Chapter 23
Aidan
I feather over Lo’s clit, looking up over her soft belly. Her tits are on full display in this position, wrists held over her head. Those generous curves look even better tied up like a gift just for me. I lean back for a moment, enjoying the view and the heady scent of her arousal.
Cielo is making me delirious. I can’t imagine wanting someone more than this. I don’t want to.
Tonight, Lo is all mine. Including her trust. Just binding her wrists is a big deal.
Keeping my promise, I flip her over onto her stomach with her head down, bound wrists in front of her, and perfect bottom high in the air. I move to the foot of the bed, tracing the round swell with my palm. Even the gentle contact crackles with raw sexual energy.
I can’t resist giving her a little spank to remind her that I’m in charge now.
Lo jumps. “Oh!”
Again, I give her a crisp smack. Her arse and thighs jiggle in a way that makes my cock lurch, and a red mark begins to bloom.
While she’s still gasping, I pluck another ice cube from the champagne bucket and place it at the small of her back. Flinching at the cold, Lo sucks in a breath but doesn’t protest. She’s trusting me.
Slowly, I slide the ice cube in circles, then I draw it down her spine, between her cheeks. Drips of water form an abstract pattern on her searing skin. My fingertips tingle with the cold.
Lo squirms and curls her toes when it grazes her.
I pull it away and descend on her with my tongue to soothe the cold.
She’s delicious. I seek her pleasure as if it’s my own, because it is.
Hooking my arms around her thick thighs, I lavish Lo with all the attention she deserves.
Probing, sucking, moaning, teasing her with the melting remains of the ice cube.
The alternating sensations have her overstimulated, gasping and kicking her legs.
I’m making good on my threat. Staying right here until she’s writhing.
Tugging against her ribbon restraint. Panting. Begging. Cuming.
“Aidan—ohmygod, yes—” The cry she makes as she presses against my face will echo in my memory forever.
“All those little noises you make drive me wild.” My voice is ragged as I wipe my chin.
Lo’s arse is still on erotic display as she turns to look at my face. “I love it when you moan against me. Your voice alone could probably make me come.”
“I accept that challenge.”
“You want to hear it, don’t you?” A devious smile curls her mouth. “You want me to ask for it.”
“You’re usually the more demanding type,” I reply, skimming an index finger up and down her slit. Lo’s back arches as I gently push in. She’s bound and presented to me like a feast, still wet and quivering with aftershocks. But I want her to want it just as badly as I do. “Ask me.”
“Aidan.” Cielo’s voice trembles. She’s always the collected one and I’m the whimpering mess. Hearing her like this has me at the edge of my control. “Please give it to me.”
“Come here.”
Cielo’s eyes flash with defiance. Submission doesn’t come naturally to her, but tonight, she wants a taste. I give her a stern look and point to the floor in front of me.
She hesitates, biting her bottom lip.
“Get over here now.”
She rises from the bed and stands before me, hazel eyes glittering with excitement, but she’s holding back.
Still grasping at control. I tenderly run my hand along her jaw and kiss her.
It’s deep, emotional, hot. I’m telling her to let go and trust me.
That it’s okay to let someone else take the wheel sometimes. That it’s even possible to enjoy it.
She breathes against my lips. “What do you want?”
I sit on the edge of the bed. “Get on your knees. I want to fuck those pretty tits first.”
There’s a darkness in Lo’s eyes as she positions herself on her knees between my legs, wrists still bound. Her full tits look amazing like this. My hands follow her arms, skimming her rib cage until I cup them. Lo trembles as I roll her nipples between my fingers.
Looking directly into my eyes, she licks the head of my cock. A little reminder of the power she’ll always wield over me. Pushing her breasts together, I slide between them. So soft, so luscious.
“Aidan…” Her voice is a greedy whine. “I can’t wait any longer. I need you.”
I need you. That’s what I wanted to hear. I pull away, reaching for the condoms in the nightstand and put one on as fast as humanly possible.
“How do you want me?” she asks.
All the ways. Every way. Forever. Instead of saying any of that, I untie her. As the ribbon falls away, I can see understanding in her eyes. It’s just a prop. Cielo eases down onto the bed and I climb over her.
“One more time, babe,” I coax. “Say it.”
“I need you.”
I can’t resist that. I finally push into her and we’re lost in each other.
The first rays of the morning sun slant through the window. I hike the duvet up my shoulder, wanting to sink back into the memory of Cielo, when I realize this bed is in her room. And although it was a personal fantasy come to life, last night wasn’t a dream.
After we were both spent, Lo told me to stay. So I did. I almost expect her to be gone when I crack one eye open, but she’s beside me in bed, laptop open.
“Nice…erm, rash,” I mumble. PowerPoint slides of what appear to be infectious diseases light up the screen. A rude contrast to her sweet-smelling shampoo.
“Good morning to you, too.”
A rust-colored University of Texas sweater hangs off her shoulder. She hands me a steaming Castle Teachan–branded mug.
Propping myself up on an elbow, I take a sip and begin to resurrect. “I think I’ve said this before, but you’re my dream girl.” My nose crinkles as she clicks on the trackpad to bring up a photo of something oozing. “I could do without seeing that first thing in the morning, though.”
Lo closes the laptop with an apologetic grimace and sets it on the nightstand. “Sorry. I have a research paper due soon.”
I set the mug down on my nightstand and throw an arm around her. I’ve missed our quiet morning talks deeply. They feel different than nighttime talks, somehow. Vulnerability feels different in the light of day. The intimacy is sober, intentional. “What do you have planned for today?”
“Afternoon with my mom and aunt while they’re in town. They wanted to check out Eyre Square.”
I think back to Gustavo’s heavy eyes when he said he wanted to spend time with Lo. “And your da?”
“We’re having dinner before he flies out. I think it’ll be easier to talk to him without my mom involved. Maybe.”
“It’s probably going to be awkward either way,” I agree. “But it’s a start.”
“I was thinking about what you said, that no one can pleasantly surprise me if I don’t give them a chance.” Lo gives a little shrug. “Well, you did. So maybe my dad will surprise me, too.”
Just being around him makes her feel defensive. Agreeing to spend time alone with her dad is a major step, but she won’t like it if I make a big deal out of it.
Cielo’s eyes drift across my face deliberately, like she’s committing it to memory. “When are you going back to London?”
“I’ll be in town a bit longer yet,” I say. The festival in New York isn’t for another week and a half, which at least gives me some time to develop the new material. And more time to spend with Lo.
“Have you ever thought of moving back to Galway?”
My cautious heart leaps at her question. Living here would calm Lo’s worries more than regular visits and nightly phone calls. It’s where I want to be.
“I know your family wants you close. And I bet London doesn’t have spice bags that come close to the ones from your favorite place.”
What always made the greasy little chipper special was Cielo snatching mine away after she’d said she didn’t want any.
“I thought this town wasn’t big enough for both of us.”
We talked about this being temporary, but what if these past few days have shown Lo what I’ve known all along: that we could work, if we try. I’m willing to, if she is.
“I wouldn’t mind sharing it, maybe.”
“You want me to move back?”
She rolls her eyes affectionately. “Yes, A. That’s a yes.”
Professional connections might be in London, but my heart is here in Galway. My muse. My friends. My family. Screw where the label wants me to live—I’ll find a way to make it work.
“That’s all I need to hear,” I tell her.
My overpriced flat is devoid of life most of the year; I really won’t miss it.
Lo, on the other hand? I’ve pined for her every day for the last two years.
There’s no contest, just logistics to settle.
Martin insists that living in London lends me credibility and ease of networking, so he won’t like this decision—especially since he doesn’t want me romantically linked to anyone without some pop culture notoriety.
“You know…” She glances at the bedside clock then nuzzles back against my chest. “There’s an hour before the breakfast buffet opens. We can spare fifteen more minutes.”