Chapter Thirty
Rowan
I don’t make it a habit of eavesdropping, but I couldn’t help myself when I walked up behind Alicia and Bridget talking about when Li realized she liked me.
To say I was surprised is an understatement, and while I’m elated, it also makes me a little annoyed that we could have been enjoying each other for years as opposed to weeks.
In hindsight though, I was an immature wanker then.
I’ve always been attracted to Alicia, and wanted to be with her physically, but I was nowhere near ready for any sort of relationship.
It’s impossible to say what made me realize that I was wasting my time on meaningless hookups.
Maybe it was seeing my mates deliriously happy with their mots, or maybe it was moving from Wilmington to Charlotte and not seeing Alicia’s face multiple times a week.
When you grow used to certain things, you take them for granted until you no longer have easy access to them.
You realize that without that one constant, your world is off kilter.
It’s only when I’m with her that I feel settled.
“Ro? You coming?” Alicia’s looking at me expectantly, a dark brow raised halfway up her forehead.
“Aye, sorry. Just thinking about how fucking good you look and how I can’t wait to get behind closed doors.”
She laughs when I wink at her then reaches for my hand. “Sounds like you need a cold shower.”
I let her lead me toward the water, watching the way her arse moves with each step. “Wouldn’t help. You forget that I learned to swim in the North Atlantic Ocean. I doubt the water ever got over sixty degrees, love. And there’s not a fecking thing that could keep me from wanting you right now.”
She turns to face me, walking backward further into the surf, and there’s a challenge in her eyes.
Mine don’t leave hers as we sink deeper into the water.
When we’re chest deep, she stops and pulls me to her, twining her arms around my neck and locking her legs around my hips.
My hands immediately palm her arse to pull her against my hard cock. The contact making me grit my teeth.
“I missed you,” Alicia whispers.
“Yeah? What did you miss most?” I ask teasingly, letting my fingers play with the hem of her swim bottoms, sliding just under the edge.
She rolls her lower body as she leans in to kiss my jaw. “All of you, Ro.”
“Feeling’s mutual.”
One of her hands slides from my neck and down my chest until she reaches the top of my swim trunks, then she slips it in to grab my length, slowly pumping from base to tip. I groan, burying my face into her neck.
“Fucking hell,” I mutter, licking the salt water from her throat. “I need to be inside you.”
“Good thing no one can see us from here, Gallagher.”
I keep one hand under her arse to hold her up and let the other sink into the front of her swimsuit to gently circle her clit before plunging two fingers into her cunt.
“Oh my god,” she gasps, forehead dropping to my shoulder.
I feel her teeth sink into my skin and the hand around my cock squeeze tighter. My fingers glide in and out of her leisurely, letting the pleasure build until she’s writhing against the heel of my hand. When her fingers release me, I start to object until I realize she’s freeing my erection.
“Fuck me, Ro,” she pants, her breath hot. “Please.”
In one smooth motion, I pull my fingers from her, moving her swimsuit aside, then guide my cock to her entrance and punch my hips until I’m fully seated in her.
We both moan softly, not moving save for the way the waves rock us back and forth, just relishing in the feeling of being home.
Alicia winds her hands around my neck once more and lifts her mouth to mine, kissing me like her life depends on it.
The taste of salt and everything that is uniquely her floods my senses, and I get lost in her.
Gripping her hips, I move her along my shaft.
I’m not going to last. It’s been too long since I’ve had her.
“Christ, you feel like heaven,” I mutter against her lips. “You take my cock like it was made for you.”
Alicia grins at me with flushed cheeks. “It was, baby. Didn’t you know? This cock was always meant to be mine.”
The possession in her voice sends me right over the edge.
“Fuck,” I growl through gritted teeth, and my hips falter.
“Don’t stop!” She whines in my ear. “God, please don’t stop. I’m so close.”
I find her clit with my thumb, rubbing until her inner walls squeeze my cock and she’s gasping my name as her orgasm starts to peak.
“Ro!” she cries softly as it barrels through her, making her body quiver. I stroke her clit through it until she’s begging me to stop. “Stop, oh my god, stop. It’s too much.”
I chuckle, kissing her temple. “I’ll stop now, but when we get home, I’m going to make you come so many times, you won’t be able to walk or speak.”
Alicia whimpers, her body sagging against mine, and I wrap my arms around her tightly, soaking up the feel of her in my arms. I don’t want to ever let go.
* * *
“You guys aren’t very discreet, you know?” Bridget tells us when we settle onto our beach towels. “Everyone knew exactly what was going on out there.”
“Wasn’t trying to be,” Alicia quips, knocking her sister’s shoulder with her own before leaning back onto her elbows.
“Gross. I’m taking a walk.” She rises nimbly to her feet.
“Don’t you want to get in the water again?” Alicia asks innocently.
“And get your love juices all over me? No thanks.”
I laugh out loud at the gagging face she makes. Had it been my brothers, I would have punched them, but this lass seems to have unknowingly carved out a spot in my heart with her name on it.
“Ah, it’s nothing but a drop in the ocean, now,” I tell her with a wink and Alicia bursts out laughing. I want to bottle it up and take it with me on the road so I can pull it out and listen to the sweet, husky sound whenever the mood strikes.
“I might actually puke,” Bridget informs us. “I can’t believe you’d say such crude things in front of my virgin ears!”
“Psh. Virgin ears, my ass,” Alicia snaps playfully. “I’ve heard the music you listen to.”
Bridget grins in response. “Whatevs. I’m going on that walk now. Don’t get arrested for indecent exposure.”
“No promises.” Alicia waves her off. “Don’t go too far, B. Okay?”
The teen gives us a thumbs up before sauntering away.
We sit in silence, watching her go. I know she’s old enough to walk the beach on her own, but the urge to follow her like a guard dog is damn-near overwhelming.
I’m about to suggest a walk, when Alicia lays flat on the towel, arms resting at her sides.
She closes her eyes and inhales deeply. Peaceful.
She looks peaceful. It’s a dilemma trying to decide if I want to keep staring at her beautiful face or let my gaze travel over her perfect body.
The remaining water droplets that the sun hasn’t dried up sparkle on her skin.
There are a few scattered across her stomach, and I want to lick them off of her.
Instead, I lay back, rolling to my side to face her and prop my head on a fist. Starting back at her face, I memorize the slope of her forehead as it connects to the straight line of her dainty nose.
Her high cheekbones compliment the angular shape of her face.
And those lips that I could kiss all day are soft and pink, perfectly proportioned with a deep Cupid’s bow.
Continuing on my visual journey, I skim past the strong column of her neck—knowing that if I linger, I’ll end up putting my mouth on her throat—and absorb the details of the designs tattooed on her chest. The roses that rest above the swell of her breasts are as delicate as they are strong, with thick lines making up the stems and thorns, while the petals and leaves are fine-lined and wispy.
The top of the triple goddess begins on her sternum before descending to just above her navel.
The tender maiden holds space under her right breast, the weathered crone on her left, and the mother, heavy with child, centered in the middle of it all. Stunning.
Unable to keep my hands to myself any longer, I brush my fingertips over the face of the mother.
Alicia’s stomach tenses in response, then relaxes.
That’s the effect I want to have on her.
I want her to feel safe and free, able to let her guard down and not carry the weight of the world on her shoulders.
“When do you have to leave again?” She asks softly, eyes still closed.
Flattening my hand across her abdomen, I spread my fingers wide in an attempt to touch as much of her as possible. “I’ll have to be back in Charlotte on Monday. We have a home game Tuesday.”
A defeated sigh leaves her before she rolls to face me, mirroring my position. Her cheeks are pink from the sun exposure. “I wish I didn’t have to work, or I’d come watch you. I’ve yet to see you play in person.”
Gasping dramatically, I clutch at my chest. “The audacity of ya to miss my games so you can work to pay bills! Never heard of something so selfish in all my life.”
“Shut up.” Her husky laugh warms me to my bones.
“Darlin’, don’t worry that pretty head of yours,” I tell her, reaching over to stroke her cheek with my thumb. “My matches don’t take priority over your livelihood. Plus, I look just as good on the telly as I do in the flesh.”
Alicia rolls her eyes, a smirk dancing across her lips before a frown forms. “Maybe one day it won’t be so hard, and I’ll have more time to be the supportive partner.”
She drops her eyes to space between us, fingers worrying the edge of the towel.
“Hey now.” I duck my head while tipping her face back up. “What makes you think you’re not supportive?”
Scoffing, she rolls to her back and folds her arms over her face.
Not having that, I grab her wrists in one hand and raise her arms above her head, angling my body partially over hers.
Those blue eyes fly open in surprise, and she opens her mouth to smart off, most likely.
I put a halt to whatever she’s going to say when I dip to give her a deep and sloppy kiss.
I don’t stop until her body arches into mine, and I feel one of her legs hook over mine.
Not wanting to be arrested like Bridget warned against, I break away to give my lass a stern look.
“I asked you a question.”
She presses her lips together and squeezes her eyes shut.
A moment passes before she answers, her voice nothing more than a whisper.
“I have nothing to offer you, Ro. So far I’ve contributed nothing to this relationship while you’ve been doing all the heavy lifting.
It feels like a whole lot of you giving and me taking while giving nothing in return. You’ll get tired of that eventually.”
“Ach, a chéadsearc, that’s not true. And even if it were, who gives a flying feck? The only thing I want from you is knowing you’re mine and waiting for me when I get home.”
I want to tell her that she gives me more joy than I’ve ever known, and that when I’m with her, time simultaneously stops and moves too fast. I want to tell her that her steadfastness reminds me to keep pushing on and off the pitch.
I want her to know that I’ve always fought with people, but have never wanted to fight for someone until her and Bridget.