Page 76 of The Irish Goodbye

But Niall was the secret star, Cordelia knew. Her love for him shone through every shot.

“You make the island come alive,” he told her once. “In a way I hadn’t ever really seen before. I think this is the first time I’ve felt proud of my home.”

Cordelia had kissed him then. If she had her way, she would have spent ninety percent of her time kissing Niall. Or in bed with Niall. Or naked with Niall. If the world were to end this very moment, she would want to spend her last seconds in Niall O’Connor’s arms.

In the back of her mind, of course, there was the constant nagging fear, the ticking of the clock that meant her time on Inishmore would come to an end. But, she always reminded herself, it was still July and she wasn’t about to ruin a good thing by fretting over it, as Róisín would say.

She’d told Nikki and Toby about Niall, but she still hadn’t managed to bring it up with her mother yet. Louise had texted a few times with links to more articles and another dating app (Luck of the Irish), so Cordelia guessed Toby hadn’t spilled the beans yet. But she hadn’t responded to her mother at all. She didn’t want to lie but she didn’t want to tell the truth either. As the month dragged on, though, Cordelia knew it was only a matter of time before she’d have to say something. Her mother had started calling, once last week and then three times this week. Cordelia couldn’t avoid her forever.

But today, Cordelia was focusing on the task at hand—which was Niall teaching her how to cook. He spent every night at the cottage now, and her fridge was always stocked with fresh greens, eggs, milk, poultry, and cheese.

Well, she was trying to focus on the task at hand. It was very difficult with Niall standing there looking so confident and hot as he cracked another egg and added it to the bowl.

“An omelet is a simple thing,” he said as he began to whisk, beating the eggs into a yellow fervor.

“Mmhm,” Cordelia said, coming up behind him and pretending to be observant.

“It doesn’t take long to make and it’s a good way to get veg and protein.”

“Veg and protein, yup.”

She caught the faint scent of his driftwood smell and it sent small shivers straight down to her thighs. His shirt was open at the collar and she leaned her head against his arm as he showed her how to properly clean a mushroom. Her hands wandered to his waist, skimming the top of his jeans.

“Are you even listening to me?” Niall asked, looking down at her with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

“Hm?” she said as she slid her hand down between his thighs. She felt him stiffen beneath her fingers.

“You are a wicked, wicked woman,” he murmured as she stroked him into hardness.

“Who, me?” she said, batting her eyelashes and raking her fingernails over his jeans. He gasped.

“Goddamn you,” he said, turning in her arms to kiss her, his mouth taking hers just the way she liked it. She melted against his chest, keeping one hand on his cock, and pushed him back against the countertop. Her tongue played with his as she unbuttoned his jeans and reached down beneath his boxers to take him in her bare hands. She loved the way she could feel the muscle grow and expand beneath her fingers. And she wanted to be in command. So she sank down onto her knees on the kitchen floor and took him in her mouth.

Niall groaned with pleasure, clutching the back of her head. She let his cock sink deep in her throat, then pulled out and licked a long line from the base of his shaft to the tip. “Christ,” he gasped as she traced her finger around the tip before sucking it, gentle at first and then harder, sinking him back into her mouth, her tongue exploring every inch of him. Niall yanked his shirt up over his head and then bent to lift hers off too. She loved going braless around the house with him for this very reason. Her breasts spilled out and she raised herself up to rub them along his cock before pulling it to her mouth once more. She licked and sucked until all of a sudden she found herself flat on her back on the kitchen floor.

“Goddamn you,” Niall murmured again, yanking down her shorts, and she wriggled out of them gladly, tossing her underwear aside. Niall slid his cock inside her and she whimpered. He was so hard, hard and ready, but she still wanted to be in command.

“Get on your back,” she whispered in his ear.

He followed her orders to the letter. She crawled on top of him, straddling him and grabbing his wrists to place his palms over her breasts.

“Fuck,” Niall moaned as she slipped his cock inside her again, plumping her breasts with his strong hands, dragging his fingers over her nipples. She took him fully deep, deeper than he’d ever been, and they both cried out in unison. Cordelia began to rock in time to the motion of his hands as they pulled and teased and stroked her, her nipples tight buds when he rolled them between his fingers, shooting lightning bolts of pleasure right to her clit. She rubbed against him and his hands came to clutch her hips, helping her, holding her firm. She placed one hand on his chest as she rode him hard, unleashing herself, letting the want and the need take over as she drove him deeper, nudging her G-spot, coaxing it as Niall surged inside her, his hips bucking. She felt it coming like a tickle in the back of her throat or a prickling along her scalp—he hit just … right … there, and she was done, her body shuddering in ecstasy and Niall reached up to squeeze her breast as he came inside her, the two of them rocketed into the heightened planes of pleasure.

She fell forward and kissed him on the nose.

“Wicked … woman,” he panted, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Would you have me any other way?”

“I would not.”

He kissed her and then she eased herself off of him, grabbing a tissue from the table to clean herself.

“Right,” Niall said, pulling his jeans back on and standing. “I’m showing you how to make this bloody omelet, then I’m taking a shower. Can’t be going to the pub all sexed up.”

Cordelia laughed. “Yeah, that’s more of an at home look.”

A couple of hours later, Cordelia had made an omelet that she knew she would never succeed in making again without Niall’s help, and they were both showered and dressed and on their way to O’Connor’s.