She gritted her teeth. “Can we laugh at the irony of this later? Like maybe after I come again?”
“Are you always this bossy?” he mimicked.
She threw his words back at him. “Yes. Are you complaining?”
“Not one damn bit. Now brace yourself, honey, because I’m about to fuck your brains out.”
“Bring it on, honey.”
Boy, did he bring it.
Claire wasn’t prepared for his first thrust. It was so fast and so deep she gasped in startled delight as her body stretched to accommodate him.
“Holy shit, you’re tight,” he mumbled.
Dylan’s features tensed, as if he were trying desperately not to lose control. He eased out a few inches, then slammed right back in, and sure enough, his face took on a tortured expression.
“Sorry, honey, but there’s no way I’m going to last. You can blame the kung-fu grip of your pussy for that.”
She shuddered with laughter, which only intensified the agony burning in his eyes.
“Don’t. Move.” He choked out the words, gripping her hips to keep her still. “And please, please tell me you’re close to coming again.”
“No, but I could be.” With an amused look, she brought her hand between their bodies and started stroking herself.
Dylan groaned, but he didn’t move a muscle. She stared up at him as she rubbed her clit. The tendons of his neck were straining, twitching, as if he could barely hold it together. She could see his pulse throbbing in his throat, and she marveled over his restraint, the willpower he exuded as he allowed her to stoke the fire, to build up to climax.
She moved her fingers in little circles over her clit, getting closer and closer and closer, until a little moan finally slipped out, followed by, “Oh gosh, now. Fuck me now.”
He pulled out, then plunged in with a hard stroke that hit a spot deep inside and sent her soaring. As she got swept away into orgasmic oblivion, Dylan grabbed one of her legs and lifted it up to his hip so he could drive deeper. A moment later he let out a hoarse groan and started to come, the heat of his release warming her core right through the latex.
She’d never had sex like this before. Never come that hard, never felt this sated, and as they both took a few minutes to catch their breath, Claire knew her entire world had just changed.
If anyone had told him when he’d woken up at dawn that he’d be ending the day naked and cuddling with Claire McKinley, Dylan would have accused them of smoking too much crack. But here he was, lying in bed with Claire’s warm body nestled beside him.
On sheets that smelled like Aidan.
Fuck.
As he breathed in that familiar citrus scent, he battled a spark of guilt, then ordered himself to snuff it out. He refused to feel guilty. Aidan had known exactly what would happen when he’d barricaded the two of them in this bedroom. He’d even left them protection, for chrissake.
But although the guilt faded, it was replaced by a tremor of distress and a pang of longing. Aidan should be here too, damn it, and his absence brought an ache to Dylan’s heart.
“You don’t still think I’m a gold-digger who hates homemakers, do you?” Claire’s quiet voice broke the silence.
He had to smile. “No. Do you still think I’m a selfish manwhore who couldn’t be bothered to help his mother through her gambling addiction?”
“No,” she said softly.
“Good.”
He stroked her bare shoulder for a second, then reached up to rub his forehead. Just saying those words—gambling addiction—had reignited his anger and confusion. He couldn’t believe Chris and their mom had been keeping such a monumental secret from him. They’d almost lost their family home, for fuck’s sake. Why the hell wasn’t he told?
“I should call her,” he said absently. Then he thought better of it. “No, I should fly home and talk to her in person.”
“Your mom?”
“Yeah. I want to hear all this from her. I want her to explain to me why she and Chris felt compelled to lie to me for more than a year.”
“I really do think she was trying to protect you. You’re her favorite, and I bet she was scared of disappointing you. I mean, you should hear the way Shanna talks about you. She’s insanely proud of every little thing you do, and she acts like the sun rises and sets for you. That woman adores you.”
He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I know, but that’s no excuse for lying to me about something so important.”
“I’m sure everything will make more sense once you sit down and talk to her,” Claire assured him. “Just don’t go in ready to attack. Coming clean about the addiction was difficult for her.”
She should have come clean to me.
He bit back the juvenile response. Claire was right. His mom had tried to shield him from the darkness, the way she always did.
“Okay, I’ll reserve judgment until I hear what she has to say.”
“Well, that was easy,” Claire said with a laugh. “Are you always so quick to see reason?”