Chapter 46
forty-six
GRAY
“What do you think, Tina?” Gray was leaning against Imogen’s door, watching the older woman turn this way and that from her wheelchair, taking in the room’s new look.
If someone had asked her a few months ago whether she and Tina would be friendly with one another, Gray would have snorted in disbelief. Luckily for them, and Imogen as well, the two women realized they quite liked one another.
Gray had found that most of the nanny’s bluster was a cover-up for her loneliness. She had no family left. Her husband had left her over thirty years ago, and her only son had passed away during a military exercise in Lebanon, where he’d been stationed.
He passed fifteen years ago and was buried in a small, rural cemetery outside Dublin, where Tina had lived and worked most of her life. Soon after his passing, she decided to sell everything and become a nanny.
Tina admitted that she’d been unkind to Gray initially because she was afraid that Gray would decide to get a different nanny if she and Ciar reconciled.
When Gray explained that it would never happen because not only did Imogen love her nanny, but Imogen’s little brother would need Tina’s love and care as well, Tina had clamped her lips tight and simply nodded, but her shoulders relaxed and pink tinged her soft cheeks.
Her mom, Grandma Mary, Raven, River, Rowan, Bébhinn, and Mags all adopted Tina as a beloved family member, and together, they’d made Ciar’s two-story building into a home.
Tina clasped her hands under her chin, taking in the changes of Imogen’s suite. “It’s lovely, Gray. Lovely,” she repeated. “You and your mom and friends have created something special. Truly.”
“And your rooms? Will they work?” When Rowan found out Tina’s favorite color was yellow, which was the youngest Byrne sister’s favorite color as well, she took over the nanny suite and transformed the white walled monastery feel of Tina’s space into a warm, sumptuous sanctuary.
“You shouldn’t have,” she tsked, “but it’s lovely.”
“Ciar wanted you to love your rooms so much that you never want to leave.”
“Outrageous boy,” Tina muttered, even though she was clearly pleased Ciar had thought of her.
“Your son’s suite is quite handsome. That Mary is something to behold.”
Gray snorted at the description of her beloved grandma. “Grandma Mary is an opinionated wrecking ball, and no one gets in her way if they know what’s good for them,” she laughed.
There hadn’t been a lot of work to do in the living areas except to add more furniture and art. Bébhinn, Mags, Raven, and River had taken over the kitchen and living rooms upstairs and down while Gray and her mother focused on the primary suite.
Gray still felt uneasy about working on the intimate space when things between her and Ciar were far from finalized, but she admitted to herself that she loved making the bedroom her own.
She was getting antsy about his arrival, which was already a week overdue. Ciar’s deal with his Japanese client hit some snags, and he’d had to stay several more days to iron everything out.
At least she’d had Imogen, school, and the house project to keep her busy. Otherwise, she might have driven herself insane, wondering what revelations would be spilling from Ciar’s mouth.
He was due back late that night, and though she was ridiculously excited to see him, she couldn’t help but wonder if she could handle whatever news he’d been hiding from her. Handling and accepting were two very different animals.
Though he denied cheating, it was the only thing that made any sense. Why keep Imogen a secret? Clearly, she was conceived before he and Gray got together. Was his secret worse than cheating?
That thought shook her confidence and made her uneasy.
Shaking off the unhelpful thoughts, she grinned at Tina.
“Auntie Mags and Imogen will be back from visiting Daniel and Jonathan in thirty minutes. That’s just enough time for you and me to make loaded ice cream sundaes for the two of us. What do you say?”
Tina laughed, her eyes twinkling. “I say you’re a woman with grand ideas.”
Gray woke up on the couch where she’d attempted to wait up for Ciar, only to find him naked and stretched out over her on the sofa, pulling her tank below her breasts.
“Ciar,” she moaned as he sucked one of her nipples into his hot mouth, “we’re in the living room.”
“In our fucking house, baby. We can do anything we want wherever we want. Stop worrying and let me love your body. If Tina uses the lift, we’ll hear. Now, get naked,” he demanded.
Gray knew she should insist on them speaking first, but he’d been gone so long, and she’d missed him. She definitely missed his touch, so she caved and wiggled out of her clothes.
“But we talk after,” she insisted.
His only response was to hum against the skin between her breasts before kissing and licking his way to the baby bump, lightly running his fingertips over the swell. He whispered sweet words to their son as he feathered kisses.
He lifted his eyes to meet hers, and Gray would swear she saw love staring back. Was it for her or their son?
As though he read her thoughts, he said, “You are everything to me, Gray.”
Ciar shifted to his knees and gently grasped her knees and spread them wide until she was completely open to him. His tattooed hands dragged down her inner thighs until they framed her sex causing her breath to hiccup with need.
He ran one thumb over her seam and groaned. “So wet for me already, baby.”
When he lifted her ass and replaced his thumb with his mouth, Gray couldn’t stop the drawn-out, “Ahh.”
What started as slow licks and laps of his tongue turned into frenzied sucking, his tongue imitating the sex act with deep penetration until her orgasm screamed through her body.
With little will of her own, her hips bucked repeatedly against his mouth until the strongest of the pulses subsided, and his mouth gentled on her sensitive flesh.
Ciar gave one last gentle kiss to the inside of her thigh and then sat up, clasping her hips and sliding her ass up his thighs until his hardened length rubbed between her legs causing full body shivers.
Gray watched him through slitted eyes, her lids heavy from the sating orgasm. He seemed enthralled with her body, his eyes raking her up and down, lingering first on her breasts, then her belly, and finally fastening to her core.
She fisted his sex and slowly pumped. “This is one of the only places on your body that isn’t tattooed.”
He chuckled and groaned at the same time. “I considered it once when I was a teenager, even though the thought of having to get my dick hard for the tattooer to place the stencil wasn’t appealing.”
“No way. I didn’t know that,” she admitted. “I’m glad it isn’t tattooed, then.”
Ciar was now rocking his hips while encouraging her to tighten her grip. “I’ve been told,” he grunted, “that the lack of color makes it look bigger.”
“Not that I give a shit what past lovers have told you, but I don’t think you need an illusion to appear big.” He grinned like the cat that got the cream.
“You gotta stop that, Gray,” he said while gently grasping her wrist and pulling her hand from him.
Gray frowned at losing her toy, but when he began to circle the thickened head of his sex up and down her seam, spreading their arousal across the apex of her thighs, she forgot about everything except what more pleasure his body was about to give her own.
“Stop teasing me, Ciar.” She was so needy, had she been pre-pregnancy limber, she would have shoved him to his back and taken what she wanted. As it was, baby boy made defying gravity from her back tricky.
“But I like teasing you,” he grinned, his dimples making his already handsome face irresistible.
Before she could demand action, he positioned himself at her opening and slowly slid in, the fullness he created was always a shock, making her bite her lower lip and whimper. The pleasure-pain of the stretch was beautifully perfect.
“Christ, Gray,” he growled between clenched teeth. “I can’t get enough of you. I think about filling you up a million times a day.”
He bent over her chest to kiss her, a hint of desperation flavoring his tongue. “I’ll never not need you,” he admitted against her mouth.
Neither of them spoke another word. Moans and panting and slaps of skin on skin echoed in the silent living room. He played her body perfectly, wringing another orgasm from her. She felt the pulsing tug deep inside trigger Ciar’s release.
They spent another half an hour touching and kissing softly, coming down from the intensity of their shared passion until he stood and gathered her into his arms and carried her to their bedroom and ensuite bathroom, where they showered. They smiled at each other whenever their eyes met.
She followed him into the bedroom and lay down after he threw back the bedding. Her nerves were starting to spark, knowing that this was the moment she’d been waiting months for.
The truth. Finally.
When he remained silent, Gray placed a hand on his arm.
“Ciar,” Gray hesitated, chastising herself for her timidity in demanding what she needed.
“I need you to explain the last several months. I need to know why you ghosted me but named your daughter after me. I need to know a lot of things, and you damn well owe me the answers.”
Had she not been skin to skin, she might have missed the tensing of his muscles at her questions. But she did feel it, and her heart sank.
“I’m exhausted, baby. We have the rest of our lives to talk. Just let me hold you in my arms while we sleep.”
And there it was. He wanted her but refused honesty. She fought the tears that wanted to fall as she turned on her side and allowed him to wrap his front around her back.
She could feel the hope that she’d been carrying close to her heart since their semi-reconciliation break and shatter.