With Patrick’s lips gently kissing and sucking River’s neck, she breathlessly continued. “When we were sitting by each other at the bar downstairs tonight, you placed your hand on my thigh.” Patrick took her mouth then. It was desperate and frenzied and had them groaning at each sweep of the other’s tongue.
Breaking the kiss, River continued. “All I could focus on— what I wanted desperately —was for your fingers to move closer, dip deeper between my legs. For your thumb to accidentally brush my center. I was so turned on by the thought that I could feel myself grow wet.” She nipped his bottom lip, licking across the seam.
“Christ, River.” Patrick was so turned on he would swear his vision was flickering. Grabbing her ass with both hands, Patrick ground his erection against her center, loving the sound of her moans inside his mouth. “Is this what you want, River?”
“God, yes. Now, Pat, I can’t wait.”
Patrick used one hand to release the metal button on his jeans and unzipped. Pleased River had changed into a dress earlier, he had to do nothing more than bunch her skirt and pull her panties to the side before he was sliding into her body. “Fuck, baby. Youarewet for me. So hot and tight.”
“Oh, that’s it,” River panted. “Harder... that’s... right there!”
Patrick continued to slam into her until he felt her body stiffen; a keening noise escaped her lips as her body spasmed around him, milking his body until he tipped over the edge. Resting their foreheads together, he attempted to calm his racing heart. “Holy fuck, babe. That was intense.”
Before his body completely gave out on him, Patrick stepped back from the door, keeping River wrapped around him. He walked them to the bedroom, gently laying them against the mattress.
“I plan on taking your body in so many ways, and so many times you’ll feel me inside you for days.”
“I won’t stop you,” she smiled and kissed the side of his mouth. “How about we start by getting these clothes off.
33
River, Jo, andMr. MacGregorwere in the air. It was only an hour and a half flight to Inverness, and once there, they would rent a car. Driving to Nairn the next day was just one of the several small excursions she and Jo had planned while they were there.
She tried to relax, recalling memories from her first night staying with Patrick intheirapartment... River sighed. Patrick really disliked that she was going away, though he’d definitely made good on his word. River felt him in every part of her body, and her lips still tingled from his almost X-rated goodbye kiss.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the fun flight she had anticipated when they’d first planned it. There was certainlynolaughterormimosasorJameson Black Barrell. Jo pretending the goliath in the room— or cabin rather —was invisible... double inner eye-roll.
Not only did Thomas MacGregor look like a relative to Tom Stoltman, the Scottish strongman competitor and all-around behemoth— and yes, River and her sisters werehugestrongman competitor fans —MacGregor was alsostaring. As in, the guard had not once taken his eyes from Jo. She knew it too if her stiff shoulders, pinched lips, and the line that rivaled the Suez Canal between her brows— were any indication.
Determined to ignore the two combatants currently sharing the jet, River started to replay her and Patrick’s first time using the kitchen together— spoiler, there was no cooking. Unfortunately, Jo’s voice cut through her Pat Porn.
“I booked rooms at the Loch Ness Country House Hotel. It’s supposed to have gorgeous views. And they have a hothouse on the property with tons of exotic flowers.”
“Sounds perfect. How far is it to Nairn?” River asked.
“Oh, only about twenty min?—”
Thomas cut Jo off mid-answer. “What do you meanrooms, lass?”
His Scottish accent must increase in tandem with his emotions because his words were barely comprehensible. Jo acted as though he hadn’t spoken.
“I got the Garden Suite only because there was a last-minute cancellation. Can you believe it?” Jo gushed with excruciatingly false cheer.
Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy, River prayed. Where was her rosary when she needed it? “A garden suite sounds wonderful, Jo.”
“I asked for the hotel information before we left Dublin, Josephine,” MacGregor stated, speaking more Scots than English.
“Ms. O’Connor,” Jo quietly reprimanded. “I sent all the accommodation information to your business email before we took off, per the agreement my father signed with your company. I believe I’ve done my due diligence. If you have further issues, please take them up with Mr. O’Connor.”
Whoa. River was not comfortable witnessing the... hell, she didn’t even know what to call the fallout between Jo and MacGregor. Catastrophic failure?
River placed her hand atop Jo’s thigh in what she hoped conveyed,I’m here.“Jo, I love you. Thomas, I’m undecided at the moment because you’ve hurt Jo somehow. If something needs saying between the two of you, I suggest using this evening to your advantage. Tomorrow is work. We’ll all three be together thewholeday, and I would prefer... not to witness this... friendship implosion. I hate seeing two people I care about hurting.”
Jo took a deep breath. “You’re right, Riv, except there isn’t anything to discuss tonight that I can’t say right now. I’ve been overreactingandacting childishly.” Jo looked directly at Thomas then. “I’m sorry I’ve been so unprofessional. I will communicate with you again and stop making your job harder. Truce?”
MacGregor opened his mouth, shut it before opening it once more, and said, “Fine.” His grip on the armrests would be considered leather abuse in most parts of the world, but at least he agreed to a cease-fire.
River gave Jo a look before she changed the subject. She wasn’t getting off the hook in telling River what the hell was really going on. Jo’s eye-roll was her way of saying she understood.
