Celina (Connelly Cousins #1)

by Abbie Zanders

  Kyle remained buried deep, loving the feel of being connected to her like this. He felt weak, drained. It wasn’t just a release; he had poured his soul into her, and it rocked him to his core.

  He managed to fall to the side, afraid that his full body weight would crush her. She moved with him, wrapping her leg around his hip to stay as close to him as possible. She didn’t want to let go either, and it filled him with a sense of something he hadn’t expected – relief, gratitude, and unimaginable joy.

  Kyle’s heart beat wildly in his chest, his breath was rough and ragged. Lina pulled him closer, caressing his back and placing light, angel-like kisses on his face. Only then did regret start to edge its way into his bliss. Despite his best efforts, he’d allowed himself to get carried away; he’d been too rough with her. Her first time should have been slow, sweet, and tender, not fast and hard.

  When he finally had the strength and courage to open his eyes, he couldn’t believe what he saw. Not the shock, disappointment, or tears he deserved, but the endless love in her eyes, the pink flush of her skin, and the languorous look of someone who had just been well sated.

  “Is it always like this?” she asked, her voice a seductive purr as she snuggled in closer.

  No. Never. I’ve never had my soul ripped out through my dick before. “No,” he whispered truthfully. “It’s never been like this.”

  He swallowed hard. He’d put everything into her, and now felt like a hollowed out shell. But as he saw the look in her eyes, felt her warmth against his skin and her sweet breath on his parted lips, she began to fill him from the inside out. Like sunshine after a violent thunderstorm, she chased away the darkness. Lina was his light. His hope. His love.

  His future.

  “Can we do it again?” Her voice was cautiously hopeful.

  Kyle blinked. He wasn’t even capable of coherent speech. His entire body was some new kind of form – some solid, some liquid, and a whole lot of vapor, making him feel as if he was floating and melting at the same time. Yet even as she spoke those words, his cock hardened and the blood rushed through his veins with a renewed purpose. A slow grin spread across his face. How could he ever have thought this would be a bad idea?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Celina Connelly was made just for him. Two days later, that was the thought that kept looping through his mind as he watched her doze peacefully in the hot tub, her legs draped over his lap, exhausted. She was beautiful, smart, loving, kind, and insatiable. Kyle discovered that once he started making love to her, he didn’t want to stop. Time and time again his body responded with a level of arousal that amazed him.

  Not that he was complaining.

  They’d just finished making love in the hot bubbling water. Again. Before that it was the sunken living room (in front of the fire). In the kitchen (he’d have to replace the dishes they’d broken). In the shower (he’d never realized a movable shower head had so many erotic uses). And of course the bedroom, when they managed to make it that far. Thank God her brother had taken off, leaving a note behind that said he was going to visit Johnny for a couple of days. Smart guy.

  “What are you thinking about?” she murmured, opening her eyes just a little, just enough for him to catch a glimpse of the intense emerald green.

  “How incredibly perfect you are.”

  Lina smiled. “Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you.”

  “So... what are you doing tomorrow?” His voice was casual, but his heart was thumping like the deep, rhythmic rumble of his Harley. His big hand splayed over her belly, his thumb circling around her navel ring. The small diamond winked at him, reminding him of another tucked safely away in his pack.

  “Hopefully, exactly what I did today.” She stroked his shaft with the side of one leg, caressed his inner thigh with her other foot. The woman made it damn hard to think of anything but worshipping her, but he forced himself to focus.

  “I was thinking maybe we could head into town.”

  “Are you getting bored with me already, Kyle?” She posed the question teasingly, but was incapable of completely concealing the worry behind them.

  “Never,” he assured her, pulling her onto his lap so she straddled him. “Not even possible, baby.”

  Lina relaxed and melted into him. It felt so good. Once again he wondered at the perfect custom fit of their bodies.

  “So what did you have in mind?” she asked, leaning her head onto his shoulder.

  “I thought we could head to the courthouse and sign a few papers, maybe have a judge perform a quick civil for us. We could always do a big thing later, too, if you want.”

  Lina sighed, stroking his chest with her fingers. “I told you, Kyle, I won’t hold you to that. I love you, and I’m not going anywhere. I don’t need a ring to know that you love me, too.”

  “Liar,” he scolded, kissing her forehead. He had no doubt that if he asked (which he would) she’d move in with him in a heartbeat without demanding that level of commitment. She loved him, unconditionally. He was still having trouble wrapping his mind around that one, but having her naked body draped over him was doing wonders.

  But Kyle also knew that somewhere, way down deep, she wanted the vows, the ring, the whole nine yards, even if she refused to admit it. And he would do anything to make her happy. He’d been right about one thing, at least. Now that he had her, he would never let her go.

  “Am not,” she pouted.

  “Maybe I need this, Lina,” he said, lifting her chin with his hands. “Maybe I need to see that ring on your finger.” He kissed her, long and slow, until she moaned softly. Oh yeah, if this is what it took to persuade her to his way of thinking, he was good for the next seventy years or so. “Don’t you want to marry me? Would it be so bad, being my wife?”

  Lina looked horrified. “Oh, Kyle, no! Being married to you would be a dream come true.”

  Kyle grinned and kissed her nose. Gotcha.

  “You tricked me!”

  “I didn’t trick you, Lina. I just encouraged you to express how you really feel.” His grin widened. “Wait right here, ok?” He lifted her from his lap and got to his feet.

  * * *

  Lina watched as he stepped out of the pool, feeling a renewed rush of heat when she saw his muscular legs, perfectly formed ass, and exquisite manhood exposed and dripping wet. He moved with undeniable power and grace, and now she knew exactly what all that fineness was capable of doing to her.

  She wondered how long it would take for the soreness to fade, then decided she didn’t really care if it ever did. Every twinge reminded her of the best day of her life, at least so far. She suspected she’d be having a lot more of them.

  He came back a few minutes later, dropping a knapsack beside the hot tub and easing himself back into the water beside her. He laughed when he caught her ogling him.

  “Damn, Lina,” he said, pulling her back over his thighs. She went willingly, aligning her body with his, grabbing onto his strong, powerful shoulders. “You know how to make a man feel wanted.” He punctuated his observation by dropping his head and suckling her breast.

  “I missed you,” she said, faking a pout. “And really, it’s all your fault anyway, being so damn sexy and making me feel ...so ...good.” He smiled up at her, her nipple between his teeth, and stroked his tongue in tiny circles. She whimpered a protest when he pulled away.

  Kyle draped an arm over the side and reached into the pack, palming something small. “Then let me make an honest woman of you. Marry me, Lina. Please.” He opened his palm to reveal a beautiful, sparkling diamond set in gold with tiny emeralds on either side.

  She stared down at the exquisite gems set into the antique band. “Kyle ... it’s so ...beautiful.”

  “Not half as beautiful as you. Be my wife, Lina. Don’t make me beg, because I will, if that’s what it takes. It won’t be pretty, I can promise you.”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes?”

  “Yes, Kyle, I would be honored to
be your wife.” Kyle grinned like an idiot, as he slid the ring on her finger. “There now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

  “I love you so much, Kyle.”

  “I love you too, Lina.”

  The next day, with only a minimal amount of coaxing, Lina mounted up behind him and they rode his Harley into town. After a quick stop at the town hall, they pulled into Judge Kelley’s driveway. Now in his late sixties, Justin Kelley had been the local magistrate for more than thirty years.

  The judge seemed to be expecting them, and welcomed them warmly into his home. Mrs. Kelley’s eyes were twinkling when Kyle made the introductions. She ushered them into the cheery yellow kitchen and pushed a huge plate of cookies their way.

  “Go on then,” Mrs. Kelley encouraged.

  “Are these what I think they are?” Kyle asked, a hopeful gleam in his eye.

  “Yes,” admitted Mrs. Kelley. “If I remember correctly you used to be quite fond of my chocolate chip cookies, Kyle.”

  He smiled, and Lina couldn’t help but laugh at the way her sexy biker husband-to-be transformed into a little boy right before her eyes. He took a bite and his eyes closed in pleasure. “Ah, you still make the best, Mrs. K.” The older woman blushed and beamed at him, humming as she turned her attention to pouring coffee. Kyle looked at Lina and winked.

  His grin was so contagious that Lina smiled right along with him. He was comfortable here, she realized, more at ease than he typically was in public. It was easy to see that both the judge and his wife had a soft spot in their hearts for Kyle, too.

  Lina accepted a cookie. “Mmm, you’re right,” she agreed. “These are amazing.”

  “Told you.”

  They settled around the table, chatting amiably about topical things. When Judge Kelley and Kyle started talking motorcycles (apparently Judge Kelley had a classic Indian Chief Kyle had restored for him), Mrs. Kelley turned to Lina.

  “You’re Erin Connelly’s daughter, aren’t you?”

  “Yes. Did you know my mother?”

  “I did. I used to work at your grandfather’s diner when I was just a young girl. Of course she was Erin O’Leary then. It was an awful thing that happened. Your mother was a fine woman.”

  “Thank you.” Lina sipped her coffee. Nearly five years had passed, but she still found it difficult to talk about.

  “So how do you know Kyle?” Lina asked, changing the subject.

  Mrs. Kelley shifted slightly. “We met Kyle shortly after he moved to Birch Falls. He did some odd jobs around the house for us.”

  Kyle chuckled. “It’s okay, Mrs. K., Lina knows I’m no choir boy.” He looked at Lina. “The first time I met Judge Kelley was in his courtroom. Let’s just say the good judge took pity on me and put me to work instead of in jail.”

  “Pity had nothing to do with it,” Judge Kelley said firmly. “It was common sense. You don’t think I can tell a good seed from a bad one?”

  “The judge got me a job at Mo’s, too.”

  “You needed a positive outlet. After I saw what you did with my Chief, I knew you had a gift, son.”

  Kyle looked away. If Lina didn’t know any better, she would have sworn he was embarrassed by Judge Kelley’s praise.

  “Well,” Judge Kelley said, bringing his hands together, “let’s get down to it, shall we? I’m supposed to tell you that marriage is a big step, and not to be taken lightly, but I think you already know that. Kyle, I’ve always been fond of you, son, and I have to say, I think you’ve made a fine choice in this young lady.” Kyle smiled; Lina blushed. “So, the only thing left to do is get you two hitched. Are you ready?”

  “What? Right now?” sputtered Lina, caught by surprise.

  “Yeah,” Kyle answered, capturing her hand and entwining their fingers. “Not having second thoughts are you?”

  “No, of course not. But these things take time, don’t they?”

  Kyle grinned wickedly. “Sure. But when you know a judge, things get expedited. Three days is all you need.”

  “You just proposed yesterday.”

  “Sure, but I stopped here before going up to the cabin. Judge Kelley took care of everything?”

  “Before you came to the cabin?”

  “I wasn’t planning on taking no for an answer, Lina.”

  If she hadn’t been his all along, she would have been in that moment. “Kyle, are you sure?”

  “I have never been more sure of anything in my life, Lina.”

  Warmth bubbled up through her heart. All she’d wanted was to be with him, but he was offering her the whole package. She’d be a fool not to take it.

  “Then I guess there’s no reason to wait, is there?”

  Kyle’s face lit up and he pulled her toward him for a kiss. Even though it was relatively chaste by their recent standards, Judge Kelley discreetly turned his attention elsewhere. So did his wife, but she was smiling.

  “Oh, you two are so perfect for each other,” she twittered, and Lina swore she saw tears welling in the older woman’s eyes. “And you are going to make such beautiful babies.”

  Lina flushed to the roots of her hair, but Mrs. Kelley didn’t seem to notice, busily moving off to stand beside her husband. When Lina met Kyle’s eyes, her breath caught at the possessive, purely male look she saw there.

  Judge Kelley cleared his throat, and without further ado, they got on with it.

  Kyle and Lina were married right there in Judge Kelley’s kitchen. The judge called over his next door neighbors – a lovely older couple - as witnesses. The entire ceremony took less than ten minutes, and was simple and straightforward. It suited them, and Lina couldn’t imagine anything more romantic. It was the perfect culmination of the last few days. Kyle worried that she would feel she had missed out by not having a big wedding, but she assured him repeatedly that she wanted no such thing, requesting instead that they have a cookout up at the lake and invite their family and friends.

  Lina’s only regret was not having Johnny or Michael at the service, but Kyle promised they’d stop by Johnny’s that evening. With a few hours to kill they swung by the house to pick up more of Lina’s things, then to Amy’s to share the good news. They didn’t stay long, managing a relatively quick escape with the promise to return another time to celebrate properly. As it was, they were quite anxious to return to Kyle’s house and officially consummate their vows.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Lina’s personal items were dropped by the door, forgotten the moment they entered the house. Kyle insisted on keeping with tradition by carrying his new bride over the threshold, and he barely got the door kicked behind him before she was tugging his shirt over his head.

  The first time they made love as man and wife was right there on the floor inside the front door. The second time was when he held her against the wall between the living room and the bedroom. By the third time they were comfortably ensconced in his bed.

  The afternoon passed in a blur, and it was soon time to get ready to head out to Johnny’s. They showered together – making love under the double-headed shower fixtures – before finally feeling spent enough to make it through the next several hours. Kyle left Lina in the bedroom while he padded into the living room to retrieve her things.

  With a towel wrapped loosely around his waist and his hair still dripping, he wasn’t prepared to receive visitors. So when he picked up Lina’s overnight bag near the front door and turned to go back, he was stunned to see Jamie sitting on his sofa, watching him with an unreadable expression on his face.

  Shit, Kyle cursed under his breath. He’d forgotten all about Jamie. He hadn’t contacted him to tell him he’d found Lina safe and sound, or anything else, for that matter. Then again, Jamie had left out a few important details of his own the last time they’d seen each other.

  “Jamie. Wasn’t expecting you.” Kyle tightened his grip on Lina’s bag.

  “No, I guess you weren’t.” Jamie gave him a half-smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. His gaze pointedly fell
upon the discarded clothing just inside the door. “The door was unlocked. You should be more careful, Kyle. Anyone could just barge right in.”

  “What do you want, Jamie? I’m a little busy right now.” The timing sucked. Kyle did not want to have this conversation wearing nothing but a towel while Lina was naked and waiting in the next room.

  Jamie rose from the sofa and walked slowly toward the front door. Any hopes that Kyle had of him leaving quietly were dashed when Jamie bent down and picked up the red silk thong lying there. “I’ll say. Very interesting sound effects from the shower. She sounded really hot. Was she, Kyle? Was she hot?”

  “I think you should leave now.”

  Jamie ignored him, turning toward the bedroom. “After you left, I went back to the Book Shoppe to talk to Celina’s friend, Amy. She had a lot of interesting things to say. Do you want to know what she said, Kyle?”

  With two long strides, Kyle placed himself between his brother and the room beyond. Jamie continued without waiting for a response. “She said you and Lina were dating, but I knew she had to be mistaken. You don’t date women, right? You just fuck them, isn’t that what you always say?”

  Kyle clenched his jaw and his fists. “Enough.”

  “Did you find Lina, Kyle?” Jamie was too calm, his voice too even. Kyle watched him closely, eyes intense.

  Jamie laughed, a hollow sound that didn’t ring true. “Of course you did, didn’t you? She was like fresh meat. Perfect for a hungry predator like you, huh, big brother.”

  Shit. He should have called Jamie. Should have warned him. But it was too late for that now, and this was neither the time nor the place to get into it. “That’s enough, Jamie. Leave now. We’ll talk about this later.”

  Jamie’s face turned red with rage, his expression thunderous. “You just couldn’t leave her alone, could you? You knew how I felt about her and you went after her anyway! How did you seduce her, Kyle? Did you whisper sweet nothings in her ear, make her promises you have no intention of keeping, hmm? How did you manage to get her into your bed?”