The O'Malley Brides (5 page)

“Why?”
Rory
asked, spinning her around easily.  She was no less trapped, but he could look in
to her flashing dark eyes.

Tess huffed and attempted to put her little hat back in place.  “I am trying to dull the pain in my ass.  In fact
,
I am trying to get rid of two pains in my ass.  You and the one you caused.  Now please let me go so that I may continue with my plan.”

Rory threw his head back and laughed. 
 
“I don’t think so
,
Sweetheart,” he told her smiling, apparently no long
er
concerned with being overheard.  “One you earned and the other may never let you go.  Come dance with me before I forget this is a public place and carry you right out of here.”

“Who made you my boss?” Tess asked sharply as Rory released all but her arm and started pulling her towards the dance floor.

“I found you
,”
he told her firmly.  Stopping he
turned her to face him and tipped her head back with a finger under her chin.  The look in his eyes was deadly serious and Tess’s jaw dropped when he continued.  “
Sleeping on a park bench with no
one to care for you, or keep you safe.  Anything could have happened to you, and I did give you three chances to straig
hten up.  Even sleeping in that
dilapidated
tin box you generously call a
car would have been preferable to that exp
osed bench.  But did you listen?
No.  It was obvious to me that someone had better give you a hand, in more ways than one.  You needed me,” he whispered as his big hand cupped the side of her face softly, their dark heads touching as he bent over her.  “And it seems I need you too,” he sighed.
 
“Besides, you know what they say
?”

“No, what do they say?” Tess asked breathlessly, unable to tear her eyes away from his gaze.  The damn man was mesmerizing.

“
Finders
,
keepers
.”

Tess’s heart was thumping well out of beat with the slow melody the band was playing as Rory took her into his arms and began to
glide across the dance floor. 

The rest of the reception flew by.  There was much dancing and laughter and many kisses, which Tess has come
to expect whenever the O’Malley
s got together. 
Caitlin, Lilly
,
and Rose snuck flowers from every centerpiece and wove them into
necklaces, wearing them proudly.
Children ran around giggling and squealing in delight and Tess managed to sneak off to the bar several more times in the confusion. 
Everything finally came to an end when Nick marched into
a group of chattering females and
scooped his bride into his arms
.

“I believe it’s time to claim my bride,” he told the women with a grin
and carried her out of the hall.

Cheers and good wishes followed them out and Tess flopped into a chair, exhausted and slightly drunk.  Within minutes there were only a few family members left.  Mason had taken Rebecca home long ago against her wishes, but home they had gone.  Patrick and Molly were helping Colleen and Noah get the
tired
child
ren herded out to their vehicle
.  Tess rested her chin on her hand and closed her eyes. 

Rory found her there, sitting with her shoes off and her little hat hanging off one side of her head.  Grinning
,
he cleared
his throat roughly and one eye
peeped open to stare at him tiredly.

“What do you want?” she inquired stiffly.

“Time to go home,” he informed her.

“I will not go home with you.  I can find my own way,” she told him
defiantly, closing her eye as if she expected him to disappear just on her say so
.

“You’re drunk,”
Rory
informed
her
,
smiling
.

Tess thought for a moment.  Slowly her dark eyes opened and she looked around at the staff beginning to clean up.

“So?” she questioned, not seeing the point in denying it.

“So, I’m not leaving you here to fi
nd your own way home.  Damn Babe,
you would try the patience of a saint.”

“You are not a saint, Rory O’Malley.”

“Exactly,” he told her
,
grinning as
he put one of her shoes in each of his pockets,
picked her up in his arms, snagged her purse and carried her out of the room.

Tess sighed and
laid
her head on his chest. 
Mm
, this is nice she thought, forgetting for a moment why she was angry with him. 
When Rory opened the door of his truck and almost tossed her into the
passenger
seat, it all came back to her.  Her bottom was still sore and the stiff crinoline ha
dn’t gotten any softer. 
Tess
groaned and crossed
her arms over her chest as Rory buckled her seatbelt. 

Laughing, Rory got into the truck and they headed to his mother’s house.

Chapter 3

Tess woke to sunlight streaming in her window and a firm rapping on her door.  Pushing the hair out of her eyes she struggled to untangle her limbs from her twisted covers.  Sleeping on h
er stomach was normal for her, t
hank God
, and
she waited for the pain when she rolled
over.  Tess sighed in relief
.  T
he pain
was much less than yesterday
.
She
scooted
up to the headboard and called, “Come in.”

Rory entered, looking disgustingly handsome in his faded jeans and tight
tee shirt
.  His hand was wrapped around a mug which he handed carefully to Tess.

“
Peace
offering,” he stated simply, taking in her surprised expression and
sitting on the side of her bed.

“Thank you.  Are you apologizing?” Tess asked before sipping her coffee.  Maybe she would forgive him if he sounded sincere.

“For…?”

Tess took a big sip of coffee, which prevented her from having to answer, but she glared at him over the cup.

“For spanking you?  Hell no,” Rory laughed, his blue eyes watching in fascination as the blush spread to her chest.  “You deserved that and I enjoyed giving it to you. 
Next time you won’t be so quick to ignore my wishes.”

Tess growled and reached to set her cup on the nightstand before she threw it at him.  Rory deftly took it from her with one hand while the other pushed her back down on the bed.

“Speaking of spankings, how are you today?  No lasting damage I hope
,
although I
would be disappointed if I thought
I hadn’t done a good job. 
Turnover
and let me see.”

Tess batted his hands away and tried to scoot to the far corner of the bed.  Rory being Rory simply pulled her back and flipped her over so quickly her squeal was smothered before it really got started.

Sliding his hand under her nightshirt, he
smiled
:
no panties. 
While still slightly pink, there was no bruising and no swelling.  His large hand cupped one lovely cheek and then the other, squeezing gently and then patting.  A little warmth remained but nothing that would be a problem for her today.

Tess screamed into the bedclothes and kicked her feet frantically, but the hand on the small of her back prevented her from doing any real damage.
Her display of temper however earned her a brisk smack on her recovering bottom and she froze in panic.

“Go
od idea,” Rory said approvingly
as he released her.  “Let’s try to ke
ep
the drama to a minimum today,
it's
Sunday,” he continued smiling.  “Now come over here and give me a
kiss good m
orning.”

Tess
shot to her knees the second he released her and hovered on the far side of the bed, holding the covers in front of her.  “Are you loco?  I would not kiss you now if…”

“Come here,”
Rory
insisted and
snagged her effortlessly.  One of his long arms around her waist was all he needed to pull her to him
.  Cradled in his arm
, Tess offered no further
resistance as his blue angel eyes met hers and he lowered his head.  Warm firm lips captured hers and he proceeded to kiss her senseless. 

Tess was falling, melting as strong arms held her motionless while he drew her farther from reality.  His hand on her cheek
immobilized
her head as he took her mouth again and again.  It became impossible to think, impossible to reject him.  Her blood pounded in her ears and his
tongue
slipped between her gasping lips and scoured her mouth.  He slipped a huge hand under her nightshirt and gently cupped her firm breast, tweaking her nipple as she moaned in helpless wonder. 
The long arm he had supporting her slid lower and he grasped her entire bottom in one hand almost lifting her up for ravishing.  His lips were busy kissing her along her jaw, her eyelids, her cheek and her panting mouth.  Moving to
her neck
,
he sucked and bit
her gently as she quivered in his arms.  When his hand drifted from her breast across her stomach, Tess had a fleeting thought to stop him, but
he whispered
hotly
in
her ear and it was gone.

“
Shhh
Babe
, relax, let me touch you.  You’re so beautiful,” he breathed as his hand slid lower, parting her outer lips.  Immediately he was bathed in her hot wet honey and he moved gently lower, caressing her clit on his way to her entrance.

“Oh Babe
,
” he moaned into her mouth.  “That’s wonderful.  I love how you respond to me.  I kn
ew you would be sweet and hot and slippery.  I don’t know how I’ve kept myself from touching you
for
this long.”

Rory entered her with his middle finger, stretching her gently and pulling out more cream.  Her face
was flushed, her eyes glazed as
he alternated between circling her clit and plunging into her snug sheath.  Hooking his finger
,
he rubbed the rough spot inside her, enchanted with her shivering response.  She was a feast for his sense
s
and he savored every second of it.  Before long she was pleading.

“Please, please, please,” with each thrust of his finger, her hands gripping his shirt.

“Of course Babe
, I’ll never leave you like this.  Let me take care of you, in every way,” he answered even though he doubted she could hear him.  Kissing her wildly he
upped the
ante
, circling her clit and thrusting until she screamed into his mouth and flew apart in his arms.  Her contractions around
his thick finger were incredibly
strong and he continued to thrust until they began to melt away.

Tess shivered and looked at him accusingly and Rory s
ettled his finger over her,
rubbing gently until she lost all control and spas
med
again in his arms. 

After kissing her softly,
Rory
pulled back and raised one eyebrow as she again met his eyes in acute
embarrassment
.  Keeping
his finger deep within her he m
et her gaze until she blushed
fiercely
, and lowered hers
eyes
in submission. 
Satisfied, Rory removed his finger and gently
laid
her back on the bed.  Leaning over her
,
he s
oothed her with gentle
kisses.  As hard and aching as he was
,
he could see Tess shaking in reaction and
he
focused on her. 
Rubbing her arms
,
he kissed away the tears leaking out of her wide eyes. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, con
cerned with her silence. 
Although
he’d thought about this for the last few months on a daily basis,
it occurred
to him now
that
Tess was probably shocked.  Moron, he thought.  While he wanted her submission and it was imperative she knew that from the start, he did not want her to
fear him; a
fine line to walk.