Playing Irish

by Brooke Harris

  ‘Fuck,’ Eva squealed. It burned and Eva sucked air between her teeth. Her breath was rough and shallow and her whole upper body trembled. The pressure was intense. And the pain. It hurt, his finger was stretching her and she wasn’t sure if she liked it, but she wouldn’t tell him to stop. She was on the verge of orgasm and she wanted him to take her there.

  Julian’s thumb circled her wet, dipping in and out of her and dragging her warmness across her aching clit. He pushed deep and curled his thumb, effortlessly finding her spot. She clenched her walls around his thumb, throbbing on his hand. Oh God, she was going to explode.

  ‘Shh, not yet,’ he ordered, easing his pressure.

  He slid his other hand between her belly and the bed and his fingers crept lower.

  ‘Let me,’ he said.

  Eva lifted her ass just a little so his hand could slip under her pelvis, and position his fingers against her clit. He flicked it slowly and pumped her with his other hand. She was full.

  ‘Now,’ he said.

  A loud moan burst from inside Eva as pleasure rippled through her. Her hips bucked and shook on his hands, his expert touch driving her crazy.

  ‘Say my name…’

  Eva moaned louder.

  ‘Say it…’

  ‘Julian, Julian. Oh. My. God, Julian.’

  Eva’s body fell limp against the bed and she panted, barely able to move. Julian slipped his hands out of her and waited for her to catch her breath. He lay on his side, turned toward her and drew letters of the alphabet onto the sticky skin of her back. M.I.N.E. Eva closed her eyes and a delicate smile settled on her face.

  40

  Eva opened her eyes again to find the soft, cotton sheet covering her naked body. Julian was sat on the edge of the bed, his ankle resting on his opposite knee. Relaxed. He was wearing his shirt again, but the buttons were all open. The crisp white material was a delicious contrast against his tanned, skin. The sleeves were rolled up and his forearms were synonymous with strength as they rested, folded across his chest. He’d swapped his tuxedo trousers for a pair of loose, dark blue jeans. He was more relaxed than Eva had ever seen him and, if possible, even hotter.

  She had stared at his beautiful physique for a long time before he acknowledged she was awake. He didn’t talk; instead he shot her his infamous smile. She smiled back and rubbed her eyes.

  Julian eyed up the ice bucket beside him, containing champagne and two crystal flutes.

  ‘Oh, God no, I can’t drink anything more,’ Eva said, her head spinning a little.

  Julian laughed, ‘Who said anything about drinking it?’

  ‘Ready for more?’ he asked after a while of blissful silence.

  Eva lifted her head, just enough to meet his eyes. She nodded and tried to wake herself up fully. ‘What time is it?’

  ‘Late.’

  Eva shot up, pulling the sheet with her, painfully conscious that she was naked and Julian wasn’t. How familiar, she thought, blushing.

  ‘We have to go back down.’

  Julian shook his head. ‘Why?’

  ‘To…you know…say goodbye and stuff.’

  ‘And stuff?’

  Eva hated that he could do that; make her feel stupid by just repeating her words.

  ‘Well, it’s your party. Aren’t you a bad host hiding up here?’

  Julian scrunched his nose, lackadaisically. ‘Maybe.’

  Damn. He was agreeable and infuriating at the same time.

  Eva scrambled to the end of the bed and tried to pull the sheet around her. Julian purposely wouldn’t move and she couldn’t free the corner from under him.

  ‘I need to go back.’ She was half pleading, half panicking. ‘Shelly will be looking for me.’

  ‘I doubt it. She was getting stuck into that fuck head who sniffs around you.’

  ‘Nathan?’

  Julian shrugged his shoulders. Clearly refusing to say his name.

  ‘You went back to the party?’ She wanted to add, ‘without me’, but stopped herself just before the words came out, certain it would make her sound like a needy psychopath.

  ‘Like you said, it was my party. I couldn’t be rude.’

  Eva was struggling to believe Julian was concerned about his hosting duties. He couldn’t keep a straight face just talking about it.

  ‘I had a few loose ends to tie up.’

  Now that she did believe.

  ‘I would have come with you,’ Eva said, trembling, just thinking about facing that room of people again after the experience on stage.

  ‘I figured you needed your rest after your performance earlier. Bravo, by the way.’

  Condescending, irritating Julian was back. Where was passionate Julian who had touched her earlier? She liked him better.

  ‘I’m going,’ Eva said defiantly.

  ‘Off you go, but I’ll be keeping this here.’ Julian tugged hard and Eva lost her grip on the sheet. She stood completely naked in front of him. Her eyes flared with surprise and a huge, satisfied grin lit up Julian’s face. He loved it, she could tell.

  Her arm instinctively crossed her breasts and she grabbed a cushion off the chaise longue beside her and covered her lower half.

  ‘Satisfied?’ she snapped, humiliated.

  ‘No. But I will be.’

  Julian stood up and was in front of her before she had time to blink. He took her arm from across her chest and forced it down by her side. He caught the cushion and flung it away. His intention was clear and his confidence unravelled her. He pushed his mouth onto hers, and against her better judgement, she kissed him back.

  Her pubic bone brushed against the zip of his jeans and she felt his erection swell behind the rough denim.

  ‘The party is over, everyone has gone home,’ he whispered, his lips still brushing against hers and the breath of his words rushed from his mouth into hers.

  ‘Gone?’ Eva repeated. ‘Everyone?’

  Julian wrapped his hands around her lower back. ‘It’s just us now.’

  ‘Shelly?’ Eva said, worried.

  Julian exhaled, almost laughing. ‘She’s fine; I had my driver take her home.’

  Eva sighed, relieved - for a moment at least until, as always, she over analysed things. ’What about me? How will I get home?’

  Julian took a step back and shook his head. ‘Seriously? You’re actually asking that? After tonight and all you know now, your only concern is…is a bloody taxi? Jesus, Evangeline. Do you not know by now that I will look after you?’

  Eva’s throat swelled with a lump so huge that it threatened to choke her. So this was what it felt like when someone gives a shit, she thought, not sure what she’d done to deserve his protection. She stared into his eyes. His dark irises sparkled with honesty. She’d never seen that expression on him before. She liked it.

  She stepped forward, closing the gap that he had initiated between them. Her body was confident and bold and her head was just going to have to get a grip and catch up. She reached her hands under his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. She didn’t wait for it to hit the ground before she grabbed his jeans. She couldn’t undress him fast enough. She gasped as his rock hard cock awaited her as soon as she tugged the zip down.

  ‘No boxers,’ she said, smiling.

  Julian smirked, kicked off his jeans, and wrapped his arms around her. His skin brushing against hers, took her breath away, and Eva closed her eyes. The only thing in the world that mattered right now was his touch, and she wanted to savour every second.

  ‘Lie down,’ Julian ordered.

  Eva lowered herself onto the cream, sheepskin rug behind her. Julian towered over her. His eyes explored every inch of her bare skin. She felt like a beautiful prize waiting for him to lay claim.

  Julian reached for the chilling champagne and shook the bottle furiously. Eva shrieked and giggled as icy bubbles caressed her body.

  ‘Close your eyes.’

  Eva did as she was told.

  ‘Do you trust me?’
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  Eva didn’t have to think, the answer was instinctive. ‘Yes, Julian. I trust you.’

  Julian dropped to his knees and pushed Eva’s legs wide apart. She heard the champagne bottle shake and she held her breath, gasping as the chilled bottle top pressed against her pink skin. He wouldn’t dare; her heart was thundering in her chest. Champagne spilled inside her like cool, sparkling kisses. Julian didn’t give her time to think. He slid his fingers between her and stretched her hands above her head. He was rushed, passionate, hungry. She opened her eyes to watch his beautiful face as he pushed inside her. The heat of his throbbing cock after the coolness of the champagne was mind blowing, and Eva couldn’t help but scream his name as he rocked against her.

  Still inside her, Julian pulled Eva onto her knees to straddle him like a stallion. She ground her hips aggressively, pumping his cock roughly with each thrust. His fingers splayed on her hips and he dropped his head back. His pelvis hammered against her. She’d never seen him so wanting. The splash of Eva’s wet and oozing champagne drove her wild. Julian groaned as silky bubbles trickled down his balls. He pushed deeper and pulled her perky breasts tight against his chest. ‘You’re so fucking amazing,’ he gasped as his hot cum exploded inside her.

  41

  Eva could feel the warm sunlight on her face. She rubbed her eyes and struggled to wake up fully. Her head hurt and rolling over, she thought she might be sick. The crisp, white cotton sheets caressed her naked body and she curled up into a ball and was just about to go back to sleep when she shot upright abruptly. She’d just remembered where she was, and the sickly feeling got worse.

  ‘Christ, how much did I drink?’ she asked herself out loud. The sound of her own voice hurt her head. The covers were thrown back on Julian’s side of the bed. Eva placed her hand on the space where he’d slept. It was cold. The door to the en suite was closed, and Eva pulled the sheet tight under her chin, keeping her eyes fixed on the door and waited for Julian to appear.

  She waited a long time, but the room was eerily silent. Her eyes darted from wall to wall. He’d abandoned her in a giant house in the middle of nowhere - naked! She slid reluctantly out of bed and was trying to figure out how to fashion a remotely wearable dress out of the sheet and a hair bobbin when she noticed a small, evenly folded piece of paper on the dresser at the far side of the room. Her name was handwritten on the front.

  Good morning, beautiful. Don’t leave before I get back. Press the bell, Mrs Cartwright will send up anything you need. I left you something to wear. I think it will look good on you.

  J xx

  Don’t leave before he gets back? Where had he gone? And something to wear…Julian hardly had a spare set of clothes for her, did he? It wouldn’t surprise her.

  She searched the room, but there were no clothes or boxes or anything left for her; just her beautiful dress from last night lying in a dishevelled heap on the floor beside the bed. She bent down to pick it up, remembering the sound of soft material shredding as Julian’s strong hands tore if away from her body. Shivers rushed down her spine. She closed her eyes and took a moment to replay last night in her mind. His touch, his smell, his taste. She opened her eyes and noticed one of his shirts draped across the chair. He must have meant for her to wear it. She nervously slid her arms into the sleeves and buttoned it across her naked chest. She examined her reflection. The sky blue flattered her skin tone and the length revealed just enough of her leg to tease. It smelled of Julian. She liked it.

  Slightly more comfortable, now that she wasn’t completely naked, she searched for the bell. There was a remote control at the side of the bed, so she pressed some buttons and hoped for the best. The bed made a weird sound that echoed around the room and made Eva jump. A huge flat screen TV slid out from the foot of the bed, and Eva couldn’t find the button to make it disappear again. She managed to switch on and off the lights, open and close the electric blinds and raise and lower the bed, but she absolutely could not find the button to call Mrs. Cartwright.

  She looked at her watch. It was almost midday. She had no idea how long Julian would be gone, and she couldn’t spend all day hiding in his room. She’d just have to be brave and go find the kitchen herself. In nothing more than Julian’s insanely expensive shirt - shit.

  The heavy bedroom door creaked as she pushed it open and she peeked her head around the corner. She didn’t know why she was being so dramatic, but she just wasn’t sure of what lay ahead. She crept down the stairs; it felt so different from last night. If possible, the house seemed bigger now. Quieter, calmer. She followed the long hallway to the back of the house. The smell of fresh pancakes beckoned. Beautiful classical music played behind the last door and Eva took a deep breath, before knocking loudly.

  ‘Come on in, love,’ a woman’s voice shouted over the violins and clarinets.

  ‘Mrs. Cartwright,’ Eva said as the elderly lady from Julian’s house in the city looked up from leaning over the cooker and smiled.

  ‘Mrs Cartwright,’ the lady echoed, shaking her head. ‘What’s this Mrs. Cartwright business? Call me Anne, please?’

  Eva nodded. Anne was nice, making her feel instantly at ease.

  ‘Twenty-one years I’ve known that boy, and he still doesn’t call me by my first name.’

  ‘Julian?’ Eva said, hoping she’d guessed right.

  Anne turned off the radio. Picked up two cups and carried them over to the table inside a large bay window.

  ‘Coffee?’

  Eva nodded. She couldn’t think of anything she wanted more in the world right now than caffeine. Well, maybe more sex with Julian, but she blushed just thinking about it.

  ‘I used to work here when he was a boy. He was such a shy little chap. This is where he grew up. I can't even recognise it now.’

  Anne poured the coffee.

  ‘Thanks,’ Eva took the cup in her hands and enjoyed the warmth under her fingers. She couldn’t imagine Julian as shy - ever.

  ‘So it’s true? This really was an orphanage.’

  Eva’s heart sank thinking of Julian spending his childhood without parents.

  ‘Yes, for many years. It was closed down when Julian was about twelve.’

  ‘What happened to all the kids?’

  ‘Some found families, but most were rehomed in a larger facility down the country.’

  ‘…and Julian?’

  Anne stopped talking and sipped her coffee in silence for a while. Eva worried she’d come across too strong. Julian hated talking about his past and here she was trying to drag the information out of someone else. She owed him more respect, but it was driving her crazy that she knew so little about him.

  ‘Julian just sort of disappeared. He had a few more scars than most of the other kids, I think. The authorities forgot about him. They probably just presumed he was dead.’

  ‘Oh, my God, that’s awful. Where did he go?’

  Anne shook her head. ‘I don’t know. I didn’t see him again until he was eighteen, and he turned up on my doorstep. He was a very different person then to the boy I remembered.’

  Tears rushed down Eva’s cheeks. She was so used to crying, but this was different. She wasn’t feeling sorry for her own fucked up life; she was hurting for Julian. She wanted to take him in her arms and kiss away every emotional scar.

  ‘And now?’ Eva asked.

  ‘And now, he’s a man, Eva. But scars don’t fade…sure, the redness eases, but you’re marked for life. Do you understand?

  Eva dropped her head, she couldn’t look Anne in the eye. She’d lose it completely if she did. She understood. Damn, she understood it more than anyone ever should.

  ‘How did his parents die?’ Eva asked, knowing it was a cheeky question, and one she wouldn’t dare ask Julian himself, but maybe Anne could give her a little window into his heart. Something, anything. Appearing over inquisitive was a small price to pay for a clue about Julian. Silence followed.

  Eva stared at Anne. She had kind eyes and a genuine smile, b
ut she knew so much more than she was saying. Julian trusted her. She was possibly one of the only people on the whole planet who he did trust and Eva wasn’t about to damage that. She wouldn’t ask any more questions. Well, maybe just one more.

  ‘Where is he?’

  Anne stood up and cleared away the cups. She pointed outside and beamed a large approving smile.

  ‘In his sanctuary.’

  Eva followed the tip of her finger and stared out into the countless fields behind them. A man on a stunning black stallion galloped in the distance.

  ‘He doesn’t let anyone into the paddock.’

  Eva tried to hide her disappointment.

  ‘But today he might make an exception.’ Anne cast her eyes to the side. ‘The door’s open.’

  42

  Eva walked slowly. Despite the long summer, the grassy fields were mucky and squelched under feet. The heels of her stilettos speared the ground like sticks through melting marshmallows. Two falls, a muddy backside, and tossed hair later, Eva reached the timber fence of the paddock. She folded her arms on the gate and rested her chin on her hands. She forgot her grubby appearance and became lost in a trance as she stared ahead.

  She’d come to learn that Julian only surrounded himself with beautiful things. But she wasn’t expecting the horse to be quite so fabulous. His ebony coat was glossy and radiated health and good grooming. He was larger than she’d anticipated from the distance. His mane was tantalising as the wind rushed through it, and the muscles in his slender chest flexed as he galloped. Julian sat confidently on his bare back. He looked so relaxed in just a pair of loose fitting, stonewashed, blue jeans and no shirt. A light mist started and soft rain drops dampened Julian’s firm chest. Eva’s cheeks flushed as she thought about running her tongue across his abs and tasting his skin. She tried to suppress her desire as Julian dismounted the stallion and walked toward her.

  ‘I knew that would look good on you,’ he said, exaggerating his looking her up and down.

  Eva suddenly remembered her unsavoury appearance and tried to brush some dried muck off her sleeve.