Chapter 26

Twenty-Six

P retty

"Mmm…right there, baby. Please don't stop," I cried, as I laid back and enjoyed Paddy's tongue as he lapped at my pussy. I can't believe he's been the only one to ever do this to me. I feel like I've missed out on so much sexually, but damn did it feel so good.

The carnal blend of his fingers curling inside me as he tasted me was a toe-curling combination, an incredible sensation I didn't want to see end. But he was too damn good at it, too damn nasty. Something I didn't know I longed for until he showed me his darkness.

"Oh, baby, I'm about to come," I whimpered, losing the battle to his determination and skills as a lover. I came all over his face and watched as he licked up everything his talent had left behind.

"Mmm…I thought I'd have more time with you," he cooed, as he kissed me everywhere from my thighs to my knees before crawling on top of me, as I spread my legs wide for him and he entered me gently.

"Fuck," he gasped, as he slowly drove in and out of me. Wrapping one arm behind his neck I held him, as I cradled his gorgeous face with the other. He looked so handsome when he was inside me, especially since most times it was the only time he wasn't being fresh or saying something smart. He looked so sweet, so breakable, and to me that's when he was his most beautiful.

"You're so fucking hard, baby."

"Mmm…because your sexy arse makes me hard. You see what you do to me? I know you feel what you do to me." I took his bottom lip between my teeth, nibbling lightly until it graduated into a lustful kiss.

"Oh, Daddy, I want you to come inside me. Don't hold back for me, baby," I pleaded as his thrusts became deeper, more feral and swifter. With his palms, he spread my legs, finding that position where he could find that extra centimeter that could go deeper.

"Oh, fuck, you want me to come?"

"Yes Daddy, I want you to come." He tilted his face upward, robbing me of that sweat and flush in his expression when he was this close. I guided his face back to me and while usually he was a talker, in this moment words had escaped him, exceptions for gasps and moans. His brows furrowed, his teeth clenching as he lost himself to pleasure.

"Oh, fuck, Daddy's gonna come," he growled, pressing into me deeper until calling out a final cry. Ever since he'd bared his all to me, the sex had been more intense, more loving, just more . He leaned in and kissed me, slow and romantic, brushing his nose against mine before rolling over next to me and grabbing my thigh.

"I sleep so well when you're near me. But the easy access is the best part." I pushed his hand away playfully, putting a barrier between us with the covers.

"Boy! Always joking!" A slight smile spread across his face.

"Come here," he demanded, pulling me in for cuddles, as his fingers combed through my curly hair. "I wish you would wear your hair like this more often." My neck snapped.

"What? And be out here looking crazy?" His brow cocked.

"Crazy for wearing your hair the way it grows?" He questioned, making me feel silly for even saying that.

"I guess I just never knew what to do with my hair growing up. Sometimes my mama barely knew since we had two different textures. The only thing we agreed on was that it was just easier to straighten it, so that just become my signature thing."

"My brother's wife got curly hair too. It always looks nice," he admitted, and he was right. Queenie did have beautiful hair.

"I don't know, I guess I always kept it straight because I never wanted to stand out. I just wanted to blend in." He rolled his eyes and hmphed.

"Pretty, you can never blend in. Your hair is stunning when you wear it like this. It makes me feel like your beauty is extra special. I stare at you, and I know others would too, because it's different. Or maybe it's because I'm white with straight hair.

"And Irish."

"Yeah, but so are you," He encouraged, and I'll admit it felt kind of nice that he was always embracing that about me.

"You know, before my Pa died, he made me promise him that I'd meet a nice Irish girl. Think this might be the first time I actually listened to him," he joked, as I cradled his face in my hands watching him bite that sexy lower lip of his.

"I love how you make me feel accepted. I think for the first time in my life I'm actually curious about my Irish heritage. I've never been before, but I think I may want to go someday." He tapped my nose.

"See, I knew I was good for something other than just corrupting you. Although I'd argue that you like when I do." Well, I wasn't going to fight him on that. "Ireland always welcomes home its lost children, new and old. I reckon you would love it there. When I get a chance to visit it's like a recharge. You don't want to do nothing but explore."

Speaking of exploring. "Paddy, I want to go into town today. I've never ventured a really small town before. I want to see what it's like here." He stroked my face, hooking his scarred leg with mine.

"Like I told you before, there ain't much to do in town. But there's this diner that makes these really tasty American pancakes and pies. The people here, they love their maple. So, everything you eat is flavored with maple." Climbing off the bed, I reached for my robe, making my way to the bathroom with Paddy not far behind.

"But first we gotta get in the shower, because all we've been doing all night is fucking and all we smell like is sex.

***

As promised Paddy drove me into town and it was just as he described, quiet and boring. They didn't have many shops as the metropolitan Boston and it was just as sleepy as I'd say the islands were. But truthfully, it had been a while since I'd experienced quiet and boring, so sometimes it was nice to just be doing something most considered normal. We pulled into the diner, which from the outside looked pretty empty.

Preparing for stares the moment we walked in, it was surprising that the employees inside actually greeted us with kindness.

"You two seem like you're not from around here." Our waitress, Doris approached. She was blonde like Paddy, but her eyes were brown and small, almost like she had something else in her.

"Is it that obvious?" Paddy asked, a charming smile forming on his face.

"Yeah, a little bit. Your clothes, your car, your attitude scream big city," she stated, tucking her straight hair behind her ear as she fiddled with a pen and paper.

"Yeah, you're right. We're from Boston," I smiled.

"I was telling the boys back there that you and your wife look like movie stars. So, it don't surprise me much that y'all are from Boston." At the sound of your wife , Paddy and I shared a look, but because we had that anonymity, it didn't feel right to correct her.

"Well, what can I get you two?" Without looking at the menu, Paddy ordered two of their specials, along with freshly made orange juice and their signature coffee.

"I'll put that right in for you. Shouldn't be long considering how dead we are. Feel free to put music on if you like. We got a jukebox over there that plays songs at random, but if you put in a dime in it it'll bump up your request.

"Thanks. I think we'll do that," Paddy said, as he took my hand and walked us over.

"I hope that wasn't weird or anything."

"What do you mean?" I shrugged.

"You know, her just assuming we're married." He shrugged.

"Not any different than when we first met and drove to the mechanic together."

"Yeah, but that was different. We weren't fucking then." He flipped through the song catalog, lingering on my single "Teach me tonight."

"Paddy, don't you dare ." With a wicked smile, he stuck in the dime and the familiar opening horns and piano chords I spent three months writing, filled the diner's airwaves. He grabbed me, leading me into a spontaneous dance back to our seats, and I had to admit it did put a smile on my face.

"It ain't weird that people think we're married. It just means we look in love." He grinned, his fingers meeting his forehead as he saluted me. Was I in love with him? Could you even be in love with the person you stepped out of your marriage for? I adored the way I felt in his company. Hell, I just really adored him. But was it love ? Sometimes I wasn't even sure what love was, because what I felt with him had been something I never felt before. Something new. Something different. How did you describe something you had nothing to compare to?

"Do you think what we have is love?" Fiddling with the napkin that kept his utensils, he shrugged.

"I know I love the way I feel about you. I think that we have something special. I just…" he hesitated, followed by a sigh. "If you didn't have plans to leave your husband, I'm not sure whether or not it'd make a difference." I was always so caught up in the good sides of things, that I had often lost sight of the bad. What had I planned to do? Vernon had been my whole life, the father of my son, the glue to my career. But Paddy, he reminded me what it was like to love myself. To remind me that I was fully deserving of a relationship that was fulfilling and not just functioning. It was easy to forget what our situation was when we were this happy and it was that I was married, and that he was my lover. To truly be with him, I'd have to sacrifice everything.

"I thought you liked our arrangement."

"I do, but occasionally I wonder. Do you ever see a future for us?" The waitress returned, lying two plates of pancakes, eggs and sausage in front of us with a bottle of their homemade maple syrup. Giving our thanks, I waited until she was on the back of the other side to finish our conversation.

"If I didn't have Elijah, things would be so different. I grew up without a father, and I didn't want him to grow up without his."

"I know Pretty, I know. The kid. I gotta say, I love him. Maybe as much as I care for you. I want what's best for him, but I also want what's best for you." I reached in to caress his face. He was so thoughtful, sometimes I wasn't sure I even deserved it. It always seemed like the best things that happened to you were when you were in a tight spot.

"And I want what's best for you. And right now, that's filling up on pancakes so you could take me ice skating. I saw the skating rink on our way here. There's nothing else to do out here, so we may as well do that."

***

"Shite!" Paddy shouted, after falling on his ass for the fifth time. The man was the embodiment of style, danger and courage so naturally, seeing him humbled by something he was terrible at was the perfect way to spend an afternoon.

"It's okay, Paddy. You can hold on to me," I teased, as he finally accepted my offer after refusing it several times. He took my hand and with patience we glided across the ice, skating

along with the current of the crowded rink.

"You're loving this."

" Orrrrr , I'm loving when you stop being stubborn and learn that there's not always your way to learn to do things. Besides, you're amazing at everything else. You can be bad at least one thing."

"I swear, I think they gave me the wrong size of skates or something. Because nothing should be this unstable. But I'm getting the hang of it," he confirmed. For a while, we skated alongside each other until he gained up the confidence to skate behind me, taking me into his loving arms.

"You know, I like this better," I said, as he kissed me on the cheek.

"Yeah, me too. That way, if I fall, it'll be on you," he joked, admittingly it was funny, so I joined him in his witty comeback.

"You know, I've been wondering since we'll be here for a while and we don't need to hide. I'd like to have you the way I first had you, but maybe more intensely, since we're not worried about being walked in on. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving all the sweet stuff, but I told you before I can't go long without needing a taste of it. Besides, you've been walking around all week throwing tantrums and talking back to me. It's been too long since I showed you some discipline."

Discipline did sound kind of nice right now, and while we had the time and freedom, I was anxious to learn more of what I could endure and more of what he could give. At first, I didn't know what I liked about it, but the more it sat with me, it was really simple.

I liked being his muse, his masterpiece, his entire center. There was nothing more that he cared about when we were in that space. And I think that's what I was missing before him. Just being that to someone.

"Can we talk more about it when we get home?" He nodded, kissing me on a cheek as we skated into the night.