Alone (7 page)

“Of course.”

“Can you sustain yourself off just me like we do now?”

He smiled widely, his eyes sparkling as he caught on. “Yes, you are a feast all on your own.”

“Good. No one else, Conall. And I better be the only woman you touch or that’s the last time you’re in my bed in
any
way. I don’t share.”

“You can’t touch any other women then either,” he teased.

“Deal,” I chuckled, tightening my muscles around him. He moaned and thrust into me hard as he bit me harder. I seemed to like that because I screamed until I went hoarse. He fucked me with such passion and need I ended up coming five times before he finished once.

But he was far from done.

Next he flipped me over and folded my legs under me, his knees on either side of me as he pounded into me so good my skin tingled from the contact. He moved his hands to the wall and let his hips and thighs do all the work as I lay there and took every blissful second of it.

“Spread yourself enough so you can touch yourself and me as I take you,” he growled. I moaned, loving that he was taking charge in
here
like
this
. I could use
some
of that when we were intimate. Now and again. After a thousand years living, he would definitely have more experience than me.

I did what he wanted, my eyes just about rolling back into my head at the enjoyment of it. I had multiple orgasms before my body was too spent to go on. He got the idea and let himself go, roared like an animal as he finished deep inside me.

He slid out of me and fell onto the bed before pulling me against him. “Too much? Overbearing again?”

“No,” I giggled, curling up against him. “No, not at
all
. I like a little of that in here. Not all the time, sometimes I’ll be the overbearing one giving the orders.”

“I more than welcome that, my lovely Nina,” he groaned as he pulled the sheets over us. “I very much look forward to that. Would you want me to find opportunities for you to wear that hat?”

I wasn’t sure what he meant, but the idea sure intrigued me. “By all means.”

It was around dinner time that things got awkward for me. We’d messed around all day, napped, snacked, and not really
talked
about much. Now I was a little too overextended sexually, and ready for some real rest, a real meal, and real answers.

“There is something wet, warm, and all Nina that I am dying to eat between thighs,” he purred as he circled his arms from behind me as I stood in front of the fridge.

I shivered, melting at the innuendo since I’d already found out what the man could do with his mouth and between my legs. I’d also learned I was quite the bite whore there as well. But like I’d said, I was getting antsy.

“Maybe after we feed the human real food,” I muttered, pulling away.

“Nina, I cannot do things differently with you, with us this time around, if you do not as well,” he hedged, sensing my change in mood. “Please talk to me. Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no, you didn’t,” I whispered, shaking my head as tears filled my eyes. I pulled out some burgers to defrost and grill now that I saw the rain had stopped. “I don’t know what I’m feeling. I think I just need a time-out and to catch my breath. I’m sorry. I know that’s not fair, but I do. This is too much again. We went from—” I bit back a sob as my shoulders shook, dropping the frozen meat on the counter.

“Oh, lovely.” Conall turned me around and hugged me tightly, rubbing my back slowly until I stopped shaking. “There is something you want to say but you’re too scared to say it. I will not fall back into my ways of not listening to you, I swear it to you. Please, tell me.”

“I need proof of that I think,” I admitted as I pulled away, staring up at him as he wiped my tears. “I don’t want you to stay here tonight or for a while. Can we go slower this time? No immediately moving in and taking over? I need baby steps, Conall, especially after you just fucked me all day. Maybe we shouldn’t have done that already but maybe we needed it. I don’t know, but you’re right that I’m scared. I don’t know if this is all backwards, and I’m sorry if this hurts you but—”

He kissed me as his fingers wrapped in my hair, his hips pressing mine back against the counter, and his mouth quieting me until I was breathless. Then he slowly pulled away, finding the most effective way to calm me down
ever
in the recorded history of Nina freak-outs.

“You have granted me the greatest gift
ever
by allowing me another chance to be in your life. Whatever you need, whatever terms you set, steps I have to take to win your trust, prove myself to you, or make you feel safe, I will gladly do a hundred times over, Nina. Please do not doubt that or worry about me. We have all the time in the world for me to win you back if you let me. All I want is that chance. I can be patient. Tell me what you need, lovely.”

“Okay,” I breathed, letting my head fall to his chest as my shoulders relaxed. I thought about it a moment before answering. “Take your car tonight and fill it with enough of your stuff to get by and go to a hotel. Find
my
car tomorrow or I guess Monday if you have to wait until then, get it fixed like I asked and bring it to dinner. Just come to dinner and stay for a while before you go back to your hotel for the night.”

“So I am welcome here for dinner dates?”

I bobbed that one in my head for a moment. “Yeah. And TV. Maybe other stuff. We could finally go out too. Whatever. Just not all day, all night here, like you live here. Slower.
Normal
.”

“Is this a Friday and Saturday date night thing?” he hedged.

I turned my head so my chin was on his chest and smiled up at him. “After sex like that? No way. I’d never last that long in between. Every night is fine unless we have something come up. I don’t know. It’s not a set schedule. We can play it by ear. I think the kids call it
dating
.”

“So you would be my woman.”

“I would be,” I chuckled, finding his antiquated thinking endearing for once.

“I like this idea,” he growled, lifting me up and sitting me on the counter.

Apparently the best way to defrost tin-foiled wrapped meat was under my ass during sex. Made me raise my hips higher and faster, that was for sure. Every time my butt hit the ice cold foil, I practically popped back up, which Conall
clearly
knew from the wide smirk on his face.

Brat. But on the bright side, he was adventurous and a little weird. Then again, he bit me and drank my blood on a regular basis. What was a little wrapped frozen hamburger under me?

Life was never boring.

* * * *

Conall texted me a few times throughout the day, nothing too much or overbearing—cute really. Once to ask what time he could come for dinner and how was my day. Then what did I want for dinner. The last time he updated me on my car, when the repairs would be done, and that he was keeping the sports car he’d bought me since it was his style.

I laughed and texted him back that he was right.

What is your style of vehicle anyways?
He sent a few minutes later.

I smiled and shook my head.
No way. I’m not stupid. You’d get me one. That’s not a dating gift.

True, but I do owe you some big apologies
.

You fuck like god. Apology accepted.

The mouth on you, Nina. I do love it.

I know. You screamed that several times last night.

You are making me hard at a dealership with lots of people around.

Interesting. Have fun with that!
I shook my head. Of course he was already shopping. I swear he would spoil me whether I wanted it or not. At least he really had to get to know me this time around first.

May I at least have a hint please?

I thought about that a few minutes and then threw back my head, laughing. Okay, I could play this game.
Animal. Half round.
My jaw fell open when the reply came seconds later.

Dodge Ram Hemi.

Jesus, you’re good.

You know it, lovely
.
What color?

If you don’t know my favorite color or what color my dream truck would be yet, Conall, you don’t know me well enough to buy me one and not pick right. Besides, it wouldn’t be on the lot. We’re so playing board games though. Love those.

Deal. I will bring one of
those
over, and for every game I win, you will give me a detail of your dream truck. I will also bring brochures. Call it my ultimate apology and thank you for another chance gift. Please, Nina?

I glanced out the window, picturing my dream truck in my driveway. Fine, I admit it, I let myself be spoiled.
Deal.

Then I returned to reality and went back to work, smiling like a goofball the whole time.

The next thing I knew, my alarm was going off at four pm, and I hurried to save everything I was working on. I raced to the shower, shaving as fast, but safely, as I could—
all
over—washed, conditioned my hair, yadda, yadda, yadda. All that get pretty for a date shit. The main problem was the hair. I had a lot of it. And by a lot I meant it took over half an hour to dry it with a blow dryer. Yeah,
literally,
and I couldn’t blow dry it all in one shot on high and hot or it poofed out like a fro on crack, heroin, and meth.

So it was warm and medium while I balanced putting on my eye makeup, brushing my teeth, and getting dressed in between. Then I burnt myself twice using this great invention curling thing. Basically you stuck parts of your hair into it, it sucked it in, beeped for ten seconds, you opened it up, and
voila
perfect curls. It was
awesome
. I was not. I was all thumbs and I hadn’t been on a date in three years, so yeah, slightly out of practice.

Honestly, I was lucky I only burned myself twice.

And I had not worn a push up bra in
forever
because I had gotten too fat to fit in any of mine. Now I’d lost too much weight so they were all a bit big on me. I wanted to bang my head against the wall.

Oh, and all my sexy underwear fell off me. Honestly, I was okay with that. I hated panties. Luckily, I had a skirt that Old Navy had sent me the wrong size of and I had never returned tucked in the back of my dresser and I decided commando was just fine with me. And I found some halter top clubbing shirt someone had gotten for me as a joke for a conference in New Orleans, shoved my girls up, tied that bitch up around my neck, and went with it.

Somehow, by
some
miracle, I was ready by five when the doorbell rang. I clutched the handrail as I walked down the stairs realizing it had been probably two years since I’d worn heels like this, thanking my lucky stars we weren’t going anywhere and already missing my sneakers.

I opened the door and smiled at Conall. “Hi.”

“Heavenly mother of—” he breathed as he dropped the flowers in his hand. I couldn’t help it, I burst out laughing.

“Okay then. Good to know I normally look so hideous,” I drawled, turning around and carefully heading back up the stairs.

“No, no, not at all,” he blubbered as he followed after me, closing the door behind him. “It’s just, you look breathtaking, and I didn’t think you were dressing up for me.”

“We did say this was a date.” I shrugged as I reached into the fridge and pulled out the wine I’d put in there earlier to chill. I’d picked a strawberry one I liked since he’d decided to bring over take-out from an Omaha treasured steak house. I know, that was more a red wine meal, but real red wine gave me migraines. That was as close as I got. “A woman dresses up for her first date with a man. I was excited.”

“As am I.” He cleared his throat and set down the bags. “I’m glad you are. You look amazing.”

“Thanks. I have this or I put those ciders in the fridge we like.”

“Whichever. I think cider with steak might be better.”

“Okay.” Now I cleared my throat, nervous as could be as I switched out what was in my hand. As I turned and closed the fridge again, Conall was right in front of me.

“Do I have to wait until the end of the date for my kiss?” he murmured as his body moved closer. I shook my head, and he slid his hands around my waist, resting them on my ass as his lips found mine before moving them up my body and stopping when they were in my hair. The kiss was
mind-blowing
, so good I almost dropped the cider bottles. “You’re not wearing undergarments. My
god
, woman. How do you seem to know all my proclivities?”

“Lucky guess,” I purred, smirking to myself. Sure, we could say that was how I ended up not wearing anything under my clothes. Yes, I would swear to that under oath if it ever came up later.

“Dinner can wait,” he murmured as he kissed along my neck.

“Actually, I’m starving,” I hedged as I pulled away. “I forgot to eat lunch and steak doesn’t reheat well. We’re having a real date, remember?”