“My place or yours?”

Giggling, Katelyn replied, “Which is closer?”

“Mine, but your bed is more comfortable,” Gareth stated, firing up the SUV and pulling onto the road.

“Then mine it is,” she said, and within two minutes he parked on the street in front of her house. She barely let him put the brake on before she launched herself over the console, claiming his mouth. With her hands clasping his face, she dove in, her tongue immediately tangling with his.

Breaking apart only long enough for them both to leap from his vehicle, she jumped into his arms. Carrying her to her front door, he felt inside her purse for her keys. Unlocking the door with difficulty, he maneuvered them inside before kicking the door shut.

Grabbing his stubbled jaws in her hands, she held him in place as her tongue vied for dominance. Sucking on his tongue, she felt his groan rumble through her chest.

Twisting, Gareth walked forward until coming to the bottom of the stairs with her in his arms. He felt her legs move behind him then heard her shoes land on the floor. Setting her ass on the steps, he pressed her backward as he leaned over her, his body still pressed against hers.

She released him long enough to slide up two more steps so she had room to unsnap her jeans. His hands replaced hers as he slid the pants down her legs before undoing his as well. Giggling at the sight of him fumbling when he forgot to take his boots off first, she watched as he jumped around, finally disentangling himself from his clothes.

 Her lips were kiss swollen as he leaned over her reclining body once more. She used her hands to scoot up two more stairs, giving her enough room to pull her shirt over her head. His face was at bra level and he leaned in, pulling her bra cups down with his teeth.

Sucking a nipple in deeply, he grinned as her primed body began to writhe underneath his. “Bed,” she moaned as she twisted and attempted to scramble up the stairs. 

She managed to make it up three steps before he wrapped his arm around her waist, turning and lifting her.  Slamming his lips on hers again, he carried her the rest of the way up, he in his boxers and she with her bra hanging off her body.

They separated for a moment, breaths ragged and chests heaving.  He stepped closer, his nimble fingers unsnapping her bra and letting it fall down her arms, her nude body now gloriously displayed.

He slid his hand from her shoulder down her arm, soothing her skin as he admired her beauty.  Her pale skin appeared luminescent in the moonlight streaming through the lace curtains on the windows.  Her curves were inviting and his breath caught in his throat that she wanted him.

Her nipples begged for his mouth and he obliged lifting her breasts to his lips.  Her fingers held onto his shoulders, the short nails digging in as his mouth did wondrous things to her breasts.  She heard moans, but was uncertain if they came from her or from him.

Gareth, lost in the feel of her luscious mounds against his face, moved from one breast to the other, deeply sucking, nipping with his teeth before soothing with his tongue.

Lifting his head, he grinned just before tossing her onto her back on the mattress, following as soon as he rid himself of his boxers. Laughing as the bed bounced, he captured her giggle as he kissed her once more.

Moving his mouth over hers, he felt her fingers dig into his shoulders as her legs pulled him in. Sliding down her body, the scent of her arousal filled the air, intoxicating him. Lapping her juices as he plunged his tongue inside her warm channel, he knew there was no other woman for him.

He moved his lips upward to latch onto her clit as he inserted one finger deep inside.  Curling it, he found the exact spot that caused her hips to buck off the mattress.  Smiling against her folds, he watched as she leaned up on her elbows to watch him, her eyelids half closed in passion. 

“I…I…need…”

Answering her with another suck on her clit, she flung herself back on the bed, her hips unable to stay still as she pressed them upward against his face.  Her core tightened and her breathing became more ragged.  Lifting one hand to her breast, he rolled her nipple between his fingers while giving one last tug on her clit.  Her senses on overload, she cried out as her orgasm roared through her. 

Quivering, she allowed her body to go along for the ride until the last spasm slowed.  Katelyn was aware of the soft mattress underneath her and her legs draped over Gareth’s shoulders as the cool of the room finally penetrated.  Lifting her head to peer down at him she saw his slow, easy smile as he licked her juices from his fingers.

Moving up her body, he kissed his way over her stomach and breasts on his way to her lips. She tasted herself on his tongue—the heady combination of her juices and his own scent leaving her body needing his.

Lifting an eyebrow at her as she rolled over to straddle his hips, she grinned, sliding down his legs until she was sitting on his ankles. Eyes wide, the idea of her lips around his dick knocked all other thoughts from his mind.  She smiled as she leaned her body down further, sliding her full lips around the head of his cock.  He groaned as her swirling tongue moved around the sensitive rim. 

Pressing her hand down on his stomach when his hips bucked up, she moved her lips up and down his impressive girth, relishing in the taste of him on her tongue.  It had been a long time since she had given head and she worried if she was effective.

He leaned up, the sight of her mouth sliding up and down his length nearly undoing him. She peered up, his cock sliding from her lips as she asked, “Am I doing this okay?”

“Oh, hell, babe. If you do it any better, I’m going to blow too soon!”

She grinned as her lips slid back over his dick, her tongue working its magic.  The tightening in his lower back alerted him to the oncoming orgasm, but he wanted to be buried in her again. Lifting her shoulders, he pulled out of her mouth with another groan.

“I want to be buried deep inside of you when I come,” he growled. 

Flipping her underneath him, he stopped suddenly. Pulling away from her arms as he raised up, he twisted his body, his eyes searching before he realized the condom was in his wallet, which was in his pants, which were at the bottom of the stairs. As he started to climb off the bed, her hands on his stopped him.

“I’m clean...and I…uh…I’m on birth control.”

His breath left him in a rush as he grinned at her implication. “I’m clean too. Are you sure this is what you want?” he asked, wanting to feel her with no latex between them, but wanting her to make the final decision.

Her brilliant smile was his answer as she nodded, lifting her arms up to him.  Nervous energy pulsated from him as he realized this was the first time he would ever be bareback during sex. Pushing slowly into her tight warmth, he let out a sigh as his body found its home.  Moving deliberately, he refused to give into the desire to rush.  Thrusting, first slowly and then faster, he found his pace as his cock dragged along the inside of her sex, the friction causing his arms to quiver as he held himself over her body.

Katelyn bent her legs, opening herself as wide as she possibly could to accommodate his body as she looped her feet on his muscular ass.  His pelvis rubbed against her clit, the shivers it elicited starting from somewhere deep inside and beginning to shoot outwards.  The pressure built as she climbed higher and she threw her head back on the mattress, her eyes never leaving his.

“I’m ready, baby.  Are you close?” he panted, using all his control to keep from blowing before she had a chance to come again.

Still thrusting, he leaned down, taking a taut nipple into his mouth, biting slightly as he tugged on the sensitive flesh. “Come on, baby,” he encouraged.  “Let go and come with me.”  His order was gentle, but the meaning was clear.  He was holding on by a thread and wanted her to go with him.

Whispering his name, her voice hoarse with need, she fell apart, the sparks finally igniting the explosion ripping through her body.  He watched as her face tensed with the power of her orgasm, his balls tightening and his own climax roaring through him and into her.  His arms quivered as they held him up, the muscles in his neck standing out as he strained before collapsing onto her waiting body. 

His legs quivered with the force of his orgasm, expending all his energy.  Pulling out reluctantly, he fell face first to the mattress, arms spread out to the side, breath coming in gasps. 

For a moment they lay, their breaths labored, as the euphoria washed over them.  Realizing he weighed her down into the mattress, he rolled to the side, taking her with him, their bodies still crushed together, slick with sweat.  Her breasts pressed against his chest, heartbeat to heartbeat.

“You okay, Katelyn?” he asked.

Not trusting her voice, she simply nodded.  Rolling to the side, he stalked into the bathroom, coming back with a warm, wet cloth. Gently, he cleaned between her legs before taking the cloth back to the bathroom. Sliding back into bed, he rolled her body so that she faced him, her head on his shoulder. Tracing patterns on his chest, he reached up and clasped her fingers in his, over his heart.

“Do you feel this?” he asked.

Not sure what he was asking, uncertainty settled in her gaze as she sucked her lips in.

Brushing a few dark tendrils of hair back from her face, he cupped her cheek, his thumb rubbing over the soft skin.  “I noticed you the first time I ate in the pub. I saw you behind the bar, smiling at everyone but barking at your brothers to behave. I thought you were sexy as hell, with your dark hair, blue eyes, and curves that don’t quit.”

She smiled but stayed quiet, wanting to hear his thoughts.

“I was going to ask you out but held back…first because I was new in town and had to focus on getting my business going.”

“And then you heard about Philip, right?” she whispered, her fingers feeling the pounding of his heart.

“Yeah…I figured I had no chance.  I tried to fight my feelings, but you stayed in my mind. As I set up the office, I imagined you being there with me, but gave up hope that it might happen.”

Leaning over to place a soft kiss on her lips, he murmured, “I’ve fallen in love with you, Katelyn.”

Her lips curved slowly before her smile blossomed, beaming on him, warming him completely.  Nuzzling her nose alongside his, she whispered, “I’m in love with you, too.” Tracing his jaw with her finger, she said, “I never thought I’d find love again after having my heart broken. But you’ve found all the pieces and have put them back together. Now I know…you have my heart. All of it. Not just what’s left…or part of it. But all of it, Gareth. All of me.”

His heart leaped at her words, understanding what she was confessing. Leaning down, he grabbed the covers, pulling them up over their still tangled bodies.  Tucking her in closely, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead as they slept with the moonlight watching over them.

* * *

 

The incessant knocking on the front door ceased just as Katelyn managed to pry her eyes open. The first thing she saw was the mouth-watering, defined muscles of Gareth’s chest. Lifting her head, she grinned down as his blue eyes opened and peered back at her.

“Did you hear knocking?” his sleep-rough voice asked.

“Yeah, but they’re gone.” Leaning up, she looked over his body at her clock and said, “Oh, my God, we slept late. It’s already nine o’clock.”

“But it’s the weekend, baby, so we can stay in bed all day if we want.” He rolled so that she was underneath him. Just as his lips were about to mesh with hers, a call from downstairs halted him.

“Katelyn?”

“She’s probably in the shower. Where’s her coffee maker?”

“Katelyn, are you—oh my! Eric, she’s got company and we’re interrupting!”

Katelyn and Gareth’s hearts pounded as they stared at each other for a few seconds before being hurled into action.

“Shit, my parents came over! I forgot what day it is…they always come over on Sundays after early mass!”

Pulling on his boxers, Gareth looked around frantically for his jeans. “Oh, fuck, my pants are downstairs.”

Katelyn realized her parents had already discovered the evidence of the stair-strip and began to giggle while blushing. Pulling on a sweatshirt and a pair of yoga pants, she fled down the stairs. At the bottom, she saw her dad’s flushed face and Gareth’s jeans held in her mom’s hands.

“Uh…hi. I’ll…take those,” she said, snatching them out of her mom’s grip and whirling, running back up the stairs, snagging his shirt on the way. Throwing them at Gareth, she rushed over. Lifting on her toes, she kissed him soundly. “It’ll be fine,” she laughed. “Seriously.”

He jerked his legs into the pants and pulled the shirt over his head, the whole time trying to figure out if her dad was going to deck him when he reached the bottom of the stairs. With a quick swipe of his hand over his hair, he followed her back downstairs.

The entry foyer was blessedly empty and as they moved around the bottom of the stairs, he could see the living room was also unoccupied. Katelyn headed toward the kitchen and he followed, the sound of pans rattling meeting his ears. Entering, he found Eric sitting at the table in the dining room, a cup of coffee in front of him and the newspaper opened.

Lifting his eyes over the top, Eric nodded at the couple entering the room. “Morning,” he greeted as Katelyn leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Guess we’ll need to start calling before we come to visit.”

“Oh, Dad,” Katelyn laughed as she moved to her mom, who was busy scrambling eggs and frying bacon.

“Gareth, dear,” Corrine called out. “Can you pop the toast in the toaster?”

Just then the back door opened and Aiden and Brogan walked in. Stiffening, Gareth eyed the two men as they greeted their mom and Katelyn first before nodding toward Gareth. Aiden poured a cup of coffee before he sat down with their dad, taking a section of the newspaper. Brogan stared at Gareth for a long moment, his eyes dropping to Gareth’s bare feet. Lifting his eyebrow as he lifted his head, he continued to stare before a slight grin slipped across his face. Turning, he also poured a cup of coffee before sitting at the table.

Feeling surreal, Gareth shook his head as he watched Katelyn’s family make themselves at home for breakfast, acting as though his presence was not only expected, but wanted.

Catching Katelyn’s smile, he winked as he turned to make the toast.