“Is that your roundabout way of telling me you love me?” I was only half-joking when I asked, and the only answer I received was a broad smile and a gleam underneath the desire in his eyes.
“It’s possible.”
His lips met mine again, hungry for the taste and the feel of me just as I hungered for him. He bent down, his lips never parting from mine, and picked me up into his arms. I wrapped my legs around him as he held me and backed us up toward the desk behind me, pushing the files off of my desk with one sweep of his arm. Heat licked through me and into him, going back and forth between the two of us in a kind of exchange. He set me down on the desk, and I greedily pulled at his shirt, which he let me pull off of him and throw to the floor behind him. His chest rippled as he moved, causing that same heat to move through me again in tiny shocks between my spine, my belly, and my center as I felt him harden just underneath the thick fabric of his jeans. He kissed and nibbled at my neck, his hands roaming over and in between my thighs.
“Is that a roll of quarters or are you happy to see me?” I teased as my hands moved to the button of his jeans.
“Och, loove, definitely moor than a roll ay quarters.”
He breathed into my hair as I unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, his hands moving to mine and removing them with one swift move along with my underwear. He had a small struggle with my shoes, but then removed those as well. I rubbed my foot against the back of his thigh and used it to pull him closer, moving my attention to the jeans one more time.
“Well, sir, if that is more than a roll of quarters these have to go.” I leaned forward and kissed him and then turned my attention to his gorgeous collarbone, nibbling my way along it. “And they have to go now.”
I pushed them down along with his boxers, letting the moment take me as far as I felt I could go. And that just happened to be all the way. Once I got his pants and underwear past the sexy curve of his ass, I moved them down the rest of the way with my feet and legs until I couldn’t do it anymore. He finished the job, stepping out of them and kicking them to land with the shirt I had thrown not even minutes earlier. I took him into my hand and stroked slowly as his hands ventured and roamed, gripping my breasts through my bra and biting at the delicate curve of my neck.
He pulled himself away from me, a pout forming on my lips, but disappeared as he bowed his head as he undid my bra from behind. I let it fall to the floor in front of me and he took one erect nipple into his mouth, sucking and so skillfully as not to hurt me. I moaned and leaned my head back, one of his hands traveling up my belly and towards my chest. He pulled away and used that hand to give me a gentle nudge, asking me to lie down without having to say a single word.
I did as requested, having no idea what he was about to do, but I learned quickly as I felt a slick warmth move around me, flicking and sucking, sending ripples of pleasure up and down my spine as I writhed beneath his talented tongue. The fire inside of me was beginning to build, so close to release that I cried out. He stopped what he was doing and grabbed my thighs, pulling me down so I was hanging slightly off the edge of the desk and in prime position for what he was about to do. With his hands on my knees, he pushed my thighs further apart and then entered me, pushing inside of me with one sweet lick of heat. I moaned and gripped his forearms since they were the only thing within reach, the cool wood refreshing against my back that was already beginning to sweat with ecstasy.
“Oh my God,” I breathed, the words leaving me without even a second thought as he moved within my body, taking everything I was willing to give him.
He leaned down as he pushed into me again, kissing right below my sternum and then swirling his tongue in the same spot. The sensation was pleasurable, but tickled slightly causing me to giggle. His eyes flicked up to my face and he smiled, chuckling hoarsely and then moaning when I didn’t look away. I wrapped my legs around his hips, pulling him back inside of me when he retreated just a little bit. I wanted him as deep inside of me as he could get. I wanted to become one like we had so many times before and I was sure we would after. The satisfying pressure of orgasm was beginning to build within me again, my back arching with each stroke of his perfect body. That was when he left me empty, pulling his considerable length from within me, but it wasn’t long before he rammed into me, doing this over and over again at a pace that would send me over the edge soon enough if he didn’t slow down.
McGrady pumped furiously as we both exchanged sighs and moans, taking each other with an animal ferocity that always left me wanting so much more. There was no doubt in my mind we would be having sex again the same night no matter how tired I was. I watched as his hair fell over his eyes, sweat pouring over each of us as we writhed in pure and unadulterated ecstasy, giving ourselves over to one another in only a way lovers could. Body, mind, heart, and soul. My fingers raked his back, but that only spurred him on, no sense of pain in the guttural growl he produced.
“Cum wit me, Izzy,” he moaned as he pushed my sweaty hair out of my face and looking directly into my eyes, the passion out and in the open. We had no secrets.
All it took were those magic words, and I was over the edge, falling over with him right there beside me. My body clenched around his, releasing only to tighten again as both of our bodies were rocked to the core, leaving us only empty shells filled with fatigue. He collapsed on top of me, his mouth right next to my ear as he pulled in ragged breaths, each inhalation and exhalation matching my own as our chests rose and fell. He took a deep breath in and held it for a moment, pausing like he had something to say that he was terrified I wouldn’t want to hear. I was scared of whatever words he could possibly say after that moment of heated passion, causing my body to tense slightly against his as he finally let that breath out as if his decision had been made. He rose up onto his elbows, moving a few more tendrils of soaked hair away from my eyes as he stared deep into them like he was falling, but wasn’t afraid. What he was about to say to me didn’t scare him anymore. Not now. And I wasn’t afraid either.
“Ah loove ye.”
The words hung in the air between us, waiting for me to snatch them out of the space and hold them close to my heart. There was no fear in his eyes, only the love that I could feel swelling in my own heart as I watched his face react to the silence that was spreading throughout the room. It wasn’t hesitation. Not even close. How could I tell him that I felt the same way without sounding like a cliché? A wide grin spread over my lips making me feel like I looked like an idiot as I stared up at him and, once he realized what it meant, he mirrored the expression, tenderness flooding between us and replacing the animal lust we had just displayed.
“I love you.” It was all I knew to say. Those three little words that told you that you accepted every single part of someone, whether good or bad and adored them regardless. That their flaws only made them more perfect. That there was no one else for you that could make your heart swell with so much adoration and pride that it came close to bursting.
He leaned down and brushed his lips across mine, pressing into me as we became one again and let the entire world fall away.
Chapter 7
By the time we left my office to peruse the kitchen we could hear Addi and Jared upstairs, which was a lot more than I cared to hear from my older brother. McGrady and I both laughed as we padded through the house on bare feet down the hallway and into the kitchen that was toward the back of the house, the cool floor a welcome sensation on the bottoms of my warm feet. Because of our romp, my hair was still slightly wet, but that didn’t bother me. The great thing about having tonight was that neither of us were on-call, but, unfortunately, we were expected in tomorrow which meant we had to be up bright and early. As we crossed the threshold into the kitchen, I flipped on the light. It flooded the large space, illuminating every single bit of white in the room. The cabinets were a perfect eggshell color, the floor a checkered black and white tile job, and the cou
nters were a slick black to match. The only thing that looked even slightly out of place was the stainless steel fridge and dark wooden breakfast table with four chairs surrounding it.
“Seems like they had the same idea we did,” I said as I heard the noise from upstairs cease.
“‘It doesn’ bother ye that it’s yer brother up thur?” McGrady asked as he pointed up with his index finger, a lock of dark hair falling over his forehead as he gauged my reaction.
I shrugged and replied, “Eh, a little bit, but he’s a grown man and who knows how many times he’s heard us while staying over with Addi. I’m sure he even heard us tonight, especially that second time.”
I meandered to the fridge and opened it, peering inside in hopes to find something I actually wanted. I grabbed two bottles of water and threw one to McGrady, who caught it with ease and opened it, taking a sip and winking at me as I watched him.
“Don’t you wink at me. Do you want food or sex? Because I have to say, as of right now, I really want food,” I harped, my eyes averting to the inside of the fridge instead of the large, gorgeous man in the room with me who filled me to the brim with so many emotions. He moved to stand beside me as he tossed the now empty bottle into the trash can and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him in a warm embrace.
“Why can’ we have both?” he whispered into my ear, nibbling on it and then kissing my neck, sending a shiver of pleasure and need up my spine again.
I moaned and leaned my head back until it was resting against his shoulder, turning my face into his neck and breathing in his erotically musky scent. It seemed that, after our outpouring of love that all we wanted to do was express it in the most primal way there was. Sex. And a lot of it.
“You haven’t had enough?” I asked, and he replied with a moan and a bite to my shoulder. “We could, but I think I need a break. Well, not me as a whole really.” I giggled and turned my attention back to the contents of the fridge, knowing I would have to cook something if I wanted to eat.
We didn’t even have frozen pizza in the house because it tasted so much like cardboard. We tried to stick to hormone and pesticide free organic meats, vegetables, fruits, and juices, but you couldn’t always avoid all of the crap we put into our food these days. Sometimes I even grabbed an energy drink from the convenience store instead of a coffee and, as was the case for earlier in the day, I ate a scone that McGrady brought me without even wincing at what could be in the ingredients list.
“I feel like fruit. What about you?” I asked, spying the Granny Smith apples on the top shelf and the strawberries next to them.
“Just fruit? Nae chocolate syrup ur whipped cream ur anythin’?” I felt his lips curve into a smile next to my ear, causing me to smile in return.
“We don’t have any, it seems.” I looked in the door and didn’t see any. Of course. We didn’t usually keep sweets in the house either. McGrady knew that and was teasing, trying to tempt me into bed again with the promise of treats. I did like chocolate, but not the syrup. Way too much sugar. “But it’s not like we can’t cut up some apples and berries and take them upstairs with us and move onto other things from there.”
“Hmmm, Ah thought ye needed a break.”
“I can be persuaded.”
“Persuaded to do what?” I heard Addi’s voice move through the air and past the refrigerator door. She came around the door and stopped next to my other side, reaching into the fridge and taking a bottle of water out. Her gorgeous mass of hair was a mess, but she didn’t seem to care. She raised her hands into the air and said, “Never mind, I don’t want to know.”
“Like I don’t want to know what you and my brother do upstairs. I hear enough. I don’t need a play by play,” I said to her as I grabbed two apples and the package of strawberries, putting those between my arm and ribs as I grabbed another water bottle.
“Same here, lady. Don’t think we didn’t hear you two in the office. We had walked in during session number one,” Addi explained.
I blushed slightly as I moved to the counter next to the kitchen sink, trying not to look at her or at least make direct eye contact. I washed the apples and the strawberries as McGrady closed the fridge, laughing and shaking his head.
“Ah regret nothin,’ by th’ way.” He moved behind me and slapped my backside. The man had no shame. “Just can’ leave that pritty wee arse alone.”
“Ahhh, that’s enough, McGrady,” Jared voiced as he stepped into the kitchen, eyeing every single one of us. “That’s my sister for crying out loud.” He covered his ears and made a face of mock disgust, acting like he was talking himself down. I rolled my eyes and grabbed a knife out of the block and began to cut and core the two apples I had taken from the fridge.
“Then you may want to leave because who says we’re finished?” I pestered as I cut one of the apples in half.
He made a sound of disgust like he was about to vomit, causing me to raise an eyebrow in amusement and grin wide like the Cheshire Cat. I heard skin slap skin and turned to see Addison pull her hand away from Jared like she had playfully whacked him for acting like such a child.
“Leave your sister alone, you buffoon. Or I’ll whip you,” Addi crowed as she sauntered toward him and hooked a finger through the belt loop of his jeans.
“Oh, God, don’t tell me that’s what I heard coming from up there,” I moaned as I went to work on the other apple. I placed a slice in between my lips, and the bitter sourness of it made my mouth water even more, my stomach growling. I made quick work of nearly half of the container of strawberries, cutting off their green leaves and placed everything where it should go, turning to McGrady and giving him a nod toward the upstairs. Granted, it may have only been around eight in the evening, but I was tired, and just the sight and smell of the man made leaving clothes on way too difficult to fight the urge.
“Well,” he said as he rubbed his hands together, “looks loch I’m bein’ beckoned. We will see ye two in th’ morn.”
We squeezed past Jared and Addi, with the bowl of fruit in my hands and headed upstairs. After another one-hour session, I was lying in bed on my stomach toward the bottom of the bed with McGrady sitting in the plush bedroom chair in just his boxers with an acoustic guitar in his lap as he quietly strummed the strings and adjusted when needed. The food we brought upstairs hadn’t been touched, so I plucked a strawberry from the bowl and popped it in my mouth, watching him as I chewed. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he picked and listened to the notes, trying to tune it just right for whatever melody was playing in his mind. He strummed one more time and smiled, finally finding the perfect pitch and opened his eyes to meet mine.
He used to play the guitar all the time when he lived in Scotland, but had put the instrument down before he met me when he moved to the States, now only picking it up for me as one of the many private things we shared.
“Remind me why you don’t play in public anymore,” I requested, his eyes leaving mine and staring at his fingers on the neck of the guitar.
“Ah don’t feel th’ need tae play fur anyone else, Izzy,” he answered, not looking at me as he picked at strings in an attempt to look busy enough for me to stop asking questions.
“But you used to play in public.” It wasn’t a question. “What changed?”
He picked a string, sending a beautiful note through the air. I loved acoustic and he knew that, but that didn’t explain why he didn’t play outside of my company anymore like he used to. I wanted to know. What I did know about him was that he had moved to the States from Scotland five years prior and hadn’t picked up the guitar again until after we met. I understood that I moved him to inspiration, but that didn’t explain the five-year gap, and I was genuinely curious. And it wasn’t just his talent at the strings that awed me. He had a gorgeous singing voice that brought me to tears each time he opened his mouth and plucked
at the strings. It was deep and smooth and felt like velvet moving over your bare flesh. Intoxicating.
“Ye knoo how Ah told ye mah father wasn’ a good man?” he probed.
I did remember, so all I did was nod.
“Well, he wasn’ always that way.”
“What happened to change him? You never really explained that.”
“I’ll go back in time a wee bit,” he said, taking a deep breath and continuing as he started to play a quiet, somber tune along with the words. “Mah mammy taught me hoo tae play th’ guitar. She wood tell me all th’ time Ah was better than she was. ‘At th’ music flowed throo mah veins. E’en after she died from cancer Ah wood play tae honur her, but mah father didn’ want tae hear it. He took th’ guitar she had bought me an’ smashed it after he had heard enuff. Ah was seventeen at th’ time. Ah stopped playin’ after that, but then Ah met ye an’ ye inspired me tae play again. Ah don’t feel th’ need tae play when yoo’re not around. Ah e’en bought a noo one that looked loch th’ old one after Ah met ye.”
Tears welled in my eyes at the truth in his, causing me to look down at my fingers that had entwined themselves in the sheet as he spoke. I had asked about this before, but he wouldn’t talk about it. I wasn’t sure why he decided this was the time to answer my questions about his music and why he stopped altogether, but he did, and I was grateful for it. It just made me love him even more than I already did.
“Izzy, loove, it was a lang time ago. Nae need tae feel sad. Everythin’ is better now,” he comforted, putting the guitar down and coming to kneel before me on the bed, taking my hands in one of his large ones and wiping a tear away that had managed to escape.
I looked up at him, and he placed a tender kiss on my lips, smiling when he pulled away and taking a piece of apple from the bowl. He took a bite of it and winked at me as he chewed, sitting on the bed beside me and picking up the guitar to play with the strings again.
Chasing Shadows (The Initiative Book 1) Page 7
