Catch Your Breath (23 page)

“I am, but . . .”

“But what? You’re just looking to fuck her? It’s nothing serious like every other
girl you’ve ever had? Shit, I could get behind that. In fact, when you’re done, maybe
I’ll get my turn.”

Jimmy turned back to face Kevin, rage boiling. “Shut the fuck up.”

“Are you really into her?”

He wanted to punch Kevin for talking about Moira like she was nothing more than a
piece of ass, but he had no idea what they were to each other. The last person he
wanted to talk to about Moira was Kevin. “I’m undercover and she’s part of the assignment.
I don’t want my cover blown.”

“I’m sure you want something blown.”

His fist cocked back, but a sharp intake of breath caught his attention and he dropped
his arm. He spun and saw Moira standing in the living room in front of his father,
who wore a smirk. Her mouth hung open for a second and he saw the hurt in her eyes.
It lasted exactly one heartbeat and then her eyes narrowed and color rose in her cheeks.

“Thanks for clearing that up.” Her voice was tight, too controlled for her. She tossed
some clothes on the couch. “There are the shirts I borrowed.”

She turned on her heel and slammed the door. Kevin chuckled behind him. He set his
beer on the table and shot a dirty look at his father, who had obviously let Moira
in and thought the situation was funny.

Jimmy ran out the door and called, “Moira.”

She was at her car across the street, yanking on the door handle. Then she pressed
the button to unlock it.

“Moira. Stop.”

She looked up at him, stark anger in her bright eyes. Then she got behind the wheel
and peeled out.

“Fuck.” He fumbled for the keys in his pocket. By the time he got behind the wheel
of his car, Moira was nowhere in sight. His hands gripped the steering wheel, muscles
in his hands tight to the point of almost cramping. He forced his fingers to loosen.

While at a red light, he pulled out his phone and called her. No answer. He hoped
she was going straight home. He had no clue where else to look for her, and he needed
to fix this. As he drove through the streets, he wondered how much of his conversation
with Kevin she had heard. She’d definitely heard him say she was nothing more than
work for him. If she heard everything Kevin had said, he didn’t know if he’d be able
to smooth that over.

Kevin had a way of pissing her off just by breathing. For as long he could remember,
he’d had to force Kevin to apologize to Moira for one thing or another.

When he pulled up in front of her apartment, her car was there, and he released a
relieved breath. He went to her apartment and knocked, but she didn’t answer. He waited,
hoping that she wasn’t ignoring him, and then knocked again. Then he tried the knob.
Locked.

At least she listened about something.

He knocked again, a little louder this time. “Moira, open up. I know you’re in there.
Stop acting like a kid and let me in so we can talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

She was right on the other side of the door.

“I have things to say.”

“No one’s stopping you. Talk to your heart’s content. Knowing you, it’ll be short.”

Her ride home hadn’t taken the edge off her anger. Jimmy rubbed a hand over his head.
He didn’t know where to start, but he was sure that he didn’t want to be in the hallway.
Bracing a hand on the door, he hoped she was still there when he said, “I wasn’t ready
to talk to my family about us. Especially Kevin. I didn’t know what to say to him.”

The lock clunked, and he removed his hand a half second before she tore the door open.
“How about ‘I’m dating Moira. I like her’? Would that have been so painful?”

“When it comes to Kevin, yeah. Can I come in?”

“Why? People might get the impression you actually
want
to be around me.”

He shoved the door wider, forcing her back with his size, and closed it behind him.

She sputtered for a moment and then said, “I didn’t say you could come in.”

“You didn’t say no either. You were too busy with smart-ass comments. I do want to
be around you and you know it.”

“Then why lie to Kevin? That’s bullshit. I’ve been killing myself to defend our relationship
to my family, and you can’t even admit we have a relationship. I deserve better than
that.”

Her words struck him, and he stepped back until he was against the door. “What? Defend
what to who?”

“Us. My family has questioned whether I know what I’m doing and if I really want to
get involved with you. Liam was actually pissed. He doesn’t get mad about anything.”

“Shit.” His shoulders sagged. He’d wanted to believe her when she’d said Liam wouldn’t
care. Jimmy should’ve talked to Liam himself before he even thought about a date with
Moira.

“That’s your response?”

Right now, Moira was the priority. He straightened from the wall just as she pulled
back to hit him.

He snatched her arm at the wrist and pulled her into him. She was breathing hard and
her chest collided with his torso. She pulled back her other arm to swing, so he caught
it and held both arms behind her back. Her eyes blazed and her nostrils flared.

She was so fucking hot when she was mad.

He lowered his head and kissed her hard. She fought against him for a minute, but
then her lips softened. In her stubbornness, she refused to participate in the kiss,
though. He moved his mouth to her ear. Her hair fluttered with his breath and she
shivered.

“I lied to Kevin because I didn’t want him to know about us. I wanted to keep this
for myself. I want you so fucking much I can’t think straight.”

Moira stopped struggling in his grasp, but he didn’t turn her loose. Using her bound
arms to push her forward, her soft flesh pressed into him. “You’ve been tormenting
me for longer than I can remember. Sunday night my cock was so hard it hurt. I jacked
off in the shower thinking about you. Smelling you on my hand.”

Her shoulder twitched with another shiver and her breath quickened again. She swallowed
hard and he pressed a kiss to the pulse on her neck. “I want you every time I see
you.”

“So show me,” she rasped out.

She tugged her hands, and this time, he released her. She stepped back and started
unbuttoning her blouse. Her eyes were hot with lust instead of anger now. She licked
her lips, and when he groaned, her fingers fumbled on a button. He’d seen the bared
skin before when she’d been in a fancy dress and again when he ripped her dress open,
but it was no less erotic this time.

He stepped closer and she retreated. She wanted him to watch, but she wasn’t moving
fast enough for him. No man had enough control for that. He reached out, using his
size to his advantage again, and tugged her closer. His fingers curled in the waistband
of her skirt to hold her in place and his other hand yanked the blouse free.

She finished opening the last two buttons and shrugged out of the shirt. It slid soundlessly
to the floor.

Jimmy kissed the white freckled skin above her bra and trailed down to her waist.
He knelt in front of her. His hands went to her thighs and shoved the skirt up. He
could smell her arousal as he pulled her panties down. With them removed, the patch
of red curls was revealed and he brushed his fingers over her mound.

Her hands came down on his shoulders abruptly and her fingers dug in with every slight
stroke. He spread her lips and flicked his tongue against her, tasting her, savoring
her. Shouldering her thighs wider, he ran his tongue down her seam and she moaned.
Her thighs trembled, so he shifted her entire body to make her lean against the wall.
Her shoulders thumped against the wall as he lifted her knee over his shoulder, giving
him better access.

Her pink center was warm and wet. After a couple of swipes of his tongue, he sucked
on her clit, drawing it into his mouth. Her body jerked and then settled against him
again when he pressed his tongue inside her. Her gasps and moans urged him on. His
teeth scraped gently across her sensitive flesh, causing another little jump.

He licked and sucked until she went up on tiptoe as if to escape while pushing at
his head to keep him on target. He sank two fingers into her and stroked while his
tongue focused solely on her clit. A string of ohs and fuck yeahs and oh my gods rang
in his ears. Her hips bucked and her thighs trembled. Her walls tightened on his fingers
as she came. He pulled them out and replaced them with his tongue, tasting her juices
as she rode the waves of her orgasm.

When her body began to calm, he pulled his face away and wiped at his chin. He kissed
her inner thigh and it twitched. He held her in place with his hands on her hips mostly
to hold her up, but also to ground himself as he looked at her. He’d thought she was
beautiful after she came in the backseat of his car, but that was nothing compared
to this.

Jimmy pressed his body against Moira, and it felt like it was the only thing keeping
her upright. The orgasm had shaken her so hard that she felt boneless. Her entire
body tingled and trembled at every touch. Jimmy’s hands moved to her breasts and rubbed
at her nipples through her bra. Everything was so sensitive it almost hurt.

“I don’t think I can take any more,” she whispered weakly.

He tilted her chin toward him and waited until she made eye contact. “You wanted this.
You wanted me to show you and I’m not nearly done.”

The power of his words shot through her and she shivered. He crushed his mouth to
hers, and she tasted herself on his lips, mixed with the taste of Jimmy. That alone
was enough to turn her on again. His tongue, that magical, talented tongue plunged
into her mouth, and his hands dove into her hair, gripping tightly.

Everything Jimmy did, he accomplished with gentle forcefulness that made her want
to surrender. He made love to her mouth. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d
been kissed so thoroughly.

“I’m taking you to bed now.” His voice was gruff and hoarse with need.

Smiling, she said, “Give me a minute so I can regain the ability to walk.”

“I don’t have another minute. I need to be inside you now.”

Then he scooped her up. He actually picked her up and carried her to her bed. Of course
she knew he was a big guy; he towered over her. But never in any of her dreams had
she thought about him using that brute strength to carry her to bed. It gave her a
little rush.

He placed her on the bed and while he stripped down, she reached into the drawer of
her nightstand and pulled out a condom. She set it on the bed beside her and wiggled
out of her skirt, taking her pumps with it. Then she unclasped her bra to set her
breasts free. Jimmy had gotten his shirt and pants off, but when he saw her breasts,
he groaned and dove at her. He still wore his boxer briefs and his erection pressed
into her leg.

“These are amazing,” he said as he palmed one breast and sucked the other nipple into
his mouth.

His mouth, now that was amazing. She arched into him. The slow ache began to build
in her again. Barely moving his body off her, he managed to get his underwear off.
He kissed her hard and insistently as he lay between her legs.

Jimmy stroked her cheek and asked, “Is anything off limits?”

The question startled her. Was there?

The look on her face must’ve revealed something because he muttered, “Shit. You’re
not a virgin.” He said it with just a hint of question.

She laughed. “No.”

“Is there anything I can’t do to your body?”

She stared into his eyes and felt it through to the center of her being. “I don’t
think so.”

He leaned his forehead to hers. “You’re killing me here.” Inhaling deeply, he levered
himself up a bit and said, “If I do anything you don’t want, you have to say so. Okay?”

Her eyes were wide and her imagination sped through possibilities. She’d read about
enough kink that a flood of thoughts blipped by. She swallowed hard and a thought
hit her. “Wait.” It came out sharply and he froze, muscles taut. “Don’t pee on me.”

He burst out laughing and collapsed on top of her. He weighed a ton, but feeling his
hard muscles and long limbs surrounding her was delicious. His laughter filled the
room, breaking some of the tension, and she felt her own giggle rise. “I didn’t think
it was that funny.”

Pushing up on his elbows, he looked into her eyes, his smile filling his face. “I
don’t think I could do that right now even if I wanted to, which I don’t.”

She laughed at the ridiculousness of what she’d said. He quieted her with another
searing kiss and her mind emptied of all thought. Her legs curled around his hips.

He kissed her neck and pushed her legs away. A whimper bubbled up in her throat. If
he backed away again, she was going to cause some serious bodily harm. He chuckled
and said, “I’ve waited too long for this. Don’t rush me.”

With some men that would be an empty promise. With Jimmy, she had no doubt he would
deliver. He explored her entire body, touching, squeezing, kissing, and licking. Every
time she moved to touch him, he gently removed her hand and held it for a minute.