He was hot and hard and huge, the size and strength of him making her head spin and her inner muscles clench involuntarily. Even though she was plenty wet, it took a couple of pushes for him to get farther inside, and even then it wasn’t enough. He hooked one of her legs over his hip, thrust high and hard, and slid in deeper, then deeper still.
She gasped at the burning sensation, at the heat and friction gathering within her. Within seconds, the discomfort gradually ebbed into a luxurious kind of pleasure, and she instinctively arched into him, making him groan as she took more of him. All of him.
He ended the kiss and grazed his warm, damp lips across her cheek. “Look up, Claire,” he ordered huskily. “Look at the two of us together.”
Her gaze automatically went to the mirrored canopy, taking in their entangled bodies, the clutch of her fingers against his muscled back, and the slide of her hands down the slope of his spine. She watched the way his buttocks tightened and flexed with each thrust and retreat, and knew she’d never be able to look into the mirror above her without thinking of this amazing moment with Shea.
He lifted his head and looked deep into her eyes—as if he could see all the way to her soul. She’d never felt so full before—physically and emotionally. This man had a way of knowing just what she needed, and he gave it to her unselfishly, including an all-consuming passion she never realized existed until him. Now it was his turn to let go, and she made it impossible for him to hold back any longer.
Wrapping both of her legs high around his waist, she pulled his hips down with her heels and squeezed him tight, over and over again. With a low, rough growl, he tossed his head back, pumped into her one last time, and abandoned himself to his own shattering orgasm.
“I have a confession to make.”
Shea glanced at Claire, who was sitting next to him on her deck the next morning, looking extremely sated and relaxed. They’d just eaten the omelettes and fruit she’d made for breakfast, and were now enjoying each other’s company, the cool breeze, and the view of the calm, clear ocean.
Shea had to admit it was a great way to spend a Saturday morning.
Her offhand comment definitely intrigued him, and he couldn’t wait to hear what she had to say. “Okay, let’s hear it.”
She wrapped both of her hands around her coffee mug, the pink glow of her complexion a result of her sheepish admission and a night of great sex. “Promise you won’t laugh?”
He strove for a very serious expression, but knew he couldn’t completely hide his amusement, or his curiosity. “I promise,” he said solemnly.
“I look forward to you jogging every morning.” She set her coffee mug on the glass table and tucked her loose hair behind her ear, her blush deepening. “I know it’s silly, and very girlish, but I sit out on my deck a few minutes before eight and I wait until you come out of your house and run by mine with Goldie. Seeing you every morning has been the best part of my day.”
He smiled, and couldn’t resist picking up her hand and threading his fingers through hers. “Then I guess I should tell you that I made it a point of jogging at exactly eight in hopes of seeing you.”
She tipped her head back and burst out laughing, the sound infectious and carefree.
He tried to look indignant. “Hey, you laughed.”
“I never promised I wouldn’t.” Grinning, she rested her head against the lounge chair, her blue eyes softening with affection. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m glad I got caught in that current.”
“Going to such extremes wasn’t necessary to get my attention.” Not when he’d noticed Claire the first time he’d laid eyes on her.
“Maybe not, but it helped speed up the process of us getting together.”
“Okay, I’ll give you that.” Still holding her hand, he absently stroked his thumb across the center of her palm. “Are you going to be busy today?”
Her eyes lit up with excitement. “Actually, I’m picking up the casting for the Padparadsha ring today, so I’ll probably get started on the setting.”
He gave her fingers an encouraging squeeze. “I can’t wait to see what it looks like once it’s finished.”
“Me, too. It’s going to be amazing.” She curled her legs beneath her on the chair. “What are you doing today?”
“I’ve got weekly inventory to do, and deliveries at the pub. It’s my Saturday routine,” he told her, then glanced at his watch. “In fact, as much as I hate to leave, I have a delivery in about forty minutes, and I need to be there when it arrives.”
He stood, and she glanced up at him, a soft sigh of disappointment on her lips. “I guess all good things have to come to an end, don’t they?”
Bracing his hands on the arms of her chair, he leaned in close. “Not us. Last night was just the beginning, Claire.” And just in case she had any niggling doubts in that pretty head of hers, he lowered his mouth to hers and engaged her in a long, soft, sensual kiss that started as a promise, and grew into a restless kind of hunger.
Before he said to hell with inventory and deliveries and spent the day in Claire’s bed, he lifted his head and ended the kiss. “How about dinner at my place tonight?” And after a good meal, they could finish where they’d just left off.
She nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
He could hardly wait to be with her again.
CHAPTER FIVE
Claire didn’t think it was possible to feel so happy and content, and it had nothing to do with the fabulous dinner Shea had cooked up for her, and everything to do with enjoying her new life and this man who made her laugh and smile more than she had in the past five years. Add to that his interest in her jewelry designs, and his support, and she was beginning to think that she could open up her heart and trust a man again. More specifically, Shea.
Claire helped Shea clean up the kitchen, then he poured them each a glass of wine, grabbed a blanket, and they walked down to the beach with Goldie as dusk settled in. It had been a beautiful summer afternoon, and in Claire’s opinion enjoying the last of the sun setting over the horizon with Shea was a perfect ending to the day.
Finding a nice, flat spot, Shea spread open the blanket and they sat down side by side. Goldie found a spot on the sand and made herself comfortable. As they watched, the sun dipped slowly toward what looked like the end of the ocean, casting rich hues of pink, orange, and red across the sky.
“Claire, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you,” Shea said, pulling her attention from the glorious view. “But it might be a sensitive subject.”
He looked so serious and direct, she couldn’t imagine what had changed his mood so drastically. “Okay,” she said cautiously, because she had no idea what she was agreeing to.
“Why did you and Alan divorce?”
As far as sensitive topics went, his question was a zinger. It demanded personal and private answers, and while she’d managed to avoid discussing Alan when Shea had asked about him last night at the pub, there was no escaping Shea—or the question—now.
Then again, hadn’t she just made the conscious decision to open her heart and trust again? Sharing intimate details of her marriage, and her divorce, was certainly a start—no matter how unpleasant the topic.
She took a drink of her wine, then set the glass aside in the sand and buried the stem so it didn’t tip over. “Well, finding out that your husband has been lying and cheating and sleeping with another woman tends to put a damper on a marriage.”
He winced. “I take it you caught him?”
Drawing her knees up, she wrapped her arms around her legs, her gaze focused on the last bit of sun setting over the horizon as she thought back to the moment she’d discovered Alan’s infidelity. “For months I suspected that something was going on. He was working a lot of late nights at the office, except when I called he never answered his phone. I tried his cell, and if I did get through to him he was always very short and abrupt with me. He was also gone at least two weekends of the month on what he cal
led a business trip.”
“Sounds like all the classic signs of an affair to me,” Shea said, and sipped his wine.
She nodded. “And I knew that, but I had no actual proof until I found a receipt in his coat pocket for a hotel in New York City. Considering that he worked in the city, there was absolutely no reason he needed to stay in a hotel there unless he was seeing someone on the side.”
“You know, I don’t understand why spouses cheat,” Shea said, disgust lacing his tone. “If they aren’t happy in the marriage, why not just get out of it instead of having an affair?”
It was a rhetorical question, but she’d always felt the same way. “I’m sure sooner or later Alan would have asked me for a divorce. It was just a matter of time, and when I confronted him with what I’d found in his coat pocket, it made it easy for him to come clean and admit that he wanted to end our marriage.”
“That must have hurt,” Shea said, his voice gruff with a dose of anger on her behalf.
Yes, the lies and deceit had stung because no wife wanted to discover that her husband was sleeping with another woman. The realization that she hadn’t been enough for Alan had been painful and had definitely left her with her share of insecurities. But she was rebuilding her life and confidence the best she could, and Shea was responsible for a good part of that, too.
“I had known the marriage was over for a while,” she admitted to Shea. “Alan was distant, sex was nearly non-existent, and whenever I brought up the subject of starting a family, he’d put me off with excuses. In that, at least, he did me a huge favor. The last thing I’d want to put a child through is a divorce.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through all that crap,” he said softly, compassionately.
She flashed him a fabricated smile, but knew that he’d see right through her attempt to make light of things. “You know what they say. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
He studied her for a long moment as he reached over to Goldie and leisurely stroked her fur coat. “Why did you marry him, Claire?” he finally asked.
“I loved him,” she answered honestly. “Or else I never would have married him.”
“I believe you.” He finished his wine and added his glass next to hers in the sand. “I guess what I should have asked is what attracted you to him.”
She frowned, unsure what Shea was getting at. “Why do you ask?”
“Because I knew from the first time I met Alan that he was a conceited, pompous jerk,” Shea stated bluntly. “And I couldn’t help but wonder what you saw in Alan to marry him. Now that I know you better, I’m even more curious.”
Her stomach twisted, because the question made her take a good hard look at the reasons why she’d fallen for Alan, and she knew she might not like her own answers. But as difficult as that might be, she saw this opportunity as a chance to purge herself of the past and start out fresh with Shea.
“I was twenty-three when I met Alan, and now that I look back, I can see that I was much too young and impressionable.” Hopeful and trusting, too. “He came into the jewelry store where I was working in New York City, looking to buy a gift for his mother’s birthday.”
“Is that how you became interested in gems and jewelry design? Working in a jewelry store?” Shea guessed.
“Yes.” Except she’d given up those dreams when she’d gotten married, because Alan hadn’t wanted her to work at all. “Anyway, Alan was very charming and had a way of making me feel beautiful and special. He pursued me like no other man ever had. He sent me flowers and took me on weekend getaways and literally spoiled me. He was seven years older than me, an established attorney in a prominent law firm, and he made it so easy for me to get caught up in his persistent courtship and fall for him. So, when he asked me to marry him, I honestly thought I’d found my happily-ever-after.”
“I hear a ‘but’ in there somewhere.”
“Of course you do, or I wouldn’t be divorced,” she said humorously. “About six months after we were married, I started seeing a different side to Alan. I always knew that he liked buying and collecting nice, expensive things, but it seemed to be an obsession with him. He spent money on antiques and artwork, and imported cars and things for the house. He even bought me designer clothing to wear and extravagant jewelry.”
He grinned wryly. “What woman wouldn’t like that?”
“Sure, it was nice for a while because I grew up with parents who lived a modest life, but after a while it felt suffocating because it was all so excessive.” A cool evening breeze blew across the beach, and Claire shivered and hugged her knees tighter to her chest. “Alan always expected me to look the height of sophistication, and he was also extremely jealous and possessive, which was difficult to deal with, too.”
Shea moved silently behind her on the blanket, so that she was sitting between his widespread legs. Tucking his arms around her waist, he pulled her back to his chest and she instinctively leaned against him, his body heat surrounding her, warming her.
He buried his face in her hair and breathed deeply. “Go on, I’m still listening.”
“Over the years Alan and I were married, I watched him exchange and upgrade to the latest and greatest,” she continued. “And I realized that Alan had this compulsion to be surrounded by beautiful, expensive things. It was the competitive nature in him, and he liked looking like a hotshot with his friends and colleagues.”
“That’s the man I saw, too,” Shea said.
“I guess I saw it too late.” She snuggled closer to him, marveling at how safe he made her feel, how secure. Letting down her guard with Shea, in all ways, was proving to be incredibly easy to do. “I’m a simple girl at heart, and I’ve never needed much to make me happy. Certainly not material things, and that’s what mattered to Alan.”
She swallowed the knot in her throat; this next part wasn’t easy for her to admit out loud. “Somewhere along the way, Alan grew bored with me, and like everything else in his life, he wanted someone younger and more beautiful to adorn his arm. In with the new and out with the old, as they say.”
“Oh, yeah, twenty-eight is ancient,” he said, and tickled her until she laughed and squirmed in his arms. “The way I see things, it’s Alan’s loss, and my gain.”
She smiled to herself, liking the way that sounded. “I’m okay with everything, even the divorce. I think the worst part of the entire ordeal was being lied to and deceived. Especially when you trust someone so completely, only to find out that they aren’t who you thought they were. It makes you feel like a fool.”
Behind her, she felt Shea stiffen, and wondered what she’d said to prompt such a reaction.
“Claire . . .” Her name sounded hoarse, as if he was having trouble speaking.
Turning in his arms, she looked up at him, seeing shades of turmoil in his gaze. “Shea, what’s wrong?”
“There’s something—”
The shrill ring of a cell phone interrupted whatever he’d been about to say. Cursing beneath his breath, he shifted and unclipped his cell from the waistband of his pants. After a quick glance at the caller ID, he answered the unit.
“What’s up, Cal?” he said, then mouthed to Claire, “It’s my bar manager.”
Sensing the call was important, she moved away to give him space. Shea’s brows creased in concern as he listened intently to whatever Cal was saying.
“Christ,” he muttered after a minute had passed, and dragged a hand through his hair. “I’ll be right in.”
He snapped the phone shut and was on his feet, then helped Claire stand, too. “I’m sorry to cut the evening short, but I need to get to the pub. My bartender, Mark, was washing a glass and it broke in his hand. He cut himself pretty badly, and Cal needs to get him to the hospital for stitches.”
She completely understood, and picked up their wine-glasses while he gathered up the blanket. Whatever had been on his mind would have to wait.
They headed back to his house so Shea could grab his car keys. He drove
to her place first to drop her off.
“How about I come by later, if that’s okay with you?” he asked.
“I’d like that. I’ll be working on my Padparadsha ring.” Now that she had the setting, she was anxious to put it all together.
“Good.” He gave her a quick, hard kiss that only whet her appetite for more, then pulled back. “Wait up for me. I’ll make it worth your while.” He winked at her.
She laughed and dragged a finger down the middle of his chest. “Maybe I’ll make it worth your while,” she teased right back.
His eyes darkened with heat and anticipation. “Now there’s an offer I’m not about to refuse.”
It was after ten at night when Cal finally returned from the hospital and Shea was able to leave O’Brien’s. He headed straight to Claire’s, her sultry promise still ringing in his head. Her parting remark to him had fueled his fantasies and kept him running on adrenaline all night long.
She opened her front door wearing a silky thigh-length robe, and something equally silky and sexy beneath, and let him in. “How’s Mark?”
“He ended up with six stitches right below his thumb on his left hand,” Shea said, as he followed her into the living room where she’d been working on her jewelry.
She cringed. “That sounds painful.”
“Mark’s a tough guy. He’ll be out for a few days, but he’ll be fine.”
“That’s good to hear.” Taking his hand, she led him over to the drafting table, where Zoey was curled up in the corner taking a nap while Claire worked. The feline awoke, looked up at him, blinked languidly, then went right back to sleep again.
It was the first time he’d seen the normally energetic and mischievous Zoey be so lazy.
“Look what I’ve gotten done.” Claire lifted the gold setting to the bright light over the table, giving him a good look at the dazzling princess-cut diamonds she’d mounted down the side of the ring. The stones were perfectly aligned and beautifully showcased in a channel-type setting.
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