Her back brushed against the wall, reminding her of the wall she had built between herself and Sal. That was the only way she got through their relationship. There was no romance, love, or hell, anything like that. She’d stuck with him because her boss demanded it. If Sal didn’t give his father good reports on her, she’d be out a job. It wasn’t her dream job, but it was a stepping stone to one, so she needed to leave on good terms.
“So much for that.” She shook her head. “Why did I even board the plane? I knew it was going to be a disaster.”
From the moment Sal had picked her up at her apartment things had gotten off on the wrong foot. “I don’t know why you live in such a dump and with that stupid bitch.” Those had been the first words Sal had said to her as she slid into the backseat of the chauffeured car. She’d wanted to defend Annie, but past experiences had proved to her that only made things worse. Sal didn’t like anyone who disagreed with him, especially not her. To him, she was just an extension of him. She didn’t have a say in how things happened.
“Why didn’t I heed the warnings?” Even as she’d boarded the plane, she knew the trip was going to be a catastrophe, but she’d never pictured getting fired and being left in a different country without a way home.
Every day that passed in Ireland, the worse the situation got. It was as if, without Sal’s father to hold the reins, Sal’s temper had grown out of control. That was until their final fight, which had proved to her just what he’d wanted her around for. These negotiations are stressful. I brought you for sex. Otherwise, what do I need you for?
His words played through her thoughts again, making her stomach churn. How could she have been so blind to his motives? Even more than that, she continued to play over every conversation she’d had with him, trying to reason why she hadn’t seen the monster within him before. It was clear to her and anyone who knew Sal that he was mean-spirited and at times evil, but she’d never thought he’d go as far as he did.
The bathroom door opened, spilling light into the room. “Jos, what’s wrong?” Chip crossed the space and wrapped his arms around her.
“How didn’t I know? Why couldn’t I see what kind of person he was? Annie warned me there was something about Sal, something evil, but I couldn’t see what she saw. Why?” Her legs gave out but instead of letting her crumble to the floor, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her back to the bed.
“Shh, angel.” He laid her on the bed and before joining her, he sat his phone on the nightstand.
“Who were you talking to?”
“Angel.” His voice was soft but there was a touch of warning to it as if cautioning her that she wouldn’t like the answer.
“Tell me.”
“Sal.” He tugged the blanket up around them and pulled her tight against him.
“What? How did he get your number?” She tried to pull out of his embrace to sit up, but he held her tight.
“I don’t know how for sure, but that doesn’t matter. I’ll deal with him but in order to do that, I need you to be open with me. He said something—something I need you to clarify.”
The moment the words left his mouth, she knew exactly what he meant. Unable to just lie there in his arms, she pulled back from him and sat up. Then, trying to chase the chill that had settled over her away, she hugged the blanket to her chest.
“Jos…”
“Don’t. It’s not important.” She couldn’t get enough air into her lungs and the words came out softer than she intended.
“You’re important and so is this.” He placed his hand on her shoulder. “I’d wait for you to tell me on your own but if I’m understanding what he said the way I think, then someone else is at risk.”
She twisted around to look at him. “No…he…oh, Kathy!”
“Tell me.” He pressed.
“He brought me with him for sex.” Her fingers tightened on the blanket. “Not just for him but for any of them.”
“Fucking asshole!” He scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her. “I’m going to keep you safe.”
“I’ve got to go back. I’ve got to…”
“No.” His tone left no room for arguing but she was prepared to fight.
“Kathy’s just a child. Eighteen. Her parents didn’t want her to come, but we needed someone to help prepare the papers. I promised her parents she’d be okay, that I’d be there.”
“I’ve got a friend here in Dublin. He’s a Garda—the police force here in Ireland. Let me talk to him and we’ll put together a plan. We’ll make sure she’s safe, but not by you risking yourself. I won’t have it.”
“She’s my responsibility.”
“No.” He leaned forward so she could see his face. “She’s an adult. We’ll make this right and while we do, we’ll bring down that asshole.”
“His father’s money will get him out of any trouble he ends up in.”
“We’ll see about that.” He pressed his lips to her temple. “I’m going to give my friend a call.”
“Okay.” She scooted back against the headboard, pulling the blanket with her.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She glanced over at him as if trying to reassure him. She was anything but okay but if he stayed in bed with her, like she wanted, it could mean Kathy’s safety was at risk. She wouldn’t risk the young girl for a few minutes of security in Chip’s embrace. “Go on, call him.”
After a brief hesitation, Chip rose from the bed and grabbed his cell phone again. By the time his friend answered, she was already drifting back to her last conversation with Sal.
“Remember what my father said before we left. You’ll play your part completely, otherwise you’re finished.” Sal stood by the in-room bar, his fourth alcohol drink in hand. “Keeping your job requires my stamp of approval at the end of this trip.”
“Play my part!” Livid, she couldn’t stop herself from screaming. “I’m here as your assistant, not as a hooker.”
“You’ll assist me in closing the deal.” He brought the drink to his lips and took a long sip. “That is your purpose here.”
“You need to get reacquired with the definition of a personal assistant. I can assure you that there isn’t a line in my job description that says I must lie on my back for whoever you deem necessary. You can’t pass me around like a toy you’ve gotten tired with. I’m supposed to be your fiancée!”
“As such, you should do whatever it takes to make the family business successful.” Polishing off the drink, he grabbed another bottle and staggered toward the sofa. “Otherwise I might have to honor someone else with my attention. Perhaps…Kathy…yeah, she’s a bright young child. A little sheltered, but I’m sure she’ll do whatever it takes to please me.”
Chapter Six
It took Chip a little more than an hour to get things taken care of and now there was nothing to do but wait. His friend, O’Connor, had said he’d check into it and Chip knew he’d do whatever could be done. Meanwhile, he also had a friend back in Pittsburgh looking into Sal’s personal life. Had there been other women before Jos that he’d tried prostitute? Were there other victims of Sal’s unorthodox business practices?
Whatever happened here in Ireland, Chip was determined to see that Sal would be unable to continue his ways once he returned to the States. His father’s money and influence only went so far. Thankfully, Chip’s family had connections as well. He’d call in whatever favors he needed to make sure Sal stayed away from Jos and that he wouldn’t be a threat to other women.
Turning back to the bed, he wasn’t surprised to find Jos still leaning against the headboard. Her mind seemed to be somewhere else as she stared down at her hands. It made him want to do something to take her mind off it. Actually, he wanted to assure her everything would work out. However, that wasn’t the kind of relationship they had. They never lied to each other. He could distract her, but he couldn’t lie to her.
“Sweet angel.” Slipping his phone into the pocket of his jeans that he’d
tugged on after he got out of bed, he crossed the room to stand next to her. “O’Connor is checking into it and will make contact with Kathy. He’s going to speak with her privately and give her my cell phone number. If she needs help, she can contact us. If there’s any reason she doesn’t feel comfortable, I’ve made it clear to O’Connor, we’ll meet her somewhere and she can fly home with us.”
“I need to go see her. I need to make sure she’s okay.”
“I figured you’d say that.” He sat on the edge of the bed and reached over to take her hand in his. “We need to wait until he talks to her. After that, we’ll see what we can do.”
“What if he’s—”
“No.” Gently, he squeezed her hand. “You can’t think like that. From what you’ve told me, she’s got a good head on her shoulders. She and her parents obviously trust you enough to allow her to make this trip so I’m positive, if he’s made any advances toward her, she’d have called you.”
“I thought about calling her, but if he was just talking out his ass it would put her in danger.”
“Let O’Connor talk to Kathy and once he does, he’ll give me a call. Just hold on a little longer.” He glanced toward the window. The first rays of sunlight started peeking over the horizon. “It’s early but I don’t think either of are going to get anymore sleep. Why don’t we go get some breakfast and pick up whatever you need to hold you over until we fly home tomorrow?”
“A shopping trip?” Her lips curled into a halfhearted smile. “Now I know you’re trying to distract me. You hate shopping.”
“Not with you.” He shot her a smile of his own. “Every year when the four of us would go Christmas shopping, we always had a blast. We’d stroll around, hitting every store until we found everything on our lists, plus gag gifts for Jack and Annie. I loved those times and I’ve missed them.”
“Now that you’re home and…everything, maybe we can do it this year. Christmas isn’t too far away.”
“Everything?” He arched a questioning eyebrow at her. “You mean, us? ’Cause let me tell you, if I’m telling Jack, there’s no backing out. We’re in this to win. I want my prize.”
“Distracting me is working.” She rose up onto her knees and scooted closer to him. “Kiss me.”
Before he could say anything, she made the first move pressing her lips to his. That was all he needed. He wrapped his hand around her nape, drawing her closer, while a deep groan escaped his throat.
They’d known each other their whole lives, yet, one day, he woke up and saw her in a different light. In that moment, she went from being one of his best friends to the woman he wanted in his bed. It wasn’t until he woke up in the hospital, with her sitting by his bedside holding his hand that he realized she had almost slipped away. He couldn’t allow that to happen again.
“Jos…” He pulled back, fighting every cell of his body that wanted to continue what they had started. “We’ve got to stop.”
“Why?” Her voice was soft, her eyes wide. “I want this. I want you, now.”
“Damn, I love when you’re demanding.” With his hand still on the back of her neck, he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers.
“Last night I was so lost in my own mind, I needed the comfort. Today, I’m not. Yes, I’m worried for Kathy, but that isn’t why I’m doing this. I want this. I want you. I want you to make love to me.”
“Jos.” He brought his hand around to cup her cheek. “I want this too, more than you know, but there’s no going back from it.”
“I know.” Her gaze locked onto his. “Trust me, I’ve given it a great deal of thought, but we want this. Annie and Jack will come around. They’ll see what we have is real. If anyone has a chance to make this work, I think it’s us. We’re good together.”
“When did you give it a thought?”
“Last night, cuddled with you.” She ran her hands along his bare chest. “It felt right. I mean it always has, except last night was different. It became clear it wasn’t just me who wanted more. The years of flirting and teasing finally came to a head. There’s no going back from that. No pretending that we can go back to being friends, not when we both know we want more.”
“I’m not saying we can pretend nothing happened and remain friends. Still, there’s no rush. We’ll take this at whatever pace you want.”
“Well…” Her fingers hooked on the waistband of his jeans, quickly finding the button and undoing it. “My pace…”
“Jos.” Her name came out edgier than he’d planned, but with her hand so close to his cock, his mind was shutting down.
“You’ve always considered every possible outcome, overthinking every decision, but this time there’s no need. We know each other inside and out. This is right. We’re right together.”
He wasn’t sure if it was her words or his brain sending up the white flag in surrender, but he rose from the bed and stripped off his jeans before sliding back beside her. “Come here.”
She scooted closer, pressing her body against his side, but he wanted more. Grabbing a hold of her hips, he pulled her up onto him so she was arched over him. His cock stood at full attention, brushing along her stomach.
“Touch me.” Though he had a preferred spot, it didn’t matter where she touched him; he just needed her hands on him.
As if she could read his thoughts, she wrapped her hands around his cock, gently working her way up and down his length.
“Shit, woman.” Her light touch was like all of the years he’d waited for her piled up on him, making his need to claim her nearly overwhelming. It was tempting to roll her over on the bed and push his cock into her, without giving her another second to reconsider.
“You’ve got too many clothes on.” He grabbed hold of the hem of the T-shirt he’d given her to sleep in and tugged upwards. His breath escaped him as her naked body came into view. She had been naked under his shirt. If he had known that hours before when she’d come out of the bathroom wearing it, he wasn’t sure he could have stopped himself from easing the thin material up her gorgeous body.
“Like what you see?” she teased, giving his cock a slight squeeze.
Pulling his gaze away from her naked body, he forced himself to look up at her. “When the four of us rented the cabin at the lake right before I deployed, you wore a little black bikini on our last day there and that image burned into my mind. You were beautiful. The only thing that kept me from untying those thin strings and stripping the flimsy material off you was Jack’s presence. Even that has nothing on this moment. So beautiful.” He slid his hands up her hips, working his way up the length of her torso. As his thumbs brushed along the underside of her breasts, she jerked, her eyes closing. Keeping his gaze on her face, he rubbed his thumbs along her areola, drawing small circles until he reached her nipples. As he teased the hard nipple, her back arched, and she pressed her stomach against his cock.
“I need you inside me.” Her voice was husky and full of need.
“Rise up.”
Her eyelids popped open. “Chip, who’s always in control, is handing over the reins?”
“Don’t get used to it. It’s temporary.” Part of this was to make sure she wanted whatever happened, no second thoughts, but the other part was a more selfish reason. He wanted to see her body over his, her breasts bouncing as she rode his cock.
Without wasting another second, she rose up onto her knees and arched over his shaft. The need for him to grab her hips and ease her down on him was overwhelming but he kept his hands on her breasts. He told her that it would be at her pace and he meant that. At least for now.
She guided his cock inside her. Every inch she moved down his length made his hunger for her that much stronger. It seemed to be agonizingly slow as she worked him inside her.
Unable to help himself, he took hold of her hips, bringing her completely down on him—buried to the hilt. He thought the need to ravish her would subside, but it only grew stronger.
“Please, Chip.”
/> He kept his hands on her hips, helping her work his shaft up and down. Slowly at first, but as she began to feel comfortable, she found the pace and continued to drive herself up and down, going faster with each pump.
With her in control, he moved his hands away from her hips, sliding them along her body. Watching as her breasts bounced with each pump, he reached up to claim them. His fingers slid over the hard buds of her nipples, teasing them again. He had the urge to arch up into her, to speed their pace, but he didn’t want to throw her off her game.
Her inner muscles tightened around him until he thought he was going to lose it. She sped her pace until she was nearly slamming herself onto him. Tipping her head back, she closed her eyes as she continued to propel herself up and down while he met her with thrusts of his own.
His hands returned to her hips as they matched thrust for thrust. With each stroke, the fire within him burned brighter and hotter. His climax loomed in the distance, but he wanted to see her release before he would allow himself the pleasure. He wanted to see her eyes gloss over and the utter joy as she climaxed around his shaft.
“Oh, Chip!” she cried out, her head tipped back, her voice tight and full of need. “Don’t stop.” She held onto him for all it was worth, riding his thrusts, then leaned forward, her breasts jiggling with each movement, just out of reach of his mouth, taunting him. At last, her body tightened around him. She was nearly there.
“Look at me,” he demanded.
She opened her eyes, but it wasn’t like she was truly seeing him. A glaze within their depths suggested she wasn’t completely there but feeling the effects of her oncoming climax. “Faster!”
She slammed down into him as he arched up to meet her, driving the force of each pump. He thrust deeper and faster into a perfect rhythm. “Yes! Chip!” she moaned.
Irish Nights Page 3
