Catch Your Breath (24 page)

Using his hands, he brought her to the brink of orgasm again and managed to hold her
there. Her mind swirled out of control and her body moved instinctively to find release.
Jimmy, however, continued to toy with her.

Finally, she croaked out, “Jimmy, I can’t.”

“You can and will.”

She closed her eyes and grasped at what little sanity she had left. That’s when she
heard the condom wrapper. Finally.

She waited for the glorious pressure of his body pushing her into the mattress, sinking
into her. But it didn’t happen. He’d pulled away again and massaged her thighs, his
thumbs working their way up. He touched her, caressed her, but didn’t enter or touch
her clit. She thrust her hips up, but he used his forearms to hold her down.

Then his sweat-slicked body was on top and gliding into her. One long, strong stroke
and he buried himself. The shock startled her and her intake of breath was sharp.

His gentle, slow motions disappeared and he hammered into her at a frantic pace, but
the collision of their bodies was needy and fulfilling. She bucked up to meet his
thrusts, planting her feet flat on the bed beside his hips. Her fingers dug into his
shoulders.

He thrust his hands under her shoulders and pulled her entire body to him. The bed
shook and slid into the wall. Their faces were barely an inch apart, their breath
mingling, sweat dripping, flesh slapping.

The ache in her was gone, replaced by a tight coil of nerves, and when Jimmy shifted,
the orgasm ripped through her. She climbed onto him, wrapping her arms and legs around
his body, every muscle strained, riding the wave of the orgasm. Jimmy released a guttural
groan and went rigid.

Moira didn’t know what happened, but she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see, couldn’t
swallow. Somewhere in the recesses of her brain, she registered that Jimmy had slowed
his pumping to a final few jerks of his hips, but she couldn’t feel her limbs. She
told herself to move, respond, but her body wouldn’t listen.

“Holy fuck,” Jimmy said. He lifted off her body.

Her arms and legs slid away from him, totally useless. Her brain finally came back
online as he rolled to the side. With him gone, she became cold, but her body was
too exhausted to even shiver. From the corner of her eye, she saw Jimmy’s chest still
heaving. He didn’t say anything, but reached out and held her hand.

She fell in love with him all over again. It was stupid, starry-eyed kid stuff, so
she closed her eyes. She didn’t want him to see. His weight shifted on the bed and
she knew he was getting up. He kissed the back of her hand before letting go.

“You okay?”

She forced a swallow and licked her lips. “Uh-huh.”

Without opening her eyes, she knew he left the room. She felt the absence of his buzzing
energy. Jimmy had imprinted himself all over her. She rubbed her hands over her face
and into her hair. She struggled against heavy muscles to sit up and open her eyes.
Glancing down at her body, she saw no signs of a difference, a change caused by Jimmy,
but she felt it.

He came back into the room and studied her. “What are you thinking?”

Knowing she couldn’t explain what she’d been searching for, she returned to her flirtatious
roots. “I was thinking you asked about things that might be off limits, leaving my
imagination to wander to all sorts of depraved things, but as amazing as that sex
was, it wasn’t kinky.”

He smiled and sat beside her. “I wanted to be up front about expectations. Tonight
was about getting to know your body.”

“What else did you want?”

His face became serious and he kissed her. On her lips he whispered, “Everything.”

The word settled heavily in her brain and in her chest, but she refused to acknowledge
its weight. “Will you spend the night?”

He lowered his eyelids. “I can’t tonight. I have something I need to take care of.”

She tried not to feel disappointed.

“I would, but this can’t wait.”

“Who says
I
can?”

“You’ll have to.” He bent over and pulled on his underwear.

“Can I ask where you’re going and what you have to do?”

“You could, but I won’t answer.”

She shifted away from him, but he caught her wrist. “You need to accept that there
are things I won’t talk about. My job tops that list. I’ll never be accused of oversharing.”

“Fine, but don’t get mad at me when I withhold information too.”

Laughter burst from him again. “You’d explode if you couldn’t share. You don’t know
how to keep your mouth shut.”

She swung her arm to thump his shoulder, but he caught it and held it over her head
as he pushed her back into the mattress. His laugh faded into a sigh as he kissed
her. His lips were still curved in a smile and Moira’s heart floated. As much as she
liked the strong, silent, brooding Jimmy, happy Jimmy was a crap ton of fun.

His free hand trailed down her neck, across her collarbone, and down to her breasts.
“I have plans for these.”

“If you expect me to wait, I suggest you get off me now, or I might be tempted to
use your handcuffs to keep you here.”

He stood, sliding away from her body. “Tease.”

She watched as he stepped into his pants. His muscles bunching and twisting. He pulled
on his shirt and started to button it. “Stop staring at me like I’m dessert.”

“I bet you’re a tasty treat.”

He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Come lock me out before you make me forget
I need to go.”

“Fine.” She stood and pouted, having lost the battle of getting him to stay.

Jimmy stepped into the hall and stopped. “Put on a robe.”

“What? I’m going to lock you out and then I’m going to take a shower. I don’t need
a robe. You’ve seen it all.”

He pointed across the living room. “I prefer for your neighbors not to see it all.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m on the third floor, Jimmy. Unless there’s a giant out there,
no one is seeing anything.”

He still didn’t move, so she gave in and grabbed her robe from behind the door. As
soon as the satiny material kissed her overly sensitive skin, she thought about the
last time Jimmy had seen her in the robe. It was the first time he’d gotten close
to her and she’d been sure he was going to kiss her.

Satisfied she was covered, Jimmy walked toward the door.

“That first night you came here . . .” She followed his footsteps slowly.

Jimmy paused at the door.

“When you wanted me to lock up. Were you going to kiss me?”

His shoulders tensed and she was sure he wouldn’t answer. He turned and grabbed the
belt of her robe, pulling her into him. “Not only did I want to, but I almost did.
It’s a sexy robe. Not to mention having a jar of wax thrown at me was extra hot.”

He gave her a brief kiss and walked out the door. “Lock up.” He knocked once and she
locked it behind him.

In the silence of her apartment, smelling of sex and feeling satisfied, her brain
went back to Jimmy’s statements earlier. What did he mean when he said he wanted everything?
More importantly, could she give it?

J
immy walked to his car and checked the time. If he drove fast, he’d make it before
Liam left work. As much as he didn’t want to, he had to have the conversation that
should’ve taken place before laying a hand on Moira. He drove into downtown and parked
down the street from the restaurant. Before getting out, he checked his reflection
in the rearview mirror. He hoped he looked the same instead of like a guy who just
got laid.

He walked to the lot and found Liam’s car. He waited, growing impatient, when restaurant
employees began filing out the back door. Some gave him a look but they said nothing.
Jimmy heard Liam’s voice before he saw him. Liam said good-byes and headed his way.
When he saw Jimmy, there was a hitch in his step. “What are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you. Want to grab a beer?”

Liam shoved his hands into his pockets and shook his head. He stepped closer.

Jimmy blew out a breath. Liam knew the reason for his visit and now he wanted to make
him squirm. He rubbed at his head and searched for the words. He’d always been honest
with Liam. No reason to change that now. “I slept with Moira.”

Liam jumped, and his fist connected with Jimmy’s jaw before Jimmy saw it coming. The
punch knocked him back a step, but Jimmy regained his balance and put up his arms
in defense. He didn’t want to fight Liam, but he refused to get his ass kicked. Liam
already dropped his fist, so Jimmy rubbed his sore jaw.

“What the fuck, Jimmy? You could have any woman. Why Moira?”

“I don’t know. She does something to me, man. I can’t explain it. I’ve stayed away
from her for a long time, but this case has put her in my path time and again.”

Liam’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean you’ve stayed away?”

“Shit, she caught my attention when she was a teenager. I felt guilty as hell thinking
about her like that. She was a kid.
Your
kid sister. So I steered clear of her.”

“So you’re going to fuck her and then what? You’re going to hurt her and I’ll fuck
you up. Friend or no.”

“She’s more than a fuck, and she’s not a kid anymore, Liam. This was as much her decision
as mine. I have no intention of hurting her.” He leaned against Liam’s car, absorbing
the conversation.

“Rarely do people intend to hurt someone. What do you think is going to happen? She’s
going to walk away from her career to sit around the house waiting for you?”

“I don’t know what’s going to happen. We’re figuring things out. I care about her.”

Liam paced in a tight circle. “Don’t do this.”

“It’s already done. I’m not asking your permission. I was just informing you.” This
conversation headed downhill fast. Who knew it could get worse than his friend leading
with a punch?

“Then there’s nothing left to say. Get off my fucking car.” Liam approached with his
keys in hand.

Jimmy said nothing, but he stepped aside. Liam would be fine once he cooled down.
With any luck, that would happen before Liam rushed off to the other O’Leary boys
to send a mob to his house. He walked back to his car.

With the euphoria of amazing sex subsiding, Jimmy could think, but he didn’t like
where the thoughts headed. Liam had a point. How did Moira fit into his life plan?

She was definitely the married, settled down with kids type, but she had a career
she not only liked, but was good at. She was in the middle of striving to take her
career higher. He remembered her excitement in talking about her new story.

Which reminded him that he was supposed to learn more about the story to make sure
he didn’t get into hot water at work. He didn’t have a shot of thinking about work
when Moira was warm, wet, and willing in his arms. He pushed thoughts of a naked Moira
from his mind and focused on how he could learn about her article. A casual conversation
over dinner should do it.

And if by chance, she was too close to the investigation, he’d tell her to back off
before his superiors found out. No problem.

Moira slept soundly and woke in a flurry of mixed emotions. She and Jimmy were a couple.
Excitement and anticipation trickled through her as thoughts of Jimmy bombarded her
every move. No matter what she did or where she moved, she thought of him. As she
walked out of the bathroom after brushing her teeth, she stared at the wall where
he licked her until she came. In the living room, she saw the couch and remembered
snuggling against him while watching a movie together. Her front door reminded her
of being wrapped around him as he tore her clothes from her body.

It didn’t matter that they’d only actually had sex once; she began to imagine going
all the way in each of those scenarios. And Jimmy was phenomenal in every scene.

She dressed and loaded her laptop into her bag. Work was so not going to happen in
her apartment today. She’d work at the coffee shop, and hoped that once she had more
of Jimmy, she’d be able to function like a regular human being.

The late morning air was cool, a nice change of pace from the sticky humidity they’d
had for days, so she walked to Starbucks. After ordering her coffee and finding a
comfy chair to work in, she shot a text to Liam. He’d said that he was off on Wednesday,
and given this new development with Jimmy, she needed to get things straight with
Liam.

She didn’t expect to hear from him for a couple of hours because he liked to sleep
in on his days off, so she booted up her computer and sipped on her sweet brew. Before
starting any new articles or proofing things she needed to submit, Moira spent time
gathering her thoughts on the escort services she’d called.

In a new file, she took notes about Billie and Lisa and Jenny and Piper. They all
seemed like totally normal people, like regular people she might meet and interact
with on an ordinary day. Part of her article should address the perceptions people
have about escorts. That got her wondering about the clients. Would they be considered
johns? Probably not unless they had sex for money, but most of the girls seemed to
act like that was a given.

How desperate would she have to be in order to have sex for money? If she didn’t have
her family to fall back on in hard times, would she have considered it? Letting her
mind wander to the what-ifs was not going to get her work done, so she closed the
file and opened the articles she needed to proof one last time.

Proofreading was by far the most boring part of her job, and her mind did continue
to wander, but it didn’t go to hookers.

Jimmy starred in every image and thought.

Moira always liked the new lust and fascination stage of a relationship. The way the
feelings consumed her and energized her was intoxicating. Everything with Jimmy was
exponentially potent, and even as she reminded herself that she was in public, heat
crept into her cheeks and hormones surged.

Then her phone rang, drawing her attention. Liam. “Hello.”

“Where do you want to meet for lunch?”

“You still sound pissed off, so maybe you should pick.”

“Choosing where we eat isn’t going to make me feel better. Why don’t you head over
here and I’ll cook?”

“You cook all the time. Today’s your day off. Let someone else do the work.”

“I love what I do, so it’s not a chore. Besides, cooking relaxes me, which might work
in your favor.”

She sighed. Why she thought she’d be able to lay down the law to any of her brothers
eluded her. No matter what, she’d always be their little sister. “Fine. Want me to
bring anything?”

“Nope. See you in an hour or so.” Then he hung up.

She wasn’t used to Liam acting like this. He’d always supported her against their
brothers, and a sinking feeling settled on her. What if he couldn’t accept her relationship
with Jimmy? What then? She couldn’t go there. Not now. Cutting the legs off a relationship
that had barely started was not her style.

Refocusing on the article in front of her, she forced her attention to stay on the
words on the page. At least until her phone rang again. She considered ignoring it,
but then she saw it was Jimmy. “Hey.”

“Hi. What are you up to?”

“I’m at Starbucks working.”

“Why there?”

“I was too distracted in my apartment. But then I discovered the distraction followed
me and it’s really hard to focus.” She toyed with her cup and felt foolish for being
so happy that he’d called.

“If it makes you feel better, I’m off my game today too. I was calling to see if you’re
free for lunch.”

She winced. For once, she planned something and now she’d miss out on a much better
offer. This was why she liked to keep her options open. “Sorry. I made plans to have
lunch with Liam.”

“Shit.”

“What?”

“I saw Liam.”

“When?”

“Last night. After I left you.”

She stopped playing with her coffee and straightened in her chair. “You left my bed
to go hang out with my brother? We might need to talk about your priorities.”

His breath was heavy and strained in her ear. “Liam had a right to know that we’ve
taken our relationship to the next level.”

She closed her eyes tightly and asked the question she didn’t really want the answer
to. “How did he react?”

“He punched me.”

“He what?” Her voice rang out across the room, and five people looked up from their
work bubbles to observe the commotion.

“I had it coming. You’re his little sister. He’s mad, but you know Liam. He’ll cool
down and be more rational.”

“That would’ve been good information to have before I made plans to see him for lunch.
He’s still pissed.” She dropped her head onto her hand.

“Are you regretting last night?”

“Not for a second,” she mumbled. It was the truth. No amount of grief from her family
would make her regret sleeping with Jimmy.

“Is there anything I can do?”

“No. It’s time for my brothers to accept they can’t decide who I have in my life or
who I choose to sleep with.”

“Good luck. Are you free for dinner?”

“If I’m still alive, sure.”

“I’ll pick you up at six.”

“What should I wear?”

“Whatever you want.” He paused and then added, “Nothing too sexy. I want to make it
to dinner.”

“Grubby sweats it is then.”

“Sweatpants are easy access—no buttons or zippers. Just slide them down.”

Christ. How did this man make sweatpants sound sexy? Her breath quickened because
she imagined him doing just what he said.

“Makes quite the picture, doesn’t it?”

“Get out of my head, O’Malley. I’ll see you at six.”

He chuckled softly as she hung up.

She finally finished proofing the article in front of her and submitted it. Then she
packed up her computer and prepared for lunch with Liam.

Liam’s apartment was tidy. An odd word to describe a man’s apartment, but it was the
first one to come to mind whenever she visited him. Moira attributed it to the fact
that he worked crazy hours at the restaurant, but today, she realized the space was
devoid of Liam. He had the barest essentials for living room furniture. Nothing comfortable
and inviting, just utilitarian.

His kitchen, on the other hand, was amazing. Here was the color and luxury and decadence.
He didn’t say anything as he chopped vegetables and dripped oil into a pan.

And Moira knew better than to start a conversation. Other than a perfunctory greeting
when he let her in, Liam was in his zone. A radio mounted under the cabinet provided
his sound track. As he worked, mouthwatering smells filled the air and the tension
in his shoulders visibly eased.

She figured the act of cooking produced the same results in him as eating brownie
à la mode did in her. She snagged a carrot and crunched while watching.

Liam in the kitchen was fascinating. She had no idea where he’d gotten his love for
food, but she was glad he did. Many times over the years, he took over everyone’s
cooking chores. All he asked in return was for someone else to do the dishes.