A Taste of Honey (29 page)

Maria didn’t reply and walked stiffly back to the dining room.

“The real question,” Karen muttered, “is if there’s enough to drink.”

“It’ll be okay,” he whispered, tipping her chin up for a kiss. The brief contact managed to banish thoughts of angry mothers, at least for a second.

They pulled apart and Karen caught Nick’s gaze. A look passed between the brothers. To Karen’s surprise, Nick gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Shall we?” he asked.

Tony was already there, sitting on the couch and talking to their father, Frank. Unlike the others, Tony didn’t look shocked at Karen’s arrival but instead wore an oddly satisfied smirk on his face.

“Guess you figured out a solution to your problem,” Tony said, looking pointedly at Mike’s left hand.

Mike only smiled and nodded.

“Dad, you remember Karen Sullivan, Kelly’s sister,” Mike said. Karen shook the older man’s big, work-roughened hand. A loud clatter sounded from the kitchen as Maria slammed down a ladle with unnecessary force.

Frank’s chocolate brown eyes twinkled. “Don’t mind my wife. She’ll come around.”

Karen smiled stiffly, not at all convinced.

They sat down around the table, and Karen was relieved to find herself between Mike and Kelly. The tomato and fresh mozzarella salad looked delicious, but Karen’s stomach curdled under Maria’s incessant glare.

“So, Karen, when are you heading back to Sacramento?” Kelly asked, to break the awkward silence.

“Tomorrow,” she replied. “I have the day off, so I’ll leave sometime tomorrow.”

“We could have lunch before you go,” Mike said.

“Aren’t you working?” Maria asked sharply.

“Mom, I can take time for lunch,” Mike said firmly.

Maria focused her attention on Karen. “So what do you do in Sacramento, Karen?”

“I’m a hairdresser.” The statement came out sounding like a question.

“A
hairdresser
?” She may as well have been saying “prostitute.”

Karen’s shoulders hunched. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember why the idea of being brought home to Mom was ever appealing. “Yes. And I’m good at it too.”

“With you in Sacramento, you and Mike won’t be able to see much of each other.” Maria didn’t bother to disguise the relief in her voice.

Karen didn’t have a ready retort since she and Mike hadn’t discussed the matter themselves.

“There’s a new spa opening over on the Lake. I’m sure they’d love to hire someone with Karen’s skill,” Mike said.

Karen’s frustration with Maria was momentarily derailed. “So you think I’ll be moving back here?” she asked with a grin. “I guess we never got around to discussing that detail.”

Heat bloomed in her stomach at his grin. “My house is too big for just me. I was going to get a dog, but I suppose you’ll do,” he teased.

She punched him in the shoulder.

Maria wasn’t ready to admit defeat. She cocked her head to the side. “Didn’t you and Michael date while he was in college?” she asked, even though she damn well knew the answer. No doubt she knew the circumstances under which it ended, and probably Karen’s high school reputation too. “I seem to remember you splitting up under rather bad circumstances.”

She didn’t have to take this shit! Her palms hit the table, and she was just about to push back when she felt a feminine hand on her right thigh. She was marginally comforted by Kelly’s sympathetic smile.

Mike knew Karen was close to her limit. She was so tense she practically vibrated. He threaded his fingers through hers, wincing at the iciness of her hands.

“Mom,” Mike said warningly, “that was a long time ago.”

“All I’m saying is it didn’t work then, what makes you think it would work now?” His mom forked a bite of tomato into her mouth and chewed deliberately.

Shit. Maybe thrusting Karen into the bosom of his family wasn’t the best idea he’d ever had.

“Because I’m a lot smarter than I was back then. Now I know a good thing when I see it,” Mike said. Then he shocked everyone by leaning over and kissing the hell out of Karen, right there at the dinner table. “And because this morning, Karen and I got married.”

Tony’s chuckle rumbled through the room, only to be cut short by his father. “Do you girls have a cousin or something for Tony here?”

“Screw that,” he said. “These two want to get nailed down, that’s their business.”

Maria slammed down her fork and excused herself to fetch the main course. Mike followed.

“How could you do this, Michael? To marry such a woman…” She shook her head as she retrieved the pot roast from the oven.

Mike clenched his jaw. “I love her, Ma, I really do. And she loves me too.”

“But she—”

He held up his hand. “Whatever you heard about Karen, and what happened between us, forget it. It was my fault. I screwed up, and now I have a chance to fix it.”

She didn’t ask for details, for which he was thankful. She studied him closely. Finally she said, “You think this will make you happy?”

“I know it.”

Maria rolled her eyes. “What do I know, I’m just your mother.” Despite her sarcasm she looked slightly more accepting.

Mike breathed a sigh of relief.

Karen looked up warily as his mother placed the pot roast platter on the table.

“You know,” Maria said, looking pointedly at Karen’s barely touched salad, “all of my boys were huge babies.”

Karen looked confused at the turn of conversation.

“Mike was almost ten pounds.”

Karen looked at him, horrified, then back at his mother, whose petite stature was a match for Karen’s.

Maria continued. “I’ll be expecting several grandchildren. You’re going to need to keep your strength up,” she said, forking a huge slab of pot roast onto Karen’s plate.

Karen looked at him very pointedly and stuffed such a huge bite in her mouth Mike was surprised she didn’t choke.

He grinned at her look of smug determination. That was his Tiny, all right, feisty as ever. This time, he knew, he was up to the challenge.

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T
o distract herself a bit, Líadán swirled the last of the wine in her glass, drinking it down. “Some of us are meant to walk alone,” she murmured when her glass was empty.

He lifted her fingertips gently to his lips. “I want to do something about that.” The arousal blooming so softly when they’d danced body to body suddenly exploded into roaring flames. His eyes found her face, studying her, waiting for her reaction. Sensual awareness pulsed between them.

Brenden sat up, taking the glass from her hand, setting it aside. He leaned forward, bringing his face within inches of hers.

Without thinking, Líadán tipped her head toward his. Their mouths brushed together, gentle, slow, and ever so exquisite, tasting each other in a kiss made all the more erotic because of its stealth in arriving. Neither planned it. It just happened. Beneath the gentleness was a longing neither could ignore. As a ribbon of desire curled through her breasts down to her nether regions, the need to make love to him overtook her.

“Wow,” he breathed, when their kiss had ended. “I’ve never felt anything like this before.”

Líadán drew in her own breath. In that instant she knew without doubt Brenden Wallace would follow her through hell and back, even if it meant he was destroyed himself. A man like Brenden didn’t come along often. She would hold on to him, this lifeline unexpectedly having been tossed into the dark void of her life.

Silence followed, a silence in which nothing but the rain came between them. No more words were needed.

Climbing to his feet, Brenden pulled her to hers. Slipping off his shirt, he let it drop to the floor. Just as she reached up to undo the thin chain across her neck keeping the backless halter in place, he caught her hands. “Let me,” he rumbled in a husky voice.

Líadán nodded. His hands slipped behind, expertly loosening the clasp. Freed, the silky folds drifted over her breasts, down her hips, falling around her feet in a soft hush. Dressed only in panties, garter, hose and heels, her bare breasts were proudly erect, the tips of her nipples hard little beads. At the sight of her, Brenden groaned, an earnest and besieged sound escaping his throat. When he reached for her, his hands trembled.

She watched as his eyes betrayed the effect her almost nude body was taking on him. The knowledge she could affect him so deeply almost brought tears to her eyes. While many men had gazed upon her body with admiration and desire, she had in turn despised them, knowing they were weak and could be manipulated by their sexual needs.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured. “So perfect.”

The humbling, marveling tone in his voice almost brought tears of emotion to her eyes. Her mind screamed a volley of warnings and objections, but her senses screened them out. They were not what she wanted to hear. Instead she wanted to hear the sounds of love, the erotic sounds of his breathing, the soft feel of his hands as they moved over her skin. Mesmerized, she waited. Only when he drew her into his arms did she relax. She could feel his whole body trembling with anticipation, the fierce hardening of his erection under his slacks. She aroused him and he wanted her. Her heart fluttered with a ray of hope. He so clearly demonstrated physically what she was feeling.

“It’s crazy, I know, but I need you so much.” Brenden’s hands touched her face, his fingertips skimming her cheeks before sliding to the nape of her neck, tangling his fingers in her long hair. His head dipped and his mouth captured hers.

Líadán opened her mouth to allow the invasion of his tongue. She pressed herself closer to him, sliding her arms around his shoulders. Brenden nipped at her lower lip, tracing it with his own tongue before sucking it gently. His hand found her breast, cupping its weight and squeezing lightly. His fingers began to tease, making slow circles. Her nipple came to instant attention under his fingers, the pebble-hard nubbin acutely sensitive. She sucked in a breath, her body arching against his. A small moan escaped her lips. “That feels so good.”

His exploring tongue traveled the delicate whorl of one ear, tracing a warm, wet path along the delicate shell-like curve. Catching her dangling earring between his teeth, he gave it a gentle, teasing tug. “Only the beginning of what you’re going to feel tonight.” Kissing the soft pulse at the base of her throat, he worked his way lower, each teasing lap of his tongue setting goose pimples of excitement into action across her exposed skin. Her breath caught in her throat, hovering like a tiny hummingbird in flight, anxious, oh so anxious, when he flicked at one pink peak.

Stifling a cry of pleasure, Líadán curled her fingers through Brenden’s thick hair. He seemed to take her anxious tugs as a sign she was enjoying the sensations. Tongue swirling in clever delicious ways that aimed blazing little darts straight at her vibrating core, his teeth raked the sensitive nub. His free hand covered her right breast, rolling the little pink nubbin between thumb and forefinger.

“That feels so good.” A shiver ran through Líadán’s body. Lust heated, then sizzled. The throb between her legs made it impossible to think about anything but gratifying this aching need.

“I want to please you this time.” Brenden kissed the softness between her breasts. “Taste you…” His hand slid down to her flat belly, then between her legs to gently caress her softness. The feel of his fingers sliding against silky panties wet with her cream created a mesmerizing sensation. He slipped a finger beneath the elastic of her panties, maddening her with an erotic flick against her little button.

Tilting back her head, Líadán gasped aloud. Her body shuddered with tiny tremors when his finger found and stroked the slick softness between her labia. He added a second finger, searching for her depth. Finding her slit, he slid in, to work his magic.

“Oh, wow!” Jerking in surprise, she sagged against him. She needed to get a grip, control and pace herself or she’d lose herself to orgasm too quickly. She didn’t want to. She wanted to wait, enjoy the moment just as he came to climax with her.
Steady…Take it slow
.

Brenden, however, wasn’t giving her that chance.