Because You're Mine (The Gallaghers)

by Layla Hagen

  "Well, we like to offer something for everyone," Tess explained. "Our stuff is a bit pricey, so we know that not everyone can afford to buy it when it comes out, and as soon as it becomes last year's items, we put it on sale. All except for our bestsellers."

  “And I love your maternity collection," Isabelle said, rubbing her growing belly.

  "Yeah. It took a while to come up with it," Skye said. "I have to be honest, before I had my son, neither of us had experience with the way a body changes and what it needs, and well, once you go through it, you know what you need and what you wish you found in lingerie stores."

  "So you and Ian are going to Bear Mountain, huh?" Tess said. "I always knew Ian would change the tune he was singing once he found the right one."

  Skye nodded, but Isabelle shook her head. "I wasn't so hopeful, honestly. He's always seemed like an eternal bachelor. He's so different since he met you," she added, nudging me.

  My heart was a bit heavy. The way they spoke made me think of dangerous things like if Ian and I could have a future together. I shoved the thoughts to the back of my head in the box titled “Dreams.” I was super happy, enjoying what we had now, even though he'd raised the bar so high that I wasn't sure how I'd feel without him. I mean, the man was whisking me away for a weekend, giving me foot rubs, and seemed determined to make me swoon nonstop.

  I brought everything I wanted to the table where the cash register was. I couldn't stop touching the set of lacy panties I was buying. I had also purchased a garter belt. I didn’t know when I’d wear it, but the opportunity would present itself eventually. I was sure of it.

  "Ellie, you're set," Skye said, packing up everything with love in pink paper. "Feel free to drop by at any time."

  "Oh, I will," I promised them. "I like you girls."

  Tess smiled from ear to ear. "I'm happy to hear that. We were dying to meet you ever since Isabelle told us about you."

  I glanced at Isabelle next to me, who seemed very proud to live up to the informant status in the Gallagher family. "Hey, I like bragging about my siblings."

  I was giddy with happiness. I felt a warmth I'd never had with my family. It felt good to have a group of girls to chat with and do stuff like shop together. I was going to miss all this when I went away.

  I glanced over my shoulder through the window display while I paid. I had a direct view of Ian in the ice cream shop. To my surprise, he was already waiting in front of Soho Lingerie. After saying goodbye to the girls, I sashayed out of the store with a sway in my hips.

  He looked at the bag in my hand and cocked a brow. "That doesn't look like a lot of outfits," he said.

  "It's lingerie. It's small."

  "Tell me what you bought," he said, putting an arm around my shoulders and walking me down the street. "I didn't park far away."

  "Well, I could tell you, but I thought you had a better idea before."

  "So I don't even have to convince you to model it?"

  "Oh, that's right. I was trying to play hard to get. Damn. I forgot that was my tactic."

  He kissed the side of my head, laughing wholeheartedly. "Are you excited?"

  "Yes, very. I can’t even feel my feet. Or my shoulders.” I was still moonlighting as pastry and pantry chef.

  "I'll make sure you're relaxed this weekend," he said.

  "Funny. I have the same goal, to make sure you are relaxing."

  I loved thinking about ways to make him happy. Once we were in the car, I began Operation Taking Care Of Ian by giving him chaste kisses on the cheek and the neck.

  "Ellie, what are you doing?" he asked.

  "I'm starting the weekend and the process of relaxing you." I kissed the point where his jaw met his neck, and he groaned. I pulled back. Okay, so maybe my kisses weren't that chaste. "Okay. I'm just going to stay super still. I don't trust my fingers or my mouth," I said.

  He just laughed, shaking his head.

  “This car is so fancy,” I said, touching the leather seats. I hadn’t been inside it since he drove me from the airport.

  “I was thinking about selling it and just renting something when I go out of the city but changed my mind after Isabelle moved to Tarrytown. It’s useful, though I hate driving in Manhattan.”

  We dropped by my place first to pick up my bag, and then we went to his. His condo was on the Upper East Side, and he parked the car on the street at the back of his building.

  "I'll be right back," he said.

  I eyed a food cart a few feet away. "I'm going to buy some provisions for the road."

  “The drive is an hour and a half.”

  “Hey, never stand between me and food.”

  “Duly noted.” He winked before heading to the building. I jogged to the food cart. It sold sandwiches that looked yummy.

  "I'll have one with beef and one with chicken. Please put a lot of lettuce in it as well." The lettuce looked freshly chopped, as did the tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs. It was going to pop in my mouth. I could almost taste all the flavors.

  The prep took some time because the guy serving it, Johnny, wasn’t moving too fast, but that was okay. Perfection couldn’t be rushed.

  "Are you done?" Ian asked, surprising me, kissing the side of my neck. I broke out in goose bumps.

  “Not yet. He’s going to heat the sandwiches too. I’ll come to the car afterward.”

  "Sure." He kissed my neck again.

  I nudged him playfully with my elbow. "Hey, we said we'll keep our hands to ourselves."

  "No, you said that you had to do that, not me," he whispered against my neck. I didn't just have goose bumps on my arms now. I also had them on my legs and my intimate area.

  "Hey, go to the car," I said.

  He wiggled his eyebrows but let go of me, wheeling his small suitcase to the car. I turned to look at the food truck.

  While I was waiting, another customer showed up, a beautiful blonde who seemed to look funny at me. She ordered a sandwich with beef jerky too.

  "Was that Ian?" she asked out of nowhere.

  I blinked. "Yes. You know him?"

  “I live in the building next door. We met while jogging. Fucked a couple of times too."

  Johnny straightened up.

  My eyes bulged. "You just broadcast that information to everyone?"

  "No, but you two seemed very cozy. I thought you deserved a warning."

  "About what, exactly?" I crossed my arms over my chest, looking her straight in the eyes, pulling myself to my full height.

  "Ian is just Ian. He's not serious about anything or anyone."

  I held up a palm in front of her face. "Stop right there. I'm not interested in any of this."

  "Are you sure? By the way you're getting all riled up, I'd say that you're pretty deep into this.” She flailed a hand toward Ian’s car “A word of caution. Don't get involved."

  How dare she? Maybe she was trying to warn me, but it was coming across hateful to me. "What I do is none of your business."

  "Leah," Ian greeted, coming up behind me. He put an arm around my waist.

  "Ian," she said with a nod, still looking at us funny.

  "Are the sandwiches ready?" he asked me.

  "Yes, they are," Johnny answered, wrapping them up in a plastic bag and handing them to me, looking between Leah and me with a strained expression. Poor guy. I was betting he didn't hear conversations like this often.

  "Okay, so we're done then, right?" Ian said. He seemed oblivious to the fact that Leah was glaring at us. "Bye, Leah," he said just before we walked to the car.

  We ate in silence in the car. I was still thinking about Leah.

  Ian might not have realized in front of the cart that something was off, but it sure took him less than ten minutes to realize it in the car.

  "Ellie, is something not okay? You're too silent," Ian said after we ate.

  "You really didn't see it, did you?"

  "What?" He honestly looked unaware.

  "The way she was looking at us."


  "She? Who? Oh, Leah? What do you mean?"

  I sighed, shaking my head. "She was sort of warning me off you before you came over."

  Ian clasped his hands tight around the wheel. "She what? Why?"

  "She also informed me that you slept with her."

  "We had some fun a while back, like two years ago, but I was upfront about it. She brought that up?" He looked stunned. "Why would she do that?"

  "I'm going to go out on a limb and say that she's still holding a grudge, but it doesn't matter."

  "Yes, it does. It's affecting you." And right there, I knew he wasn’t hiding anything. Instead, he cared about me and how I felt. Honesty was a biggie for me, maybe because my family didn’t have a lot of it to go around.

  "It's not, Ian," I said in a reassuring tone. "It's okay. I was just ambushed, that's all."

  "Look, I can explain everything. There's just not much to it."

  "You don't have to. I'm not judging you for your past. That would be ridiculous. Let's just enjoy this afternoon and think about all the things we are going to do around Bear Mountain State Park."

  “I want to tell you anyway. I don’t want any secrets or barriers between us. Before you, I just dated casually. Very casually. I’d call it hookups more than dating, but I was always honest about what I was looking for. I don’t make false promises, and I don’t lie to anyone.”

  “Okay. Thanks for sharing that with me.”

  Even after Ian explained to me his past dating habits, it would be untruthful to say the encounter didn’t dampen my mood. Which was so ridiculous. The past didn't matter. It didn't belong to us, just as the future didn't either. What Ian and I had was for now. It was amazing, and I was going to enjoy every second of it.

  Be careful, Ellie... you’re falling fast.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ian

  “This place is amazing,” Ellie exclaimed when we entered the hotel suite. It was spacious, with a living room, a bedroom, and a balcony that overlooked the thick forest of Bear Mountain State Park.

  I kissed the back of her hand.

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  She nodded, looking around. I wanted to make sure she was all right after the run-in with Leah. I hated that my past was thrown in her face like that. Even though I explained my dating MO, I still felt as though something was off. No matter what Ellie said, it affected her, and I wanted to rectify that.

  “Ellie, talk to me. You’re still thinking about Leah?”

  She bit her lip, shaking her head. “No. Look. I’m not paying attention to that. Let’s just enjoy the weekend.”

  “Are you sure we’re good?”

  She nodded vigorously. “I’m not going to let anyone spoil our weekend. I mean, look at this beautiful room and the forest outside. Do you think I’m going to think about anything except this? Well, maybe you.”

  I chuckled. “Thanks for including me.”

  Her smile was the size of Texas now. It filled me with immense pleasure that I’d brought it on. I had this incessant need to see her happy.

  Scratch that.

  To make her happy. Ellie kissed one corner of my mouth before moving to the other one. I pulled her hips flat against me, running my palms down her ass cheeks.

  “Hmm... I see someone doesn’t even want to leave the hotel room,” she said.

  “Yes, I do. But only after I have my fill of you.”

  “It’s a good thing we had that snack on the road.”

  Thank fuck we were already inside the room, because I wanted her so much that I would've made a spectacle of us outside. I touched her cheek, skimming my fingers from her jaw up to her ear, then covering that same trail with my mouth. The kisses were meant to be reassuring, but soon enough, I was craving her. I wanted more. I tried to make her mine.

  "Ellie," I whispered, "I want you." She clasped my wrist, saying nothing. But by the way her fingers dug in my hand, I knew she wanted me just as badly. Pulling back, she looked around with a curious smile. I hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against me, murmuring in her ear, "Tour later."

  My voice was almost a growl. I couldn't even think straight. That's how much I wanted her.

  She looked at me sideways, a smile playing on her lips. "Oh, really? Why do I think I'm about to get the tour of the bedroom anyway?"

  "Not the bedroom," I said in her ear, "just the bed. You'll be very intimately acquainted with the bed. I promise you that." Goose bumps broke out on her skin. Fuck, this woman was going to kill me. How could she be so responsive to what I said?

  "I'm going to guess it's in that direction," she said, pointing to the only door leading out of the suite’s living room.

  She looked at me, flashing me a cheeky smile, then darted to the room. What was she playing at? I followed her, feeling curious. She turned on the light, and first headed to the luggage. The hotel staff put it next to the bed. She took out her toiletry bag, putting it on the nightstand before going all the way to the corner opposite the bed.

  "I want to take off my clothes myself. You sit on the bed," she said, "and just watch."

  I tilted my head to the right, narrowing my eyes. I sat on the bed saying nothing, just watching her. She swallowed hard, shimmying a little.

  "Well?" she asked, sounding a bit uncertain.

  "We play by your rules until you're naked, Ellie. Then we'll play by mine, and you'll do everything I tell you, understood?"

  Her eyes widened. She nodded, breathless. I sat at the edge of the bed, watching her slide her hands underneath her dress. I didn't realize what she was doing first. Then I saw that she was lowering her tights. And when they reached midthigh, she pulled her dress farther up, turning slightly, so I had a full view of her ass while she pushed her tights down her legs slowly, taking them off. I groaned. Her ass was just perfection in those thongs that only covered her crack and her pussy but left the buttocks completely uncovered.

  Then she took off her dress, silently tossing it on the floor. She had a matching black bra and panties made of silk, and I needed to touch her. I craved to feel her skin under my hand and my mouth. I tugged at the sheet. A low groan reverberated from my throat. A satisfied smile played on her lips. Ellie was playing a game, wasn't she? I'd show her just how well I could play it too. She touched the fabric of her panties and her bra, drawing her forefinger up one strap and then the other, clearly meaning to tease me. But I knew just what was going to make her speed up the process. Standing up, I took off my own clothes, and I sure as fuck didn't take my time with it. I got rid of everything in a matter of seconds. Her eyes widened. Her cheeks were red. She didn't say anything. I sat back on the bed, thighs spread wide, gripping my cock.

  "Ian," she whispered, eyes even wider, clenching her thighs together.

  My tactic was a double-edged sword, because the second I gripped my erection, I knew that I needed her even more badly. I moved my hand up and down slowly, watching her. She looked at me, transfixed. Her hand was shaking slightly when she unclasped her bra. It fell to the floor, revealing her gorgeous breasts.

  "Come closer, Ellie," I said, and she didn't disagree. I knew she was ready to play by my rules. She was ready to surrender to me. She walked slowly, hooking her thumb in the elastic of her panties, pushing those down her legs as well. They were almost at her knees. She stood in front of me, and I yanked them down all the way to the floor. I couldn't help myself. I leaned forward, darting my tongue out, licking along her opening. She gasped, bucking forward. Her legs shook.

  I cupped both her ass cheeks with my hand, keeping her steady.

  "Wait," she said, with a trembling voice, "I have a condom in my toiletry bag.” Her legs were shaky as she moved to the nightstand, rummaging in the bag, and came back with a condom. I looked straight at her when she ripped off the foil and then kneeled before me, sliding it on. I took in a deep breath, gritting my teeth. This was the first time she'd touched me since she entered the bedroom, and I was already on edge. She rose to her feet,
watching me intently.

  "My rules now, Ellie," I said, right before pulling her in my lap. She did as I said, straddling me. She rubbed herself against my cock. The sight was insanely sexy. "Come on, ride me," I said. She took me in, lowering herself on my erection.

  She wanted to go fast, but I gripped her hips.

  "Slower," I commanded.

  "I don't think I can be slow," she murmured.

  "You will. My rules, remember?"

  Her eyes flared, but she didn't try to move faster than I was allowing her to, sliding down inch by inch.

  "Ohhhh." Her voice shook, and so did her body.

  "That's it, up and down. Slowly, beautiful, so that I can watch you."

  She closed her eyes, bracing her palms on my shoulders as she pushed herself up and down, up and down. I was completely crazy for this woman, for the way we completed each other. She liked to tease me and turn me on, but she wanted to surrender to me too, to give me control in the bedroom. I only lasted a few minutes before I flipped her around so that she was on her back on the bed and I was over her. I was kneeling on the bed, driving inside her.

  When she tried to touch her clit, I swatted her hand away, "No, that's mine. You're only allowed to touch yourself when I tell you to." Her eyes flared again. "If I tell you to."

  She swallowed hard, moving her hands up to her nipples, circling them. Fuck, she was driving me crazy.

  "I want you to touch me everywhere," she said. Leaning over, I took her nipple in my mouth, obliging her. I wanted her to have all the pleasure in the world, but drip by drip, in a crescendo mode that would bring her the most intense orgasm. I moved to the other nipple, sucking it too, driving inside her faster and faster, and I could already feel her coming. She was tightening her inner muscles, but I wasn't going to give her the release so quickly. I wanted to take her a notch higher. Pulling back, I stilled inside her, feeling her tightness around me. When I pulled out, she opened her eyes wide, gasping.

  "Turn around," I told her. She did just as I said, no questions asked, no hesitation. She trusted me to do to her everything I wanted, and that turned me on more than anything else. She looked at me over her shoulder as I positioned my cock between her spread thighs and gasped when I slid inside. Somehow in the past few seconds, she'd grown even tighter.