Page 72 of The Irish Goodbye

In a sudden burst of sassiness she didn’t know herself capable of, she pushed him down on the bed and straddled him, pressing her breasts against his chest, slipping her tongue back inside his mouth, and all the while her hand pumped and stroked at his cock, sometimes firmly, sometimes softly.

“I want you inside me,” Cordelia growled. “I need you inside me.”

“Oh shit,” Niall muttered. Cordelia sat up, wondering if this was the moment when her dream was punctured. Niall saw the shock on her face and sat up too. “I don’t have any condoms,” he explained. “I used to keep some in my wallet but I stopped after …”

Relief melted through her. “Oh,” she said. “I’m on birth control and I’ve been tested.”

“Me too,” he said, and she was grateful he didn’t have to pull away, grateful she didn’t need to pause this insatiable hunger for even an instant.

Cordelia lay on her back against the comforter and then Niall was hovering over her, stroking her hair away from her face.

Her nipples grazed his chest as he slowly entered her, taking his time, making sure she was comfortable. She could feel it now, how every motion, every movement was made with her in mind. He knew how long it had been for her. He knew her fears and hesitations, her anxiety. But as he slid inside her, Cordelia let out a sound she hadn’t known she was capable of making, a sort of gasping wail of utter desolation and joy.

Niall’s head dropped to her breasts. “Oh my fucking god,” he said. “Cordelia.”

“More,” she gasped and he slid even deeper. He filled her up and she scratched at his back, panting, reveling in the pressure of his cock, the heavy, slow movements across her G-spot. It was a dizzying, mindless pleasure, and Cordelia felt her universe expand and contract, every particle of her being focused on the point between her legs. When Niall reached down and stroked her clit as he pumped, she thought she might explode, burst into a million glittering particles and get swept away in the wind.

He increased the pressure and speed. Cordelia wailed again, her back arching, and he took the moment to flick his tongue across her nipples, first one then the other. Cordelia let out a moan that resonated through her whole body and Niall murmured something in her ear, but she couldn’t hear, she couldn’t think, she couldn’t see, she was one radiating pulse of sensation, and Niall pumped faster but it wasn’t enough, she needed more. The tightness was gathering, she could feel it, could feel how slick she was over him, her wetness growing. She could feel it build in him too, feel him grow even harder, push even deeper, and just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, just when she was about to scream and beg for sweet release, his cock plunged deep and his fingers lit up the seam within her and she felt herself tearing in two, pleasure ripping through her body in hot, endless waves—she cried out his name as she shuddered against him, over and over, the orgasm taking her to a place she’d never known, sparks exploding in her vision. She was a vessel of pure ecstasy and she felt him coming too, felt him surge within her, setting off another wave of toe-clenching, mind-numbing shudders.

Her body shivered once more and then they both went still. Niall’s hair was damp with sweat, his chest heaving. They lay in silence for a moment. Cordelia felt oddly loose, like all her joints had come undone. She stroked a hand through his hair and he shivered and tried to move, but she clutched him close, a sudden pang of fear seizing her, though she couldn’t say why or what she was afraid of. Just that she didn’t want him to leave, didn’t want the glorious pressure of his body to go away.

“I’m just cleaning up, love,” he murmured, and her heart flipped at that word, so small and simple yet so potent. He slid out of her and she felt the ache he left behind. Her sex was throbbing and tender, yet she wanted him again already. She heard the faint sound of his movements and then he was back, cradling her against his chest.

She felt his lips press against her hair as she traced patterns lazily across his skin. His heart beat heavy against her cheek and it was the most beautiful sound she’d ever heard. Her body was weightless, her legs like jelly. She felt as if she’d been melted down and reforged.

“Are you all right?” Niall whispered after a moment. She tilted her head to gaze up at those startling blue eyes she had come to love so dearly.

“I’m perfect,” she said.

19

The first thing Niall noticed when he woke up the next morning was the ache between his thighs. His body felt rubbery and raw, but in a good way, like he’d been stretched on a taffy pull.

The second thing he noticed was the gorgeous, golden head tucked in the crook of his arm. Cordelia looked so peaceful as she slept, her breathing slow and even. She was tangled up in the sheets, one breast peeking out to reveal a pale pink nipple. The sight had him growing hard again. He hadn’t been able to see all of her colors last night, the delicate cream-peach of her skin, the sunshine gold of her hair, the blush of her lips.

He didn’t want to wake her, but he really needed to piss. He extracted himself as carefully as he could and hurried to the jacks. When he came out, she was awake and watching him, a quiet smile playing across her mouth, that one breast still exposed and taunting him. He licked his lips, remembering how good she’d tasted.

“Good morning,” Cordelia said.

“Morning,” Niall said, crawling back into bed and kissing her. Her arms came up to wrap around him, her fingers tracing down the length of his back. Niall slipped his tongue inside her mouth, not caring about morning breath, not caring about anything except being close to her. She responded in kind, opening herself for him, and he slid his hand down her waist, hitching up her thigh so he could settle between her legs. Her heel dug into his back and she lifted her other leg so that both were wrapped tight around him.

“I’ve got you now,” she said, grinning. “You can’t go anywhere.”

Niall knew without a doubt there was nowhere else in the world he would ever want to be. “I’m your prisoner then,” he said, bringing his wrists together over her head. “Do what you want with me.”

She giggled and he felt it in his own body, the movement of her chest and stomach. His cock nudged her thigh and she gave a little moan, not the orgasm-inducing wail from last night that made him harder just remembering it, but the tiny coo of pleasure that he knew meant she was warming up.

“I’m hungry,” he said.

“I can see what food I’ve—”

“Not hungry for food,” Niall growled in her ear, then he tugged the sheet out of the way and scooted down the bed so he could take her in his mouth.

They fell into a heap together on the bed, breathing heavily.

“Holy fuck,” Niall gasped.

“Holy fuck,” Cordelia murmured in agreement. For one blissful moment, everything was in its exact right place in the world. The planets had aligned, the order of the universe restored, and Cordelia James was in his arms.