Page 17 of Irish Fire and Forbidden Love
The boy turned his head briefly to glance back, then his movements grew more erratic, his legs pumping frantically as he tried to lose me. But fatigue was setting in. His clumsy zigzags turned to staggered, desperate attempts to evade. I, on the other hand, found a second wind, my stride lengthening as I surged forward.
The chase ended abruptly at the edge of a dock. The boy skidded to a halt, his heels teetering dangerously close to the edge. The sea stretched out behind him, a vast expanse of choppy, gray water dotted with anchored boats. His chest heaved as he looked from me to the water, then to the small crowd that had gathered behind me.
I slowed my sprint to a stride. “I believe you have something of mine,” I said.
My hand shot out to grab the wallet, but the wood beneath my feet was slick from sea spray. My sneakers lost their grip, andI felt myself pitching forward, but it wasn’t until cries from the crowd shot through me that I realized it was already too late.
I tumbled over the edge of the dock.
The water hit me like a slap. Cold, unforgiving, and all-consuming. My body seized as I plunged beneath the surface, the icy shock knocking the breath from my lungs. For a moment, I was suspended in a world of muted sounds and shifting currents, the water closing around me like a vice. My limbs flailed instinctively, desperate to break free from the frigid grip. The salt stung my eyes and filled my nose as I kicked upward, breaking the surface with a gasping breath.
The world above was chaos. Shouts and gasps rippled through the crowd as people rushed to the edge of the dock. Strong hands reached down, grasping at my arms as I struggled to find purchase. With a collective heave, they hauled me onto the wooden planks, where I collapsed in a shivering heap. The wind bit at my soaked clothes, and I could feel the chill sinking into my bones.
“The kid!” someone shouted.
I lifted my head just in time to see the boy darting away, his small figure disappearing into the labyrinth of streets. A woman draped a blanket over my shoulders, but I threw it off, darting into the alley the boy had gone into. I rounded the corner. The kid stood at the back of a house, surrounded by three other hulky men. They turned to me, fists bawled as they moved toward me.
I held up my hands. “Hey, guys, I just want my wallet. Just let me have it back, and we’ll forget any of this happened.”
One of the bigger men with a bright red goatee stepped forward. He folded his arms in front of his chest and stared down at me. I’d known men like him, big tough guys who would cow down to a higher authority figure. I’d had my fair share of run-ins with guys like that, and usually confidence won out.
I puffed up my chest and drew forward. In the most commanding voice I could muster, I said, “Give me my wallet.”
It was a great performance— one that made the skinny thief cowering in the back widen his eyes, but the redhead in front of me didn’t flinch. In fact, he smiled and grabbed my shirt with both his hands, lifting me up a few inches from the ground, enough that I felt the stretch of my clothes against my skin.
“You starting trouble, are you?” said the man, he pulled my face close to his, enough to smell the man’s alcohol-laced breath.
“I just want my wallet. He stole it!”
The man shook his head. “I think you’ve got it wrong. Think you’re mistaking our guy for someone else.”
“No,” I went on, and part of me wished I could have stopped myself. Allowed these men to keep what was rightfully mine, but I couldn’t. “Let me down or I’m calling the cops!”
The redhead glanced back at his friends, then to me, who was squirming in his grasp, like a fish coming up from water. Then he hit me, and everything went black.
Maeve stoodat her front door; her silhouette framed by the soft glow of an overhead light. She wore a red silk gown that clung to her figure, shimmering like liquid fire as it moved. Her hair was swept up, with a few dark tendrils curling against her neck. Her makeup was smoky, her eyes like embers glowing in the night. She looked as though she were prepared for a gala, a night of indulgence and decadence. Yet, she stood there, unmoving, her gaze fixed on me.
If my soul could speak, it would have begged for her forgiveness. I would have traded everything for a chance to feel her touch again, to bask in the radiance of her presence.
She stepped back into the shadows of her hallway and gestured for me to follow. My legs carried me forward as if her invitation were a command written in the stars. I would’ve followed her anywhere. Into the depths of the ocean. To the moon and back. Or even up the winding staircase I now climbed. But this time felt different.
She led me into her living room and gestured toward the couch. I sat, my body taut, as she stood before me. Slowly, achingly slowly, she reached for the zipper at her back. The gown slipped from her shoulders, cascading to the floor in a silken whisper. She stepped out of it, now dressed in delicate red and white lace, the lingerie hugging her curves like a lover’s embrace. Her matching red heels clicked softly against the floor as she took a step closer, her eyes locking with mine. They smoldered with a fire that made my chest tighten.
She straddled me, the heat of her thighs pressing against mine as she pulled my shirt over my head. The lace of her bra grazed my skin, and I traced the fabric with my fingertips, sliding my hands down her soft sides and over the curve of her hips. She was a vision, the epitome of desire— everything a man could want, and everything I had ever longed for that I didn’t know I needed.
I kissed her slowly at first, savoring the softness of her lips, imagining them as a ballroom where our tongues danced in perfect harmony. But the pace quickened, the rhythm of our movements becoming frantic, desperate. It was a melody only we could hear, one that pulsed with the shared beat of our hearts.
In one practiced motion, I unhooked her bra, and her warm breasts fell against me. My lips found her nipples, circling them, sucking gently at first, then harder. She moaned, a low, sultry sound that resonated deep within me, a vibration of pleasure that echoed in her grip on my hair as she gasped. Her handstrembled, clutching at me like a lifeline, as if letting go might cause the world to collapse.
Her face flushed, her breath coming in soft, ragged gasps as I laid her down on the couch. I kissed my way down her body, trailing over her chest and stomach until I reached the lace barrier hiding her most intimate secrets. My tongue teased along the fabric, eliciting a shiver from her. Her hands gripped the couch armrest above her head.
When I freed her from the confines of the lace, she was a vision, breathtaking in her raw beauty, her body glistening with a sheen that promised ecstasy. Her skin was soft, warm, and flushed with anticipation, the subtle curve of her hips drawing me closer. I leaned in, brushing my lips against hers, savoring the taste of her. A mingling of sweetness and desire that left me hungry for more.
Our bodies connected, molding together like a perfect puzzle, as though the universe had crafted us for this exact moment. I pressed against her, feeling the heat of her beneath me, and together we moved in a rhythm that was as primal as it was poetic. Each thrust drew a sharp intake of breath from her lips, her hands gripping my shoulders as if to anchor herself to the whirlwind of sensation.
Her legs tightened around me, pulling me deeper, her back arching in a graceful bow as her cries of pleasure filled the room. They were unrestrained, raw, and utterly uninhibited with a symphony that seemed to drown out the world beyond us. Time unraveled. There was no yesterday, no tomorrow, only the present, and the magnetic pull of her body against mine.
I kissed her everywhere I could reach, my lips trailing over her collarbone, the curve of her breasts, and down to the valley of her stomach. Her scent filled my lungs, intoxicating and uniquely hers. Her nails dug into my back, the sharp sting only adding to the electric pleasure coursing through me. Her bodytrembled, a ripple of ecstasy radiating outward with each peak, and I was there, following her every movement, every sound.
