She shook her head as she read my thoughts. “Sean, please, Declan and I—”
“Don’t say his name,” I spat. “Not around me. I don’t wanna hear it.”
“Sean, I only meant to say that we don’t…” She nodded toward the bed behind her. “Well…you know. We don’t do that much anymore.”
“Much?” I repeated as I tried to tear my hands free.
But Eden held fast. “He’s not interested in me anymore, Sean. He has Aurelia, and whoever else he might be…sleeping with. He hardly even speaks to me unless he needs an errand run or something from the grocery store.” She squeezed my fingers to get my attention. “Seriously, Sean, he and I are little more than roommates who rarely even see each other.”
I dropped my gaze to the floor. Eden stooped to regain it.
“Don’t do this, Sean. You’ve no reason to worry. I don’t even remember the last time Declan and I—”
My mouth tensed into an angry fissure as I rolled my eyes and turned my head away.
But Eden took my face in her palms and forced me to look her in the eye. “I’m sorry, Sean. Please…” She trailed off with a shake of her head. “You trust me, right?”
I remained silent for a long, drawn out moment, studying her face before I acquiesced with a single nod. She smiled in relief, however small, then kissed me, gently at first. But, just like all the other times our lips had met, it quickly heated, and, before long, I backed her up to her huge bed and tipped her over the edge as I ground my hips into hers. I was aroused in an instant and wanted nothing more than to fuck her, hard and merciless, making her mine in her own husband’s bed, so she knew damn well she belonged with me—to me—so she’d scream my name and think of me every time she lay in bed next to her asshole, douchebag, prick of a husband.
A fierce sense of possession washed over me, taking complete hold, twisting my heart and burning my gut. The speed and intensity of it overpowered me, and I couldn’t seem to stop myself from getting rougher with Eden than I intended. Disregarding that voice in my head that screamed at me to stay in control, I pinned Eden down on her bed, kissing her harshly, my mouth ravaging hers. It wasn’t enough though, not even close. I reached under her t-shirt and pushed her bra out of the way, squeezing her breast and twisting her nipple until she yelped.
“Sean, please, not so rough.”
But while I lightened my touch the barest amount, I couldn’t stop. I tore open her snug jeans and shoved my hand inside. The lips of her sex grew slick as I thrust my fingers into her tight hole. My thumb pressed brutally against her clit, making her squirm and moan.
“Sean…” she ground out against my mouth, her tone every bit as urgent as the need I felt building inside her.
I shot off the bed and stripped her jeans from her body, tearing her tiny panties clear and throwing everything to the floor.
“Sean…slow down,” she urged as I yanked open my fly and pushed my jeans down past my hips.
Ignoring her plea, I grabbed her ankles and pulled her toward me. I flipped her over and, with a hand pressed to her back, bent her forward across the edge of the bed.
“Sean!” Her voice was high and slightly panicked, though she gasped in pleasure when I slipped in between her legs.
I spread them wide and ran my hand through her crease, spreading her slick juices so she was ready for me. She moaned even louder and moved her hips back and forth, waiting, wanting.
“Oh, God…” she groaned, her voice saturated with longing and hunger.
That’s all I needed to hear. I took my raging-hard cock and slid it up and down through her swollen, glistening fold until I found her opening. Without any thought to her comfort, I drove myself all the way inside Eden in one powerful thrust. She screamed out my name just as I’d wanted her to. But I didn’t pause or give her time to adjust.
I planted my feet wider. Spread her so not even her toes could reach the floor. Then I pumped into her, more savagely than I knew I should, but she didn’t ask me to stop. With the bedding fisted in her hands, her head reared back. She sucked in rapid, high-pitched pants with each heaving plunge and called out for both me and God in between.
I had one goal only, to unload myself so far inside her, she’d practically taste me. And with all her moaning, the way she pressed her tight ass high and back into me, I knew damn well she was getting off—and hard. Her reaction was so feral, so untamed and primitive, it didn’t take long for me to reach that point of no return. As her walls tensed and pulsated around and down the length of my shaft, I emptied myself into her, pumping and pumping until I no longer could, until my heart felt ready to burst, and it hurt to breathe.
But even then, it wasn’t enough. The need to claim her, mark my territory, raged through me like wildfire. Something dark curled around my heart as I slid out from Eden’s body. I kept one hand pressed to the center of her back, and with the other, I slipped a hand between her sex, where I’d already sealed her as mine, until my fingers were dripping with my own semen. I slid a finger to her ass and rubbed the tight ring in circles, making her moan in such a guttural voice, it reminded me of a wounded animal. With Eden pushing back against me, I nudged harder and slipped the end of my finger inside her. Her whole body tensed. And yet, she still didn’t ask me to stop. She only stilled. A breath later, her muscles relaxed, waiting for my next move.
“Sean,” she said, this time a crushing whimper as her knees struggled not to buckle beneath her.
At the sound of her surrender, I froze and stared down at her sprawled across her bed, suddenly comprehending what I was on the verge of doing, not to bring her pleasure or give her release, but to spitefully mark her like a dog. That darkness inside me had wanted to dominate her, control her. Just like her husband had done. The thought made me sick. Ashamed.
Angry for letting my malevolence for him push me too far, I slowly withdrew. But as Eden swayed against me, I realized I couldn’t abandon her and leave her needs unmet. So I massaged her still-swollen clit, around and around, and thrust my fingers inside her until she screamed in release and could no longer hold herself up. Then I backed off, tucked myself away, and buttoned my jeans into place.
I stared at Eden’s half-naked body as she slowly slumped down the side of the bed and settled into a loose puddle on the floor at my feet, her breathing ragged and her face flushed a bright red. With her hair a disheveled mess, she looked at me with wet, sultry eyes, and I smiled inside, thoroughly enjoying the just-fucked expression on her face. Her lips moved, but nothing came out.
I wasn’t sure what I should do. Part of me knew she needed to be comforted for the rough way I’d just taken her, but I also knew, even if it was a bit painful, that she got off just as much, if not more, than I had. So I didn’t move to assuage her. My warped sense of authority wouldn’t allow me.
Instead, I looked down on her, my hands on my hips, and muttered, “We’re together now, Eden. Don’t ever touch that piece-of-shit husband of yours again.”
My hands clenched and unclenched at my sides as Eden stared up at me and nodded, the ghost of a satisfied grin pulling up one corner of her mouth. But it was there, and I sighed in victory. Unwilling to show anything that might be construed as weakness, I merely held out my hand to help her up. Just as she placed her hand in mine, we both stiffened when we heard the front door slam shut.
An unmistakably male voice called out, “I’m home!”
“Oh my God!” I hissed as I struggled to my feet. “Oh my God! Shit, shit!” I grabbed my jeans and pulled them on without any underwear. Once I was all zipped up, I turned to Sean and pushed him toward the rear glass door. “You have to leave, right now! Go out the back. Hurry!”
He balked, pulling back and facing me head on. “Eden, I’m not gonna skulk around like some—”
“Please, Sean,” I begged, fear twisting through me. “You have to leave! That’s my son. He can’t see you here!” I nudged him closer to the door.
He planted his feet and grabbed me
by the arms. “Eden, my car is parked right out front, remember?”
I froze for a moment, panicked and anxious, and tried to figure out what to do.
“Mom, whose car is that?” Ian called out from down the hall. “Geez, that’s a freakin’ Vanquish Carbon.”
Sean gave me a gentle shake. “Eden, look at me,” he ordered, and my eyes rose to meet his. “I wouldn’t hide even if I could, so here’s what we’re gonna do. I’ll go out back and wait a few minutes while you go see to…” He snapped his fingers three times.
“Ian,” I supplied.
“Yeah, Ian. Tell him I’m here to pick something up my brother left at school and my mother asked you to bring home. There’s a small box outside. I saw it earlier. I’ll grab it and come back in through the family room, okay? I’ll thank you for bringing it home. You’ll introduce me. Then I’ll leave. Okay?”
I just stared up at him, worry overwhelming every cell.
“Okay, Eden?” Sean repeated, urging me out of my stupor.
All I could do was nod. Without another word, Sean opened the door, but he turned back and pulled me in for a scalding kiss. Afterwards, he slipped outside into the darkness. I shut the door behind him and ran to the bathroom where I flushed the toilet for cover, washed my hands, and finished up by smoothing my hair into place just as Ian walked in to meet me.
“Mom, didn’t you hear me calling?” he asked.
I smiled, my brow raised as if I were surprised. “Ian, what’re you doing here? I thought you took Gracie to Wazzu for the weekend.”
Ian nodded. “Yeah, but she was freaked about missing our last study group before the SAT next week, so we came back.”
Staring blankly at him, I barely heard what he said. My mind reeled with thoughts of Sean wandering around out back.
Ian’s brow climbed high. “So? Whose car is that parked out front?”
My mouth opened and closed without any words coming out.
“Mom? The car? Whose is it?”
I glanced toward the patio door then back at Ian. “Oh…um…that’s…it belongs to…one of my students. I mean…the brother of one of my students. He dropped by to…pick something up.”
He looked around for moment. “Pick what up?”
Again, I peeked at the rear sliding glass door, this time wringing my hands. “Um, just something his brother left at school. His, um…his mom left an urgent voicemail message and…she asked if I wouldn’t mind bringing it back here so her older son could drop by and pick it up.” I shrugged, so uncomfortable lying to my own child. “I didn’t mind. They…they live so close, you know, so…” Another shrug. God, I was such a poor liar and certain Ian could see right through me.
“On a Saturday?” he asked. “Why didn’t she say something yesterday?”
“I…I don’t know,” I said, feeling uncomfortably trapped.
Ian sighed in response. “Well…what is it then?” he asked, but before I could cook up an answer, Ian’s girlfriend, Gracie, screamed from the other room. “What the heck?” Ian said as he turned and sprinted back the way he came.
“Ian!” Gracie called out.
With a hand to my head, I ran after him. We both stopped short when Sean—standing in the open terrace door with a limp box under his arm—smiled and waved.
“Sorry,” he said to Gracie. “Didn’t mean to scare you.” He turned toward me and raised the damp box up before focusing on Ian. He wiped his shoes off on the small area rug near the door and, shifting the box back under one arm, held out the other as he closed the distance between him and my son. “I’m Sean. You must be Ian, right? Your mom was just telling me about you.”
Ian accepted Sean’s outstretched hand, his brow drawn tight in confusion. After dropping Ian’s hand, Sean hooked a finger over his shoulder toward the rear terrace.
“My little brother, Robbie, left his pet turtle he brought to school for show and tell. No consoling the kid, I swear. Cried for the last eighteen hours. Lucky for us, your mom graciously retrieved Charlie and put him out back. Guess she doesn’t care much for reptiles, huh?” He smiled his signature confident grin as he waited for a reply. But, while my gaze whipped back and forth between my son and Sean, Ian simply shrugged before he swung his head toward the front of the house.
“That your car?” he asked, putting his arm around Gracie when she stepped to his side.
Sean grinned even wider as he shuffled the box to both hands. “Yeah. Cool, huh? Gift from my old man,” he explained with a roll of his eyes. “Tax write-off, I’m sure, but hey, won’t hear me complaining.”
Ian offered him a weak grin and turned to me, as if I had something to add.
I raised my arm toward the front entry. “Well, okay then,” I said to Sean. “I’m glad I could help. Let me show you back out.” I hurried past everyone on my way to the foyer.
Behind me, I heard Sean say, “Nice to meet you,” before following me out.
I opened the front door. “Say hi to your mom and Robbie for me.” I stepped out onto the front stoop in my bare feet, my arms wrapped around myself.
Before Sean turned to leave, he leaned in and whispered, “Remember what I said, Eden, about your husband.” He raised a brow to bolster his point then stormed off.
Though I hated being told what to do or not do, I’d seen the pleading look in Sean’s eyes, and I understood how he felt and where it was coming from. I’d just have to set his mind at ease. Declan was seldom interested in me anyway, but if, by some longshot, he was, I’d just blow him off as I’d done dozens, if not hundreds of times in years past.
With that vow in place, I returned to the house, but not thirty seconds later did Ian start in on me, peppering me with questions about Sean.
“Why did you let that guy in? Dad wouldn’t want some guy he doesn’t know in the house alone with you.”
“Oh, Ian, relax. I was doing one of my students a favor.”
“Do you even know him?”
I was irritated by his tone, even though I knew he was right. “Yes, of course, from school. He picks his little brother up sometimes when his mother can’t.”
“Still, why would you bring that…thing—”
“Thing?” I interrupted, my hands on my hips.
“Yeah, that…turtle or whatever… Why would you bring it into the house? Dad will be pissed if he finds out.”
“Ian, you saw Sean bring that box in from outside…where I put it.” I shook my head. “Look, I know you’re only trying to protect me from your father, but…let’s remember our roles here, shall we?”
My defensiveness only seemed to arouse Ian’s suspicions even more. With Gracie now hanging back in the kitchen, Ian and I continued to bicker back and forth for a few more minutes.
Until a voice boomed from behind me. “Don’t talk to your mother like that, son.”
My mouth sagged open and I spun around, my brow drawn low. I lifted my arms then let them flop back down to my sides.
“Declan. You’re home, too?” I asked, stunned and with a lump growing large in my throat. “Doesn’t anyone around here believe in phone calls, or maybe a text? All I ever ask is for a little peace of mind and to be kept apprised of where you guys are. Jesus!”
Too flustered to remain, I stomped off to my bedroom, my emotions high and my nerves completely on edge. I stopped in the doorway and pressed a hand to my pounding heart, certain it was about to leap straight out through my mouth. But then I heard footsteps coming down the hall behind me. I rushed for the bathroom and grabbed the first thing I saw off the counter. Declan followed, a smirk on his face and his shoulder against the door frame as he leaned there casually, watching me drag my brush through my hair as if it were on fire. I glanced from my own reflection to his and back again, trying my damnedest to ignore him and the fire burning deep in my belly.
He grinned, his eyes bright and bloodshot. “Wanna tell me what crawled up your ass, sugar?” he asked.
I stiffened. The only time Declan ever used that endearmen
t was when he wanted something, a favor or…attention. I laid my brush down and moved into my closet and dressing room, closing the door to a mere crack. I pulled out my nightshirt then peeled off my jeans, throwing them into the laundry hamper. When I spun back around, the door was open and Declan was standing there with his hand on the knob. His gaze swept over me, head to toe, then back up again, halting at my crotch with a raised brow and a leering grin.
“Worried about panty lines, sugar?”
I glanced down at myself, my face burning bloody red when I realized I wasn’t wearing any panties. With considerable effort, I straightened my back with a confidence I didn’t possess. “Mind giving me a little privacy?” I returned.
Both brows rose high this time. “Such modesty, Eden. And a blush to boot. Well, wonders never cease.” He released the doorknob and closed the space between us.
I took a hesitant step backward, but there was hardly any room to maneuver out of Declan’s way. He lifted a hand and took a lock of my loose hair between his fingers, rolling it around before tucking it behind my ear. He gazed at me, heavy-lidded with rheumy eyes and his mouth set in a provocative half-smile.
“You certainly are lovely, Mrs. Ross, just as beautiful as you were twenty years ago. How you’ve managed to improve with age is beyond me. You still have that beguiling blush of youth I’ve admired since the first day I met you.” His hand dropped to my shoulder and slid halfway down my arm. The pad of his thumb smoothed over the swell of my breast
My arm snapped up involuntarily and knocked Declan’s hand away. Before he had a chance to react, I grabbed my pajamas and a pair of plain cotton underwear and brushed past him, out into our bedroom, where I closed the main door in case Ian and Gracie were close by. Concentrating on changing clothes as quickly as possible and out of Declan’s reach, I tossed my nightshirt on the bed and slipped on my undies then tore off my t-shirt, trying hard not to give into the urge to straighten the messed-up duvet. But my nerves made me clumsy, and I fumbled with the clasp on my bra. Behind me, Declan drew nearer at a leisurely pace, and my heart thundered even harder.
Stirred Page 17
