Illicit Captor by Maggie Cole

19

Scarlet

A Month Later

The scents of cedarwood and light musk flare in my nostrils. Aidan's warm torso presses against my back. His hot breath and lips tickle my neck. He murmurs in my ear, "I've missed ya, petal."

Am I dreaming?

His tongue flicks against my lobe, and my skin crackles with electricity. I blink a few times, then turn my head, whispering, "Are ya really here?"

His mouth grazes my cheek as he answers, "Aye, lass, I'm here."

It's been five days since I saw him. Alaina and Brody haven't forgotten their mission to teach him a lesson, which means sometimes he's gone for days. And every second that passes while he's gone is torture.

He kisses me again, demanding, "Tell me ya missed me."

I spin in his arms, admitting, "All I've thought about is ya."

Approval lights up his expression. "Good."

I ask, "Are ya home now?"

"For a bit."

Disappointment fills me and I pout. "How long are they going to keep ya working like this? It's not fair."

He puts his fingers on my lips. "Let's talk about it later."

A moment passes, and he intently studies me.

Butterflies fill my stomach. I put my palm on his cheek and nervously ask, "Why are ya staring at me like that?"

He grabs my hand, pins it above my head, and slides his tongue into my mouth.

I flick against it, needy, hungry, desperate to have him, and widen my legs. He's my addiction, and it's been too long since he's touched me, controlling my body and displaying his dominance over me.

He laces his fingers with mine. His erection slides over my pussy, taunting me at a slow speed. He nibbles my ear, fists my hair, and drags his teeth down my neck.

A shiver runs down my spine. I arch into him, whimpering.

He slides over my clit faster, murmuring, "I'm going to make ya come all night."

"Jesus," I manage to get out.

He chuckles slightly. "Glad to see ya missed me as much as I missed ya."

A slow tremor moves through my cells, and I breathe out, "I have."

He dips his head to my chest, and his wet tongue circles my nipple.

Hot blood rushes through my veins. The longer he's been gone, the more I've craved feeling him all over me.

He sucks my other breast, then presses his erection harder against me, gliding faster.

Adrenaline explodes throughout my body. I shudder underneath him, and he grabs my thigh, tugs it up, and slides into me.

"Oh Jesus," I cry out.

He thrusts a few times, then flips onto his back, pulling me with him. His forearm locks me close to him, and his fingers slide through my hair, holding my head firmly.

Within seconds, we're in sync with each other.

"Aidan," I whimper again.

He grips my hip and moves me faster over him.

"Oh Jesus," I mutter again.

He groans. "Fuck. I missed ya. Ya have no idea how hard I've been thinking about ya, petal."

"No, I'm the one who…oh…oh…" I close my eyes as a wave of dizziness hits me.

"That's my lass," he praises, pushing deeper into me.

"Aidan! I… Oh holy mother of God!" Endorphins explode in all my cells, giving me a high I've been aching for ever since he left.

He groans, muttering, "Christ, I've missed ya squeezing your pussy around me." He keeps me moving until the tremors slow, then he flips me on my back again. He widens my thighs and thrusts even deeper inside me, which only creates more toe-curling sensations.

"Aidan! Right there! Oh…don't…oh!"

"I'm not stopping. I know what ya need," he growls, thrusting faster into me and taking me from one orgasm to the next.

Sweat coats our skin, merging together. The air fills with the scent of our arousal and incoherent sounds.

Stars and white light fill my vision. More adrenaline floods me, and I call out, "I-I can't take anymore!"

His voice turns gravelly. He declares, "Ya can. And ya will. Now, tell me to keep going."

"I…I…" Another wave of adrenaline pounds into me.

"Tell me," he demands.

"Pl-pl-please!" I cry out.

"Nothing feels better than ya, petal."

"Oh God," I moan, then all the sensations accelerate to the point I can't control anything. An earthquake explodes within me. My entire body turns to an onslaught of tremors, and I can't stop whimpering.

He grunts. "You're going to make me come too soon."

I wrap my arms around his shoulders tighter. "Come…Aidan. I-I-I want...need…"

"A little longer, petal," he says through gritted teeth.

"I want... Oh shit!" Another tremor of euphoria hits me.

"Fuck," Aidan growls, and his body convulses violently against mine.

My high intensifies too quickly. I get dizzy again, and this time, all I see is black. My body turns limp.

When our tremors subside, he studies me, breathing hard, holding himself up by his forearms. His hot breath tickles my neck.

I try to catch my breath as his face slowly comes back into focus.

He pecks me on the lips, then rolls over, pulling me with him.

I curl into his body, his arm around me, my leg pretzeled around his, and my head resting on his chest. His heart thumps in my ear, the rapid beating slowing over time.

He strokes my hair and asks, "What have ya been doing since I've been gone?"

"Going crazy," I admit.

He groans. "Ya and me both. But tell me what ya filled your days doing. Have ya been eating right?"

I roll my eyes. "Don't worry. Between Alaina and Brody, I'm getting stuffed full of food twenty-four seven."

He softly chuckles, then runs his hand over the curve of my waist and hip, resting it on my ass cheek and softly squeezing. "Aye. It feels like you've gotten a little bit more meat on ya."

I laugh. "A long time ago, that would've insulted me."

He kisses my forehead again. "Ya know I don't mean it as an insult. Ya know I love ya no matter what. I'm just worried about ya being healthy."

"I am healthy. I'm fully recovered from surgery and no longer the frail woman ya rescued," I declare.

"No, ya aren't," he agrees.

"So let's not have this conversation again."

His lips twitch. "Yes, ma'am."

I kiss him. "Good lad."

He chuckles. "Besides eating, what else have ya been doing?"

"Walking around the estate with Alaina's bodyguards following me. They won't even stay in the shadows. I'm on her property, so I don't know why she has to be so paranoid."

He lowers his voice. "She's as paranoid as me. That's one thing I can give your sister credit for. And those are my orders as well."

I lift my chin off his chest, tilting my head, questioning, "Your orders? That's ridiculous, Aidan. I'm on the estate. It's their house. Who's going to dare breach their territory in that way?"

He strokes my cheek. "I'm not taking any chances with ya, petal."

I groan. "You're both overreacting."

"Nope."

"Well, can ya at least tell the bodyguard to back off a bit? I mean, he's literally breathing down my neck."

Aidan's voice darkens. "What do ya mean he's breathing down your neck?"

I laugh. "Wrong choice of words. Don't worry. No one's doing anything inappropriate."

"He better not be," Aidan warns.

"Everything is professional. So how long are they going to keep ya working like this?"

He kisses my forehead. "My punishment is over."

I tilt my head up. "It is? But ya said ya were only home for a little while," I point out.

His expression hardens.

"Aidan, don't keep me in the dark!"

"Don't worry. Things are going to change."

"How?"

"I won't be on shit jobs anymore."

"But you'll still be gone?"

Silence fills the air.

I push, "Why will ya be gone?"

"I won't be gone from ya all the time."

"But you'll be gone for some of it?"

He studies me again.

I confess, "This is driving me nuts, Aidan. I hate it. I'm worried the entire time you're gone."

"I've told ya, ya have nothing to worry about," he insists.

"Then tell me why you'll be gone if they said your punishment is over."

More tension builds between us.

"Aidan—"

"Tommy is still out there."

My stomach drops. "I know, but Alaina told me he went into hiding. There were too many O'Connors after him."

"That's right." Aidan clenches his jaw.

"What aren't ya telling me?" I question.

His expression shifts and that crazed look appears in his eyes.

It scares me. I add, "Please don't go silent on me!"

He deeply exhales. "My only job going forward is to find and kill Tommy."

My chest tightens. "So you're going to be gone a long time?"

"Not a long time."

"How do ya know? No one has been able to find him, according to Alaina."

In his this-conversation-is-over voice, he declares, "I will. Let's talk about this later. Tell me what else you've been doing."

I sigh, lay my head back on his chest, and slide my fingers between his pecs. "Nothing. I need to get out of here, Aidan. The walls are starting to press in on me. Will things ever get normal so we can leave this compound?"

He sits up and pulls me with him, giving me a quick kiss. Then he states, "Aye, we will. And I bought ya a present for tomorrow night to start our normalcy."

"Tomorrow night?"

"Aye." He grins.

"What's going on tomorrow?"

He motions to the wall. "Your present is hanging in the closet if ya want to look."

I arch my eyebrows. "Ya bought me clothes? Ya don't like Alaina's outfits she got me?"

"Didn't say that." He wiggles his eyebrows and adds, "It's not just any clothes. It's a dress."

I blurt out, "I don't think I've ever worn a dress in front of ya."

"Well, it's about time ya did," he says, then runs his hand over my inner thigh.

Zings erupt under his touch. I tease, "So are we going to get dressed up and have dinner in the house?"

He shakes his head. "No, I'm taking ya out."

My stomach fills with butterflies as I take in what he said.

"Ya don't want to go out, petal?" he questions.

"Of course I want to go out. But Alaina says I can't leave."

Annoyance fills his voice. "I already took care of Alaina. And I'll be with ya, so we're going out."

I start to protest, "But Tommy—"

"He's in hiding. Let him come out of it. It's time we started forming some sort of normal life, and I'm taking ya out."

"Is this where ya use me as bait?"

He sighs. "I'm not using ya as bait."

"You've always planned to use me to get to him," I remind him.

He tugs me closer to him and slides his palm on the side of my head. "Ya want to know the truth?"

My pulse skyrockets. "Yea. I do."

He collects his thoughts and then admits, "At first, I did want to use ya to make him pay, but it's not about that anymore."

A bite of anger pinches in my chest. I attempt to keep my voice calm as I tilt my head. I assert, "Ya need to explain that, Aidan."

He stares at me momentarily, then confesses, "I love ya. So while it will burn Tommy enough to make him come out of hiding to find me, this isn't about that. It's about us having a life and going on a proper date. But when he does come out, I'm ready to kill him. Then all this will be over."

"But isn't it dangerous for me to be out there with ya?"

"No. Plus, this needs to happen."

"Now I'm confused again. That sounds like ya have ulterior motives again," I declare.

He stays silent.

My anger reignites. I demand, "What needs to happen, Aidan?"

His face hardens further. He asserts, "I'm showing all the O'Learys, and O'Connors too, for that matter, that you're mine. No one's ever again going to disrespect or touch ya."

"How does that keep me safe? If they know I'm here…"

"We're in Belfast, petal. We're not in Dublin. The O'Connor clan surrounds us. There are men who will die to protect ya because your sister, Brody, and I gave them orders. Now, is there any reason ya don't want to go on a date with me?"

My lips twitch, and butterflies fill my stomach. "No. And it is time ya took me out on a date. You've been slacking a bit."

He grins. "Slacking? I'll show ya slacking!" He flips me on my back and tickles me.

I shriek. "Stop! I'm going to wee my panties!"

"Ya aren't wearing panties," he says and tickles me more.

"Aidan!" I cry out.

He finally stops and kisses me. His face turns serious. "I've always wanted to take ya on a date."

"Well, ya better make sure ya put everything into it. I have high expectations. I need to be impressed," I tease.

He chuckles. "Oh, don't ya worry. I got lots up my sleeve, petal."

"Do ya, now?"

He slides his tongue back into my mouth, kissing me deeply until I'm breathless, then he murmurs, "I also got ya shoes."

I arch my eyebrows. "Shoes, huh?"

"Not just any shoes," he states.

I tilt my head. "Well, what kind of shoes are these?" Mischief fills his eyes. "They're a very high pair of stilettos, and I have lots of plans for them."

I laugh. "Do ya have a stiletto fetish?"

He kisses me again, grinning. "Definitely. Now, let's get some sleep. I'm keeping ya out late tomorrow night."