“Yes!” she sobbed. “Yes, Aidan, please!”
Hearing his name on her lips nearly broke him. Aidan groaned and doubled his efforts, the sound of his flesh hitting hers loud enough to be heard over her gasps and moans of pleasure. Just when he thought he would have to stop, he felt her sheath squeeze him so hard stars began to burst behind his eyes and she screamed his name. He pumped once, twice, three more times before pulling out. One hand pushed her upper back down, the other stroked with desperation.
“Fuck!” he yelled, watching as he came fast and hard all over her beautiful ass.
For several minutes, there was nothing but the sound of heavy breathing as Mary gripped the counter to keep from sliding to the ground, her knees shaking uncontrollably. Aidan’s thighs held her in place so she would not fall as they returned to earth.
Then reality seeped in. What had he just done? It wasn’t like him to lose control like that. Aidan began to pull away. “Mary, I - ”
She turned in his arms. He expected her to look ashamed, or sorry, or angry, but she didn’t. He saw none of those things. Instead, he saw bliss. A beautiful, rosy flush colored her skin; her eyes shone with radiance. Before he could register that, she dropped to her knees before him and took him into her mouth.
“FUCK!” he shouted, his knees weak as he fisted his hands in her hair and held on for dear life. She was gentle, loving, as she licked him clean. Only when she was finished did she look up and meet his gaze. Aidan was completely blown away by what he saw there.
He dropped to his knees and pulled her into his arms. He didn’t know what had just happened. All he knew was that he had to hold her close to him until his heart started beating in a normal rhythm again.
“Mary, I’m - ”
*
“Don’t say it, Aidan,” she said, her voice little more than a whisper. “Don’t you dare tell me you’re sorry this happened.”
Whatever Aidan was about to say was interrupted by the ringing of the telephone. Mary looked up, the desire to stay in Aidan’s warm embrace far more appealing than answering the call. After four rings, the machine picked up.
“Mary? Mary O’Rourke? Is everything alright over there?” The shrill, grating voice jolted Mary back to her senses and she scrambled to her unsteady feet, grabbing the receiver from the base.
“Mrs. Shaughnessy? Is something wrong?”
“Oh, thank goodness, Mary. There’s a strange vehicle parked out in front of your house. Did you know that?”
The machine didn’t automatically shut off when Mary picked up the phone. Therefore, Aidan could hear everything said as her neighbor’s voice sounded loud and clear through the speaker.
“Yes, Mrs. Shaughnessy, I do know.”
“You have a visitor?”
“Yes.”
“A male visitor?”
“Yes, Mrs. Shaughnessy.” Mary’s mortification grew. If the floor opened up she would have gladly jumped right in at that moment.
There was a brief pause, then, “Who is he? What’s he doing there?”
To her credit, Mary kept her voice calm and level. “He is a friend of mine, Mrs. Shaughnessy, and he generously offered to help me drag all of my Christmas stuff back up into the attic.”
“A friend? What’s his name? Do I know his family? And why didn’t you let Malcolm know you needed help? You know he loves to help you, Mary. My Malcolm’s a good boy.”
“Thanks for your concern, Mrs. Shaughnessy, but I’m fine.”
“I’ll send Malcolm over, just to be sure.”
“That’s not necessary. We were just leaving to get a bite to eat. Thanks anyway.” Mary hung up the phone before the other woman could utter another word. It took her several long moments to work up the courage to look at Aidan again. But when she finally did, she didn’t find the disgust or regret she’d expected. She saw only... amusement.
“Well, now I know why so few males have crossed your threshold,” he quipped with a slight curve in his lips. “Nosy neighbors?”
Despite the situation, Mary smiled. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“So who is this Malcolm I find myself in competition with? Should I be worried?”
Mary rolled her eyes. As if there was any contest! Malcolm was the quintessential Momma’s boy. Nearly bald, pudgy, with beady little eyes that could stare at you for hours on end. Esther Shaughnessy had been trying to marry him off for as long as Mary had known her. Mary looked again at Aidan, the half-naked gold and bronze god standing before her, and shook her head.
“Um, no. You have nothing to worry about.”
Aidan grinned sexily and gave her a look that could have melted steel. “Good. Because I don’t share.”
Mary swallowed hard. “Share?” she asked tremulously. “Does that mean that this is more than a one-time thing?”