hand away from his pants, then kisses my palm and presses it against his chest. With his eyes on mine, he keeps talking.
“I just want to make sure we’re on the same page here. We’re going to have some of the best sex of our lives, work on this project, and then go our separate ways when it’s over.”
I’m already nodding my head. “Coworkers with benefits. I’m on board with that.”
“Really?”
My eyes fly to his. “Yes. Really. Seriously okay with it. If you are.”
He watches me carefully, as if he’s looking to make sure I’m not lying, so I raise my chin and arch a brow.
“Unless you’re having second thoughts?”
That gets him moving. He crowds me, unfastens my bra with masterful fingers, and lets it fall to the floor while his mouth slants over mine, kissing and biting as if he’s a starved man. I unfasten his pants, and they slouch around his hips. My hands glide down his back to the top of his exposed ass, and I push under the denim to work his jeans off until they pool at his feet.
Without another thought, I cup his impressive manhood in my palm and enjoy the warm, smooth skin. The weight of him. And then, for a brief moment, I panic.
He’s a big man, in both stature and penis size. This massive thing is never going to fit.
But before I can give voice to my concerns, Shawn lifts me and carries me down the hallway to his bedroom. The sidelight is already on next to the bed when he sets me on the mattress and climbs over me, kissing his way up my torso as he goes.
When he plucks at my nipples with his lips, I think I might die of pleasure.
My hands dive into his hair as he kisses along my collarbone and up my neck to my jawline.
“You’re so good with your mouth,” I whisper.
His hand finds mine, and as he links our fingers, he backs away so he can stare down at me with those intense green eyes.
“Sometimes, I like things a little rough. A lot intense,” he says.
“Do I need a safe word?”
He doesn’t laugh, or even smile for that matter. “It’s a good idea.”
Well, now I’m beyond curious. And turned on. “How about stop?”
“Anytime you say ‘stop,’ I’ll check in with you. Every time. But you need another word that tells me if you think you’re in trouble.”
“I’m not into breath play, or being choked.”
“Me either.” He nuzzles my cheek and then places a kiss there. “I’m into pleasure, Lex. Lots of it. But I need a word from you to let me know if I’ve gone too far.”
“Watermelon.”
He raises a brow and then smiles. “Any reason for that choice?”
“I hate it.”
“That works.” He kisses my nose. “I’m going to do things to you that you’ve never dreamed of. And when I’m done, you’ll be begging for more.”
“Or passed out in bliss,” I reply and drag my hand down his side to his ass. “You’re in excellent shape for a writer.”
He kisses the ball of my shoulder. “What are writers supposed to look like?”
“I don’t know. And I know it’s a horrible statement. I’m just saying, based on your muscle mass, I’d expect you to tell me you carry trees for a living or something.”
That makes him laugh-snort. “Trees?”
“Heavy things.” I can’t stop my hands from roaming. His skin, his body is every girl’s fantasy.
“You look like you run marathons,” he says.
“Not anymore.”
His head comes up and he stares down at me. “You ran marathons?”
“Like ten years ago, yeah. Before the writing became all-consuming. I miss it sometimes. Okay, let’s not talk about this.”
“In about three minutes, you’re not going to be able to talk at all.”
“My lips are numb. I’m not sure how I’m speaking now,” I admit.
Shawn slides my pants down my legs, and then it’s do not pass go because his fingers land right on my pussy. “How about these lips? Are they numb?”
“Nope,” I reply, nearly jackknifing off the bed. “Total sensation there.”
“Excellent.” He pushes my legs up and spreads them wide, and then his mouth covers me, licking and sucking, making the biggest mess between my legs I’ve ever experienced. And he’s totally right.
I can’t speak.
I can only writhe and pant and pull on his thick, dark hair. I don’t know whether I should beg him to stop or plead with him to continue forever. With his lips fastened around my lips, he presses his thumb against my clit, and I shatter.
As I fall back to Earth, Shawn licks up my pubis and tickles my navel, then plucks at my nipples with his teeth as he pins my arms above my head with one hand.
I frown. “I like touching you.”
“And you will again.” He reaches for a condom, tears it open with his teeth, and manages to sheath himself one-handed. He nudges his way between my legs and then pauses.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Well, you’re massive, so that’s inevitable.”
His lips twitch. “That was excellent for my ego.”
“It’s the truth. But I’m so hot and bothered right now, I don’t think it’s going to hurt at all.”
His face softens. “Just tell me. No safe word, just tell me if it isn’t good. Okay?”
“Deal.”
He pushes in, and where I thought he’d meet resistance, that I’d have to breathe to work through the initial sting of pain, there’s only pleasure. I’m so wet, he slips in easily, and then he smiles down at me.
“Okay?”
“Holy hell, Shawn, more than okay.”
“That’s what I want to hear.” He moves his hips in a slow circle and then speeds up. The head of his cock drags against my sensitive walls, and I feel the pressure building inside me all over again.
He finally releases my hands so he can brace himself against the wall above my head, and I immediately grip his ass, urging him to go faster, a little harder.
“Here, love.” He reverses our position, and I eagerly ride him, then reach back to cup his balls as I clench my inner walls and watch in fascination as he succumbs to his own climax.
We’re panting—heaving really—watching each other as we gather our wits and come down from the high of the best orgasm in the history of the world.
“I think I’m sober now,” I say with a breathy laugh before collapsing on Shawn’s chest. “Sober and sated.”