His Wicked Celtic Kiss (8 page)

Julie touched his hand. “It's okay. It's not an admission of weakness. I think we all have nightmares about one thing or another. I'm sorry it plagues you still.”

He shrugged, as if to dismiss the gravity of his confession. “It's something I deal with. I've never told anyone before, and if you don't mind, I really don't want to talk about it.”

“It's okay. Whatever you're comfortable discussing.” She took a forkful of the salad. It must be bad, but she wouldn't push. Not tonight. “What better opportunity came along?”

Lorcan's lips curled into a half smile. “The Irish Secret Service.”

“I didn't know Ireland had one.”

“Best kept secret in the world. So secret even the Irish people know nothing about it or parts of the government either. I soon found out why I'd been recruited. I fancied myself James Bond, I supposed. Not for the 'round-the-world adventures or the cool gadgets. No, I'd been hired for my looks more than anything. They figured I could easily seduce information from female persons of interest. They were right. I was bloody good at my job.” He took another bite of food. “I'd left the Irish Secret Service in part because my last undercover assignment had me tangling the bed sheets with a number of different women trying to obtain information on cyber-terrorism. The mission, though successful, hadn't brought me any satisfaction or sense of accomplishment at all. I just felt sleazy afterwards. I soon grew tired of whoring myself for the Irish government. I walked away. They were not best pleased.”

Julie observed the bitter look on his face. No, she imagined they were not best pleased. He would've been a valuable asset. She always assumed someone as good-looking as him would have no worries. The world handed to you on a platter and doors opened for you that would not have otherwise been for a more ordinary man. He must have been thrilled at first, thinking he'd been chosen based on his accomplishments and merits as a soldier only to find out it had been merely for his face and form. What harsh disappointment he must've felt. “They used you,” she said softly.

“Aye, they did. As I used the women I seduced. Didn't know you were having supper with a man-whore, did you, darlin'?”

“Don't call yourself that. You're not.”

He laid down his plastic fork and stared at her, his eyes blazing with emotion. “Why are you here, Julie?”

“You called and asked me to come over. I want to get to know you, Lorcan,” she replied frankly.

“And how well do you want to get to know me?” His voice turned to molten honey.

She imagined he used that tone with women many times and with successful results. The smooth sweetness worked on her, though she wouldn't admit it to him. “You don't need to turn on the Irish charm with me,” she teased.

Lorcan moved toward her on his hands and knees, like a predatory jungle cat. All smooth, sleek muscles. “Is that right? All women want to be seduced. Let me show you.”

Julie expected him to kiss her on the mouth. Instead, he laid her flat on the carpet and lifted her top. Lorcan kissed her stomach, and then moved his hands to cup her breasts. He gazed up at her. “Julie, will you let me touch you? Kiss you all over? I will do nothing you don't wish me to do. I want to take this slow, you follow?”

She nodded, her insides fluttering as if a hundred butterflies had been released. Lorcan opened the front clasp on her bra and caught her full breasts as they spilled out, immediately clamping his mouth on one of her nipples. His hair fell forward, creating a seductive curtain to his laving and suckling. He grasped her other breast, and stroked her nipple. Julie had to know, was this mechanical with him, part of his skills as a seducer/master spy? She boldly reached down between them and ran her fingers across his crotch. He was hard and moaned at her touch.

“Not yet,” he whispered at her breast.

The hungry attention he lavished on her sent her body into tremors of ecstasy. In her entire life she'd only had sex twice. Not something she admitted to. This was only the second time a man's lips were on her breasts. The previous time felt nothing like this.
Nothing.
Her breathing became ragged and so did his. She reached up and grabbed fistfuls of his thick hair pushing him closer, encouraging him to take more of her. “Yes!” She hissed through her teeth.

Her body writhed under him. Julie undulated her hips against that rock hard part of him that thumped in time with his heartbeat.

“Sweet Jaysus,” he moaned.

Whatever cliff she was heading for, she just fell off into an unknown dark, swirling abyss. She cried out, probably calling his name, she wasn't sure. Her body shuddered with the impact of her first orgasm. Well, the first one a man had given her anyway. And it had happened merely from him sucking her nipples? Lorcan raised his head. His half-hooded Cortina eyes were darkened with desire. She knew the look by now.

“Your first, darlin'?” How embarrassing. She closed her eyes and nodded. “Right honored, I am.” He winked at her. “My wicked Celtic kiss? That wasn't it.”

Lorcan sat upright and reached under her skirt. She wore no pantyhose due to the warm weather. He trailed his long fingers along her inner thigh and gripped her underwear. They were going to have sex on his carpet in his near-empty living room? She scrambled backward on her elbows like a scuttling crab on a sandy beach. The panties were down around her ankles in a matter of seconds. He pulled them completely off and tossed them aside. She silently thanked providence she'd donned the only pair of sexy underwear she owned.

Lorcan cupped her mound. The warmth of his hand ignited her body into raw flame. “Talk to me, Julie. How much experience do you have? Has anyone ever kissed you—here?” He deftly slipped two fingers inside her. She moaned. Lorcan moved in and out, mimicking the act of sex. “So wet, listen.” The sucking sound of her hot, tight core filled the air. She was mortified and turned on all at the same time. “Answer me.”

What in hell did he ask me?
She couldn't form a thought, let alone words to speak. “No, no one has ever—not that.”

He withdrew his fingers, clasped her knees, and slowly spread them apart. “This is what I'm known for. My wicked Celtic kiss. Anytime you want me to stop, just say the word.”

“Aye,” she gasped.

A deep masculine rumble of laughter left his chest as he pulled off his shirt. His torso was a mass of leanly carved muscle and tight, taut abs. Stunning. Through her sex haze, she noticed a few scars, so he wasn't total perfection. It made him all the more appealing and had her wondering: What was the story behind those white, jagged slashes on his perfect skin? The army? The secret service? Something else? He lay on his stomach, his face inches from her crotch. Instinctively, she tried to close her legs. “Open for me, Julie. Trust me,” he rasped huskily.

Trust was not something she handed out like candy. It had been teased and ridiculed out of her years ago. She wondered as his hot mouth moved to her most private area, if she would always feel this way, always be the obese girl, deep down. There was a time, she thought ruefully to herself, she could barely get her thighs apart. Okay, maybe she exaggerated, but would Lorcan have wanted her then?

He parted her folds with his long, nimble fingers as his warm, sensuous breath fanned her inner thigh. Curling his tongue, he thrust it deep into her hot, moist center.

He
was
good and entirely wicked. She was ready to fly apart. Julie couldn't believe she was splayed open on his carpet in such a way. The sight of that dark mass of tousled mahogany hair fanned out over her thighs nearly did her in. A long, ragged moan escaped her throat. The resonance seemed to spur Lorcan onward as he plunged deeper. He grasped her legs and rested them on his broad shoulders. He licked and kissed every part of her, and gently bit down on her sensitive nub. She bucked, all but trapping his head between her thighs as she rode out the breath-taking climax.

He lightly slapped her bottom. “Let me breathe, darlin',” he laughed.

How mortifying. She'd all but smothered him. Trying to scramble away again proved difficult as her body had turned to liquid. Heat flushed her cheeks in embarrassment. Lorcan sat up. His face glistened from her moisture. He smiled and licked his lips. “What's the verdict—wicked? Maybe I should give more of a demonstration.”

What, now? She had no earthly idea what to do or say next. Do that to her again? She couldn't take it—could she? Her mouth moved, but no words came out as she struggled to catch her breath. She looked around frantically for her panties, but he had thrown them clear across the living room. She fumbled with her bra, cursing inwardly at her large breasts hindering her movement.

Lorcan stilled her hands. “What are you doing? Are you uncomfortable? Talk to me. I want us to be honest with each other when it comes to our mutual pleasure.”

Honest?
I want to throw you to the carpet, rip off the rest of your clothes, lick, touch, and taste every inch
. But, that wasn't her. She wasn't a sexually experienced woman, and that fact must be painfully obvious. He wanted her to be candid? She mustered as much dignity as she could, stood, pulled her hands from his, lowered her skirt, and walked across the room to retrieve her underwear. Every part of her body where his lips had touched throbbed and ached for more.

“Yes,” she muttered softly. “I'm embarrassed.” She scooped up the silk drawers. “Where's the bathroom?”

He sat on the carpet with one leg up, his arm resting casually on his knee. He arched a perfectly shaped brow. “First door on your left.”

Although tempted to run, instead she held her head high and walked toward the bathroom. Once inside, Julie shut the door, sat on the closed toilet lid, and gazed at her trembling hands. Now what? Would they casually go back to eating? What about him? Lorcan was still in a state of arousal. Should she politely offer to relieve him? She cringed. Oh, yikes.
How about a hand-job with the wrap and salad?
She rolled off a long stream of toilet paper from the ream, cleaned herself, and shuddered from the contact. So sensitive. Lorcan had awakened nerve endings she didn't know existed. He'd also awakened so much more. A passion so vast and deep it stunned her.

She stood and leaned on the vanity for support. Next to the sink sat a can of Gillette Fusion shave cream and a razor. There wasn't much else in the bathroom she realized now, glancing around. It looked as empty as a hotel room loo.

Glancing in the mirror, she saw that her face was flushed bright red and she felt more alive than ever before. Julie splashed cold water on her cheeks to try and cool down. She stared at her reflection.
Casual, remember?
The next thing on the agenda: slip her undies back on, and go out and act like nothing had happened.

• • •

What just happened? Lorcan stood and moaned. His cock was still painfully hard. He reached for his shirt, tossed it over his shoulder, and walked down the hall. The bathroom door remained closed. He stepped into his bedroom and tossed the shirt on the floor. He picked up his suitcase and reached in for a new one. Pulling it on, he left it unbuttoned. He was this close from kicking in the bathroom door, throwing her over his shoulder as casually as he had his shirt, tossing her on the bed and rogering her quite thoroughly. He had performed his so-called wicked Celtic kiss on a few women. Never had he enjoyed it so much. He almost came himself when she'd cried out—hell, screamed more like.

He sat on the edge of the bed and winced as his still-hard prick protested at the position. Her embarrassment had surprised him, but then she'd also admitted she had never had oral sex before or an orgasm with a partner. Just what inept men had she been with? Well, as tempted as he was, he wasn't going to overwhelm her to bring this seduction to a satisfactory conclusion.

The door opened to the bathroom. Julie stood in the doorway, looking at him sitting on the edge of the bed. Hanging onto the doorframe for support, she appeared tremulous and a little unsteady. Vulnerable.

He stood and walked toward her, his lust suddenly overwhelmed by such a wave of tenderness that it amazed him. He cupped her cheeks gently and his thumbs stroked her flushed cheeks. Lorcan loved holding her face like this. He leaned toward her and kissed her, his lips barely touching hers. The kiss was enough to re-ignite the spark. Those gorgeous eyes of hers were filled with moisture. He felt a lump form in his throat. “Have I hurt you, Julie? Or shamed you? I'd cut my own throat if I thought I'd upset you.”

A single tear curled down her cheek, his thumb gently swiped it away. She smiled. “No, I've just never experienced anything close to that. No man ever took the time to give me such pleasure. Guess they couldn't be bothered.”

Lorcan angled her head for a more thorough kiss. She surprised him by throwing her arms around his neck and pressing herself against him, those little whimpers of hers hardening him even more. He'd been right. Under the vulnerability and self-doubt lay a passionate woman. The mix enticed him, a damned startling surprise. He broke the kiss and stepped back, lowering his hands to her arms. “No more of that, Julie. As long as we're seeing each other, I'll not have you tear yourself down. You follow?”

She reached inside his open shirt and caressed his chest.
God,
her touch
. “I'm done. Will never think or mention it again, I promise.” She looked up at him coyly. “We're seeing each other?”

Lorcan clasped her hand and led her to the kitchen. “I told you on our dinner date we were, didn't you believe me?” He looked back at her. “You
do
believe me?”

She lowered her head for a moment, but then raised it, looking at him square in the eyes. The vulnerability had disappeared and the courageous Julie had returned. “I do believe you. I want us to see each other, Lorcan.”