Always Page 6

  The longer she was in his life, the more her found her ambition wildly sexy. They shared that. He also found himself really looking forward to seeing her again. Being with her seemed like just the right thing to start the summer with.

  “I take it she said yes?” Laura strolled in with Eamon’s brother.

  He jumped. “Jaysus, woman, are you psychic or were you eavesdropping?”

  “A little of both,” Michael said as they put the bags of food down on the counter. “We do get to meet her, right?”

  “Like I can keep Laura away.” Eamon snorted as he put out plates and silverware.

  Laura shook her head and shrugged. “I want to meet the woman who’s kept you from dating since December. What can I say? She’s got to be something else considering the female attention you don’t even seem to notice.”

  “God help the poor girl, he’s going to be all over her for a while if he’s been saving it all up for six months.” Michael ducked the set of chopsticks Eamon threw at his brother.

  It wasn’t like Eamon was going to tell them about the web cam conversations and the rather interesting and totally stellar IM sex they’d shared. He didn’t want to embarrass Cat and after the mess with the ex-boyfriend and the internet pictures, he knew what a huge statement of her trust it was that she not only used the web cam but had done the sorts of things she had. All for him.

  What man wouldn’t eschew other women for that?

  “Christ, man, it’s just six months. It’s not like I’m a monk or anything.” He shrugged. It wasn’t as if they’d forbade the other from dating but he knew she hadn’t been with anyone else either. It had been an unspoken but accepted thing that they were seeing each other, whatever that meant.

  He just smiled as he spooned up the kung pao. There would be two weeks of time in which he could gorge himself on her.

  “So this is getting serious then. Are you going to ask her to move here when she finishes school?” Laura took a sip of her Diet Coke.

  “She has a life in Seattle. A specialized skill. We’ll cross that bridge if it comes to that, when it does.”

  “So you’d move there, then?” Michael asked.

  “He just moved here from Ireland, why should he move to Seattle? Why shouldn’t she move?” Laura asked, her voice sharp.

  “That’s rich coming from you.” Michael stared at his wife.

  “What’s that supposed to mean? She’s young, she’s at the beginning of her career, why should he make the sacrifices? His family and friends are here. It would take some gall to expect him to move again after he relocated already.”

  “It’s supposed to mean I moved from Ireland to LA for you. I was in the middle of my career. I made sacrifices and I don’t know why Eamon or anyone else should get a pass simply because you want him around. If the girl has a specialized career, it would be a much greater sacrifice for her to move. You assume a lot, Laura.”

  Eamon looked toward his brother, taken aback. Michael rarely got pissy and almost never with his lady. He tended to agree with Laura, why should he be the one to make sacrifices?

  “This is a moot point anyway. We’re long-distance dating. No one is moving anywhere. It’s just a bit of fun. Stop it now before you get into a fight.”

  Caitlin aced her finals. She just felt it in her gut. She had some summer classes but the term didn’t start for a few weeks and in the meantime, she could enjoy a little bit of free time. Summer wasn’t too bad credit wise. It would be much easier than it had been during the academic year. Her schedule was heavy in the fall so she could graduate and then have January for bar prep.

  She knew the good grades would help with her job search along with her letters of recommendation, which she was already lining up. No one could say she wasn’t prepared. Now she just had to keep up the pace and her dedication level so she could get through the next months and get a job offer.

  Just one thing at a time. Step by step until she reached her goal. And then she’d make a new list of goals.

  But all that fell away as she got off the plane and headed to baggage claim where she knew Eamon waited. She’d been dying to touch him for months. Since about five minutes after she dropped him off at SeaTac to come home in December, probably. Web cam sex wasn’t a good substitute for the real thing any more than telling him about her day on the phone was the same as relating it all snuggled into his side.

  It had been a good thing her schedule had been so packed or she probably would have been depressed at not seeing him for so long. But in reality, even though it’d been six months, the time had flown by. Underneath it though, she’d missed him, missed that spark they’d made on his visit and that they’d built in the months since.

  She saw him before he caught sight of her and she used those moments to look her covetous fill. Tall, dark and ridiculously handsome, the sight of him made her heart leap. She quickened her pace and they both grinned when he finally saw her.

  “Cat, my darlin’!” He grabbed her and hugged, picking her up and kissing her so soundly she saw stars behind her closed eyes.

  “Hello there. That was some greeting. I may have to go around the corner and come back so I can get more,” she said, breathless, as he put her back down.

  “There’s plenty more where that came from. Let’s get your bag and get out of here.”

  They waited while the bags circled, his arms around her waist, her back to his front. He felt good, smelled even better and holy cow did she really want to rip his clothes off with her teeth and jump him until they were both too tired to move.

  “I want you so much my teeth hurt,” he murmured into her ear, bringing a shiver rolling over her skin.

  “Thank all the angels in heaven, there’s my bag.” She moved forward to grab it, but he tsked at her and shook his head.

  “The red one?” She nodded and he grabbed it. “Let me do that. You’ll need your strength.”

  He all but hauled her out into the heat and toward the parking lot. “I’m not too far. Come on. Have you eaten?”

  “It can wait until after.”

  “Christ,” he nearly growled as he tossed her suitcase in his trunk and practically shoved her into the passenger seat before jogging to the driver’s side.

  “A Mustang huh? Can’t say I’m too very surprised. It’s sexy.”

  The drive to his place took less than an hour, even though traffic sucked. “I should have thought ahead and not chosen the arrival during rush hour. You look good.” He gave a quick look her way. “I’ve missed your face.”

  She smiled, warmed by his words. “You’ve seen it, and more, at least three times a week for months.”

  “It’s different in person, when I can see all the golds and deeper reds in your hair. God, you smell good too. Maybe we should stop at a hotel.”

  “How far do you live?”

  “Ten more minutes.” He got off the freeway and headed west.

  “You have twelve then. I can wait twelve minutes.” She leaned back, letting the light wash over her skin and he nearly died at the sight of her pale, beautiful throat, exposed just for his eyes. “It was raining and sixty degrees when I left home today. The sun feels good.”

  “Did you bring sunscreen? I don’t want you to get burned while you’re here.”

  She cracked her eyes open and looked over at him with a grin. “That’s very sweet. I’ve got the industrial strength stuff since I’m whiter than college-lined notebook paper and get burned when the sun as much as winks in my direction.”

  He turned down his street and hit the gate opener.

  “This is your building? It’s really nice.” She sat up and looked around as he drove back toward his covered spot.

  “I like it. Come on.” He pulled in the spot, popped the trunk, leaned across and opened her door and was out to get her suitcase before she’d even undone her seatbelt.

  A relatively quick walk from his car to the front doors and thank God, a fast elevator had them unlocking his front door in less th
an two minutes.

  He left the suitcase near the door and tugged her down his hallway to the bedroom. It was cool and dim but the bed beckoned.

  “I’m not sure I can do slow right now.” He pulled her dress up and over her head, sucking in a breath as he caught sight of her bra and the wispy panties she wore beneath.

  “Don’t.” She grinned as she got rid of her bra and panties, kicked her sandals off and got on the bed. “There’s time for slow later.”

  Music to his ears. He was naked and lying on her in moments, the shock of how good it felt being skin to skin with her echoing through his system. He groaned at the pleasure of it, of the way everything about her seemed to settle into him.

  “Man, you feel good.” She kissed his throat, digging her fingers into his shoulder as she did. His need for her roared into overdrive, nearly sending him to his knees.

  “Ditto.” He kissed the side of her face and then her lips as she turned to meet his mouth with her own. Her tongue met his, sliding into his mouth as he tried not to eat her alive. They’d bumped teeth once already in their eagerness and he was pretty sure he’d rather fuck all afternoon than spend time at the dentist getting a tooth capped.

  She moaned, arching into him when he sucked her tongue and then nipped her bottom lip before moving to her neck.

  Her body, strong and lithe, made way for his as she widened her thighs and he angled, his cock siding against the wetness between her legs. Inferno-hot and slick enough he could press right into her without any effort.

  “Yes, yes, I’m so ready. Please,” she whispered as she rubbed herself against the length of his cock.

  “Foreplay,” he managed to croak, hoping like hell she didn’t care about anything but him being inside.

  “Put your cock in me now or I will die.”

  Reaching under the pillow, he pulled a condom back with him and tore it open quickly. “Wouldn’t want that. The cops would not be pleased.”

  The sound she made when he pushed his way inside her body nearly brought him to climax on the spot. Her inner muscles fluttered and clutched around him as she writhed, making it nearly impossible not to come.

  “Be still or this will be over before it starts.”

  Her eyes, which had been half-lidded, came fully open and the shock of it, when their gazes locked, sizzled his nerve endings. Recognition in a way he’d never had before, not even with her in the past.

  “Okay then. Do me.”

  He took a steadying breath and got to his knees, holding her thighs so her knees clasped his hips, her feet flat on the bed. The sight of his cock disappearing and then retreating from her, slick and shiny wet with her honey, mesmerized him. When he was able to tear his gaze from where they were joined, he looked up her body, past the curve of her breasts and the darkened stab of her hardened nipples, up the arch of her throat and to her face. Everything about her was so beautiful it made him ache just to look at her.

  But when she reached down to find her clit, her eyes snapped open and met his as she began to get herself off—he knew he didn’t have much time left. Once she started to come it would be all over for him, the clasp of her body would be too much to resist.

  Caitlin arched to take him deeper and change the angle just slightly. Her thighs began to tremble as the orgasm he’d been working on, building her up since she woke up that morning, began to manifest itself in her muscles.

  He thrust hard and deep, over and over, his fingers digging into her thighs just above her knees. That edge of pain held her climax back, but not for very long. It burst through her as she tried to suck in oxygen, trying to remain open to him as he continued to thrust.

  And then his strangled cry as she watched him, saw the muscles in his neck cord as his head dropped back and he pressed deep. The jump of his cock within her as he came was incredibly sexy and intimate, like a secret.

  Moments later, he opened his eyes and looked down at her with a grin. “Now I feel I’ve greeted you properly and I can probably manage not to molest you long enough for us to grab a bite.”

  She sat up as he went to deal with the condom and really looked around his room. The walls were covered by photographs, black and white and color. It was like multiple windows to different worlds.

  He had so much talent. She’d seen his work on his website and he’d been kind enough to send her prints that she’d had framed, but this was stunning.

  He came back and saw her staring at a photograph he’d taken of the street his family’s pub sat on. The focus was the bench out front, the front windows and door of the building just behind.

  “You’re amazing, Eamon. I’ve been there, standing in this very spot. This photograph transports me right back. I can hear the sound of the busses passing by on the street, of the children playing in the schoolyard just down the way. I can smell the bakery down the block. I’m so impressed.”

  She turned and he didn’t make any effort to hide how much it meant to him that she liked his work.

  “Thank you. That one’s very special to me. Come through and I’ll show you the rest.”

  She bent to pull her dress back on, thankfully leaving off the panties and bra, and took his hand.

  His hallways were lined with photographs and, she noticed with a twinge in her gut, some were of her. It made her smile. She pointed to one he’d taken of her at Pike Place, her face lit as she smiled at the elderly man who ran the stall where she got her organic honey.

  “I didn’t even know you took that.”

  He opened the door to what was his studio and showed her around. “You never know when I’ll snap a picture of you, darlin’. You’re such a beautiful subject I can’t help myself.” He winked. “This is my office here.” She noted he had another shot of her, snuggled up in a chair near her windows, her eyes half closed as the rain on the glass made shadows on her face. “I like this one the best. Your hair is pulled back so all the curves of your face are visible. The light from the window is just right.”

  “I look so beautiful.” She cocked her head, embarrassed and flattered to be caught in such a moment.

  “Why do you sound surprised? You are beautiful. This is how I think about you when you’re not here. So thoughtful but the set of your mouth is stubborn. I like that contradiction.”

  “That’s, well thank you, that’s a lovely compliment.”

  “I like when you blush.” He drew a fingertip down her cheek.

  “I blush when I’m offered mindblowing sex and food. You’ve offered me one, how about the other?”

  He laughed. “Come on through to the kitchen.”

  “This is a great place. I’m very impressed. It’s pretty big and you have great light.” She continued to look around, seeing evidence of a feminine hand but it didn’t seem possessive or romantic. Perhaps the sister-in-law.

  “It’s easy enough to walk around. Not a lot of walking neighborhoods left these days. Some really good places to eat within a few blocks, a park, the water isn’t too far, you can see it if you peek between those two buildings and squint your eyes.”

  She stood near his patio doors and the light behind her highlighted her body, naked beneath the wispy dress she wore. He hardened at the sight. She tiptoed up, the muscles in her pale, bare calves firm as she did.

  “There it is.” She grinned at him over her shoulder.

  “What? My God, your legs are sexy.”

  She laughed. “The ocean. I squinted and I saw the blue of it.”

  “Ah. Sorry, I lost my train of thought there for a moment. You’re much nicer to look at than the ocean. Come sit here.” He placed a glass of sparkling water with ice on the counter. “I have some shrimp and steaks marinating. Would you like me to fire up the grill?”

  Her face lit and he was instantly glad he’d suggested it to get such a response.

  “Yes! I’d love that. I don’t have the space to barbecue on my own although there’s a place on the roof of my building. Anh and Vittorio are big on grilling, or rather, he is a
nd we just eat what he makes.”

  “I’m going to have to meet the infamous Anh and her man when I get back up your way. You talk about her so often I feel like I know her.” He pulled the meat out and stepped out onto his deck to ready the grill. He liked the propane grill he’d picked up on a whim the month before while at the hardware store. It was easy to use, quick to heat up and if it made her smile like that, he’d use it every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

  When he stepped back inside it was to find his brother and sister-in-law standing in his living room, sizing Cat up.

  “Hello. Funny, I didn’t hear the phone ring so you could ask if I wanted visitors. Or even the doorbell.” He raised an eyebrow at his brother who just shrugged and looked to Laura.

  “That’s because none of those things happened, as you well know. Now, Caitlin was just telling us about her studies and you were going to make up a batch of margaritas, Michael. I’ve already put the macaroni salad in the fridge and I’m having a brownie right now.” Laura simply plopped her ass down on one of the barstools and dug into the pan, handing Cat one and taking one for herself.

  He sighed.

  “Don’t think you can avoid it. I managed to hold her off this long but you know how she is,” Michael said in an undertone as he got the blender out to make the ordered margaritas.

  “If you two scare her or make her uncomfortable I will toss you off the deck to the street below. Christamighty, she’d better not bring up moving anywhere.”

  Michael just laughed. “Oh fer fuck’s sake, Eamon, you know Laura wants to know this girl because you talk about her all the time. We like the difference in you. And between you and me, if that girl asks you to move to be with her, you’d be an edjit to say no. Anyway, we’ll not harm her but Laura will be unconscionably nosy because that’s my wife.”