Chapter 9 #2
Maeve cried out, a jolt seemed to shoot through her and he saw her hand rise out of the corner of his eye. Expecting to soon have a ringing in his ear from her slap, he was shocked when her hand threaded through his dark hair and pulled his head closer as she arched in his hold.
“Oh, O’Malley, surely this is heaven,” she whispered as her head fell back in surrender.
“Aye, lass,” he groaned against her breast, “and the road to hell if we don’t stop.”
“Don’t you dare stop,” she pleaded, sighing in relief when he moved to her other breast.
“I should never have started this,” he gasped, clutching the cheek of her ass to pull her up and closer. “I knew you’d be passionate, but I never expected…”
Suckling wildly, Sean fought to regain some control.
“I only wanted to give you a small taste of what to expect as my bride,” he ground out in explanation between nibbling on one nipple then the other. “Entice you to…marry me…” he rasped out as she ground her bottom against him.
“You win,” she capitulated with a sigh. “This is glorious.”
Sean lifted his head and grinned. “There’s more,” he promised darkly as his hand moved to her splayed thighs.
He watched her eyes widen as his hand slid up the length of silken skin and cupped her core.
Carefully, he separated her lower lips, immensely satisfied to find her slippery.
With little effort he located the key to her pleasure and circled it gently a few times before moving lower.
As soon as his finger entered her the tiniest bit, she raised her hips for more and he obliged until he felt the barrier blocking his way.
He couldn’t help himself and gave a small cry of satisfaction before withdrawing.
Virgin or not, he would have married her, but it was nice to know he would be her first, in fact, her only lover as long as he lived.
“Sean, please,” she cried out, struggling to recapture his hand.
“Hush, love,” he whispered before kissing her firmly. “I’ll take care of you, but I can’t do that, not yet.”
“Why not? I’ve said I’ll marry you,” she pouted when he let her come up for air. “I want somethin’…you.”
“The night you become my bride, I’ll plant my cock so deep inside you, you won’t know where I begin nor where you end, do you understand? For tonight, you’ll have to settle for a little somethin’ else. Keep your legs right where they are, darlin’,” he ordered.
Ever so slowly, he stroked and plucked her button until she was nearly mindless in his arms, pleading pitifully for something she didn’t yet understand.
It pleased him to make her wait. His Irish whirlwind had led him on a merry chase for months and it felt good to have her dancing to his tune for a change.
Finally, when he was close to cuming inside his tight trousers and her body was taut as a bow, he lowered his head, drew her nipple deeply into his mouth and took her over the edge with his fingers.
Cupping her firmly, he let her ride him until she collapsed in a weak slump and burst into tears.
“Darlin, what is it? Have I hurt you?” he asked in alarm, cupping her head and turning her face up to his.
“Why didn’t you tell me, you great brute?” she yelled, slapping him weakly on the shoulder as tears streaked down her face.
“Tell you what?”
“About…about that,” she accused, grabbing his shirt and wiping her nose on it as he recoiled. “You let me fret and worry for months, thinkin’ I shouldn’t marry you when all the time you knew how it would be.”
“I told you we’d be fine, that we were meant to be together,” he snapped back, taking off his shirt and tossing it away after setting her upright. “You refused to believe me, refused to trust my judgment!”
“Still you could have said somethin’,” she hissed, scooting off his lap and snatching up her bra.
“You were a virgin for Christ’s sake. What was I supposed to say? I can make you fly apart with one finger and my mouth on your nipple?” he growled back as he rose and glowered down at her.
“Don’t swear and don’t you dare yell at me,” she roared.
Sean stared down at her, frustrated as he ran a hand through his hair.
He watched her as she hunted down her panties and pulled them on under her skirt.
When she turned away from him to put on her bra and shirt, he couldn’t help but smile at the way her mind worked.
He’d seen nearly every inch of her and touched most of that, yet she didn’t want him to see any more.
Finally, she turned around and faced him.
“Woman, are you goin’ to marry me or not?” he demanded.
“Aye,” she replied coolly as she smoothed her clothing.
“Then you’d best know I believe in doin’ a thorough job on anythin’ I take on. When you misbehave, I’ll spank you thoroughly, and when I’m lovin’ you, I’ll do that thoroughly as well.”
“I’d expect nothin’ less from you, O’Malley and you’d should know a few things as well. I’ll marry you but you’d best go heavy on the lovin’ and sparingly on the spankin’,” she warned. “There is such a thing as divorce you know.”
“There’ll be no divorce, Maeve,” he stated, grabbing her wrist and pulling her into his arms. “I have a feelin’ they’ll be plenty of both those things until we get used to one another, and if you’re as smart as I think you are, you’ll soon learn they are not related.
Holdin’ you accountable for your actions has nothin’ to do with lovin’ you.
In fact, it’s because I love you that I’ll wear the pants in our family, but don’t assume because you get your fanny roasted we won’t be makin’ love, because we will. ”
“You’d take me against my will?” she asked, her mouth dropping open in shock.
Sean picked her up and kissed her until she hung limp in his hold. Setting her carefully back on her feet, he grinned and steadied her. “I’m not sure that’s possible, takin’ you against your will, love. You seem pretty willin’ every time I touch you,” he teased.
“You are such an arse,” she sassed. Picking up her coat, she marched to the door, ignoring his snort of amusement. “When do we have to be in the States for you to accept the position?” she asked as she buttoned up her coat.
“I wanted to explain about that,” he replied, holding the door open and taking her arm.
“I’ll have a month of orientation before startin’ in July.
I can stay on the base in special quarters, but I won’t be able to bring you over until I find us a flat.
I think you should stay here and plan the weddin’. I’ll return a few days before.”
“What plannin’? Your ma’s taken over everythin’ but the marriage bed and I have no doubt she’d do that as well, if she could.”
“Then take it back,” he advised calmly.
“I don’t have access to heavy equipment,” she grumbled.
Sean laughed, taking her arm and helping her down the stairs. “I mean it, Maeve. Take the weddin’ back. We need to move the date up anyway. There’s no way I’m waitin’ till September to take you back with me. As soon as I get there, I’ll start lookin’ for a place to set up housekeepin’.”
“Why can’t we just elope? I want to go with you when you leave,” she pouted as he helped her into his car.
“That would mean we’d have to stay in a hotel. What we’d spend on that might well be a down payment on a house if we can find one that needs work. No, it’s better if I stay for free and save my money.”
“But, Sean, we’ll be parted,” she pointed out.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” he quoted.
“It didn’t this time.”
“It did on my part,” he growled. “T’was you who made the decision to go against my wishes. You’re lucky they’re allowin’ you to graduate at all.”
Maeve wiggled uncomfortably on the seat and lowered her head.
He was right about that. It had taken some mighty fancy explaining for Father Fitzpatrick to let her come back and make up the work she’d missed.
Thankfully, he thought the world of Sean and said quite plainly he didn’t want Sean saddled with an ignorant wife.
Keeping her mouth shut that day had been a feat of enormous effort. Groveling was not her forte.
Mr. McGreevy had been much more understanding, arranging her hours so she could work after school and on weekends.
Of course, the job was tedious unless you were interested in that kind of thing, and he had a hard time keeping help.
He wanted to keep her as long as he could and promised to write a letter of recommendation upon her leaving.
“Your ma is never goin’ to agree,” Maeve sighed.
“She will. I’ll speak to my da and he’ll understand. I’ll simply tell them all previous arrangements need to be canceled as we are movin’ the weddin’ up to accommodate my new position.”
“She’ll think we ‘did’ it,” she laughed. “Serves her right, the nosy—”
“We almost did,” he pointed out with a grin as he took her hand.
“Aye and we still can if you’ll just turn around and take me back to your rooms,” she teased, leaning toward him and placing her hand on his thigh.
“Lass, have mercy. The need you felt is far surpassed by my need of you. The only difference is mine was unsatisfied.”
“So you’re sayin’ that a woman’s desire is somehow inferior to a man’s?” she asked incredulously. “I’ll have you know, O’Malley, that I’m still wet and achy and I think—”
“Why did I come home?” he asked himself, pulling up in front of her house and resting his head on the steering wheel. “Why did I choose to put myself through this when I could just as easily have sent you a ticket to join me?”
“Exactly what I’ve been sayin’ all along. You might be able to spank me when you’ve a mind to, O’Malley; you’re bigger and stronger, but your stubborn, prideful, know-it-all attitude will be your downfall,” she informed him smugly.
“I was bein’ facetious,” he drawled. “If you attended to your studies, you’d know what that meant.”
“I know what facetious means. Don’t be so pompous with your university education and your fancy job. Maybe you better wait till you get to America and find yourself an educated woman. We poor Irish lasses might not be good enough for you now.”
Sean bit his tongue and got out of the car. Quickly, he went to her side and opened the door.
“Get out,” he barked.
When she didn’t move immediately, he reached in and took her arm, pulled her from the vehicle and right over his shoulder. Slamming the door, he marched up the walkway and continued up the steps.
“Sean, the neighbors,” Maeve hissed in protest. “Put me down!”
Ignoring her, he knocked on the door and strode through when her mother opened it.
“Good evening, Mrs. Donahue,” he said smoothly as he made his way to the stairs. “I’ll only be a minute.”
“Aren’t you goin’ to do somethin’?” Margaret gasped, her hand on her chest in shock. Glaring at her husband, she waited.
“No, I don’t believe I am,” he replied, glancing at her over the top of his newspaper.
“I demand that you do,” Margaret insisted, hearing Maeve’s cries. There was no mistakin’ the sound of a hand striking flesh.
“Margaret, that young man has the right of it and I only wish I’d taken you in hand long ago. In fact, the next time we have an argument and you stop talkin’ to me, it might just be you who is upstairs cryin’ as I paddle your bottom. Now you just think about that,” he said firmly.
Shaken, Margaret collapsed onto her chair.
Five minutes later, Sean came back downstairs with a very satisfied expression on his face.
“Mrs. Donahue, please cancel any weddin’ plans you’ve made,” he said clearly.
“I don’t understand. You aren’t goin’ to marry Maeve?” she asked weakly.
“Oh, we’re gettin’ married, but it’s goin’ to be the way Maeve wants it. I’ll inform my mother as soon as I get home. The weddin’ will be early August and we’ll be leaving for the U.S. immediately after.”
“You got the job,” Mr. Donahue crowed, rising from his chair to shake Sean’s hand.
“So I did, and a September weddin’ will not work.
I’ll be returnin’ to the States next week for a month of trainin’, and while I’m there, I’ll look for a house.
We’ll be married as soon as I return and have a couple of weeks for a honeymoon in the U.S.
before I have to start work. It makes sense to have her settled in our own home as soon as I can.
Livin’ in a new country will be enough of a challenge for my little bride. ”
“Well, I can’t say I’m happy about you takin’ her so far away, but I do understand. A man must go where his work is and this sounds like a wonderful opportunity for you. I know she’s not really happy here.”
“I will do everythin’ in my power to make her happy,” Sean promised.
“It doesn’t seem as though you’re off to a very good start,” Margaret snipped sarcastically.
“That’s where you are wrong, Mrs. Donahue. A wife needs to learn to honor and respect her husband, just as a husband must learn to cherish and protect his wife, sometimes from her own foolish notions. Maeve will have everythin’ she needs with me.
“I’ll be by tomorrow to discuss the new weddin’ plans with my future wife. My mother won’t be with me. Goodnight.”