31. Chapter Thirty-One #2
We sit quietly for the longest time, and I process every word she’s said.
Rage the likes I haven’t felt since Tierney died threatens to overtake me, but I put a lock on it, saving it for later.
It’s not as if there’s anything I can do about the vile piece of shit, but I don’t like feeling powerless.
I also know I have to get a hold of myself for Maeve’s sake.
I pull back and place another gentle kiss on her lips. It’s not meant to ignite the passion between us this time. It’s meant to comfort.
I lift my hands to her face and brush soothing circles on her cheeks before I release her and lie down, keeping her on top of me. The pins and needles in my feet make me tighten my jaw, the discomfort a welcome distraction from her naked body as she snuggles closer.
“Was it so hard to tell me what happened?”
She snorts, the sound so delightfully like her that I forget my aching limbs and pull her down.
“No,” she admits. I wipe her hair away so I can see her properly. Her eyes are the softest I’ve ever seen, her smile shy, and I swear my heart does another loud ka-thunk in my chest.
She’s fucking adorable.
“Good. Now, how about we get dressed, and you come back to the farm to have dinner with me and Katie?”
Her eyes go round as saucers, and her mouth pops open.
“What?” she whispers. “When I look like this?”
I frown.
“Like what?”
“Like I’ve just been thoroughly fucked?” She jabs a finger into my chest. “If you’ve given me another love bite, I swear I’ll spank you.”
I hum.
“Kinky. But relax. You’ve been over for dinner before. Why are you making a fuss?”
She blows out a raspberry.
“It just feels different this time.”
My heart jumps in my chest, and I pull her closer, her naked crotch rubbing on me, making my head swim.
“Maybe it is different, but no need to get so worked up about it.”
She shakes her head and crosses her arms.
“Are you serious?”
“Like a heart attack,” I deadpan.
“Don’t be cute.”
“How am I being cute?”
“Never mind,” she grumbles and makes a feeble attempt at pushing me away, but I only tighten my grip on her hips. “Let me up.”
“Not until you tell me you’ll come home with me.”
“You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Changing our…our thing.”
“Look, Mae, all I want is for you to enjoy a home-cooked meal with me and my daughter. What’s wrong with that?”
She works her lips between her teeth. “What are we doing?” she whispers.
“We’re having dinner. We’re enjoying ourselves, and I’d like us to spend more time together. Get to know each other. Don’t be scared.”
“I…I don’t do well with irregularities.”
My eyes shoot up. “I’m an irregularity now?”
“No!” she groans and rests her hands on my pecs, digging her fingers into the hair on my chest. “I just don’t know what to make of us.”
I sigh and shake my head.
This woman. This woman.
“Stop overanalysing this. We don’t have to have all the answers to everything right away. We can enjoy ourselves and see where things go.”
She stares at me, and that’s when I realise that her vulnerability is a part of her that I have to embrace, or I’ll lose her before I’ve even had her. I put my hand on her cheeks and pull her down for a soft kiss.
“I don’t know what we are, Mae,” I breathe, our lips still touching. “I just know that I’m yours. You have me wrapped around your pretty fingers, and I don’t want to lose the way I feel when I’m with you.”
“What do you feel?” she whispers.
“I’m not sure, but I don’t want it to stop.” I run my hands up and down her ribcage to soothe her, and watch her nipples harden as her entire body breaks out in goosebumps. I reach her nipples and rub my palms over them to distract her. I’m not ready to show my hand yet.
Her eyes darken as the beautiful buds turn harder from my touch. When her cheeks grow a dark shade of rose, I grin cheekily at her. “You know you can’t resist me, Mae. Don’t even try.”
“Fine.” She rubs her crotch against my hardening cock. I hiss at the friction, enjoying the little cat-and-mouse game we’re in the middle of. “I’ll come home with you for dinner.”
“Good. Now, hop off and get dressed. We need to get going.”
I tap her lightly on the arse. I fully expect her to do as I say, but she narrows her eyes and leans down.
She takes my mouth, nibbling on my lips, her tongue sweeping out to trace them, and my breath stutters.
I bury my hands in her hair, curl it around my hand, and pull it gently.
I tilt my head, needing to take control of the situation, but she never ceases to surprise me.
She wrenches her mouth from mine, her breaths rising rapidly.
“There. That should tide you over for a couple of days.”
“Days?” I huff.
“Yes. I’m going away with Roísin for the weekend, and men aren’t allowed.”
With something closely resembling triumph and laughter in her moss-green eyes, she nods and then jumps off my lap.
I narrow my eyes and jump off the bed, ready to drag her back to it, demanding that she take the words back.
I only manage a couple of steps when she holds her hand up, and I jerk to an abrupt stop.
“Stop right there, Farmer. You need to cool off a bit.”
I huff in disbelief. “Are you being serious right now?”
“If you want me to keep being a good girl, you need to be a good boy for once.”
My jaw grows slack, and with a teasing wave, she saunters into the bathroom and shuts the door. The resounding click of her turning the lock fills the room, and I shake my head and look down, grinning like a fool.
Maeve: one.
Me: nil.