by T. C. Clark
They landed in the middle of the bed, somehow completely naked. Irene’s fingers raked through his hair as his hands moved over her body. Her skin was softer than he’d imagined.
He kissed his way down her neck until he got to one pebbled nipple. He sucked hard until she twisted beneath him. Her fingers dug into his scalp as he suckled her.
“Liam… I need more,” she whispered as she writhed beneath him. She ground herself against his muscular thigh, trying to soothe the ache building between her legs.
His hand slid down her body to her slick mound. She bucked as he slipped one finger inside. She was hot and tight. How in the hell would he hold out? He put the same finger to his mouth and tasted her dew.
“Damn, you taste good, Irene. I’m going to need some more of that,” he growled.
Irene looked up at him with so much need that he reacted on instinct. He moved down her body and settled between her legs. Her thighs shook as he settled more firmly between them.
“Liam…” Her words were lost as his tongue swirled around her engorged bud. Her body reacted like a live wire, tensing beneath him.
He sucked her clit, and she screamed. He licked her mound, earning deep moans from the back of her throat. She pulled at his hair as his tongue moved quickly. With one stroke, he would draw her dew, and with another, he would lick her clean. He kept it up until she was grinding helplessly against his mouth.
Liam loved the way she tasted, and he needed more. Her spicy essence was driving him insane. When he pushed his tongue inside, she screamed, and his cock jumped as her walls clamped down.
He lifted his head and reached for the nightstand. He’d never put on a condom quicker in his entire life. Before her body even stopped convulsing, he positioned himself at her entrance and entered her in one smooth thrust.
“Liam… you’re big,” Irene gasped as she felt the full brunt of his weight.
Her walls clamped down around his cock so hard that he bucked once more, a heavy hard thrust that made Irene wince. Her face stopped him from moving. In the dim light of the hotel room, he could see her discomfort.
“I’m sorry, Irene. Just give me a second. You’re so tight somehow; I can wait.”
“It’s okay. It’s been a while since… I’ve been with someone. A couple of years to be exact,” she whispered back.
For some reason, her words caused him to swell inside of her. His brain warred with his cock. He wanted to move, to claim the woman lying beneath him, but somehow he would give her what she needed.
He was unprepared when she pushed at his chest. He moved under her hands and flipped onto his back, and she lifted herself to straddle him. Their movement pushed him deeper, and they both groaned when she landed on top.
Irene inhaled deeply, her breasts moving and swaying with each deep breath. He licked his lips as he watched her nipples. He sat up to taste her, and she pushed him back down.
She raked her nails down his chest until he winced, and then she leaned forward to lick the light scratches. This time she found one flat nipple and suckled. He tensed under her, and she moved.
Slowly she rode him, her thick black hair a cloud around her face and a mess because of his fingers. Her brown skin was slick from the heat building between their bodies. God, what a sight; this was Irene with all of her guard down. As she rode him faster, he sat up. Her hands couldn’t keep him where she wanted him.
One hand tangled in her hair as he held her in place for his kiss. He wanted every part of himself inside of this woman when she came. He kissed her deeply, and she increased the pace.
She closed her eyes as her body started to tense around his. He could feel her womb demanding more from him, begging for his seed. Liam shook his head to clear the dense fog of lust that was making his thoughts chaotic.
His balls tightened, and he started to move beneath her, raising his hips to slam against hers as she rode him. Her walls tightened around him until he could barely move, and then she screamed.
It was a yell of pure pleasure as her walls started to contract around his. The strong pulls of her womb pushed him over the edge, and within seconds, he erupted inside of her.
Liam thrust over and over, grinding his hips deep. She collapsed against his chest, and he ran his fingers through her hair. Well, damn, this was precisely how he’d imagined it.
“And you think one night is enough?” he whispered. He was still deep inside of her, and his cock stirred to life once more as she moved on top of him.
“Shut up, Liam,” she said. Her soft smile was filled with satisfaction.
Irene lifted her head from his chest, and this time she reached for the nightstand. She pulled out a condom and sat it beside their bodies. She lifted her hips until his cock was free.
Liam was enjoying the sexy smile that played at the corner of Irene’s mouth.
Irene wanted him, and she was making sure he knew that. Her hand reached down and pulled the used condom off. She dropped it onto the floor and kissed her way down his body, and Liam gave up the idea of talking.
He needed her to understand what was happening between them, which meant showing her how good they could be together. He wanted her to see the potential they had. This kind of heat didn’t exist for everyone.
When her mouth touched his now-hardened cock, all thoughts drifted away. He would figure this out tomorrow.
Tonight, he needed everything from Irene.
Three
Welcome back...
* * *
A few days later…
“Damn!” Irene muttered as another glass beaker slipped from her fingers. She needed to focus on what she was doing, but memories of her night with Liam kept resurfacing.
That man knew how to make love. It had taken everything inside of her to leave his bed. She’d crept out like a thief as he slept. She’d known one look or touch from him would have had her crawling back in.
Irene would have loved to blame her reaction to him on her romantic drought, but she knew better. So, Liam was handsome and charismatic—that alone wouldn’t have made her that insane with lust.
That night he’d made love to her in more ways than the last man she’d had a serious relationship with. How was she going to just move on to someone else? He’d done a hell of a job making that impossible.
Hopefully, this ache in the pit of her stomach that begged her to call him would lessen with time. She was doing Liam a favor, not pursuing him. She had real enemies who would enjoy ruining his career.
No, Liam was just a one-night stand. So what that she wanted him with every fiber of her being? Liam Campbell wasn’t meant for her.
“Auntie!” Deshaun called from the bottom steps.
“What’s up, Deshaun?” she yelled back.
“Quinton called and asked you to check your email. It’s important.”
Irene shook her head. She needed to get her shit together. She’d been mooning over Liam ever since she’d returned. He wasn’t hers to obsess about. “Okay, I will. How is everything going down there?”
“I’m running it, so you know everything is fine. Relax, Auntie, and finish up your project. I got this.”
“Thanks, Deshaun!” Irene sat back down at the table. She knew he was right. Her nephew was more intimidating than she was in the shop. He could handle it on his own.
She opened up her laptop and opened her emails. She looked at the email Quinton sent her. It took her only a few seconds to read it and even less time to fill with rage.
She picked up her phone and called Quinton. She had to tighten her grip because her hand was shaking.
“Hello, Irene?”
“Why in the hell would you do this to me, Quinton?”
Quinton Bissell sighed wearily. “I knew you would be upset, Irene.”
“Then why would you do it? I helped you with that formula, and I did everything you asked. All I wanted you to do was keep my name off of the study. How hard was that?”
“Irene, I love you, and I’m glad y
ou are still one of my closest friends, but I’m done getting credit for your work. I have integrity, and I know you’re afraid of Sybil. Hell, I’m afraid of her, but you deserve more than a check for your work. This vaccine you helped me with could one day cure cancer. It’s not something you can’t take credit for.”
Irene exhaled and closed her eyes. In the back of her mind, if she were honest, she was happy he’d decided to do this. She knew it was her own fear that was pissing her off.
“I understand what you’re saying, but we had a deal,” she continued.
“Yep, and I defaulted on it. That’s why I wanted to tell you first. I understand if you’re mad, but I don’t regret it. Our work could change lives, and I will not leave you out of it,” Quinton said firmly.
Irene sat back down in her chair. Being angry wasn’t going to change what happened. She needed to plan for any blowback. “How long before it’s officially published?”
“In a few weeks. The university wants us to present a seminar on it.”
“Quinton!”
“I know, I know. I didn’t say you would be willing to attend. I thought that would be pushing it. I will host it alone if you’re worried. Trust me; it’s been years since your fight with Sybil. She has to have moved on, right? Anyway, I just wanted to call and apologize. I have to go. Ellie wants me to read her a bedtime story.”
Irene placed a hand to her head. She needed to take some ibuprofen. There was no doubt that she would have a tension headache soon. “Fine…”
“I know you’re mad right now, but you do know that I’m doing the right thing, right?”
“I know. I’ll probably be mad for a day or two, but I will appreciate it in the end. You know I can’t hold onto anger for long, and I love you, too, Quinton. You’re one of the only people who stood by me after all that mess with Bryce.”
“Well, Bryce and Sybil were the ones wrong there. You know you really should…”
“I have to go, Quinton. Tell Ellie and Amy I said hello.” Irene hung up before he could continue. She did not want to talk about her past right now.
Okay, that was one way to get her mind off of Liam Campbell. The thought of seeing Sybil Anderson again turned her stomach, but she couldn’t stay in hiding forever.
“It’s time for me to get back out there,” Irene said out loud. She spent the last few years taking care of everyone else in her life and ignoring her personal issues.
Her night with Liam had awoken a different kind of hunger, and her conversation with Quinton had reminded her of her past dreams. She’d forgotten what it felt like to have dreams.
Irene pulled out her phone and texted Mel. Once Mel was back from her honeymoon, she’d meet up with her best friend and discuss the next phase of her life.
Mel was the best at reinvention, and it was time for the real Irene James to take back the life she deserved.
* * *
Somewhere in a small town in Scotland…
Liam pulled into Brodrick and Gabby’s driveway and smiled. It was good to be home. Tonight was his night with Ansley, and he refused to miss it, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t excited for what came next.
He was still a little pissed Irene had fled the hotel room before he’d woken up. His sweet little woman had disappeared quickly. She must have packed up and jumped on a flight back to New Orleans.
She’d already checked out by the time he’d made it to her door. A lesser man would be discouraged by her fleeing, but Liam was not a lesser man, and Irene was too special to walk away from.
Irene had given him the night of his dreams. They’d made love multiple times that night, and each time had surpassed the one before. He now knew that Irene wasn’t a want, but a need. Being with her was vastly different from how he’d felt with other women.
She was a woman who made him feel things he’d never felt before. Even now, sitting in his family’s driveway, all he could think about was Irene. As soon as he was done with his date with Ansley, he would head her way.
Liam got out of the car and walked up to the door. He wasn’t surprised when it opened before his foot hit the first step.
“Uncle Liam, you’re late!” Ansley yelled. His little niece was wearing the Mickey Mouse dress he’d bought her for Christmas along with knee-high black boots. She looked more than ready for dinner at the new restaurant in town.
“I am not late, Ansley. I checked my watch. You are just impatient.”
“Now, you sound like Da,” she muttered. He leaned down and kissed her on the head. Gabby and Brodrick were standing just inside the doorway, talking to each other.
Liam leaned inside. “Hey, Gabby! We will be back late, so don’t wait up.”
“Well, hello to you, too, brother,” Brodrick said.
Liam chuckled. “Sorry, I have to leave on the red-eye.”
“I thought you were done with opening restaurants,” Brodrick said with a frown. His brother knew him well. The only thing that could make Liam fly a red-eye flight was work.
“No, this is more important than that.”
“Okay, I guess we need to have a conversation soon. I have to know what’s more important to you than work,” Brodrick said firmly.
“I will, brother. But right now, me and Ansley have a reservation to get to.”
“Wait!” Gabby yelled as Ansley and Liam made their way to the car. She ran as quickly as her belly would allow. Gabby made an adorable pregnant lady, and if Brodrick’s satisfied smile was any indication, she was definitely making Brodrick’s life even better.
“What’s up? Are pregnant ladies supposed to run?” Liam asked when she was in front of them.
“Liam, I worked a ten-hour shift yesterday at the hospital. Are you telling me I shouldn’t be allowed to run?”
Gabby’s raised eyebrow made it clear that there was only one right answer. “I think you should be allowed to do whatever you want.”
Gabby chuckled and handed him some money and a note. “Do you mind getting those items at the convenience store?”
Liam looked down at the note. “So, you want me to get as many cucumbers as I can carry and six bags of salt and vinegar potato chips.”
Ansley laughed, “We will take care of it, Mom.”
Liam smiled at how easily Ansley called Gabby, “Mom.” He loved seeing his family so happy. If Gabby wanted these items, then she would damn well get them.
“I will rob them of all their cucumbers and chips; I promise you that.”
It took him an hour to get them to the new restaurant. It was in the east part of town and pretty far away from anything they’d been to before. He’d already checked, and it was wheelchair accessible for Ansley.
They were seated in the front, and from the way the people in the kitchen were watching them, they knew who he was.
“Do you think they are going to watch us all night?” Ansley asked as the server brought out their appetizers. He’d already placed the order for their food when he set up the reservation.
“Unfortunately, I think the answer to that is yes,” Liam sighed; this is why he kept most of their dinner dates in his home town. Everyone there treated him like a regular guy.
“I have a question for you, Uncle Liam?”
“Okay, what do you want to know?”
Ansley tasted the soup and gave him thumbs up. “How does it feel to be famous?”
“I’m not famous.” He tasted the soup as well. He’d ordered them a basic tomato and basil soup, but he knew how difficult it was to make one savory and sweet at the same time. The restaurant had done a fantastic job.
“Uncle Liam, everyone in my school knows who you are, and everyone always asks what you’re up to. Please don’t tell me you’re not famous.”
Liam couldn’t deny her claims. “I don’t know. It’s funny. Sometimes I go out, especially to smaller towns, and no one notices me, but whenever I go to a big city, I feel it more. It doesn’t feel special. I can tell you that. In fact, for me, it’s the opposite; it makes me
feel like I have to be perfect for everyone, and that anything I say or do can be used against me later.”
“You make it sound like it’s no fun at all,” she said quietly.
“Well, it’s not for me. Why do you ask?” It was an odd question from Ansley. She’d never cared about his fame before.
“Someone told me that my real mom, the one that doesn’t want me, is famous, and that’s why she never came back,” Ansley whispered.
“Who told you that?” Liam asked innocently. He would have words with whoever was upsetting Ansley. There was a reason they didn’t talk about Ansley’s mother.
Ansley shook her head. “Nope, I’m not going to tell you who because you will just try to fight him, and he’s just a kid, Uncle Liam.”
“So it’s a him, that’s good to know.” Liam could work with that information.
“Uncle Liam!”
“Alright, I’m going to be honest with you, Ansley. You’ve been through a lot over the last year, and I think you are old enough to know some things. Your birth mother is a complicated woman. I don’t think fame is what is keeping her from coming back. I think she has a lot of real issues that she never worked through in her life, and it affects how she acts now. Vanessa isn’t a very kind person, and honestly, I think she believed letting you stay with your dad was the best decision for you. I think you should ask your dad to talk about it. It will be hard, but he has been thinking about this conversation with you for a long time,” Liam said carefully.
Brodrick had coached all of them on this. It was important to his brother for Ansley not to hate her mother. They had a feeling if that happened, it would affect how she viewed herself.
“Dad’s talked to you about this before?” Ansley whispered.
“Yes. We love you. You know that, but we knew one day you would have questions about your mother.”
“What about Gabby? Do you think she’ll be upset? I love her, Uncle Liam. She’s the best mother I could ask for, and I know she loves me. I don’t want to hurt her feelings.”
