Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

The temptation to ask Cass what she’d been fixated on in the refrigerator was high, but also unimportant. He suspected why she’d dashed for the cool air the appliance let out when the door was open. Irish hadn’t missed her flushed cheeks.

Had she been imaging them doing this every night like he had been?

Was her thought something...more?

It would be for the best if she hadn’t. It was bad enough he was wishing for impossible things. Cass deserved someone better than him. Someone who didn’t have a checkered past.

What Irish should do was put distance between them, like he’d been attempting to do this week, but fuck, it was hard .

Everything about Cass called deeply to his soul. Had called from the first moment he’d set eyes on her.

Now the call wasn’t low. It was loud and insistent that he do something about it. That he keep her close to his side. That he protect her with everything he had in him.

Irish ate his food, not tasting the deliciousness of it.

Earlier the atmosphere had been relaxed, now there was tension there, and he didn’t believe it had anything to do with the last time they were together.

He should apologize for the way he’d acted. It hadn’t been reasonable, but more knee-jerk than rational. Irish should’ve known better than to let what happened to him influence his reaction to what happened to Cass.

They were completely different situations. He’d been well aware of what he was doing. Of what he was giving up by taking full responsibility. What happened to Cass had been out of her control.

How could she control the family she’d been born into?

She couldn’t. Like she couldn’t control how her family acted. Hell, she hadn’t even been able to control what the CIA had done to her .

If anything, she’d done the opposite of the DNA coloring her blood.

After Irish had stormed out, he’d done everything to avoid her. He’d buried himself in a quick protection job that hadn’t required any thinking.

Ox hadn’t gotten back to him on whether he’d found someone who could dig a little deeper into Cass’s missing two years.

While he’d been doing his job, Irish’s mind had been split between making sure the starlet got to where she needed to for the short visit and keeping her safe. He’d obsessed over Cass, wondering what she was doing. Whether she’d found further information that affected her when he hadn’t been there to help her through it.

He’d been watching her when she’d walked out of the office a few hours ago. Had seen the strain around her eyes. The way she carefully shifted her head from side to side as though trying to alleviate pain.

Irish had known then she was suffering another headache and seeing her that way had been the catalyst that led to where he was right now. “How’s the head?” he asked when she pushed away her food.

Cass’s mouth curved into a sardonic smile. “How did—Eveline told you, didn’t she?”

“Nope, didn’t see her. ”

“Then how did you know?”

He shrugged. “I know you, Alastriona . I saw the way you walked out of the office. How you were leaving hours before you normally do. I knew then you had to be hurting.”

For a brief moment, disappointment flared in her eyes before it disappeared on a blink.

Had Cass wanted the girls to come over and see her instead of him?

“Well, thank you for coming over, but I’m okay now. I’m also pretty tired too.”

It was clear she wanted him to leave.

It would be very easy to grant her wish, but he wasn’t going to because his instincts were telling him what she was saying was the direct opposite of what she wanted.

Did that make him an ass? Possibly. Probably, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to leave yet.

There was no denying there’d been tension while they’d been eating, but prior to that they’d been comfortable. Irish had seen the spark of happiness in her eyes when she’d opened the door. Nor could he discount the way she’d tried to climb into the refrigerator in an attempt to cool her pink cheeks.

What had he said that had caused this change in her ?

He rewound his thoughts—he’d been talking about why he was at her place. The way he’d seen that she was hurting.

That!

That was what had upset her. His reason for being there.

His heart skittered a beat before going back into a normal rhythm. Had she wanted him to be there because he wanted to see her, not because he’d come to check up on her?

Would Cass believe him if he told her he’d used her pain as an excuse to see her? Did that make him insensitive to the real pain she experienced?

Damn, this was getting complicated. Maybe he was over thinking things. Maybe he should just kiss her.

His fingertips tingled at the thought of touching her. Kissing her. Holding her.

This is what he wanted. The real reason he’d come to her place. Yes, Irish had been there to check up to make sure she wasn’t suffering badly, but he’d needed to see her.

While he’d been turning things over in his mind, Cass had cleared the table and was stacking the dishwasher. Light gray yoga pants cupped her fine ass. Memories of his hands clutching that flesh as she rode him slammed into Irish. His dick hardened and he wanted to make more memories.

What he was about to do was a bad mistake, but then again, how could it be when it was so right?

With quick movements, he was at her side, his hand on the small of her back.

His touch drew her upright, and she looked over at him, her eyes a mass of confused emotions.

“Cass,” he breathed her name, as if it was a mantra. Then his lips found hers. Irish pulled her tight against him, loving the way her arms wound around his shoulders and her fingers teased the back of his neck. Her mouth opened beneath his, letting him know this was what she wanted.

He groaned as he deepened the kiss, answering her siren’s call willingly. He would give her everything she wanted. He’d been fighting his attraction and need for her for too long. Life was too short, as he well knew with the occupation he’d had.

Their one time together had been the most magical night of his life. For a few short hours, he’d been able to forget everything he’d done and focus on the most beautiful woman he knew. Someone who gave so much of herself, but never asked for much in return.

Irish trailed his mouth across her cheek, nibbling at her earlobe—a place he knew she liked. Her groan of pleasure filled her ears.

“More, Dylan. I need more.”

Fuck, whenever she said his name, it filled him with joy. Made him believe he was special and worthy. He wanted to be that and more to Cass.

“You know, if we take this further, I’m not going to be able to walk away again. The first time just about crushed me. I can’t do it again, but I would if this isn’t what you want.” Baring his soul wasn’t something Irish normally did, but for Cass, he couldn’t stop the words from erupting.

He needed her to know what this moment meant to him and what it would mean to her.

Cass’s hand came up and cupped his cheek.

He turned his head and kissed her warm palm.

“I want this, Dylan. So much. Don’t walk away again.”

The rush of emotions crowding him was hard to pinpoint. But clearly, his life would never be the same.

It would never be the same because of Cass.

“I won’t,” he whispered as he bent to lift her into his arms.

Immediately, her arms circled his neck, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

The trip to her bedroom didn’t take long, and Irish lowered her to the bed, his eyes never leaving hers as he shed his shirt and pants but left his underwear on.

Immediately, her eyes went to his hard cock, and her perusal had him hardening even more.

All he wanted was to lose himself in her arms. Wipe away the last few days of separation from both their minds.

“This is the beginning.” Cass held out her hand, and he took it, resting a knee on the bed beside her.

“The beginning,” he agreed as he captured her mouth again.

This kiss was soft, and he poured all the yearning he’d carried deep in his soul. Was she receiving the silent message he was giving?

Did she know that from this moment on she owned him?

It didn’t matter if she didn’t. Cass would find out.

Irish brushed his hand down her side until he found the hem of her top. Slipping his fingers under it, he teased them across her belly and the waistband of her pants. Everything in him was urging him to rip everything off her and then possess her, but he fought it.

He was going to take his time. Remind himself of all the places that brought her the most pleasure and when she’d come screaming his name then, and only then, would he slide into her and seek his own release.

The need to worship her body was paramount. Slowly, ever so slowly, he pushed her top up, exposing her creamy flesh and kissing every inch of her.

Her fingers dug into his head, but he welcomed the pain.

Irish wanted her thrashing beneath him. He wanted her to let go and give everything she had to him.

Cass pushed against his chest, and he immediately lifted away.

“What?”

Was she about to ask him to stop. Tell him that she’d changed her mind?

“You’re taking too long.” She sat up and whipped her shirt over her head before she wiggled and divested herself of her pants.

“I was getting there,” he grumbled, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the swell of her breasts or the way her bra lovingly cupped them. His mouth watered when he lowered his eyes to the matching panties she wore, the lace was see-through so he could see how wet she was for him.

He wanted to feel that wetness coating his aching cock .

“As I said, too slowly. Dylan?”

Irish dragged his attention back to her. “Yeah.” Anything else was impossible to say as all the blood was pooled between his thighs, and there was nothing left in his brain.

“Fuck me. Make me yours.”

How could he deny her wish?

He couldn’t, and he loved the way she demanded what she wanted. That she wasn’t shy in saying what she needed. “Always.”

So much creamy skin for him to explore. Where did he start?

As if Cass could tell he couldn’t decide what to do, she grabbed his hand and placed it over her breast, arching her back so her hardened nipple hit the middle of his palm.

Groaning, Irish bent and sucked her through the lace. In the past, he hadn’t needed guidance, he’d known what to do, but with Cass, there were times, like before, where he wanted to give her so much pleasure he stumbled.

The roughness of the lace teased his mouth, but he wanted more. He wanted to feel her soft flesh in his mouth. He slid a hand behind her, unclipped her bra and pulled the material down her arms before tossing it away .

Irish brushed his thumb back and forth over both her nipples, and Cass’s moans of delight spurred him on. The need to go slow was disappearing. He couldn’t resist her. For so long he had, but the fight was over.

He took one of her nipples into his mouth, sucking deep while he ran his tongue around her distended peak. Their lower bodies bumped. He released her breast with a pop and kissed his way down her belly, his mouth watering as the scent of her arousal slammed into him.

Hooking his fingers into the waistband of her panties, he tugged them down. Like with her bra, he tossed the scrap of lace over the side of the bed. Irish also removed his boxer briefs, leaving them both naked.

Not waiting a moment longer, he zeroed in on his target—her glistening pussy. He slipped a finger between her slick folds and lifted it to his mouth, keeping his gazed locked with hers as he sucked her juices off his finger. “Fuck, you taste good.” He then buried himself between her thighs and feasted on her.

Cass’s moans were music to his ears, and her hips undulated as he sucked her clit hard. A rush of wetness coated his tongue and lapped it all up. There was no way he’d ever get sick of her taste.

“More, Dylan. I need more. ”

“Anything for you,” Irish murmured and inserted one, then a second finger into her.

Her inner muscles clenched him tightly, and he couldn’t wait to feel that same pressure around his cock.

Cass’s cries were getting louder, her movements more erratic, as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge.

Popping one hand under her ass, he lifted it so he could deepen his penetration.

“Oh, yes, Dylan. Yes!”

He sucked on her clit one last time, and she exploded, her hands grabbing the back of his head to keep him place as her hips ground against his mouth.

His cock throbbed, begging to join the party, but he wanted to get another orgasm out of her before he finally sank into her warmth.

Irish kept up the pressure of both his mouth and fingers.

Cass raised her hips higher as she fell once more over the edge.

He lapped at her softly, bringing her back down until her trembling had stopped, and her muscles were nice and relaxed. Irish kissed her inner thighs before he got up and grabbed a condom out of his pants.

He rolled it on and was back between Cass’s legs .

The last time they’d been together, it had been frenzied, as though they thought they’d never see each other again.

This time, it was the start, and he planned to take his time. Planned to make her squirm. Planned to make her never think about another man again.

Irish cupped her face and pressed his lips to hers, taking them in a slow, sensual kiss. His cock rested against her entrance, ready for him to slide home, but as much as he wanted to bury himself balls-deep in her, he also wanted to savor this moment. Savor the connection he wanted to build with Cass.

When he was with her, he felt freer than he’d ever felt since the day he’d been booted out of the Army.

With Cass, he was nothing but himself—Dylan O’Reilly.

Breaking the kiss, he looked down at her.

Her lips were plump from his kisses. Her eyes half-open and cloudy with desire. Her body was soft beneath him, and her hands rested on his waist. He couldn’t wait to feel her fingers dig into him as her climax took hold of her.

There was so much he wanted to say. To let her know what was going on inside of him, but words were hard because he couldn’t explain it himself. All he knew was that when he was with her, things were better in his life. His burdens not so heavy.

“I need you, Cass,” he said instead. It didn’t even cover half of how she mended his soul, but it was a start.

“Ditto, Dylan,” she whispered and undulated her hips against his in a silent message.

Brushing his fingers down her side, across her belly, he reached his goal, her slick pussy. She was more than ready for him. The taste of her still lingered on his tongue.

His thumb caressed her clit, and she moaned loudly, the sound going straight to his straining cock.

Irish grabbed himself and guided it into her, his eyes shutting at the first clench of her inner muscles.

He pulled out and slid back in until he was buried deep. If he moved, he was afraid he was going to lose his load. Irish stilled, waiting until the blood rush of being inside of Cass again, simmered down.

“So good,” she sighed her fingers flexing against his waist.

Once again in command of his body, he moved, pulling out and pushing back in.

Cass met his every movement, chasing him when he retreated and meeting him when he advanced.

Nothing could describe how perfect it was to be welcomed by her body, almost like he was coming home.

How could this time be better than their first?

Was it because of the change in his feelings toward her? To acknowledge that, as much as he had tried to ignore it, he couldn’t deny how important Cass was to him.

He didn’t have the answer, and he didn’t care. All that mattered was this moment.

Irish gathered her closer, and her hands trailed up his back, encouraging him to go faster.

Her body clenched around his cock as he increased his pace. Her breathing became more ragged, along with his. It wouldn’t be long before he came, but he wasn’t coming alone. He was bringing Cass with him.

He adjusted his hold so he could slip a hand in between them. Once again, he found her clit and pinched.

Her body jolted, and her breath hissed out across his cheek.

“I can’t hold on much longer. I need you to come, Alastriona .”

“So close,” Cass panted, and he increased the pressure on her clit as he thrust in and out.

The slapping together of their bodies filled the room along with her cries as her pussy clamped down on his dick as another climax hit her.

Irish buried himself deeply and cried out as his emptied himself inside of her.

His arms shook from the force of his orgasm, and he collapsed on top of her. His face tucked into the side of her neck. Her arms tightened around him when he went to move.

“Don’t,” she whispered. “Please don’t.”

No way could he ignore or deny Cass anything. If she didn’t want him to move, then he wasn’t going to move. Instead, he rolled so that they were lying on their sides, wrapped up in each other’s arms.

Irish’s eyes drifted close as he relished having Cass back in his arms.

The place she belonged.