Chapter Twelve
Liam
I never realised I’d been suffocating until suddenly I could breathe again. Oonagh stared up at me, her hair every-freaking-where in a glorious mess that shouted that she’d just been thoroughly fucked.
Her skimpy red lace panties were ripped but the sight of her in them had sent my pulse into orbit. Add my cum running down her leg to the image currently lying in my bed, and my dick, which should be down for the count, was struggling to wake up for another performance.
Oonagh stretched in languid contentment, her eyes drooping and a shy smile playing on her lips. I settled myself beside her, dragging her onto my chest where she used to snuggle up and sleep so long ago.
I never cuddled after sex. It was one of my rules. The others included no kissing, as it was too intimate, no having sex in my bed, as that meant I could get up and leave afterwards, and no emotional attachments. The moment it looked like a woman wanted more from me, I was gone, and their number blocked from my phone.
Oonagh’s leg crept over mine, her left hand splayed on my chest, and her head resting on me. Staring at the ceiling, I desperately tried not to admit how right this felt. I was supposed to be getting her out of my system instead of her infecting me all over again.
One summer was the agreement, even though I’d wanted a lifetime commitment with this woman. The fact that I felt my eyes slowly closing added to my discomfort since I’d been an insomniac most of my adult life. Oonagh not only possessed the power to control my dick, but she contained some sort of magic that made me sleep.
Her lips pressed a kiss to my chest, and when I glanced down, I realised she was sleeping. My head thumped back on my pillow. How was I ever going to last to the end of summer without begging her to stay with me?
Her confession earlier about wanting me to own her pulsed deep in my stomach. There was nothing I wanted more that to possess Oonagh. In my travels, I’d tried some really kinky shit with adventurous females who liked to be dominated. My Oonagh had the perfect temperament to be a submissive, and the thought of any other man showing her what that entailed made my fist bunch at my side.
Every aspect of this house had been created for her, every room designed with her in mind. The fact that she currently lay in my arms in the room I’d planned for us had me holding her a little tighter because the pressure in my chest threatened to consume me.
The painting on the wall was one of the first I ever created when I started painting professionally. The ocean was on fire from the sunset, and the waves reminded me of Oonagh’s hair. Her eyes were faintly staring out at me from the ocean like a siren luring me to my doom. There had been a huge amount of interest in it and people willing to pay silly money, but it wasn’t for sale. It reminded me of the wild water sprite I’d fallen in love with on the beach.
Curving myself around Oonagh, I held her, staving off sleep to enjoy this moment until it dragged me into its embrace…
I stretched, my body relaxed and comfortable after a few hours of sex-induced sleep. Something warm snuggled into me and I froze for a second before the memories of our sexual encounter crashed into my head. My eyes scanned the woman sleeping beside me and I released a sigh of relief that she’d stayed.
My brain wasn’t the only thing awake, as my dick stood to attention, ready to slay demons with its rod of steel.
How many times had I fantasised about this? Too many not to take advantage of Oonagh sleeping in my bed.
Rolling her onto her back, I slipped those red panties off her, my fingers tracing over her soft skin. She moaned softly as I kissed and sucked her breasts, her hands holding me sleepily.
My dick found her welcoming heat and I slowly pressed inside. Her lips fell open and her pelvis tilted to welcome me. I watched her eyes blink awake gradually as I rocked into her.
“Liam?” She stretched, pressing her entire body to mine.
“Hey, beautiful,” I replied, giving her a deep kiss, my tongue tangling with hers.
Her legs came up, one wrapping around my waist.
There was no desperate passion, no mindless fucking. This encounter was all about the slide of flesh on flesh, our bodies undulating together in a mutual need .
“Liam,” Oonagh gasped when our lips broke apart. “Please, I need…”
My hips angled up on my next thrust and her eyes rolled back in her head.
Her arms around my neck dragged my head down to hers again, her lips consuming mine. The intensity in her eyes scorched into me, burning a hole into my soul with her name written on it. Grabbing her wrists, I pinned them above her head, desperately trying to claim some semblance of control.
Oonagh whimpered a moan into my mouth, her foot digging into the bottom of my back to try and pull me deeper into her. She surrounded me, intoxicated me, drugged me with her presence until I was nothing more than her slave to command.
She struggled her hands free, pushing my shoulders until I rolled over. The sight of her riding me slowly, her breasts bouncing and hair cascading around her, engrained itself in my memory. Fuck, she was magnificent.
Pressure built up in my stomach and spine, my balls tightening. I grabbed her hips and thrust up into her, watching as she unravelled in my arms.
“Liam,” she gasped or pleaded, her pussy nearly strangling my dick.
“Fuck…” I rolled her onto her back, lifting her right leg over my shoulder and taking us both over the edge. Wildfire shot down my spine and erupted through my dick in pleasured pulses that left me weak.
I collapsed on top of her, my damp brow burrowed in between her neck and shoulder. Oonagh ran her hands up and down my sides the way she always used to do. It was one of the small gestures that had eroded from my memories over the years. My heart leapt and my mouth dried.
“I need to go home before Niall sends out a search party,” she whispered in a small voice.
“He’d probably kill me if he found you in my bed,” I joked in an attempt to cover my feelings because I was fighting a losing battle with releasing her right now.
“I guess some things never change,” she replied. “No one ever knew there was anything between us. Our relationship seemed to be based on stolen moments far from the rest of the world. There were times when I saw the gorgeous girls from your school and I thought you were ashamed of me.”
Everything in me stilled. I’d never viewed it from Oonagh’s point of view before, only my own. Every moment with her had been precious and I hadn’t wanted to share her with anyone. In retrospect, it did look like I’d kept her hidden for darker reasons.
I brushed the hair back from her face, sitting back on my heels and pulling her up into a seated position. “I dealt with so much shit through the year that the only silver lining to my storm cloud was you coming for the summer. There was never a moment with you I wanted tarnished by someone else being involved. I wasn’t ashamed of you, Oonagh. The problem was that I was never good enough for you. Niall and your parents would have killed me if they ever suspected what I wanted to do to you from the summer you appeared with curves when we were twelve.”
Oonagh blinked several times as if trying to wake up again. “I never cared what my family thought— ”
“Yeah, but I did,” I interrupted. My family had been pitied by everyone in the village, living on handouts and the kindness of others. Throughout school, I heard the whispers and laughter behind my back. There was no way I could have survived the same during those precious summers.
“Liam.” Her hand on my chest almost crippled me. There was something worse than compassion in her eyes; there was understanding. No matter what, Oonagh always seemed to be able to look inside me and find the scared little boy who needed her.
My hand circled her wrist. “One last summer, Oonagh, no regrets and no looking back. That was the deal.”
She nodded slowly, her eyes finally meeting mine. “I need to go; I have an appointment in the morning.”
Oonagh managed to manoeuvre herself around me and began hauling her clothes on with grim determination. She dragged her hair into a knot on top of her head. It was in the middle of putting her shoes on that she noticed my painting on the wall. She stepped toward it as if in a trance.
“It reminds me of the sketches you used to do of the ocean. Did you paint it?”
No one had ever made the connection before. Only Callum knew that the artist was me, my other brothers laughing about the new construction job being for some posh artist trying to give themselves originality by having a gallery beside the sea.
“It’s from the artist who bought the lighthouse,” I deflected, schooling my expression into a neutrality.
“I still have the sketches you made when we sat on the beach,” Oonagh said with a smile. “I loved the way you captured the light hitting the waves.” Her finger hovered over the same aspect in the painting in front of her.
Part of me wanted to confess everything to her, tell her all about the journey that had transformed my life. I nearly gave up on my art until she brought me supplies when she arrived one summer. She told me they were from her art class that she didn’t need. Everything was brand new, and I knew she’d bought them especially for me.
Oonagh turned and bumped into my chest. She gave me that too-bright smile that she reserved for when she felt vulnerable and overwhelmed. My stomach flipped and my heart stuttered at the familiar sensations that it sent hurtling through me.
“Mum is organising a cocktail party. Make sure you invite all your brothers, as she likes to fuss over them and hear all their news. I might be a bit late, as I’ll be getting the bus back down after my appointment.” She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek before heading for the door.
“Where are you going in the middle of the night, Oonagh?” I groaned, grabbing her hand to tug her back.
“Back home since I need to leave really early to catch the bus.” She pulled her hand free. “Thanks for dinner.”
“I’ll drive you home.” Where the fuck were my clothes when I needed them? She was already disappearing out through my door like a will-o’-the-wisp that vanished as you watched it.
Stabbing my feet into my jeans, I grabbed my boots and hoodie. Oonagh was already wandering down the drive when I reached outside. My bike sat forgotten as I sprinted down the driveway after her .
“You can’t wander about alone at night!” I reprimanded her when I caught up.
“Why?” A smile tilted her lips up. “We used to all the time as children.”
My temper finally snapped, and my hand latched around her arm to haul her around to me. “We aren’t kids anymore and you’re roaming in the dark, looking like the goddess of sex and seduction. For fuck’s sake, Oonagh, have pity on my sanity.”
Her head canted to the side to study me. “You need to stop worrying.” Her arm laced through mine and she tugged me into walking. “If it makes you feel better, you can walk halfway with me.”
My hands pinned her wrists to the drystone wall at the edge of my driveway. “I’ll walk you the whole way home to make sure you’re safe. Then tomorrow morning, I’ll drive you to Belfast since I have a few meetings myself. That way we can talk, and you can avoid the bus, unless your travel sickness on buses has been suddenly cured.”
“No.” She shook her head, and some tendrils of hair escaped. “I didn’t want to bother Niall since he has the wicked witch with him, and Mum is still up at home.”
“You could have asked me,” I pointed out.
Her eyebrows lifted in surprise as if it had never occurred to her. “You weren’t speaking to me when I arranged it.”
I rolled my eyes at her and released her. “What’s the big appointment? Nails? Hair? Or has your mum demanded a new dress for the party?”
She chewed the side of her mouth. “I should really get a dress for the birthday party.” She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I have a job interview. My past few assignments have been difficult to process afterwards.” There was a tremor in her voice that caught my attention. Her vulnerability awoke a protective instinct in me that only my family normally evoked.
“Why don’t I take you shopping after your interview and my meeting? I’ll even give you my opinion on what suits you.” I winked and gave her a carefree grin.
Oonagh shoulder bumped me. “Yeah, that would be great if I wanted to turn up in silk and lace.”
“Nothing wrong with that.” I bounced my eyebrows suggestively.
She sighed again, wrapping her arm through mine. “I’ve spent so long avoiding birthday parties, I guess I’m out of touch with what’s expected. They used to consist of cake with ice cream and jelly. Now, there are pre-cocktail parties and banners everywhere.”
A laugh rumbled free. “Your mum does love a good party.”
The sound of the waves lapping to shore greeted us as we wandered along the path that led to her house.
“I missed this,” Oonagh muttered, stopping to stare out at the waves.
“Me too,” I replied, peering down at the woman beside me.
That was the problem with this mess. I missed her easy friendship, and still, after all this time, I found myself wanting to share stories about what was happening in my life with her. I’d stumbled across my soulmate in a rockpool when I was five. That fact had never changed .
“Nowhere else in the world has this sound,” Oonagh said, closing her eyes and holding her face up toward the moon.
“Surely there are beaches in other places?” I teased.
“Not like this one,” she replied with a dreamy quality to her voice. “It’s as if this beach sings a different melody.”
She yawned, her torso stretching, and I fought against the urge to lift her and carry her back to bed and tuck her in.
“Come on.” I squeezed her arm linked through mine. “Let’s get you home, or you’ll have no sleep before your interview.”
I’d lost count of the number of times I’d walked along this beach at night, and it never felt the same as it did with Oonagh walking beside me. Her presence was a balm to the wound that I didn’t know existed on my soul. The problem was the time limit on what we had. One last summer before we walked away from each other forever.
The laneway to her house appeared too soon, the post box with squirrels carved on it illuminated by the light from the moon.
“What time do you need to be in Belfast?” I asked, scuffing the toe of my boot along the curb.
“Nine-thirty.”
“I’ll pick you up at eight and we can grab a coffee on the way.”
Her eyes were huge saucers staring up at me, her lips slightly parted. Fuck it! If all I had was one summer, then I would take every morsel of Oonagh and live off the memories. My lips found hers, my hands tilting her head to meet mine. The strange fluttering in my stomach was the reason I avoided kissing any other woman after Oonagh. It never felt right.
Her tongue met mine as her hands landed on my hips in the same position they always fell. My body aligned with Oonagh’s, and the rest of the world fell away until there was nothing left but us. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to just feel the connection that existed between us. Her lips caressed mine, her tongue swept along mine, and her hands slid up my back until they rested on my shoulders.
My pulse pounded in my ears, my heart beating double-time. My fingertips moved from her face down to her neck to hold her possessively. A beast roared deep in my stomach, demanding I claim Oonagh, to make her ours alone.
When we finally broke apart, we were both panting, and I tugged her tightly into me. “Get some sleep, and I’ll see you in a few hours.” I pressed one last kiss to her forehead and pushed her up the laneway to her house.
Even when she disappeared out of sight, I stayed there and mentally counted the steps until she was safely home.
On my way home, my heart thudded a low melancholy beat because I was once again alone. When Oonagh was with me, I felt alive and warmed by her affection. Right now, I shivered against the cold that invaded me. My thoughts were confused and scattered, and for the first time in years, I had no idea what to do.
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