Come Monday (13 page)

Her third orgasm built quickly, but the strength of it eclipsed her first two climaxes by far and she heard Will’s hushed curse as she pulled him over the edge with her.

“Sweet God,” he murmured as her body shook and her pussy clamped on his cock.

Her ass throbbed with the sweet, unfamiliar invasion and she shivered as she imagined Will taking her there. She wasn’t sure there was anything she’d ever wanted more.

For several moments, Will held himself above her, seemingly reluctant to leave her body. He sighed heavily and stood, his now-soft cock leaving her slowly. She moaned when he pulled the butt plug out and she was surprised how much her body resisted its removal.

“I’m going to leave the plug with you,” he said as he reached down to help her stand. Her legs didn’t seem capable of supporting her, so he helped her sit on the bench of the booth before refastening his pants and joining her.

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“Why?” she asked.

“I want you to start wearing it. Just an hour or so each day. It will stretch you. Get you ready to take my cock there.” He studied her face, his brows lowering. “What are you thinking?”

She grinned. “What? You can’t tell? I thought you were an expert at reading my expressions.”

He shrugged good-naturedly. “You wore me out. I don’t appear to be on the top of my game at the moment.”

She laughed. “You were too busy being on top of me.”

“Minx,” he teased and she could see he was still waiting for a response to his question.

She decided to put him out of his misery. “I was wishing you would take my ass right now.”

He reared back slightly and groaned. “Crap. Just when I thought my cock couldn’t rise to the challenge again.”

She glanced down and saw the outline of his erection beginning to form through his pants. She started to reach over to touch it, but he gripped her wrist quickly.

“Not tonight,” he said. “Dammit, woman. You don’t have an ounce of self-preservation, do you?”

She stuck out her lip in a fake pout. “Please,” she said sweetly.

“No,” he replied and she could tell by the set of his jaw he wouldn’t be swayed.

“Your ass has to be sore and I’m not about to hurt you, regardless of the fact it would serve you right for attempting to bite off more than you can chew. Wear the plug a few days and—”

“I’ll wear it tomorrow and then tomorrow night, I want your cock in my ass,” she demanded.

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His eyes narrowed at her haughty reply, but he nodded slowly. An evil gleam lit his eyes and a smile she didn’t entirely trust crossed his face. “Have you ever heard the expression
topping from the bottom
?”

She shook her head.

“Yeah, well, I’m going to explain it to you tomorrow night when I have you tied facedown to my bed, spanking your ass.”

She disregarded his threatening grin by flashing a mischievous smile of her own.

“You’ll tell me exactly what I did wrong?” she asked.

He looked at her suspiciously and nodded. “Yes, of course I will. Why?” She laughed as she answered, “I want to make sure I do it again.” 102

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Chapter Nine

Nearly a week had passed since Will’s promise to tie her up and spank her, since her demand to experience anal sex. Tris and Ewan came down with the flu and she hadn’t done anything except work and take care of two of the biggest male babies God had ever created. She was worn out and sexually frustrated. Will had stopped by nearly every day and had even manned the bar one night, but they hadn’t had time to steal more than a few kisses in the back storeroom.

She grinned as she thought about her lovely new boyfriend.
Boyfriend.
It was amazing how such a simple word could make her feel so happy. It had been a month since she’d started meeting with Will each morning in his office for help with her writing assignments, and just over two weeks since their first date. She still couldn’t believe how quickly things had progressed, how wonderful everything was between them. She’d always scoffed at the idea of love at first sight, but she had to admit she’d been bitten by some sort of lovebug.

“Aw shit,” Riley groaned from behind her.

Keira turned. “What’s wrong?”

“You’ve got that annoying, dreamy look on your face again. God, you are such a putz.”

Keira rolled her eyes and smacked Riley’s arm lightly with one of the napkins she was folding. “I do not have a dreamy look on my face and I’m not a putz.”

“Face it, Kiki. You’re falling hard for the college professor. You walk around here with your head in the clouds.”

“That’s not true.”

“I’ve been standing behind you for two full minutes calling your name.” 103

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Keira paused. “Really?”

Riley laughed. “Really. Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy for you, sis. I just have to remember to schedule in five extra minutes anytime I want to ask you a question since it takes that damn long to get your attention.”

“Sorry,” Keira said. “I guess I have been rather distracted.”

“No worries. All I wanted to say was I’ve laid down the law and deemed Tris and Ewan both well enough to come back to work. They’re covering the dinner shift. I’m going out and getting drunk tonight if it’s the last thing I do.” Keira giggled. “Funny you should mention that. I’d already decided I was going to get laid tonight if it’s the last thing I do.”

Riley’s eyes widened as she grinned. “Careful there, Keira. You’re poised very close to the edge of losing your Miss Boring crown and joining the rest of us mortals here on earth.”

Keira was used to her siblings teasing her about her calm manner and the fact that, according to them, she didn’t have a life. Of course, in a family of emotional, passionate,

“Hey everybody, look at me” showboats, it wasn’t hard to stick out merely by trying to be the voice of reason, by being reliable. Besides, someone had to try to keep control of their crazy clan. Her mother had always known how to still the rough waters and Keira had spent the past nine years trying to do the same.

“Okay, I’m off to set up the kitchen staff and then I’m out of here. See you later, sis.”

“Have fun tonight, Riley. Be careful.”

Riley kept walking and merely waved a hand over her shoulder as she went back to the kitchen.

Keira had just finished setting up the tables for the dinner crowd when Sean walked in from school. He made a beeline for the stairs with his head down. She called out his name, surprised by his odd behavior. She hadn’t seen much of her baby brother lately 104

Come Monday

and she felt a twinge of guilt at the realization. In the past, she’d always made time for him, usually as they snuck a bite together for breakfast upstairs or he’d seek her out after school to talk about his day. She tried to recall having a real conversation with him during the past month and she couldn’t.

Shit.

“Hey, Sean,” she repeated.

“Hey, Keira,” he said, not looking back as he headed up the stairs. She stared at the empty doorway, confused by his swift retreat.

She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and made a quick call to Will, letting him know she’d be coming over tonight. He made a sexy innuendo as she said goodbye and she snapped the phone closed with a grin.

“Who are you talking to, Kiki?” She jumped at the sound of Pop’s voice behind her.

“Oh. You scared me, Pop. I was talking to Will,” she replied, turning.

Unfortunately, her father had taken Tristan and Ewan’s flu bug as a calling from God that he was supposed to be working harder than ever. “The boys are better,” she said.

“They’re going to do the dinner shift so it looks like we have the night off.” She tried to make it sound as if they were both sharing in the bounty of the unexpected reprieve.

Her father was becoming increasingly moody at her continued attempts at making him rest.

“That’s good,” he said and she thought she detected a twinge of tiredness in his voice. Damn, she was right. He
had
been pushing too hard. “You need a night out with your new young fellow.”

She grinned at the thought of Pop considering Will young when her brothers went out of their way to insist he was too old for her. Will had won her father over hook, line and sinker during the past week as he’d continually stepped up to lend a hand around the pub. She wondered what her father would think if he realized her new boyfriend liked the idea of tying her up and spanking her.

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“I agree,” she said. “Actually, I think I might go upstairs and grab a quick shower.

I’ll send Ewan and Tris down.”

Her father nodded, heading off to the pub. She debated staying behind to check up on him, aware that her father still liked to take a nip of whiskey every afternoon despite the warning attached to his medication. She sighed. She was too tired to fight with him this afternoon and she wasn’t so sure the man didn’t deserve a drink. It had been a long damn week.

Tris and Ewan were coming down the stairs as she started up. Both just grunted a hello as she passed. The apartment was quiet and she stood in the living room soaking up the peacefulness. With seven people—practically all of them adults—living in the apartment, it was unusual for the place to ever be silent.

She headed for the shower, anxious to wash the grime of the restaurant off, but her conscience nagged at her and she changed direction at the last minute, walking instead to Sean’s room. The door was closed and again she was shocked by the strangeness of her brother’s behavior. He never closed his door.

She knocked quietly. “Sean?” she called.

It took a few moments for him to answer and rather than open the door as she expected, her merely replied with a, “Yeah?”

“Got a minute? I want to talk to you.”

“I’m kinda busy, Keira,” he said through the door.

“It won’t take long. I just wanted to see how school was going. I haven’t had a chance to talk to you much lately.”

“School’s fine.” His answer was short and dismissive. Something was clearly wrong.

“Sean. Open this door. Let me in,” she insisted.

She heard him moving around and watched as the door slowly opened.

“Ahh,” she said on a quick intake of breath. “Sean, what happened to you?” 106

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Her brother was sporting a dark bruise beneath his eye and a split lip.

He shrugged. “The school tried to call a couple of times, but no one answered. It’s nothing, Keira. I just got into a little fight.”

“A fight?” She wondered about the school phone call. Ewan had an annoying habit of turning off the phone when he was asleep. No doubt he’d done so today and had forgotten to turn the ringer back on.

Sean looked away from her and her heart broke at the thought of someone hitting her sweet brother. “It’s no big deal. You don’t need to freak out or anything.”

“Don’t freak out?” she repeated, aware her voice had increased in volume and pitch. “Who were you fighting with?”

“Chad,” he replied.

“Chad? Why? He’s your best friend.”

“It doesn’t matter, Keira. It was just something stupid. Let it go.”

“No, I won’t let it go. Tell me why you were fighting with Chad.”

“No.”

“No?” she asked, disbelief rife in her voice. Sean told her everything. She was his confidante. She thought he trusted her.

“Don’t you have a date or something?” he asked and she thought she sensed a bit of resentment in his voice. Was that why he wouldn’t talk to her? Because of her relationship with Will?

“I do. Later. But I can cancel,” she added quickly. “I can stay here. We can hang out.”

“I don’t wanna hang out, Keira. Go be with Will. That’s where you belong.” Dismissed, she left his room and headed for hers. Collapsing on the bed, her mind whirled over Sean’s words, the pain she’d seen in his eyes. She should have been here for him these past few weeks. Hell, these past two years. She’d left him to fend for 107

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himself. He was finishing high school, on the verge of manhood and she’d deserted him.

Her mind drifted back to her mother. Sunday had been the most patient and giving of mothers. She’d never been too busy to stop whatever she was doing to listen as Keira complained about fights with friends or cried over lost boyfriends. She’d always known she was important to her mother and she’d wanted to offer that same guidance, that same unconditional, limitless love to Sean. She’d failed him.

She’d failed her whole family. Her father’s health wasn’t improving. Tris seemed more angry and distant by the day. Killian was in Iraq and she worried about him constantly. She’d left everyone to fend for themselves just so she could get some stupid college degree that probably wouldn’t be worth the paper it was printed on once all was said and done. Her place was here. How could she have forgotten that?

Her relationship with Will had blinded her to that fact. She’d been so wrapped up in the newness of being with someone, of exploring so many amazing sexual adventures that she’d lost sight of her responsibilities, of her true calling in life.

Her heart burst as one final, disturbing thought drifted through her mind. She’d let down another person as well. The one person she’d never wanted to disappoint.

Her mother.

Will smiled as he heard Keira’s soft knock at the door. His resolve to keep his hands off her had been weakening with every passing day and he was about to love the socks off Miss Keira Collins. The delightful woman wouldn’t know what hit her. He grinned at the thought. He owed her a spanking and he couldn’t wait to deliver the delicious, long-overdue punishment.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” he said as he opened the door to his apartment.

She didn’t return his smile, instead walking past him quickly without saying a word.

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“Keira?” he asked. “Is everything all right?”

She nodded once before freezing and shaking her head instead.

“No,” she began. “Not exactly. Will, I’ve been thinking lately and I’ve decided that things between us are moving a bit too fast.”