Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Annie
As we headed upstairs after dinner, with a generous slice of Emily’s birthday cake to share, I couldn’t banish a twinge of embarrassment. While the others were going out to a club to celebrate, Ciaran had made no secret of what he wanted to do instead. His declaration that we had better things to do and weren’t to be disturbed made it obvious he intended to fuck me. Though I wasn’t a prude, I was uncomfortable with the thought of Ciaran’s siblings knowing we’d stayed home to have sex.
I wouldn’t let mild discomfort ruin what had been a perfect night, though. I loved Ciaran’s siblings. Though I was wary of Sean at first, he turned out to be warm and funny. Will was a total sweetheart, and Emily was kind and welcoming. She’d been happy to share funny stories from their childhood.
Ciaran had stepped out halfway through dinner to take a call from Jace. He’d been pensive, but a glass of wine and some of his brothers’ banter had soon loosened him up. The rest of the evening had made me sad I wouldn’t be able to stick around and get to know the Reilly family better.
When I reached the top of the stairs, I discovered there were corridors leading off in two different directions. Ciaran led me along the passageway to the left.
“This is my part of the house,” he explained. “The rest of them have rooms in the other wing.”
“That’s mean,” I teased. “You’ve got all this space to yourself, and they have to share.”
“Yes, my heart bleeds for them.” He raised a hand to his chest in an insincere gesture of pity.
“Well, the perks of being the oldest brother, I suppose.”
“And their boss.”
We hadn’t gone into any details about his business, but I had ascertained through snippets dropped into the conversation at dinner that Sean and Will both worked for him. His cousin Jace did, too. That made it quite the family affair.
“Do they like working for you?” I asked, as we stopped at the second door to the right.
“It’s not a question of liking it. They do it because that’s how families like ours operate.”
“Right.” Something about that struck a chord with me. It was like the tangled pieces in my mind were finally coming together. The hints I’d picked up here and there were forming into a coherent thought. I didn’t have time to unravel it, though, because Ciaran opened the door to the most incredible bedroom I’d ever seen. “This is…” Words escaped me. “Wow!”
The entire upstairs of my house would have fit into this room. Decorated in a calming palette of neutral tones, it was masculine, but not overwhelmingly so. An enormous wooden bed dominated the space, but it was the windows on either side of it that caught my eye. Though it was dark now, I could see lights twinkling on the water outside. I’d bet the view was amazing in the daytime.
“You like it?” Ciaran asked, setting the plate with the birthday cake down on the nightstand as I walked around the space.
“I do.”
There was a fireplace off to the left, with two large leather armchairs placed at either side of a wooden trunk that doubled as a coffee table. A long, padded bench lay at the end of the bed. There were a set of small dressers on one side of the room, with a rectangular mirror above them.
On the right side of the room were two doors. One was open, revealing a closet that seemed to stretch back for at least twelve feet. The other door was closed, but I assumed it led to a bathroom whose level of luxury probably matched the bedroom.
I stopped my tour of the room when I came to the portrait of Ciaran on the wall. It was a perfect likeness. She’d captured not just his physical presence but an aspect of his character I’d had several glimpses of. His attire was formal, a three-piece suit with a tie. His stance was rigid, and his smile wasn’t reflected in his dark gaze. It reminded me of the portraits of wealthy landowners that hung in stately homes. This was a man in command, perhaps to be feared.
Ciaran came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my chest.
“What do you think?”
“She’s so talented.” Something about the image unnerved me. “She’s made you look forbidding.”
“Perhaps that’s how she sees me.” He twirled me around so I was facing him. “Do you see me that way?”
“Well, you can be stern.”
Ciaran arched an eyebrow. “When have I been stern with you?”
He had to be kidding. “When you warned me off Danny. When you spanked me. You were stern at dinner when you told me to drop the subject of my American relatives.” I almost laughed at the puzzled expression on his face. “You don’t think you were stern then?”
“Not particularly.”
“Then I hope I never see you when you are stern.”
Ciaran put a hand beneath my chin and tilted my face up to him. “Don’t give me a reason to be stern with you.”
“Well.” I moved closer to him. “You can be a little stern with me.”
“In that case, Ms. Calder, turn around.”
I did as he asked, giving him my back. His knuckles trailed down my spine as he slowly unzipped my dress. He slipped it off my shoulders and tugged it over my hips, letting it fall to the floor. Then he unclasped my bra. As it hit the floor on top of my dress, my skin tingled with anticipation. There was something incredibly arousing about being undressed by such a powerful man.
When he slid his hands down to my panties, I expected him to remove those as well. He didn’t. Instead, he bunched the silk in his hands, pulling the fabric tight. The friction as he rubbed the panties against my pussy started a pulsing sensation between my legs. My clit throbbed as he teased me. I dropped my head back against his solid chest, my heart beating rapidly as my arousal grew. Then, as suddenly as he’d begun the sensual onslaught, he stopped. A disappointed whine slipped from my throat.
Ciaran spun me around and kissed me. His lips were punishing, his tongue ruthless as it pushed into my mouth to take possession. There was nothing tender in it. This was about dominance, and I submitted to it all too easily, clinging to his shoulders as he demonstrated who was in control.
When he pulled back, my lips were bruised, my legs trembling.
“Sit at the edge of the bed,” Ciaran commanded.
I did as he asked, sitting on the bed, my knees pressed together as he stripped off his clothes. It occurred to me that, despite the fact we’d fucked, I hadn’t yet seen him naked. Settling back on my elbows, I enjoyed the show. He stripped his shirt off to reveal his muscular torso in all its glory. He had a single tattoo, a shamrock strategically placed over his heart.
After kicking off his shoes, he removed his socks and unbuckled the belt of his pants. He took his sweet time drawing down his zip and then sliding his pants and boxer shorts down his legs. When he straightened, I blew out a breath. I knew already his cock was an impressive size. I’d had it in my mouth and my pussy, but seeing it like this damned near made my eyes water. Sensing my interest, Ciaran smirked.
“See something you want, sweetheart?”
“Yes.”
He stepped closer. “Tell me.”
I swallowed as I steeled myself. No man had encouraged me to ask for what I wanted from him before.
“I want your cock.”
Ciaran reached out and curved a hand around my cheek. “No need to be shy, sweetheart. You can have it, but I want a taste of something sweet first.” Reaching over to the nightstand, he grabbed the piece of cake off the plate. He took a bite and groaned with delight before scooping a blob of frosting onto his finger and holding it to my mouth.
Obediently parting my lips, I grabbed his wrist as I sucked the creamy vanilla frosting from his finger. “Mmm, delicious,” I murmured.
“I can think of something that tastes better.” Ciaran gathered more frosting on his fingers and set the plate aside. “Be a good girl and lie back for me.”
Whatever he had in mind, there was no way I was going to say no to it. I flopped back on the bed as Ciaran looked down at me, a searing heat in his gaze. He smeared frosting across my breasts. Caging me with his arms, he lowered his head and kissed me. His touch was tender. He dragged his lips slowly down to my breasts. He lapped up the frosting from my skin, then drew my nipple into his mouth. I yelped as he nipped me with his teeth. He kissed the pain away, then dropped to his knees on the floor.
Putting his hands on my thighs, he spread my legs apart. Without warning, he dived right in. My back arched off the bed as he swiped his tongue over the sensitive flesh of my pussy. I grabbed a fistful of the sheets beneath me, needing something to cling to as he lapped and sucked, feasting on me like I was his last meal. He flicked his tongue back and forth over my clit and I trembled as tension coiled inside me. There was something about this man. The merest touch sent me hurtling toward an orgasm.
Ciaran wrapped his lips around my swollen clit and sucked hard. My hips lifted off the bed, but he splayed a hand across my abdomen to hold me down. My clitoris throbbed and pleasure rippled through me.
“Ciaran!” I cried out as I came. It wasn’t one of those earth-shattering climaxes, but it left me with a strange warmth deep inside, a sense of completion.
As Ciaran got to his feet, the glint in his eye assured me he was nowhere near done with me yet. He took my hand and pulled me up from the bed. Kissing me with a fervor that left me breathless, he backed me up against the wall. He broke our kiss and looked down at me, eyes dark with barely leashed lust.
“I’m clean. Do I need a condom?”
I shook my head. “I’m protected.” Despite my lackluster love life in recent months, I’d continued to use birth control.
Though soaked and ready for him, I whimpered at the brutal invasion as he lifted my left leg around his waist and shoved his cock into me, going all the way in. We could do this a thousand times, and I’d never get used to the way he filled me. He’d fucked me before, but there was something about him being bare that made it more primal. With no barrier between us, it felt like he was claiming me.
He held still for a moment, giving me time to adjust to his size. Then he withdrew until only the head of his cock remained inside me, before slamming back in. I clung to his shoulders as he set a furious pace, fucking me like he was trying to imprint himself on my soul.
“Wrap your legs around my waist,” he commanded.
I did as he asked. As he pounded into me, I pressed my hips toward him, welcoming him as deep as he could go. I panted breathlessly as my need built.
“Ciaran, please.” Pleasure was so tantalizingly close I could have cried.
Slipping his hand between us, he pinched my clit, hard. Pain twisted its way to my core, magnifying the sensations already swirling within me. My back arched off the wall as I came harder than before. As my body convulsed, my head dropped to Ciaran’s shoulder, and he caught me as I plummeted over the edge into mindless ecstasy.
Awareness returned to me, and I winced as Ciaran pulled out of me, his cum trickling down my thigh. I was so caught up in my orgasm, I’d missed the moment of his.
He cupped my ass as he held me to him. I jerked in surprise as his finger probed the tight hole that was, so far, unclaimed.
“This ass will be mine,” he declared as he carried me to the bed.
He set me down gently with my head on the pillows, then climbed onto the bed. He straddled my legs, his knees caging my thighs.
“I want to take things to the next level.” He stared down at me, watching my expression carefully. “I want you to submit to me completely.”
“Okay?” My tone was cautious. I’d already let him control things. What more was he going to ask of me?
“But before we get to that, I need something from you.” He reached down and brushed the hair back from my face, a tender gesture. “I need your trust and your commitment.”
“Commitment?” I didn’t understand what he was asking for.
He smiled at me. “I want you to stay.”
“What?” The word burst from my lips.
“I want you to stay here with me.”
“But we only just met. I don’t know you.”
“That would be the point of staying,” Ciaran said patiently. “We can get to know each other, explore what we have between us.”
More than anything, I wanted to say yes, but I couldn’t. My flight was booked for first thing tomorrow and I had a life to get back to. It wasn’t all I wanted it to be, but I liked my home, and I enjoyed my career.
“I can’t Ciaran,” I said regretfully. “I wish I could, but….”
“But what, sweetheart?”
As I listed my objections mentally, I could imagine his rebuttal to each one. Couldn’t afford a new ticket? He’d pay for one. Had a job to get back to? Take a leave of absence. My heart could get broken if this didn’t work out between us? Well, life was all about risk. Did I really want to deny myself the chance to find out if he and I were meant to be? The argument could go on and on and I really didn’t want to drag this out, so I knew I had to be firm and give him nothing to fight against.
“No, Ciaran, I’m sorry. It’s not going to happen.”
“But sweetheart….”
“No.” As much as I hated to do it, I cut him dead. It was my turn to be stern. “It’s not happening. End of story.”
He slowly blew out a breath and nodded as if he’d expected my answer all along. “In that case, sweetheart, I’m sorry, but you leave me no choice.”
Before I could even register what was happening, Ciaran got up off the bed, hauled me over his shoulder, and walked from the room.
“Ciaran!” I shrieked as he carried me along to the end of the corridor. He opened the door, and we entered another room. It was dark, but I felt the softness of a mattress beneath me as he set me down. I guessed that meant we were in another bedroom.
As my eyes adjusted, I saw him silhouetted against the light coming in from the corridor. Though I couldn’t see his face, his wide-legged stance and crossed arms told me he meant business.
“I gave you a chance to do this the easy way. Now, we’ll do it my way.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re staying here, Annie. Your life is in danger, and I’m the only one who can protect you. The sooner you get used to that, the better.”
What the hell was he talking about? I scrambled off the bed as Ciaran turned and strode from the room. I didn’t make it to the door when he walked through and closed it behind him. The unmistakable sound of a key scraping in the lock sent a prickle of fear through me. Although I knew it would be futile, I tried the door. Of course, it didn’t budge.
“Ciaran!” I beat my fist on the door. “Let me out!”
Even as I yelled the words, I knew it wouldn’t happen. I was stuck in here until he decided to free me. Perhaps he would come to his senses and let me out in time to catch my flight. I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Fumbling around on the wall, I found the light switch and flicked it, bathing the room in a yellow glow. I leaned back against the door and looked around. A king-sized bed sat in the center of the room. There was a wooden dresser under the window and a nightstand by the bed, but otherwise it was pretty bare. A door at the side led into what I hoped was a bathroom.
With nothing else to do, I returned to the bed Ciaran had dumped me on. I climbed under the covers and curled up on my side. As prisons went, at least it was a comfortable one.
Closing my eyes, I tried to calm my nerves. Why did Ciaran say I was in danger? Did he really believe that or was it a ploy to make me do as he asked? I guessed I’d just have to wait and see.