I grinned in triumph and leaned down closer to tease him. “You’re my little bitch right now.”
He growled and slumped for a moment, but I knew him well enough to see his ploy for what it was. He expected me to release my hold before taking advantage. That wasn’t going to happen. Cillian must’ve realized I was onto him because his cheeks flushed red and this time when he growled, it was in frustration.
“Ye’re a fuckwit.”
“And you’re so charming,” I whispered.
“Shut yer gob.” Cillian smirked, though. Even he could appreciate my spectacular win.
“How are you going to teach Fallon if you can’t even win against me?”
“I’m naked,” he argued, but we both knew that was bullshit. He could’ve taken me down in the raw if he had a chance. I was too powerful for him. I had to give him credit, sometimes when we did this, hedidwin. The sunburn wasn’t helping him any.
I bumped my forehead against his, our mouths so close I could feel his breath on my lips. He froze and so did I. A strange pleasure coiled in my stomach, spiraling out into my nervous system. Getting this close was normal for us, even while we were naked, but right now it was different. Tension charged the air like bolts of electricity and it lit his eyes with a lust I wasn’t used to seeing from him. He was close to giving in, to kissing me, and I was at the brink as well.
“Tag out,” I whispered.
“Never,” he answered with a breathless sigh. The hard headbutt he gave me was unexpected, and I jolted backward, tripping over the coffee table and landing on my ass. I groaned in pain as he shot to his feet and grinned. “I fecking won this round.” He shook his fist at me before winking and stalking out of the room. All I could do was watch that sexy ass jiggle as he strutted away from me.
2
CILLIAN SHAUGHNESSY
My phone ringingwoke me up. I blinked blearily at the morning sunshine streaming through the windows. My mind was fuzzy. I’d had trouble falling asleep last night because I wasn’t used to doing it naked on top of the palm-tree dotted blanket, and the shots of whiskey I’d gulped in the wee hours weren’t doing me any favors now. The phone stopped its incessant noise, which was good because I’d been about ready to smash it.
I tried to move and groaned at the fire that crackled along my backside. How foolish I’d been, and I didn’t need anyone to point it out. Laughing at it all, I shoved up carefully onto my knees and searched for my phone. Someone had put the bleedin’ thing on my bedside cabinet, along with a bottle of ibuprofen. I swore Buplex worked better than the generic shite here in the States, but Aspen had told me more than once I was going round the bend with that idea. This little helpfulness had him written all over it. I wanted to be angry about the sneakiness but found myself smiling instead.
The phone started blaring again, and I snagged it, carefully turning onto my side. The call coming through wanted me to accept video, and as it was from Vail, I did.
“ ’Lo, bug,” I murmured.
“There you are! It’s seventy-five degrees here today. Isn’t that wild? It’s supposed to be forty tomorrow. Rowen says we’re all going to get sick from the weather, but I told him you only get sick from germs. He keeps saying it, though.” Vail’s brown irises shone bright with excitement. I’d always loved his eyes and they made a pang ache in my chest when they crinkled near the corners with his smile. He was outside in a cute red tank top that showed off his toned shoulders when he held the camera a bit farther away. The lighter blond strands in his hair glinted as he tilted his head. “How are you? Aspen said you were soooo sunburned, and I just felt terrible, and I tried to call last night, but you didn’t answer. And I called Aspen, and—”
“He came in here to leave me bloody presents,” I grumbled.
“Oh, he left you naked presents? Because you aren’t wearing any clothes that I can see.” Vail’s lips twisted into a naughty smile and his eyebrows rose. I could tell he was gearing up to go off on a wicked tangent.
“Yes, ye wee imp. He did. Now, what did ye need?”
“To make sure you were all right.” A tiny furrow formed between his eyebrows. “Are you?”
I blinked at him and couldn’t help but smile. My heart did the odd dance that seemed reserved for him... and every once in a while the arse I’d headbutted yesterday. I still wasn’t certain what Aspen had been playing at. That feeling in my chest intensified and I grinned harder despite my pain. “That’s kind of ye, bug. I’m good. Aspen’s a tool for worrying ye.”
Vail shrugged. “I like that he tells me things because you don’t.”
“Och, I talk more’n he does.”
“But not about yourself.” Vail sent me his sweetest smile.
The conversation went lazily around as he told me all about his plans for the day. He got distracted when a shiny, incandescent beetle landed on his leg and showed it to me, asking what I thought it could be called. I rolled over onto my front and let my mind wander when his smiling face came back on screen. He was pretty, and my cock decided it was an extreme injustice that we’d been separated from him so long. I plumped and grew harder than a steel rod.
“Are you listening?” he asked.
I jolted mentally. “Mm.... I’m feckin’ me cock against the bed, thinking about yer mouth around it.”
He chuckled and bit his bottom lip, which had my groin tightening, but it hurt to move, so I ended up barely putting pressure on my hard-on.
“I’m sorry. I can’t stay much longer.” He popped his bottom lip at me slightly and I didn’t think it was on purpose. I’d never missed anyone this much. “I’ll call you tonight with Fallon.”
