Inappropriate by Vi Keeland
Chapter 20
Ireland
“I was beginning to think you were going to stand me up,” Grant said from the back of the boat. He’d changed into shorts and a T-shirt, and his feet were bare. Something about him in bare feet just made me smile. It seemed very un-Grant-like.
I held up a white bakery box. “I have the worst craving for cheesecake. I had to get some. Wait. Do you like cheesecake? I’m not sure we can see each other if you don’t.”
He held out a hand for me to climb the stairs and board. “Cheesecake is good. Though I’m not a big dessert eater.” After I was on the boat, Grant kept my hand and used it to tug me to him. He wrapped his other hand around my neck and pulled my lips to meet his. “Unless you’re on the menu.”
My body reacted to the intimacy with a flush. His kiss literally knocked the wind out of me. When his lips moved to my neck, I dropped the cheesecake on the ground.
His voice was strained. “It’s not easy to move slow with you. You bring dessert, and all I can think about is smearing it all over your body and licking it off.”
Oh. My.
I’d just arrived, and already he had my panties wet.
Grant devoured my neck. I wasn’t even sure how I remained standing.
But then the sound of nearby voices made him groan and pull back. People had come outside on the boat next door. Grant dragged a hand through his hair. “Fuck. You better stay out here while I get some wine. Privacy might be dangerous for you.”
I bit my lip. “Or...I could help you inside.”
Grant’s green eyes darkened to almost gray. They raked down my body and back up again. “You sure about that?”
I swallowed and nodded.
Grant bent to pick up the cheesecake and smirked. “We’ll be needing this.”
It was only a few steps to get inside the cabin of Grant’s boat, but in the time it took to go from the stern to the door, all of my desire seemed to turn into nerves. Grant shut the door behind us, and the outside world went quiet.
I looked around and noticed the shades were drawn. I remembered he’d told me he had different shades. These were most definitely the blackout ones, though the lights were on inside.
Grant caught my eye. “I closed them before you got here because the late-afternoon sun heats up the inside, not because I was planning on luring you in here. I can open them if it makes you more comfortable. The view of the sunset is going to be nice soon anyway.”
I thought about the sunset we’d watched a few days ago. The view was spectacular. But if I were being honest, the view standing before me was pretty incredible, too. I took a few steps toward Grant and fisted his T-shirt in both of my hands. “I think I prefer privacy right now.”
Grant’s pupils dilated as he looked down at me. “Oh yeah?”
I nodded.
He looked back and forth between my eyes. Seeming to find what he was looking for, he lifted his chin toward the couch. “Go sit. We’ll have dessert.”
Something in the tone of his voice told me he wasn’t just planning on bringing me a piece of cheesecake. It made my entire body zing with anticipation. Taking a seat on the couch, I watched as Grant sliced open the red string on the box and cut two pieces of the creamy cheesecake. He put both on one plate, took a fork from the drawer, and walked over to me, offering it.
“Only one plate and one fork… Are we sharing, or are you giving me two pieces?”
Grant didn’t answer. Instead, he lifted the fork from the plate in my hands and scooped a big piece from one of the slices. He brought it to my lips, and I opened for him. The cake was delicious, but the way Grant was looking at me had me more focused on him than anything. He had a devilish glint in his eye as he watched me chew and swallow. I licked my lips, even though he hadn’t made a mess.
“Good?” he asked.
“Delicious. Try some.”
His smile was positively wicked. He set the fork on the plate and used two fingers to swipe a big piece of the second slice. Slowly, he brought his hand to my mouth, but when I parted my lips for him to feed me, he shook his head.
“Don’t be greedy. You already had some.” He smeared the cheesecake on my neck, trailing a slow line down over my throat, continuing on to my chest and down into my cleavage.
I gasped when his mouth swooped down to lick the creamy mess. He took his time, starting at my neck and licking and sucking as he slowly glided toward my cleavage. When he got to the upper swell of my breasts, he teased and flicked his tongue. The rise and fall of my chest sped up in unison with my labored breathing.
Grant looked up at me with hooded eyes from under his dark lashes. “You’re right. Excellent cake.”
I somehow managed to restrain myself from shoving his head back down when he sat up and took the fork in his hand again. This was his game, and I certainly didn’t mind playing. Grant fed me another spoonful of cheesecake and again watched me chew and swallow. His eyes never left my lips.
When I finished, he set the fork back on the plate and scooped another piece with his fingers. My legs were crossed, and he used his free hand to cup under my knee and uncross them. He gently pressed at my knee to guide them open.
My breathing quickened as he took the cake and smeared it from the inside of one thigh just above my knee, all the way up to the sensitive skin right below my shorts. He looked up at me with the sexiest damn smile as he leaned forward to follow the trail.
This time, he wasn’t as gentle as he’d been with my neck. He sucked and licked and nipped. Each little bite sent a bolt straight to my clit. By the time he’d worked his way up to the hem of my shorts, I was wiggling in my seat. I wanted to take his head and move it straight between my legs.
The wicked smirk on Grant’s face as he lifted to upright told me he knew exactly what he was doing to me.
I breathed out. “You’re a tease. I wouldn’t have taken you for one.”
“A tease is when someone offers you something and doesn’t give it to you. I’m happy to give you anything you want.” He tilted his head. “Tell me what you want, Ireland.”
A million things went through my head. I wanted him to not stop at the top of my breast. I wanted him to nip at my nipple the same way he’d just done on the inside of my thigh. I wanted him to suck on my clit like he did my neck.
“I…I don’t want you to stop.”
He smiled and took the cake plate from my hand. “Lean back, but bring your ass to the edge of the couch.”
Grant got on his knees in front of me. He took his thumb and rubbed it over my clit through my shorts. “Let’s take these off.”
My hands shook as I undid the button and pulled down the small zipper to my shorts. He smiled. “Lift.”
I did, and he slid my shorts and panties down my legs and tossed them aside. Sitting before him bare, I suddenly felt very exposed.
“Open your legs wide for me.”
I hesitated, and he looked up at me. “I’ve wanted to taste you since the minute I laid eyes on you.” He paused and looked down. “Wider, Ireland.”
Ignoring the urge to do the exact opposite, I spread my legs as wide as I could. Grant flashed a cocky smile of approval and licked his lips before burying his face against me. He licked me from one end to the other and flicked his tongue over my clit in delightful torture. Whatever shyness had me keeping my knees close together went out the door when he sucked my clit. My hips writhed, and I dug my fingers into his hair and pulled. It felt so incredibly good that tears started to prickle at the corners of my eyes.
“Oh, God.” I jerked when Grant thrust his tongue inside me.
“I want to drink every bit of your juices. Come on my tongue, sweetheart.”
The vibration of his words against my tender skin made my body tremble. Grant licked his way back up to my clit and then suddenly two of his fingers were pushing inside me. It all became too much, too fast, and he groaned and coaxed me to come in his mouth.
When I lifted my ass from the couch and dug my nails into his scalp, Grant held me in place. He curved his fingers inside me while increasing the suction. “Oh God…oh…yes…yes.”
My orgasm ripped through me almost violently. I thrashed my head from side to side as Grant massaged and stroked the tender spot inside of me until every last pulse rippled through my body. I felt boneless as I came down, panting and seeing stars through closed eyelids.
Eventually Grant stood up, only to lean down and scoop me off the couch, gathering me in his arms. He cradled me against him as he sat down where I’d been seated. I leaned my head against his chest, and a goofy smile spread across my lips.
“That was the best cheesecake ever.”
Grant chuckled. He pressed his lips to mine. “You taste better than any dessert.”
I blushed, even though the man’s head had just been buried in the most intimate of spots. “I’m sorry I’m sort of useless at the moment. I just need a minute to get my bearings, and then I can take care of you.”
Grant’s eyebrows drew together. “This isn’t tit for tat, Ireland.”
“I know…but I haven’t even touched you.”
He pulled his head back to look in my eyes. “I’m fine. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be taking a long shower later. But the first time I come with you, I want to be buried inside of you. I pushed my way to what just happened here, but I won’t push for that. When you’re ready, you’ll let me know.”
I sighed. “Honestly, I wouldn’t have stopped you if that’s where things had gone just now.”
“Your body was ready,” he paused and tapped one finger against my temple. “But how about this?”
I wanted to tell him he was wrong, but he was one hundred percent right. My body wanted him, but my head hadn’t gotten there yet. The fact that he cared about the two being aligned meant a lot to me.
I smiled. “Thank you.”
“For the orgasm or for not pushing you?”
“Both.”
A little while later, Grant went to the bathroom, and I got myself dressed and lifted the shade to look outside. The sun was starting to go down. He really did get spectacular sunsets here at the marina. Grant came back and wrapped his arm around my waist. He kissed my shoulder. “Want to go outside and watch the sunset? I’ll cut you a fresh piece of cheesecake and let you finish it this time.”
I smiled. “Okay.”
We sat on the bow of the boat in comfortable silence. Grant leaned against one of the mast poles with his knees bent, and I sat between his legs, leaning back against his chest. We sipped wine and pointed out things we saw in the clouds. We hadn’t really talked about today at all, since we went straight to getting out some pent-up frustration when I arrived, and I was curious to learn more about Leo—though I didn’t want to look like I was needling now that I knew Lily was his sister. So I started with something more playful.
“So…your sisters were really nice.”
Grant sighed. “They’re ball busters and were loading up with as much ammunition today as they could.”
I smiled. “You mean like how your sister was suspicious that you’d created an entire committee so we would have a forum to spend time together?”
He shook his head. “I’m never going to live that one down. Honestly, I have no fucking clue what the hell came over me to pull that shit.”
“So you’re finally admitting you made up that committee just to have a reason to call me?”
“No. That committee wasn’t even a thought when I called you. I just wanted to talk to you. I figured seeing how things were going your first day back would be reason enough to reach out. But you had to call me out on it, asking if I called any other employees to check how their days were going. So I panicked and made that shit up while I was on the phone.”
I tilted my head up to look at him and smiled.
“Don’t gloat, sweetheart. You’re putty in my hands as much as I am in yours. I just don’t lord it over you.”
“I am not putty in your hands.”
“No? Then give me that mouth, and let’s see if you stop me when I’m feeling you up for all the neighbors enjoying the sunset to watch.”
“You’re an ass.”
“Maybe. But I still would bet this boat that if we start kissing, you wouldn’t stop me from slipping my fingers into your shorts and fingering that sweet pussy of yours.”
My jaw dropped open.
Grant leaned down and kissed my chin. “Careful,” he whispered in my ear. “You keep that mouth open too long, and I might fill it.”
I wanted to tell him he was nuts, but honestly, even hearing him say “fingering that sweet pussy” had between my legs tingling again. So he wasn’t that off base. Rather than challenge him, I turned my head forward and settled against his chest.
“So Leo and you have an interesting rapport.”
“Kid’s new hobby is being a pain in my ass.”
I laughed. “He said you’ve been his Big for a long time.”
Grant was quiet for a moment. “He’s my ex-wife’s half brother. They share the same mentally unstable mother. He was born in the hospital while his mother was a patient in the psych ward. Father is some guy she met when they were living in a halfway house. She went off her meds when she got pregnant and wound up back in a psychiatric facility. Kid was in foster care by the third day of his life.”
“That’s tough. And he’s still in foster care?”
“He’s living with his father’s aunt, who’s had temporary custody the last few years. But she’s older and not really equipped for a teenager. I tried to get custody at one point a few years back when he’d gotten in trouble for stealing, but family trumps a single, non-blood relative who lives on a boat and works sixty hours a week.”
I liked how honest he’d become with me, and that I didn’t have to pry things out of him like at the beginning. But I really loved that he was the type of man who’d try to get custody of a troubled kid who was the sibling of his ex-wife. I turned around and looked into his eyes, pressing my lips to his.
“What was that for?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I just like you. The more I get to know you, the more I find to like.”
Grant looked away for a moment. “You know how you said you don’t always see things so clearly when you first date a guy, and you have a habit of picking assholes?”
“Yes.”
He looked directly into my eyes. “You’re doing it again.”
My face wrinkled. “What do you mean?”
“Fairytales have a Prince Charming and a bad guy. Life isn’t so black and white. Sometimes Prince Charming is both.”
“I…I don’t understand.”
Grant shook his head. “I don’t want you to be disappointed.”
“But why would I be disappointed?”
“Ireland, I’m the kind of man who brings women to an apartment I don’t live in to fuck them.”
I blinked a few times. “Okay…well, you’ve mentioned that. But I’m here right now. And you know you could have pushed things and slept with me when we were downstairs. Yet you didn’t.”
He stared at me. “I don’t want to hurt you, Ireland.”
“Okay. I believe you. But I’m a big girl. If you do, I’ll live. You don’t need to keep warning me away.”
Grant closed his eyes. After a solid minute, he opened them and nodded. “Okay.”
The mood definitely changed after that little chat. I had to work early in the morning, so once it got fully dark, I told him I needed to get going.
Grant walked me to my car. “Thank you for coming to the carnival today,” he said.
“I had fun. You’re leaving for a business trip tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah. I have a seven a.m. flight.”
“We’ll both be up at the ass crack of dawn then,” I smiled.
He leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on my lips. “I’ll talk to you during the week.”
“Okay.”
The entire ride home, I went over everything that had happened that day. It had seemed like such a perfect afternoon, followed by a mind-blowing orgasm in the evening, and a picture-perfect sunset. Yet Grant couldn’t seem to leave things that way. He had to tell me what a bad guy he was, even though everything I’d witnessed so far in my time spent with him had shown me just the opposite. I went round and round, analyzing and overanalyzing where things had taken that turn, and I came back to one commonality. Every time we talked about Grant’s ex-wife, he took a step back.
There had to be a piece to the puzzle I was still missing.
