A low murmur filtered through the murkiness of sleep, followed by a caress down my arm over my hip and back up again.
“Sweet Aislinn.”
The words triggered a memory but I couldn’t grasp it. I rolled over on my back, still drunk with. A warm hand slid along my arm. “Time to wake up, Aislinn.”
I opened my eyes and shied away as Lorcan Devaney’s tall form took shape beside me. “You?”
“Me. Your husband, dear wife.”
The truth started to sink in. I lifted my hand wearing his ring then let it drop to the blankets. It was a beautiful piece but evoked only contempt within me. I looked around, and the events from yesterday filtered into my mind. I didn’t have much to drink, maybe a glass or two of Guinness, but my mind had been eager to erase the wedding.
I sat up with the sheet wrapped around me. After our intimate encounters, it may seem ridiculous, but I felt better with this barrier between Lorcan and me. My eyes flitted to the bathtub and our conversation about faithfulness. I hadn’t really taken into consideration that Lorcan would be faithful to me, that he’d honor our bond.
This was a part of Lorcan I liked, which in turn made me almost wish he hadn’t revealed this tidbit of information about himself. I preferred disliking him. My only hope was that he’d turn out to be a cheater.
Now that the wedding was over, the need to make progress with my search for Imogen arose like a flashflood. In the last two weeks, I’d hardly gathered any information. No matter who I talked to, their answers were not helpful.
“Will you help me search for Imogen today?” I asked. I swung my legs out of bed, turning my back on Lorcan. His intense scrutiny made me nervous and also a little hot.
“On our first day as a married couple?”
I glimpsed over my shoulder at him. “You promised to help me.”
Lorcan got up with a shockingly erect cock, and his expression hardened. “And I will, but not today. I think you need to show me that you’re taking this marriage seriously first.”
I pushed up to my feet, allowing the cover to slide to the floor revealing my naked body.
I walked over to the bathtub and considered taking another bath to soothe the soreness between my legs. Lorcan stopped a few steps from me, unabashedly naked and rock-hard. I had a feeling I knew how he wanted me to show that I took this marriage seriously. He didn’t want to chat or reveal anything personal, which had become very clear during our conversation last night. Even if his face didn’t show it openly, he distrusted me like the rest of the Irish people in this community.
“What do you want?” I asked haughtily.
He smirked. “What is it you can give me? Not your undying love, I’m sure.”
Love?. Our bond was rotten to the core. Love couldn’t grow on poisoned ground.
“Just tell me.”
“I want an offer, Sweet Aislinn. I have all day, even weeks or months. There’s no rush.”
But I didn’t have as much time. Imogen probably didn’t have that much time. What if Lorcan was distracting me on purpose? What if he was trying to derail me from a hot trail that was cooling down every passing day.
“You want me.”
“I have you.”
I gritted my teeth and walked closer to him. Lorcan’s cock seemed to grow even bigger as we spoke, though I didn’t know how that was possible.
Angry tears stung my eyes. “Stop playing. You order people around all the time. Just tell me what you want me to do.”
Rage flared in his eyes. He crossed the distance between us and closed his fingers loosely around my throat, tilting my head up so I had to look into his eyes. “I give orders to my soldiers. Do you want to be treated like one of my soldiers? I have no trouble giving you orders, but be prepared for the consequences if you don’t obey.”
I swallowed, stunned by his anger. Part of me wanted to say yes, because following orders was easier than making my own decisions and having to live with them. But Mum had taught me to be independent. So why couldn’t I do it? Why was I terrified of following my instincts when I was around Lorcan?
“Since you seem incapable of making a decision, I’m going to make it for you today, and maybe tomorrow you’ll be ready to meet me at eye level in this marriage.”
As if Lorcan wanted me at eye level. I doubted he could stand my honesty for long.
“Get down on your knees and suck my cock, Aislinn.”
My eyes grew wide. “I’ve never—”
His fingers around my throat tightened, and he leaned down with a harsh expression. “I didn’t allow you to speak. Get down on your fucking knees and suck my cock. Understood?”
With the pressure around my throat, I didn’t dare speak so I simply nodded. Lorcan released me, and I sank down to my knees. Lorcan was too tall so his cock hovered above my eyes. He widened his stance a bit until his thick erection bounced up and down before my lips.
“Open your mouth.”
I did. Lorcan gripped his cock and guided it into my mouth. The tip brushed my tongue, and I tasted a subtle saltiness from what I assumed was precum. He gripped my neck and pushed deeper, his shaft sliding along my tongue until his tip nudged the back of my throat. Gagging, I tried to pull away but Lorcan’s grip kept me in place.
“No,” he barked. My eyes began watering as I looked up to him. I couldn’t breathe through my mouth, and it was starting to make me feel dizzy.
“Breathe through your nose.”
I did.
“Good girl.”
My pussy clenched, and my cheeks reddened. Lorcan’s lips pulled wide into a dominant smile. “We’ll work on this. You will take me deeper into your throat.”
I began to shake my head, convinced I’d choke if he moved.
“Listen,” he growled. “Open your mouth wider and relax your jaw. Go on.”
I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right but eventually my gag reflex subsided. Then Lorcan slid deeper. His fingers dug into my neck, eyes on me. I swallowed awkwardly around his thick shaft. It felt heavy on my tongue.
He began to move slowly, with his eyes fixed on my face. It was a foreign sensation, being in someone’s possession like that. I couldn’t find a better word for the sensation because it felt a little like being possessed. I followed Lorcan’s orders without hesitation, without thinking. I was caught in the moment, in Lorcan’s grip. I felt strangely weightless, as if the weight of responsibility had been lifted off my shoulders. I relaxed, let myself fall, focusing on the heat between my legs and the hungry look in Lorcan’s eyes, his heavy breathing.
He loosened his hold on my neck and stepped back. Filled with confusion, and a little dread, now it was my turn to make a decision, but Lorcan didn’t look like a man ready to relinquish control. “Suck my balls.”
My eyes darted below and without thinking I leaned forward and sucked one of his balls into my mouth. Lorcan raked his fingers through my hair, and his other hand began stroking his cock. Seeing Lorcan touching himself while I sucked his balls sent a flood of lust through me. I’d have never done anything like it without Lorcan’s coercion, too embarrassed by the mere idea. Even now, realizing how much this turned me on, I was mortified, but because Lorcan had taken the choice out of my hands, I could sink into the moment.
Lorcan’s breathing became shaky, his moves jerkier. “Get down on all fours, your back to me.”
I released him and fell to my knees then turned around and got on all fours. My mind was blank, as if programmed to obey. “You have the prettiest ass and back, Sweet Aislinn,” Lorcan growled then released a groan. Something landed on my back and ass cheeks. I shuddered, my pussy clenching when I realized Lorcan had just come on me.
Slowly, embarrassment over what had just happened overcame me. It was just as potent as our first encounter in the Doom Loop.
“Next time, you might want to act and not force me to order you around.” Lorcan got down on one knee beside me and lightly bit the nape of my neck as he trailed a fingertip down my spine, then over my ass until he dipped between my folds. I bit my lip when he stroked along my sensitive, wet flesh. I was soaked. I hadn’t even realized how aroused I was giving Lorcan pleasure, but it was undeniable. My body didn’t lie. Lorcan chuckled low in his throat. “But I see you like being told what to do. You like being my good girl, don’t you?”
My face burned with shame and denial sat on the tip of my tongue despite my body’s obvious arousal. I swallowed when Lorcan stroked two fingers in a V along my folds. “No. I didn’t like it.”
Lorcan pressed his mouth against my ear. “Liar.”
He gripped my hips and flipped me on my back, cradling my head before it could hit the floor. With his fingers on my neck, he forced my gaze down at my parted legs. He rubbed two fingers along my pussy then showed me how they were glistening.
“So you didn’t like it when I told you to take my cock?”
I gritted my teeth and stubbornly met his gaze. His smile turned vicious. He slid two fingers into me, making my core constrict. I was sore but also so aroused that I needed friction. Eyes remaining on me, he pulled his fingers out and they were covered in even more of my lust. He parted his fingers, so my lust spun between them like a spider’s web. The sight filled me with embarrassment but also a new wave of need. I wasn’t sure what kind of spell Lorcan cast for my body to show this kind of reaction.
“Pity that you can’t admit the truth. I would have licked you until you filled my mouth with your sweet juice, but I won’t reward lying.”
He released my neck and stood. I quickly pushed myself up, not wanting to lie at Lorcan’s feet.
“I’m going to grab a shower,” I said, walking past him without another glance.
“I think I’m going to join you in the bathroom to make sure you don’t touch that sweet pussy. We want the punishment to last, right?”
I spun around, almost colliding with his broad chest. One look at his harsh smile, and I swallowed my nasty comeback. He was pushing my buttons on purpose. I wasn’t sure what his end game was. Lorcan Devaney was a dangerous man. I couldn’t forget that. And I couldn’t allow him to let me get distracted from my only reason for being here and being married to him: Imogen.
“Are you going to watch me all day?” I asked in a tight but controlled voice.
“Of course not. I have a meeting late this afternoon.” The tension in my shoulders dissolved at his words. “But Seamus is going to keep an eye on you the rest of the day.”
Scoffing, I stalked over to the shower and turned it on as cold as I could tolerate. I imagined my fury would have reduced my arousal, but it didn’t. Maybe because our mutual attraction was built upon the push and pull of our bond.
Lorcan trimmed his beard while I showered. Once we were both dressed, Lorcan and I got into his car.
“I need to go looking for Imogen. The wedding preparations stopped me from investigating further. I can’t allow more time to pass. Imogen needs me.”
I didn’t care if he didn’t want to be bothered with my search for my sister. He knew it was the reason for me being in New York in the first place. He knew it was my only objective right now.
Stopped at a traffic light, Lorcan regarded me with a condescending glint in his eyes. “Are you sure she does? Did she ask for your help?”
“She didn’t, most likely because she can’t.”
“Or because she wants a clean break, a life away from her former responsibilities.”
“You don’t know her. She’s my sister.” I paused, swallowing my initial anger. “Or do you know something that you’re not telling me? Have you seen Imogen? Sodom is part of your empire. You must have heard about an Irish girl making an appearance.”
“My main focus is our shipments, not cunts for sale.”
“She didn’t sell her body.”
“Only you did?”
I drove my teeth into my tongue. “You know that was a misunderstanding.”
“That’s usually how it begins and then it often ends with a window seat in the Cunt Yard.”
“I suppose I’m lucky you saved me, then.”
“I suppose you are.”
Lorcan’s mood had darkened considerably since I’d brought up Imogen. Something was up. What if he didn’t just know something about her whereabouts? What if he was involved?
I decided to let the matter drop for now. I’d investigate on my own today. If Lorcan didn’t want to help me yet—or not at all—I wasn’t about to listen to his warnings. Maybe Desmond, the police officer, was a traitor in the eyes of the community, but I wasn’t part of that, and my loyalties lay with my family, not the Irish American community—and much less a Devaney. I’d just have to figure out a way to contact Desmond without anyone finding out, or I’d be the next Killeen to disappear.
Lorcan
Aislinn’s face couldn’t hide her surprise when I opened the door to my one-bedroom apartment in Woodlawn. I’d lived in the Bronx since I’d first come to New York almost a decade ago. The majority of my men and of our Irish community lived in the Bronx.
Aislinn looked around my place. It had an open kitchen, wooden floors, and white walls. The only furniture in the living room were a black leather sofa, TV and coffee table. Aislinn headed for the windows overlooking the busy street, but thanks to the trees on the sidewalk at least there was some green. When I was looking for apartments, I got several offers for places with views of the Central Park. Woodlawn had very luxurious areas but I decided to move far away from these corners where people were willing to pay a fortune for a glimpse at a bit of green that could never compare to the lush greenery in Ireland anyway. This neighborhood was more down to earth and thanks to the cheaper rent, many of my soldiers lived in the area too. Most of them had big extended families at home in Ireland and preferred to send money back than to waste it on rent.
I could see that Aislinn had expected some sort of decadent abode, maybe a penthouse with golden faucets and a huge roof terrace. “Not what you expected?”
“No, if I’m being honest. It’s not a place you’d expect a filthy rich clan boss to live in.”
“Filthy rich? Doesn’t mean I have to throw my money out of the window. This place is enough for me, and will be enough for the two of us if you can forsake your luxurious life so far. Once we have little Devaneys, we can move into a bigger place.”
Aislinn’s face flashed with shock then disbelief, as if children weren’t part of the deal. For her, this marriage was a limited-time offer, one she’d try to evade the moment she got what she wanted. But I had absolutely no intention of letting her go, and I wanted children.
After a moment to compose herself, Aislinn scoffed. “What luxuries? My mum’s a waitress and so was I. We didn’t have a choice to pick a cheap place to live in order to save money, we simply didn’t have any. I don’t mind living in this place.”
“Then why the face?” I muttered, growing annoyed. I didn’t take many people here, and her initial disapproval felt personal. That bothered me more than I’d have thought. Aislinn was my wife, but I didn’t trust her.
She headed for the window in the kitchen that led to the fire escape. She opened the window and climbed out then sank down cross-legged on the metal grate. I waited in front of the window, watching her carefully.
Tilting her head, she said, “This place feels like something someone would choose as an interim. Something that was never meant to last. As if you picked it because you never intended to stay in New York and still don’t. That’s why you’re still here and still haven’t added any personal touches. It’s as if you plan to return to Ireland any day.”
I gritted my teeth, rage bubbling up. I looked around, trying to stifle my fury, which would only confirm Aislinn’s astute assessment. How could she read me so easily? Now that she voiced her observations, I realized they had a true core. This had never truly felt like home and was never supposed to. When I talked about home, I meant Ireland. I meant Devaney Manor. I meant Dublin. I didn’t mean New York. This was my territory. My men lived here. I had lived here for a long time, and yet my heart wasn’t here.
Aislinn stared off, her red hair tossing in the wind. September was rarely showing its cooler, rougher side, but today, as a wonderful homage to our home country, it did. She reminded me of home, of everything I missed. What was I hoping to accomplish with this marriage? Bring a little bit of home to New York? Fuck. Aislinn didn’t want our marriage nor did she want to stay in New York. She was here for a purpose.
“I’m late for my meeting.” A shipment of explosive components was bound to arrive on a cargo ship from Shanghai. We needed to check the goods and repack it for its transport to Dublin. Dad wanted an update on the shipment so he could talk to Declan, the head of the IRA.
I didn’t want to leave Aislinn. I wanted to spend the next few weeks sucking her clit and sinking my cock into her mouth and pussy, but business came first.
Aislinn shrugged. “Go ahead. I don’t need a chaperone. Seamus can give me a call when he’s ready to pick me up. I’ll walk around the neighborhood for a bit in the meantime.”
“You won’t walk around by yourself,” I said as I held out my hand to her. She took it and allowed me to help her back inside.
“Nobody’s going to attack me. I can take care of myself.”
“I don’t doubt it. But I don’t want you to get yourself in trouble with your nosy questions. Seamus will make sure you avoid certain people and areas.”
Aislinn narrowed her eyes. “You want to stop me from finding information about Imogen!”
“Of course not, but I prefer to lead the investigations myself. You’ll stir up dirt that should stay underground.” I cupped her chin. “Now give me a goodbye kiss, wifey.”
Aislinn’s green eyes burned with rage. I knew she would try to evade my surveillance, so I had to throw her a bone to keep her in check. “Don’t give me that look. I’ll tell Seamus to help you ask around a bit today. How about that? And tomorrow, I’ll gather information in the Cunt Yard for you.”
“I want to go with you. I know what questions to ask because I know my sister.”
I rubbed my thumb over her tense mouth. “We’ll see. Maybe I’ll allow you to come with me.”
“What do you want in turn? I’m already your wife.”
“You are. Tonight when I return from work, I want you to be a good girl.”
“If that’s what it takes.” Feistiness pinched her beautiful face.
I leaned down and kissed her lips. At first, she was tense but then softened and opened her mouth. This was part of her show, but soon my kiss would affect her in a way that couldn’t be faked. Her breathing quickened and the sweet aroma of her arousal, which was quickly becoming a familiar scent and definitely my favorite teased my nose. I pulled away, smirking at the hooded look on her face. If Aislinn wasn’t so responsive to my touch, this game wouldn’t be half the fun. “Keep your hands away from your pussy. I’ll know if you touched yourself.”
A knock sounded.
Aislinn jumped and righted her blouse and skirt, even though they hadn’t been askew, but I supposed she felt a little unhinged. The amount of arousal she’d displayed this morning wasn’t easily suppressed. She needed relief, and I couldn’t wait to give it to her.
My idea of a good marriage entailed more than satisfying sex, but to reach a level of trust required for such a bond, both parties needed to be willing to let themselves fall. I preferred to throw people into pits.
