The Pleasures of Autumn (13 page)

What would it taste like? She considered slipping to her knees to find out. But Niall had already put a condom on it, and was lifting her up. He pulled her right thigh back into position over his and lifted her. With a surge of his powerful hips, he pushed into her.

‘Ahhh!’ She had never imagined it would feel like this. She was stuffed, stretched, full of Niall. She almost forgot how to breathe. Every rational thought was driven from her head and all she could do was revel in the sensations of him inside her.

He paused for a moment, allowing her to catch her breath. His grey eyes were narrowed in concentration and passion. She could drown in those eyes, lose herself in him.

‘More. Now.’ She had a fleeting thought that for someone who was so literate, her vocabulary had been reduced to monosyllables. She stopped thinking. Niall was moving.

He surged into her, his hips pressing her against the cold tiles while his rock-hard cock filled her with enough heat to run a power station. Every movement sent electricity along her nerve endings. She could hear herself gasping and making silly noises, and she didn’t care.

He moved again, thrusting in boldly, pulling back reluctantly. She lifted her other thigh, letting him take her full weight, so that she could tighten her legs around him and urge him on. Her heels dug into his buttocks, as demanding as if he were her stallion to command.

He grunted and picked up the pace, going faster, causing her to burn from the inside out. Hot water beating down added to the maelstrom of sensation. Could those breathless gasps of pleasure really be hers? She shuddered, torn between wanting this to go on forever and needing him to speed up now, now, now.

As if he read her mind, he gripped her hips tighter and thrust harder and faster.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face against him, licking and biting at the skin of his neck and throat, wanting to devour him. She had forgotten how to speak, or how to breathe, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was Niall and the things he was doing to her. He moved faster.

Her insides tightened like a spring coiled too tightly. Her core contracted, squeezed to the point of pain, but it
was a pain she wanted to last forever. She dug her heels in more strongly and raked her nails on his upper back.

He grunted and plunged more deeply into her, touching something that she hadn’t known was there, and she shattered into a million tiny pieces. Sinead screamed as she exploded in his arms, trusting him to make sure that she survived.

She was still shivering in the aftermath when he followed her with a roar. She had time for a tiny thought about whether they had neighbours, but then all rational thought disappeared. He was plunging wildly and shuddering.

And holding her as if he would never let her go.

Dazed, she continued to cling on to him, not caring that the water was cooling. Her skin was still on fire from his touch. Each nerve ending jangled for long seconds before easing away and leaving her in a boneless, languid aftermath.

She couldn’t have moved if her life depended on it. So this was what it felt like. This was what all the fuss was about. This was sex.

Niall pulled away from her reluctantly. She was wrapped around him and he found, to his amazement, that he didn’t want her to let go. But he was all too aware that the water was cooling and he had to deal with the condom. For one crazy moment, he wished he didn’t need one.

He had to look after Sinead. She needed him to rescue her, and that was what he did. All his protective instincts roared to the fore.

‘Better now?’ he murmured to the top of her head.

Her arms tightened for a fraction of a second, before gradually releasing their grip on him.

‘Yes, I think so.’

Niall held her while she got her feet under her, and reached out to turn off the water. Five more seconds and it would be running cold.

She was still unsteady on her feet, but Niall couldn’t help a small smug smile. He was responsible for her quivering. He was prepared to bet a lot of money that she wasn’t thinking about her abduction any longer.

He wrapped her in a big fluffy towel and mopped the water from her hair.

This was the first time he’d had a chance to examine the thick mane, and it fascinated him. ‘Why do you keep this hidden?’ he demanded. ‘You should leave it loose.’
Under the bathroom lights, it was a dark red, thick and waist length. When it was dry, it would be pure titian.

‘Are you mad?’ She had been standing docile under his ministrations, but now she turned to glare at him. ‘I have a mop of ginger curls. At best I’m like Little Orphan Annie’s big sister. Most of the time I look like the punch line of the joke about gingers having sex in a spring factory.’

She pulled away from him and braided her damp hair into a neat plait that concealed its vibrant colour. She did this without looking in the mirror and the tighter the braid got, the more quickly she returned to her starched and prickly self.

He watched with regret. While he was glad to see her recovering from her shock, he missed the passionate woman who had demanded that he fuck her. At the memory of her words, his cock twitched again.

He backed away. ‘I’ll go and put on dry clothes and organize some food. There’s a robe hanging on the back of the door that you can use.’

He rubbed his hair dry and dropped his wet clothes in the laundry basket on his way to the kitchen to see if there was anything edible. Alison usually left something in the freezer for him, in case he dropped in.

‘God bless you, my darling sister,’ he said under his breath. Two steaks, frozen frites and petit pois in the freezer, and milk and coffee in the fridge. UHT, but it would do.

He put the steaks and frites on to cook while he pulled on some dry clothes.

Sinead’s clothes lay on the floor, filthy and blood stained.
He battled the rage that the sight of that blood aroused in him. He needed to stay in control of himself. Would it be worth sending them for forensic analysis? Hardly. Any DNA on them was likely to be too contaminated to be useful.

He threw them into the washing machine.

By the time Sinead came, bathrobe clutched tightly around her, the table was set and the food was ready. She was a little hesitant. He had no idea why. Surely after that amazing encounter in the shower, she should be at ease with him.

‘Hope you’re hungry,’ he said.

‘Starving.’

‘Good. I love a woman with a good appetite.’ He put a steak down in front of her. If he said it himself, he could cook steak well. It was char-grilled to perfection. A dark criss-cross pattern was seared into the surface and a tiny drop of red oozed from the meat where he had tested to see if it was cooked. The peas nestled in beside it, and the frites perfumed the kitchen.

Niall took his place opposite her. ‘Eat up.’

She took a mouthful, and then another. ‘I don’t usually eat red meat. It’s not good for you.’

He snorted. ‘I think you can handle it tonight.’

She didn’t speak again until the steak was almost gone. For someone who claimed not to like red meat, she ate with gusto. It wasn’t the only thing she did with gusto. He forced himself to stop thinking about that.

Finally she stopped eating for long enough to say, ‘I used some of the toiletries in the bathroom. I hope that’s okay.’

‘Please save me from them. Alison has more stuff than she can use.’

‘Alison?’ Her expression was politely interested, but her voice shook slightly.

‘My sister, I told you. This is her apartment, but she’s on temporary assignment in New York at the moment, with the UN. I suppose you could say that, technically, we’re squatting.’

‘You broke into your sister’s place?’

He laughed. ‘Relax. I have permission. And the security codes.’ He cleared her plate away, waving her back to her seat when she tried to help, and made coffee. But by the time he returned to the dining room with it, Sinead’s head was drooping and her eyes were drifting closed.

Poor girl, she’d had a rough day.

Niall scooped her up in his arms, enjoying the way she fitted against him. He carried her to the bedroom and held her while he pulled back the sheets. Reluctantly, he set her down but she clasped his neck and refused to let go.

He could break her grip in a second, and without hurting her. Niall knew that. But he didn’t want to. It had been a long day for him too. He would rest beside her until she dozed off and he could get up and set the orders in motion to find out what the hell was going on.

He slid into the bed beside her. He would hold her for a little while, until she was asleep. She needed her sleep, poor girl.

Niall was in the middle of planning what he would cook her for breakfast when he fell asleep.

Sinead woke to the sounds of an unfamiliar place. Although she had kicked off the sheets during the night, Niall’s large, warm frame was wrapped around her like a blanket. Her skin tingled deliciously where the stubble of his five o’clock shadow had burnt her. She was sure she would have a mark on her neck where he had nipped her with his teeth. She blushed. He would probably have his own share of marks too. What had come over her?

Their encounter was exactly the kind of sex she had always imagined with him – a rough, passionate taking. Except that she was the one who had demanded it. She couldn’t believe that she had asked him to fuck her. What must he think of her?

Ignoring his sleepy protest, she eased out of his arms, grabbed her robe and went to the bathroom. She risked a look in the mirror. Apart from the bruise on her cheekbone, and the cuts that Niall had tended so gently, there was nothing to show that she had been kidnapped.

She smiled when she noticed the plaster. Lottie had hundreds of costumes designed to seduce a man, everything from thirties vamp to leather corsets, and what was she wearing for her finest hour? A bunny plaster!

Sinead nibbled her lower lip. She didn’t know a thing about him. Niall might have a stable of girlfriends. She hadn’t exactly given him a choice when she dragged him into the shower. But she couldn’t forget the heat in his eyes as the rivulets of water ran down his face or the way that his hair had escaped its binding and hung over his shoulders. Through the sodden T-shirt, each muscle of his abdomen had been clearly defined. Niall had looked like one of her secret fantasies come to life.

The ache between her thighs told her that this was no fantasy. None of her previous encounters could match this. They were like clumsy boys in comparison. She closed her eyes and ran her fingertips over her skin, imagining that it was his hands. When had she developed this sudden and voracious hunger for Vikings?

A brisk tap on the door jerked her back to the present. ‘Sinead, are you okay?’

‘Fine.’ She ran her fingers through her hair and opened the door.

‘Just checking.’ Niall brushed his index finger against the bruise on her cheekbone and his mouth hardened. ‘I have some arnica. I should have used it last night. It will help the bruises heal more quickly.’

She submitted to his gentle ministrations, unsure what else to do. Had the previous night been no more than an adrenalin-fuelled reaction to the kidnapping? She had initiated what happened between them. Maybe he regretted it already …

His swift possessive kiss silenced her doubts. ‘Come back to bed. I want you.’

Niall took her hand and led her back to the bedroom. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her between his outstretched thighs. Tugging on the belt of her robe, he eased it off her shoulders, letting it drop to the floor.

‘You’re beautiful,’ he said as he palmed one breast, plucking the nipple between his fingers until it peaked.

Sinead gasped as a dart of heat flared in her abdomen.

He bent his head and took the other nipple in his mouth, suckling gently at first and then harder until she squirmed. Oh, that felt so good. She ran her fingers
through his hair, letting the strands curl between her fingers as a flood of sensations washed over her. He nuzzled between her breasts before latching on to the other one.

His warm tongue lapped against the hardened bud until it became too much and she tried to pull away.

Niall’s arm clamped around her waist like a vice and he continued to torture her until she was breathless. He raised his head, a wicked grin curving his mouth. ‘Sensitive there, aren’t you?’

‘Very.’ She wriggled again and was rewarded with a tap on her buttocks. Not a slap exactly, but a firm reminder that he was very much in charge.

‘Where else are you sensitive? I wouldn’t want any complaints.’

‘From my other sensitive bits, you mean? I think that –’

Hooking an arm around her waist, he lay back on the bed, pulling her on top of him. He angled her head to his satisfaction and plundered her mouth with his lips and tongue until she was breathless.

The hard ridge along her abdomen created a delicious friction against her clit. Undulating like a cat, she rubbed against his shaft, seeking more pressure. His tongue thrust against hers as his kisses became more forceful. Sinead moaned into his mouth, ‘Please.’

His rumble of laughter held a dark edge. ‘The condoms are in the drawer in the bedside table.’

She wriggled away from his searching hands and tugged the drawer open, pouncing on the box. Straddling him, she opened one foil wrapper.

His cock was long and thickly engorged; a vein ran
down the underside and a small pearl of pre-cum shimmered at the tip. She licked her lips. ‘Maybe I should –’

‘Sinead.’ Her name was an agonized rasp and she felt a warm rush of pleasure. So much strength and hard muscle, and yet Niall was helpless. What would it be like to see him lose control? Condom forgotten, she cupped his balls with her palm and licked his shaft from root to tip, flicking her tongue lightly against the head.

He fisted the sheet, holding on desperately. He said something, but all she heard was a low growl of agony. She ignored his strangled plea, focusing her attention on taking the crown into her mouth, swirling her tongue against the slit, tasting his musky flavour. She wanted to experience everything with him.

He sat up, startling her, and she pulled away. Heat radiated from his stare. She had pushed too far. With a show of strength that made her gasp, Niall lifted her and threw her onto the bed. Sheathing his cock swiftly with the dropped condom, he followed her down.

Insinuating himself between her thighs, he gave her a heavy-lidded glance before pumping one broad finger into her core, stroking her aching wetness. A second finger followed, preparing her. Withdrawing his fingers, he licked them, never taking his eyes from her face.

Raising her hips in wanton invitation, she writhed under his intent gaze until, with a groan, he plunged inside her. The size of him was startling and her muscles stretched to accommodate him. Without warning, he withdrew almost to the tip before driving into her again. Sinead gasped. Caged by his arms, she clung on, breathless at each invading thrust, revelling in his brutal
possession. She wrapped her legs around his hips and dug her heels into his buttocks, urging him on. She nipped at his neck, tiny biting kisses, licking the marks she had made the night before. Each stroke found a home deep inside her. She clamped her muscles around him, pleasure spiralling low in her abdomen, fanning out in waves, touching every nerve ending. His name became a breathless entreaty, begging him not to stop.

Her orgasm caught her like a tidal wave, obliterating all rational thought, sending her senses reeling. Dazed, she clung onto him. His thrusts increased in momentum. Eyes clamped shut, his jaw clenched hard as he fought his own battle for control. A second wave of pleasure followed rapidly and he drove his shaft home for the final time. Afterwards he lay shuddering in her arms. His laboured breathing mingled with hers until he slowly came to his senses.

He raised himself and the sudden withdrawal from her body made her gasp. ‘Jesus, Sinead. Did I hurt you?’

She reached for him, but he moved away, rolling onto his back and dragging her into his arms. Beneath her ear, she heard the racing thud of his heart return to normal. ‘I’m sorry. I should have been more careful. I’m too rough and I –’

She grasped one of his nipples between her fingers and pinched hard.