Accepting His Ways (Quinlan O'Connor Book 2)

by Alyssa Bailey

Cheyenne was beautiful in her wedding dress as she walked down the aisle on Sean’s arm to meet her groom. The dress had an all lace veil over a beautiful hand embroidered Irish lace mantilla and satin under the dress that every woman who meant something to Cheyenne had a hand in. She was carrying her Irish bouquet with silver accents.

  The kilt that Quinlan wore was stunning and his shirt, an electric blue, complimented by a golden tie that picked up the thin blue and gold running through his tartan. Cheyenne almost swooned when she looked at her handsome man in the tailored black jacket with all the trims and accessories that a well-dressed Irishman would wear. While Quinn would have married in jeans, the women in the family would not have let him.

  When the traditional white shirt was vetoed by Cheyenne, he gave up and did what he was told, with one stipulation “No pinks, no purples, and no powder blues.” In this wedding, Cheyenne dominated, a fact that had all the women laughing at the irony. However, Cheyenne was careful to pick a bright blue she knew would match the kilts and that Quinn would be comfortable in.

  When the minister asked, "Who gives this bride away,” Sean said loud and clear, “The Clan Sterling, gives their daughter,” and in response to who receives this bride, he replied equally strong, “The Clan O’Connor receives their daughter.”

  While the ceremony was simple, it was elegant and peaceful with many tears shed when Quinn read his vows. The tears and looks between them while saying their vows after Ciarán tied their wrists and hands together told the whole story

  “I forever vow my undying love to you, Cheyenne. I would lay down my life in staunch protection of you and I vow always to be the cornerstone in the foundation of our home. I’ll be a good father to our children and a loving husband to you. Please accept all that I have, all that I am, and all that I will be as my commitment to you now and into eternity.”

  Cheyenne couldn’t wipe the tears from her eyes with the handkerchief that Siobhan placed in her sleeve because of the symbolic binding, so she allowed them to flow.

  “I vow to love you always, honor you in our home and our lives,” she hesitated a moment before grinning at Quinn. “I promise to obey you, always to rely on your leadership to guide our home well. I accept your love and protection for my life.”

  The story of Quinn’s commitment to Cheyenne and Cheyenne’s ultimate relinquishment of her final vestiges of control to Quinn as her ultimate act of loving trust was understood by all. Quinn’s eyes told her he knew it for what it was, and he accepted it with gratitude as the sacred thing it represented, while secretly preparing for the battles that would rage ahead. Cheyenne may have given her purest control, but on a daily basis, the practical result would not always bear that out. It was the challenge she would always present that he loved deeply about her.

  Cooper and Hunter described the reception as the best part of the wedding and the room was overflowing with well-wishers. The children and O’Connor wives were shooed away from the groom’s cake more than once and then they relinquished on the mead. Liam stated he had enough children for now and steered Jocelyn away after one cup. Cián forbade Molly from even sampling the brew, which Molly took as a challenge, drinking two cups to the cheers of Cheyenne. Both associated men, Cián and Quinlan took that opportunity to bend their woman’s ear, taking them to the dance floor for further conversation. Ciarán said the more the merrier, which sent Katherine to the other side of the room moaning and shaking her head with her little round belly. Kelli was quiet during the whole conversation, not joining in on the teasing or the sampling, giving Parker more than pause.

  The goodbye and well wishes surrounded them as the newlyweds were sent on their way to start their life together. The honeymoon was to be at an undisclosed location because Quinn wanted to surprise Cheyenne. When they arrived at the airport, they took a late afternoon flight to Denver. Before they left, he gave their itinerary to Da because he was the only one he trusted to keep it a secret until Quinn got her safely to her destination.

  Quinn explained. “We have to take another flight tomorrow afternoon, but I didn’t want to get stuck on the plane for so many hours on our first night. I have other plans for tonight.”

  “Are you kidding? Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see when we get there. I’ve been planning this for a long time and I’m not spilling the beans right before I complete the surprise.” He unlocked the hotel door and led her into the room, doing a quick check to see if all looked right before letting her walk in further. “Now, Mrs. O’Connor, I believe there was a small issue of patience that I need to reward.”

  Cheyenne smiled and then looked around for a moment before nervously requesting a shower first. Quinn looked at her for a moment, assessing where she was in her thinking before nodding with a smile, only to join her after she stepped into the stream of warming water.

  “A little cold isn’t it?” he spoke as he slipped his hands around her waist pulling her back into his now wet chest.

  She giggled and he laughed at the innocent sound of joy. “It’s heating up.”

  “Yes, it is,” he responded as he kissed her shoulder. “The water is getting warmer, too.” He continued his sucking and lapping the water droplets as he progressed down her body. “I’m going to try to do the best I can to give you what you’ve patiently waited for but I can’t promise. I know it isn’t going to be leisurely as I had first hoped because,” he passed his hand down her belly to her wet curls covering her mons, pulling slightly to heighten her arousal. “I’m going to bring you some enjoyment in here to prime the pump so to speak and then we are going to continue to the next phase of the evening, the Kentucky Derby.”

  “I see,” she said a little breathless as he worried her clit. “But I don’t have my big floppy hat and mint julep. Do you think we should wait until I get them?”

  “I don’t think we should wait. I have waited,” he teased her clit a bit more intensely before dipping into her creamy pond, “and ached,” he kissed her lips, consuming her breath, “long enough.”

  Backing up slightly, he got soap from the dispenser and soaped her body, returning to her outer lips he stroked her inner barrier to find her clit ready for him. This time he soaped the whole with his hand before concentrating on her little, stiff center of nerves. He held her against him tightly as he brought her to her first climax of the day.

  He waited until her breathing was back to normal and she was ready to stand on her own before he took the detachable shower head and rinsed her off, careful to direct its spray over her pink bits. He didn’t want any soap to remain for the next stage.

  Cheyenne took soap and lathered him as she looked up into his face full of halfhearted censure and said, “It’s my first night too.”

  “You’re right. I’ll share the floor tonight but only tonight.”

  “Okay, I’ll take it.” She reached down and lathered his cock with her soapy hands. “You’re as big as I expected but it will be a tight fit. I haven’t been with anyone since before you.”

  “I should hope not.” His relaxed and aroused body could only last so long before he put a stop to her ministrations. “Stop, baby, I need to last so I can get you where I want you.” When she slowed down but continued the assault, he reached down his hand to stop her. “You wouldn’t want to court a spanking already, would you, Mrs. O’Connor? I can guarantee I have many more ways to redden your backside or punish a naughty piscín than what I have shown you.”

  “No, no, I don’t need any heating up. Can we hurry? I need you and I have been such a good girl for so long, I might die if you don’t hurry.”

  Quinn slapped her wet bottom hard enough to leave his print and make her screech before washing her hair. While she conditioned it, he finished his cleaning before kissing her neck and stepping out of the shower in search of towels. He was dry by the time she was finished and he carefully dried her. Then lifting her up, he strode into the bedroom and tossed her into the center of the bed. She laughed and dove for the covers,
trying to get under them.

  “Oh, no you don’t.” Pulling her legs toward him, he arranged her for the best advantage point, placing his head smoothly between her thighs.

  “Put your hands above your head, piscín,” he said, signally the start of play.

  “Hey, I thought we shared tonight,” protested Cheyenne with a grin.

  “We will, but I get my turn first,” declared Quinn with a matching grin, as he savored his treat one lap at a time. “Sorry, baby, but I have to come visiting now. I’m not going to hold out much longer. I wanted to take you to the moon three times but I promise to do it again, only I have to come inside first.”

  As good as his word, since he knew where her spongy g-spot was, he angled to hit it and then her clit from his spot on top. It wasn’t long before both shot into orbit. Cheyenne had been on the pill for several months so that they would not get pregnant right away and Quinn could go bareback.

  Much too soon, playtime was over as the newlyweds burned out quickly as a nova star in earth’s atmosphere. The second round, when Cheyenne woke up, had Cheyenne trying the bronc riding position and she loved it. “Oh please, can we do it this again? Please?”

  Quinn grunted and said, “Yes, we can do it again. I love the way I have free access to your body when you do it this way.”

  “I do too,” she managed to get out before he flipped her around so he could play again. It was a long night.

  Quinn was glad he had made their next flight in the afternoon. He could not imagine leaving the hotel before noon and he could see Cheyenne needed a good soak first. Life was good.

  “We are flying to Miami, Florida? We are really going to Miami?” she squealed. “I’ve never been to Miami and I have always wanted to see it. You’re incredible. I can’t believe you remembered.”

  Then they spent the rest of the day, night and part of the next day in Miami, before Quinn put them in a cab with their luggage and soon they boarded a cruise ship for a ten-day trip through the islands. Thanksgiving in the Bahamas was incredible and she couldn’t wait to come home and show off her tan.

  Her first time swimming in an ocean and snorkeling was a blast. Quinn was very indulgent, allowing her to do whatever she wanted within reason. Swimming where the sharks were last seen was not something he allowed, even though she pouted and begged, he refused. Finally, she did get three loud swats to her barely covered bottom.

  “There are a few things I must deny you, Cheyenne, and if that’s too hard for you to accept, I’m sure they have paddles or their equivalent here. I also know that panties are always optional.”

  “You wouldn’t.” Looking into her man’s face as he looked her in the eye and started to reach down to lift her dress, she knew he would do it right where they stood. “Okay. Spoilsport. Who invited the dom to our honeymoon, anyway?”

  “I’m good with that designation if it keeps you safe. And I invited him.” He bent down to kiss her pouty lips and made love to her mouth right on the side of the street. No one seemed to mind. When they returned to the ship, they finished the task.

  “I have your wedding present,” announced Cheyenne as she reached into the suitcase and brought out a white document envelope.

  “Hmm, what is this, a certificate for a getaway weekend with my lovely bride?”

  “Well, it could be a getaway, but I think it’s a bit more. Open it up.”

  He looked at her for a long moment before he opened the envelope and pulled out a deed to the house in Elk Ridge. His eyes met hers and he waited for a few seconds before responding.

  “You knew.”

  “I did. I love that you did it, but I was also hurt. I thought we were going to do it together and I felt as though you had taken the joy of that away. A few days ago, when we worked through the Maggie disaster, I thought you would tell me then, but you didn’t. Then I talked with Da and he said it was something you wanted to do and I should accept it. How did you get it in my name as well?”

  “Remember those little powers of attorney that we executed so that when you were gone to training and loan-outs I could handle anything that came up in case we had overlooked it and you had one for me, just in case?”

  “Ah, you’re devious. I would say you planned it that way but Ace was the one who suggested it.”

  “Um, well, about that…”

  “You set that up too. I’m going to have to watch you more closely. You’re wilier than I gave you credit for and I won’t make that mistake again. No more buying big-ticket items without me. It won’t go well for you, piscín, so be forewarned.” He shifted his tone and laid her down on the bed, “I love it and I love you, Mrs. O’Connor. Now let me show you my appreciation.”

  Sunbathing and walking through quaint islands was incredible. There seemed to be more people on the ship and in the little island communities than in their own town. It was like a dream. Unfortunately, like all dreams, waking up was inevitable and after two weeks, it was time to head back.

  However, she and Quinn did agree that not being home for a big family holiday had its disadvantages so decided they would try not to go over a holiday again but going on trips together was wonderful.

  Arriving back home to the realities of life, Quinn was busy finishing his last days with the sheriff’s department when they received the call that seemed to make the world stand still. Liam called. They needed help finding Katie. Quinn and the other O’Connor men except for Da left for Montana. It was more than thirty-six hours before Da got the stand down message. Katie was safe. It was a scary thing to realize there were crazy people in the world and the O’Connors were not immune to their effects.

  When Quinn called Cheyenne, he spoke sweet nothings to her and he wanted to do nothing more than talk with her until they both fell asleep. When he flew back home, he held her for most of the evening and night, not letting her get far from him.

  “That scared me. I don’t want you going anywhere alone,” said Quinn in adamant tones.

  “Quinn, honey waiting for escort all the time isn’t practicable or feasible for me to do. I promise I’ll be very careful when you’re gone.”

  “You had better or you know what will happen.”

  “All of you will come looking for me, silly, we all know that.” Her answer was met with a center swat to her lower cheeks to bring heat to her sitting zone and a consuming kiss that brought heat to her upper cheeks.

  * * *

  Closing up the physical doors of the Sterling Accounting Firm that her father had opened in actuality twenty-five years ago but almost thirty years in business was hard. It made Cheyenne pause for not the first time, wondering if she was deserting her father’s dream. She wasn’t, she was expanding it to include the O’Connor name. She was going to keep the business as Sterling but bring it under the umbrella of the O’Connor Enterprises. She smiled. Dad would approve.

  The tears rolled down her cheeks as she walked through the little office that her father had said he made sure had a second room for when his newly born daughter would join him in the firm. As she grew up, James had said that she would not need to be an accountant, but have a job or business that needed an office. He knew he needed her beside him always. For the last two years in college and two after graduation, she was. She turned out the lights and locked the doors for the last time.

  Next was the final packing up of the apartment. The original plan was to be out by November first, but while the major packing up had been accomplished except for her bed, she wanted to keep the apartment. Quinn had agreed. They were glad they did because newlyweds need privacy. Quinn had stayed with her at the apartment but with the biggest Christmas Cheyenne had ever experienced over, the plan was to be moved out before the New Year. That was more packing and crying for the loss of familiarity. She wasn’t only leaving her apartment and her office, but her whole town and in some ways, her lifestyle.

  There was no club to release tension in, no group of girls to occasionally hang out with, and she would not have her own place
to decompress when Quinn irritated her.

  “It’s not like I don’t love him to distraction,” she explained to Jacquie, “but he’s so much. I mean, bigger than life. His whole family is bigger than life, and I won’t have a place to go to breathe. I know it sounds crazy, and I’m probably working myself up over nothing but there won’t even be a place like The Sting to play in and let go.”

  “No, I don’t think you’re crazy. You and Quinn have built a life around things like this and you’re so right when you say they are bigger than life. Quinn won’t understand it even if he wanted to because he was born in the middle of all of this. It’s normal to him. Listen, I think you should tell him.”

  “What? Tell him what? I love you but life with you is too much of everything? The sex is mind blowing, the dominant part is instantly freeing, the family is smilingly overwhelming and the changes in my life are alarming. Yes, I know we talked about it but now that I’m living it all, I’m suffocating from the sheer bigness of everything. Yeah, I can see me saying all of that to him. I love him so much it hurts and even that can be overwhelming. How do I let him know I need help but I don’t know what kind of help I need?”

  “I think you already did,” said Jacquie as Ace and Quinlan had walked in behind Cheyenne right when she was making her last impassioned speech.

  They stood behind her as she spoke and Quinn nodded his head after Jacquie spoke. He walked up behind Cheyenne, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed the tenderness of her neck, nipping a bit causing her to startle but then relax. Jacquie walked around them and said goodbye to the couple but it went unacknowledged as they worked through the newness of marriage in a larger than life environment. They spent a long evening figuring things out.

  Quinn, being the Alpha male wanted to fix everything. Cheyenne, being somewhere between type A and type B personality, but submissive to her dominant husband, wanted no part of it.

  “Quinn, you can’t just barrel in and take over.”

  He leaned away from her and said, “You do remember who I am, right?”