Chapter Fourteen
Liam
Fucking hell! The woman who sauntered out of my bedroom belonged in a fantasy, not in an operating theatre. Some women exercised constantly and refused to eat carbs to stay slim. Oonagh happily ate noodles last night and pancakes this morning. She had curves that had me biting my hand to avoid me falling to my knees to spank that ass that drove me crazy last night.
Her fuck-me boots accentuated the suit that clung to her in all the right places. Her high ponytail was positioned where a lot of subs wore it so it could be used as an accessory during sex. Normally, she wore little or light makeup, but her eyes and lips made Oonagh into a sex siren, beckoning me to my doom. I didn’t even want to think about the red silk that clung to her breasts.
“Text me when you’re finished,” I called as she climbed out of my car.
Her forehead creased. “I don’t have your number.”
“I programmed it in while you were getting ready.” Who the hell didn’t have a lock on their phone nowadays? In fairness, there was virtually nothing on her phone except a few impersonal texts and some photos of her with co-workers. The only people who texted her regularly where Martin and Angie from her medical unit. Martin seemed to send her funny memes with sexual undertones that she didn’t seem to understand or just ignored.
Yes, I looked. No, I wasn’t proud of myself.
She chewed the inside of her mouth.
“If you’re going to argue, I could just stay here or sit in the lobby?” I knew I was being an asshole, but when it came to Oonagh I couldn’t help myself.
“Okay.” She nodded slowly. “As long as I’m not putting you out.”
The grin that spread over my face was completely sexual because I knew what was coming later and there was no way she was escaping her fate. Oonagh blinked, her tentative smile faltering. There were times I swore she was as nervous as a virgin, which was ridiculous since I spent an entire summer debauching her perfect body every way my hormonal younger self could think of.
I didn’t want to think of the men she’d encountered on her travels.
Her ass swayed with the movement created from the heels of her boots. It was the very reason women tortured themselves in those heels.
My meeting was later this morning, so I decided to park nearby and lose myself in my thoughts for a while. I’d been angry at Oonagh for leaving me after listening to one side of a story. Honestly, now that I knew the details, I would have thought the same thing in her sexy shoes. I could fucking strangle those bitches who’d lived next door to us as children .
She’d always been fragile, a delicate flower you were afraid to touch. Listening to her this morning, Oonagh had lived through hell. I wanted to protect her, hold her tightly and tell her no one would ever hurt her again.
My hands tightened on my steering wheel at the thought of her scared.
She’d walked back into my life and filled a hole I never even knew existed. I could barely breathe earlier, watching her fix my cufflink on the wrist that always gave me trouble.
After agreeing to one summer, how could I tell her that I wanted so much more?
Confused and at a loss, I texted Callum, telling him about one of the girls next door wearing my hoodie. He knew the rest of the story, and his advice was always wise. It was Callum who’d started to put my life together when all my letters to Oonagh were returned unopened. He was the one person in my life I would trust no matter what.
At the darkest part of my life, he carried me through and supported me. He would probably stop me from tracking Niamh and Clodagh down and strangling them. They were the bane of so many of my teenage years.
My meeting wasn’t until eleven, so I didn’t have to drive Oonagh up this morning, and at the moment, I refused to analyse the protective urges I was trying to suppress. Throw in the fact that she remembered my favourite breakfast and she was tearing my defences down.
My phone pinged and I read Callum’s message, rolling my eyes at his advice. He told me long ago that the only possible ending when it came to the Oonagh situation was a ring and me saying ‘I do’. His text had consisted of emojis of a ring and a bride and groom. My brother had recently devolved into hieroglyphics instead of writing.
I read through a few emails and replied to them, not wanted to leave and have Oonagh standing here waiting for me. No one else evoked this feeling in me—the caveman who wanted to drag her off and tie her to my bed far from the prying eyes of any other man.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I closed my eyes and threw my phone onto the seat beside me. Could you really find the love of your life when you were five? Or did you just turn your best friend into your love interest because you didn’t want to lose them? No, I’d been with enough women to know that what I had with Oonagh felt different. Our connection was stronger, deeper, all-consuming.
My phone pinged again. I was tempted to ignore another message that needed deciphered from Callum. My back straightened as I stared at the screen.
Interview over. Do you want me to walk into town and meet you there?
My finger moved over the screen. No. I’ll be there in two minutes.
I had the engine on and had already started driving when I heard another ping. It would have to wait until I stopped driving.
Oonagh stood in her own world, completely oblivious to the stares she received from men passing her on their way into the hospital. My finger pressed the button to lower the window as I slowed down.
“Hey, gorgeous, need a lift? ”
My breath caught as her face lit up and a smile curved her full lips. “That was quick. Was your meeting close by?”
“Nah, I got the time wrong. It’s not until eleven, so I parked close by. You can check out my office while I chat to this client and then we can take you dress shopping.”
She opened the door and slid in beside me.
“How did it go?” I asked while manoeuvring us back into traffic.
“Great, they want me to come back next week for a full tour. They were impressed with my resume and the different aspects of what I’ve been involved with the past few years.”
My lips twitched at the casual way she described the hell she’d lived through.
“You think you’d fit in?”
Oonagh shrugged, chewing the inside of her mouth. “I haven’t really had a home for the past few years, living from a grip bag. Part of me really wants to settle down and find who I am again. The other part of me wants to sign up for another tour.”
“You used to collect crystals from the different places you visited.”
Her cheeks deepened in colour. “I still do. They’re in a box at Mum and Dad’s until I find somewhere of my own, a place that I can call home.” Her eyes met mine briefly. “I used to have my life mapped out. Married by twenty-four and three kids by the time I was thirty. That dream withers and dies in its entirety in a few days’ time.”
“Some dreams just take a little longer to come to fruition. ”
She didn’t reply, instead staring out of the window. “Every time I come home, something else has changed,” she commented as we passed some of the new buildings that stretched up toward the clouds.
“City landscapes adapt to the needs of the people who live there. Industry has changed, and so have the buildings for those who work here.”
Oonagh laughed, pushing my arm. “Listen to Mr. Architect.”
I grinned at her self-consciously. Sales pitches tended to roll off the tongue.
“It just feels weird,” she continued to chatter as I drove to my office. “Martin and I were at uni together and ended up in the same medical unit. I didn’t even know he’d applied for Doctors Without Borders until he was on my first assignment. If I get this job, it’ll be the first time I haven’t worked with him.”
The hairs at the back of my neck stood to attention. “Are you close?”
Her lips lifted in the ghost of a smile. “He’s my work brother, filling Niall’s position in my life when I’m away from home. We’ve been friends since I started uni and we were both social misfits.”
I laughed at her description since she was always a bookworm who shied away from friendships with the mean girls of the village. Trust her to find another awkward bookworm to be friends with.
We parked in the basement of the building that housed our offices. I still remembered the first time Callum and I visited here, the butterflies that had invaded my stomach that we’d finally made our dream come true. My back straight and shoulders back, I sauntered through our headquarters, silently watching for Oonagh’s reaction.
So many times, I’d wanted to show her what we’d achieved, to share this with her. A smile played on her lips as she took everything in.
“Oh, my God! Look who finally arrived!” Michael bolted from his seat and rapidly closed in on us. My youngest brother engulfed Oonagh in a bear hug that left her arms sticking out and her feet off the floor.
“Hey, Mikey!” Her arms came around him and she squealed as he swung her in a half circle before putting her back on her feet.
“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes! I thought you were never going to come home!”
“Hey!” I stepped in before he could grab her again.
My secretary Tanya stalked over, her face a mask of disapproval. “Mr. Doherty.” Her gaze skimmed over Oonagh and she wrinkled her nose. “The conference room is set up for your eleven o’clock.”
“Thanks,” I dismissed her with a quick nod of my head. I was well aware that my secretary was attracted to me. No male could miss the signals she sent.
She stood and stared at Oonagh like I’d just brought a poisonous snake into the office.
“Look how tall you are, you’ve nearly reached Liam’s height.” Oonagh beamed up at Michael like a proud mother. She’d spent years looking after him when she found him wandering through the village. If I ever lost him, he was generally in Oonagh’s kitchen while she fed him .
“I grew up while you were away saving the world.”
“You never did tell me what happened with that girl at university you were interested in…” She poked Michael’s arm and my brow furrowed. How did she know so much about my brother’s life?
His cheeks flushed crimson. “Turns out I read the signs wrong and she prefers the company of her girlfriend.”
“Oh.” Oonagh’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Well there’s plenty more fish in the sea. Speaking of which, one of the nurses I work with was telling me about an app with that name…” Her words trailed off as she realised that they weren’t alone.
My eyebrow quirked at her and she pursed her lips together in response.
“Never mind, we’ll discuss this later, Mikey.”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t like to corrupt my little brother a little more?” I teased.
“Nope. We’re all good.”
Tanya cleared her throat. “We haven’t been introduced. I’m Tanya, Mr. Doherty’s personal secretary.”
There was absolutely nothing personal between us.
A dark smile curved Michael’s mouth and I almost groaned when he opened his mouth to speak. “This is Oonagh. She’s the only woman Liam has room for in his life.” My brother was an asshole. He hated Tanya because she always talked down to him. He was spending his summer here on work placement to help with his degree, and she treated him like her own assistant to get her coffee .
Tanya’s jaw tightened and her long nails dug into her palms. “Nice to meet you,” she ground out before stomping back to her desk.
I tossed Michael a filthy look, grabbing Oonagh’s elbow to usher her to my office. “How do you know so much about Michael?” I hissed under my breath.
Oonagh blinked. “Facebook. He connected with me a few years ago. I was one of his references for university.”
I stopped to study her for several seconds before continuing to my office. Seriously? I never suspected my brother had been in touch with her for years. More importantly, why had I never considered hunting for her on social media?
My car keys landed on my desk with a thud that made Oonagh jump. She wandered around, taking everything in, her fingers trailing over surfaces as if she needed to absorb the details through all her senses.
She finally stood staring out the window. The view was the reason I chose this office. Over the past few years, I’d lost count of the number of hours I spent here, lost in silent contemplation.
My hands landed on her hips to tug her into me. Her back arched and her head fit into my shoulder as if we were created specifically to align with one another. My lips brushed her neck and I felt her shiver.
Suddenly, I spun her and pinned her wrists above her head, my eyes locked with hers. “I can’t wait to get you home.” Her eyes widened and lips opened. The red silk pulled over her breasts rose and fell as her breathing picked up .
My knee stabbed between Oonagh’s legs to give me a space to step into. Her hips tilted into mine even as my pelvis ground against her. Normally, I possessed the ability to control my errant dick, but he seemed to be in charge when it came to Oonagh.
“Fuck,” I muttered. “I have a meeting in ten minutes and that is nowhere nearly enough time to take you the way I want.”
My lips crashed into hers, my tongue demanding entry. Every sensation was raw and primal, our tongues fighting for dominance. A growl rumbled up from my chest when Oonagh’s leg wound around my waist as she rubbed herself against me provocatively.
“Liam.” She struggled to release her hands, sucking my bottom lip into her mouth, her teeth biting down.
My dick stood to attention ready to pillage her.
“Fuuuck,” I groaned. “We can’t right now…”
My fist thumped the window, head slumping onto her shoulder as I tried to steady my breathing to combat the erection straining to get to her.
Oonagh peered up at me with huge eyes heavy with desire. “Truth or dare, Liam?” her husky voice captured my full attention. “Pick dare.”
Every muscle and nerve in my body stilled when Oonagh quietly descended onto her knees, her eyes locked on mine. My stomach tightened when her fingers fumbled with my belt, the buttons yielding to her. I almost groaned in relief when my cock sprung from its confinement.
My mouth fell open when Oonagh’s hand circled my cock, her mouth engulfing the head. Those red lips were made for my cock alone, her hands massaging what wouldn’t fit in her mouth. Her tongue swirled and I fisted that ponytail. I held myself statue-still, gaze locked on the sight below me, my cock sliding in and out of those red lips.
She traced the sensitive vein with the tip of her tongue before she carefully flicked it on the underside of my head. My knees started to buckle as I swayed forward, my hand steadying me on the window.
Her hands grasped my ass to allow her to take me as deep as possible, her throat spasming at my tip. My eyes closed for a brief moment, my teeth biting into my lip to stop me shouting out.
Wildfire trickled down my spine and my balls tightened. Nothing else existed except her mouth and hands and the sensation they created.
My hips jerked as my need to take control surfaced, my hand tightening in her hair to pull her forward on each instroke to claim as much of her mouth and throat as possible.
My pulse thundered in my ears, one of her hands clasped the base of my cock while the other massaged my balls.
“Oonagh,” I growled in warning.
She didn’t heed it, hollowing her cheeks to suck me harder, her hand stroking me at a greater speed.
Fuck it, I couldn’t hold back the pressure that threatened to explode a second longer. Fire burned through me, igniting the beast that dwelt deep inside. My hands held her head as I fucked her mouth. Throughout it all, her eyes had never left mine. My hips jerked and pleasure spiked through me in waves that threatened to consume me .
Oonagh’s eyes watered, her throat spasming as I roared my release.
“Fuck, baby,” I whispered, dropping to my knees in front of her when I regained control of my limbs. A drip of my cum was at the side of her mouth and I wiped it away with my thumb.
My office phone bleeped somewhere in the distance, letting me know my clients had arrived.
Oonagh and I stared at each other, both of our breathing unsteady.
“You okay?” My hand caressed her throat.
She nodded, her head canted slightly into my touch. I stroked her hair, tilting her head up with my other hand.
“You do realise that when this meeting is over, I’m going to return the favour?” I pressed a soft kiss on her swollen, bruised lips. The fact that my cock made them that way was an aphrodisiac kick to my solar plexus.
“You better hurry then.” Her voice was husky from the battering her throat had received.
“Don’t leave without me.” I pressed another kiss to her lips, unable to get enough of them.
“I’ll maybe go and visit Mikey.”
A groan escaped me when my phone bleeped again. “Mr. Doherty, your eleven o’clock is waiting for you in the conference room.”
“Try not to corrupt my little brother,” I said, drawing Oonagh to her feet as I stood up.
“Too late,” she teased, her thumb tracing over my bottom lip. “You’re wearing my lipstick. ”
I hauled her tight against me. “Your lipstick definitely looked good on me a few minutes ago from up here.”
Her cheeks flushed that delicious crimson that set my pulse jumping.
My bloody phone bleeped again and I glared at it while trying to fasten my trousers. Oonagh straightened my jacket and smoothed my shirt down. “Have a good meeting,” she said, standing on tiptoe to snatch a kiss.
Fuck, I was tumbling down this spiral straight into the depths of hell and the devil was sitting waiting for me with his arms open. Spending time with Oonagh dragged all the emotions I’d suppressed for years to the surface. I was drowning on dry land and could do nothing to save myself.
I watched her ass walking out of my office and ran a shaky hand through my hair. How the hell was I supposed to focus after that blowjob? Our connection made every caress on my skin more sensitive, and she remained the only woman who used her tongue on me like that.
My professional persona in place, I left my office and strode down toward the conference room. Oonagh sat on Michael’s desk, smiling and chatting to him. It was stupid, especially after what happened in my office, but I wanted that smile to be for me. Jealousy was an ugly bitch who had no common sense even as I desperately tried to smother her.
Throughout the meeting, every so often, I found my gaze moving to where Oonagh was sitting. More males had materialised around her like bees hovering around a treat. My jaw tightened and every muscle in my body screamed for me to get out of this room and drag her away from them .
“I hope everyone’s happy with the plans and we can go ahead with submitting them?” I asked, bringing the meeting to a conclusion. Going into these sessions I had every angle covered so that they went smoothly. Dermott and I had worked together in the past and I knew what he expected in a project.
We all filed out of the conference room and into the main office. Dermott’s son was friends with Michael. They stopped at his desk on the way to the elevator.
“You’re punching above your weight,” Eamon said, nodding toward Oonagh.
Michael’s ears went red as he blushed. “Nah, Oonagh’s my future sister-in-law. Liam would kill me if I went near her.”
“Congratulations!” Eamon’s father Dermott slapped me on the back. “Have you picked a date?”
Oonagh stared at me for several seconds while I stood like a rabbit caught in the lights of the oncoming train.
“Thank you so much, we haven’t named a date yet since Liam only proposed recently. I haven’t even got a ring yet!” She waved her left hand in the air and wiggled her fingers .
My eyebrow arched at her troublemaking. “That’s because you keep changing your mind, baby. We were thinking about Halloween since Oonagh loves it so much and goes overboard with the decorations. A theme definitely helps with the planning.”
Her gaze locked with mine in challenge. She had no idea how stubborn I could be when I put my mind to it. If she walked into this pretend arrangement, I would ensure it was permanent.
“Well, let us know when you arrange your engagement party. Our company would happily do the catering for you as a gift.” Dermott grinned at me like a benevolent uncle.
A teasing grin formed on Oonagh’s mouth, her head canting slightly to the side as she turned her attention to him. “My schedule’s clear at the moment. We’re just waiting for Liam to find space in his calendar.”
“When did you meet Liam?” Dermott asked. “I’ve known him for years in business and never once seen him with a woman. I was beginning to think he preferred men.”
Oonagh stifled a giggle behind her hand, her eyes filled with mischief. “Definitely not gay.” She gasped, her hand on her stomach as she laughed. Today was like the twilight zone and I was alternating between wanting to laugh and cry.
“I met this woman on the beach when I was five years old. She stole my heart and never gave it back.” My eyes came up to meet hers. “I knew back then she was the only woman I would ever marry.”
Oonagh would think I was joking, but I meant every single word.
“See?” Michael chimed in. “Who could stand a chance against the power of fate and the force of destiny?”
If I didn’t know better, I would think my brother was deliberately playing cupid in my life right now. Callum had obviously contaminated him with his hairbrained schemes.
I knew I was being an asshole, but I deliberately stood between her legs. It was a subtle move but every male in the room would know that I’d just staked my claim on her. It was a dominance thing—no man would stand there unless he owned what was between her legs. The fact that Oonagh didn’t flinch or move put a cocky grin on my face that just confirmed my point.
“Well, I better take my fiancée dress shopping.” I rolled my eyes in mock exasperation, tugging Oonagh beside me. Her hand slid into the waistband of my trousers.
Dermott smiled, slapped me on the back again, and headed to the elevator with his group. I glared at Michael for several seconds until he put his head down.
“Come along, sweetie,” Oonagh cooed. “I need to grab my jacket and bag from your office before we go.”
As soon as the door closed behind us, I quietly slid the lock in place before grabbing her and spinning her around to face me.
Her hands were in my hair, mine on her hips in a second as we crashed together. The magnetism between us was instantaneous, the smouldering fire bursting into a raging inferno. My hands slipped under her ass to lift her hips up to meet mine.
Her back hit the window of my office, the place I stood most days contemplating life. There was no gentle persuasion, no murmured words, only the scorching hot passion that burned an incandescent trail through my veins.
My hand fisted her ponytail to drag her head back. We stared into each other’s eyes, our chests rising and falling in tandem.
“You’re driving me in-fucking-sane,” I hissed.
“Then do something about it,” she retorted, her legs contracting around me.
There was something about having Oonagh in my domain, the place I’d created from the ground up, that turned me on even more. I was king in this castle, and every achievement I’d attained in my life hung in certificates from the wall. The boy who had nothing to give her was long gone, replaced by the man who’d worked his ass off to be worthy of her.
“Tell me what you want,” I demanded.
“You,” she breathed in nothing more than a sigh. “Only you.”
My lips twitched in a half smile. “You had me and walked away.”
“You asked for one last summer,” she reminded me. “Are you going to waste it on regrets?”
My fingers grasped her cheek to tilt her head up before slowly moving down to hold her throat in a light caress that claimed her. My hand tightened and my head slowly descended, her lips parting in anticipation.
Fuck one last summer.
I wanted everything.
My mouth smashed into hers and she groaned, her hands gripping my shoulders. Right at this moment, after what happened in the office, I decided that I was playing for keeps. Oonagh could think this was our swan song, but I had no intention of ever letting her go. The beast inside me wanted to bury itself so deep in her that she could never leave us again.
***