Talking Sense (8 page)

He smiled. “I like you, too.”

“No, I mean
really
like you.” It seemed important that he knew.

He sipped his wine, his eyes meeting hers, amused. “Good.”

“You really like me too?” she asked hopefully.

He gave a small, resigned sigh. “Yes, Mia. I really like you too.
Really
really.” He winked at her.

“Good.” She shuffled the cards, suddenly happy. “Know how to play whist?”

“Sure.”

“Okay.”

She dealt the cards and they played a couple of rounds. He was pretty bad at it, but then so was she, so things were fairly even. They chatted as they played, and as time ticked by and the room grew darker, they drew the curtains and put the TV on to murmur quietly in the background.

By this time they’d made their way through half the box of chocolates he’d been thoughtful enough to buy. He’d slid down the pillows until he was practically lying down, and she’d moved closer so they were only a foot apart.

It was late, they’d drunk a bottle and a half of wine between them, and his eyelids had slid to half-mast. He looked relaxed and content and sexy, and she finally plucked up the courage to make a suggestion.

“Want to play strip whist?”

He stared at her. Gradually, he smiled. “You’re only saying that because you know I’m rubbish at it.”

“Yep.”

He grinned. “Okay.”

Her heart pounded as she dealt out seven cards. Her inhibitions were rapidly fading and naughtiness surged through her. “Right, so every time you win a trick, you can ask a sexy question of the other person, as well as making them remove an item of clothing.”

“Sure.” He fanned out his cards and began to put them in order. “I like the way you got me drunk before you suggested this so I’d be even more useless at it.”

“You’re drunk after three glasses of wine? Jeez. Way to hold your liquor, dude.”

“I’m a cheap date.” He turned over the top card on the pack. “Hearts are trumps.” He played the ace of diamonds and grinned at her.

Cool as a chilled cucumber, she laid down the two of hearts.

He stared at it. “You have to lay a diamond if you have one.”

“I don’t have one.”

He huffed a sigh and plonked his cards face down on the bed. “Shit. Okay. Go on then.”

“Clothing first.”

He took off a sock and threw it on the floor. “Fire away.”

She studied him thoughtfully. “Favourite sexual position.”

“Woman on top.” He picked up his cards, unfazed. “Too easy. Your turn.”

She blinked. “Do you want time to think about it?”

“No need.”

“What do you like about the woman being on top?”

He fanned out his cards again. “I get a good view. Plus she can control things at her own pace.”

His lack of embarrassment and matter-of-factness made her shiver with desire, but she played it down. “It’s a bit passive. Some would say lazy.”

He grinned at that. “You worried I’m not macho enough for you?”

“Are you? I can be quite demanding.”

“We’ll see.” He smirked and indicated her cards. “Your turn.”

She laid down the king of clubs.

He sighed. “I can see how this is going to go.” He put the three of clubs on top of it.

She giggled and scooped up the trick. “I win. Next sock.” She watched him remove it before lying back again. “And next question. Um…” She thought about it. “Favourite kinky thing to do in bed.”

“Depends on your definition of kinky.”

“You want a list?” She’d expected him to be more shocked and disapproving at her outspokenness and was both surprised and delighted at his lack of awkwardness.

“Maybe.” He grinned. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

“You tell me something, and I’ll tell you if I think it’s kinky,” she suggested.

“Okay. Jumper cables.”

She stared at him.

“I’m kidding, Mia.” He rolled his eyes. Then he studied her thoughtfully. A smile spread slowly across his face. “A vibrator.”

“Ooh.” She couldn’t stop her eyes widening.

“Kinky enough?” he asked her.

“It’s a start.”

“I guess it depends what you do with it.”

They both laughed and she examined her cards. “My turn. Get ready. I have a funny feeling you’ll be sitting there starkers before I’ve even got my pants off.” She laid down the ten of spades.

He put down the jack and grinned. “Think again.” He gestured at her, eyes gleaming. “Come on. Kit off.”

Chapter Ten

Colm grinned, and Mia cursed and shot him a glare. Anticipation flooded him. He could see she wasn’t wearing socks. The only real piece of clothing she could remove was her jeans.

Sighing, she pushed herself off the bed and stood before him. She slid her fingers down to her waist provocatively and raised an eyebrow as she slowly unbuttoned the jeans. He refused to be intimidated and just winked, so she stuck out her tongue, turned her back and slid her jeans down over her butt to reveal the tiniest pair of white lace panties he’d ever seen.

She kicked off the jeans, sat back on the bed and crossed her legs. Luckily her T-shirt came down to her thighs or he wouldn’t have been able to tear his gaze away. As it was, he was conscious of his erection straining at his trousers again.

He cleared his throat. “Okay, time for the question.”

“Fire away.” Her direct gaze dared him to try and embarrass her.

He decided that probably wasn’t possible and thought about what he’d really like to know. “What do you prefer—an orgasm through oral sex, or one through penetrative sex?”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Ooh, good question.”

“I thought so.”

“I really don’t know.”

“You have to answer. It’s the law.”

She thought about it for a moment. “Do you want the honest answer?”

“Always.”

“Um…” For the first time, she looked unsure. “To be perfectly honest… It’s been so long since I had an orgasm through oral sex, I can’t remember.”

He frowned. “I thought your last boyfriend was back in February?”

“Yeah. I can’t stress how crap he was in bed.”

“Jeez Louise, I’m beginning to get that.”

“He didn’t like giving oral sex.”

Annoyance bubbled through him. What kind of wanker wouldn’t want to go down on the beautiful Mia? “Fucking hell. Sorry. But what an idiot.”

“Yeah. We weren’t together long.”

“Really? Shocking.”

She giggled. “So I’ll have to wait to make my decision.”

“Sure thing. You can give me an answer at the end of the evening.” He kept his gaze on the cards for a moment before mischievously raising his eyes to hers. “What?”

She smiled, eyes sparkling, but just gestured to his cards. “Go on, then.”

He played the queen of clubs.

She laid the five of hearts on top of it.

“For God’s sake.” He glared with frustration.

“Shirt,” she said.

He unbuttoned it and slid it off, then lay back and picked up his cards, pretending not to notice her staring.

“Holy fuck, Colm. That’s some upper body you’ve got there.”

He chuckled. “Thank you, sweetheart. What’s your question?”

“I’m sorry, I think I’ve forgotten how to speak.” She mimed putting her eyes back in her head. “Okay, a question.” She retrieved her glass and had a swallow of wine as she thought about it, still staring at his chest. “Most interesting place you’ve ever had sex.”

“Another easy one. The computer desk in the staff room.”

For the first time she looked genuinely shocked. “What!”

He burst out laughing. “You are so easy to wind up. Christ, Mia, I’m kidding. Who the hell would I want to get off with at work apart from you?”

She gathered her wits quickly, her glare letting him know he was in trouble. “Oh I don’t know, I think the year-seven dean has her eye on you.”

He gave her an exasperated look. The year-seven dean was about a hundred and eighty and scared him witless.

“You haven’t given me a proper answer,” she said.

“Dublin Park at two in the morning.”

“Seriously?”

“I was seventeen. It was pretty cold. Ergo I was pretty unimpressive.”

She laughed, examined her cards and laid down the eight of spades.

He put the nine on top and grinned. “T-shirt.”

“You don’t get to choose the item.” She hooked her fingers in her panties and wriggled them off, but because the T-shirt was long, she was able to pull the front down so he couldn’t see anything, even when she sat cross-legged before him again.

“That’s cheating,” he complained.

“Whatever. What’s your question?”

They had two cards left each. His heart rate was beginning to speed up at the thought of what would happen once they played the last trick. He wanted her, wanted to cover her in kisses and wipe away the memory of the idiot who she’d slept with last time. He wanted to pleasure her and find pleasure in her, to bury himself in her and make her sigh and come apart beneath him.

One step at a time, though
. She was enjoying herself, and he wanted to prolong the fun and make the night as memorable as possible.

He thought about a question.

“Come on,” she said. “Shock me.”

He smiled wryly. “Why do you want to be shocked so much?”

“I don’t know. You’re so polite. I’m tempted to see how far I can push you and how naughty you can be.”

He finished off his glass of wine. In spite of his earlier words, he wasn’t drunk, but things were starting to get a bit hazy. “I’m a gentleman. I don’t like to embarrass a lady.”

“I’m no lady.”

“I’m beginning to realise that.”

She giggled. “Come on, Colm the sexy Celt. Shock me.” Her eyes sparkled. She was tipsy, he thought. What fun.

Naughtiness surged through him. “Okay. Let’s say I’m going to fuck you from behind. On your knees or lying down?”

To his delight, she gave a little gasp and inhaled sharply. “Colm!”

“You did ask.”

“I did. I didn’t expect you to go along with it.”

“Well, now I’m embarrassed.”

She laughed and, to his surprise, leaned forward and pressed her lips against his briefly. “There,” she said, pulling back. “As a reward.”

His heart pounded but he tried to act nonchalant. “I’m definitely going to be naughty more often.”

“Ooh, promises, promises.” She gestured at his cards. “Your turn.”

“You haven’t answered me yet.”

She bit her lip, eyes dancing. “Ooh. Umm… I like both. Depends what mood I’m in. But…lying down, I think. I like…the weight on top of me.” Her eyes glassed over as if she were imagining him on top of her, pressing her down.

His vision went similarly bleary at the thought of pinning her hands above her head, pushing apart her legs and sliding into her from behind. Wow. They had to finish this game before he seriously embarrassed himself before he’d even got his hands on her.

He laid down the six of spades.

She trumped it with the seven of hearts.

“Ha,” she said. “Pants.”

He hesitated. For the first time he felt a twinge of embarrassment. He had an erection the like of which he hadn’t had for some time, and it was going to be completely obvious when he undressed.

He sighed as she sat up eagerly. What the hell. It was pointless to hide it considering what he was hoping to do with it before the end of the evening.

He pushed himself off the bed and unbuttoned his pants the same way she had, with a similar sexy wiggle. Then he lifted them over his erection and let them drop to the floor.

“Whoa.” She looked suitably impressed.

“Thank you.” He got on the bed and lay back, trying not to feel self-conscious at the bulge in his boxers. He picked up his cards. “It’s rude to stare, by the way.”

“I really don’t care. That’s an extremely impressive hard-on.”

“Mia…”

She giggled and held up her last card. So did he, and they revealed them at the same time.

Hers was the nine of hearts.

His was the ace.

She rolled her eyes. “Typical. You had that up your sleeve?”

“I’m not wearing a shirt,” he pointed out, adding triumphantly, “Top off.”

She met his gaze, smiling wryly. He flicked his fingers, indicating for her to hand him the item.

She grasped the hem, pulled it over her head and dropped it to the floor behind her.

Colm’s eyes widened, but he kept his gaze fixed on hers. She sat before him, starting to giggle as he blinked but refused to look down.

“I’m naked,” she announced.

“I’m aware of that.”

“Aren’t you going to look?”

“Um…”

“Colm, seriously. I’m sitting here with my tits out and you’re looking at my face. What’s wrong with you?”

“If I look,” he said, somewhat helplessly, “there’s no going back.”

“God, I hope not.” She pointed at her breasts and winked.

He sighed. And lowered his gaze.

They were perfect. The nipples were a dusky pink and looked soft, begging for his mouth to cover them. Her skin had the remnants of a summer tan. At the top of her thighs, the triangle of curly hair was light brown.

“Holy fuck,” he said. “You’re amazing. I swear I haven’t had an erection this hard for years.”

She laughed and threw the cards on the floor, then lay back on the bed with her arms above her head, smiling up at him. He grinned and stretched out beside her, propping his head on a hand, their bodies not quite touching. She let his gaze roam over her, seemingly enjoying his admiration.

“You like what you see?” she asked, her voice husky.

“Can’t you tell?” He glanced at his boxers.

“I’m naked. You’re not.”

He sat up and shucked his boxers before lying back down. She stared at his erection for a long moment before raising her eyes to his.

She shivered, and he watched with fascination as her nipples tightened.

“Thank you for this evening,” she whispered. “I’ve really enjoyed myself.”

“God, me too.” And it was true. She was such fun. He could play with her all night and not get bored.

Chapter Eleven

Mia lay there for a while, waiting for Colm to touch her. But although he devoured her with a hungry gaze, and his erection could have given the Sky Tower a run for its money in a Biggest Column competition, he didn’t reach out, nor did he kiss her.