Stitches in Time (4 page)
Authors: Diana Hunter
“Just how am I going to do that?” Liam stood up, shaking his head. “The woman wants no part of me, you saw that. And how do you know I want any part of her?” It was his turn to cross his arms and look defiant.
“Ye bought me tapestry.”
Liam’s arms fell in defeat. He had bought the old scrap just because she liked it. “I’m not in love with her.” Liam’s tone was softer, but still just as adamant.
“No,
yer
not.
Yet.”
Seamus’ eyes twinkled. “But we’ll see where it goes, boy-o. We’ll just see where it goes. Now, she’s been in that bath long enough and ye need a cleaning, too. Go tell her to get out and to be quick about it.”
Liam’s anger at Maggie had long since faded. Now he sought to take her side against the leprechaun’s attack. “She’s had a long day. Let her soak all she wants.”
“Oh, no, lad!
That’s not the way to win her respect. Being all wishy-washy? Woman like that will only give her heart over to a man who stands up to her. Who can prove he’s man enough to handle her. Go! Get her out of there!”
Liam’s two strides took him to the door and he knocked harder than he intended. He heard the water splash and knew he’d startled her. Oh, well, the damage was done. “That’s a shared bathroom, woman. Your hour is up!”
The leprechaun nodded. “That was a good beginning. Now, leave the top off so as I can breath, and put me down under the bed. Ye bought me out of the kindness of
yer
heart, but it
ain’t
kindness she’ll be wanting from
ye
.
At least, not just yet.
Ye can tell her ye bought the sword at the store.”
Not quite sure why, Liam did as he was instructed. A
bedskirt
covered the area, so Maggie wouldn’t know he’d stowed a leprechaun under the bed. He shook his head and snorted. Did he really just have a conversation with a little man named Seamus? The late afternoon light shone through the window and glinted off the sword he’d propped against the dresser. Yes, apparently he had.
The water turned on again in the bath and Liam stood, intending to bang on the door again. But the leprechaun’s words came back to him. He’d referred to Maggie as a “naked little woman.” Liam’s mouth curled in a smile. Yes, that pretty, tight-assed, ultra-professional female, was in the next room as naked as the day she was born. His cock nudged against his pants as he imagined those firm breasts in his hands as he wrapped his fingers around her soft flesh. Liam closed his eyes as he fantasized about tasting her nipples. He imagined himself lying beside her, taking a nipple between his lips, licking it to make it hard and hearing her moan.
His cock was rock-hard now and he squirmed, its length uncomfortable in his slacks. But he could find no relief here; not when she might walk out of that bath any moment.
As if he were prescient, the door to the bath cracked open and Maggie stuck her head out.
“Mr.
Finnerty
, I have forgotten to bring my clothes in here. I am going to come into the room and you will come in here until I have finished dressing.”
The blush on her cheeks belied her self-assured commands. The woman was embarrassed! Liam grinned, turning so she would not see the bulge his thoughts had produced. He didn’t want her thinking she was responsible for his reaction. Well, she was, but she didn’t need to know that.
His grin was no more than she expected. Lout. His mocking bow to her as he acquiesced made her realize her tone had been rather imperious. But she would not apologize for it. If she weren’t commanding, he wouldn’t respect her. Not that he did anyway.
Liam moved aside and made a show of turning his back so she could enter. But with her body and hair wrapped in two towels, her modesty was assured, so he faced her as he gathered up his own change of clothes and sauntered into the bath.
“Your wish is my command, highness. If you haven’t used up all the hot water, I’ll take a bath.” He paused and poked his head out of the little room. “Oh, and be careful of the sword. It’s sharp.” The door shut firmly and Maggie was alone again.
Chapter Two
Blast, but what that woman did to him! Liam’s thoughts prevented the hot water from relaxing him the way it should have. His brain kept returning to those soft, white shoulders he glimpsed on his way into the shower. Why hadn’t he noticed the graceful sweep of her neck or the pearly tint of her skin before?
Liam ran a wet hand through his curly hair and tried to make sense out of the day’s events. Stuck on the plane with a partner who barely spoke, landing in Dublin to discover their rooms weren’t ready, trying to make the day more pleasant by suggesting a short walk, buying a tapestry scrap that he had no business buying because a leprechaun talked to him, a leprechaun who seemed determined to run his love life, Liam shook his head. Too much for one day.
His thoughts
came
full circle as he dunked his head under the water and thought about the woman he was
traveling
with. Maggie Andrews as the girl he would marry? She certainly intrigued him and had since the first day he saw her in her father’s office. At that time, she still was several levels below him in position but that tightly wound auburn hair and those intelligent deep brown eyes interested him even then. He had turned on the charm, but her
demeanor
had been cold and distant and he remembered thinking she had a lot to learn about working with people.
Coming up for air, he shook the water out of his eyes and poured the shampoo generously. Liam considered Maggie’s rise up the corporate ladder as he washed his hair. He had kept an eye on her and was pleasantly surprised to see her efficient handling of every project she was given. Her professionalism impressed many of her co-workers even as her lack of interest in their personal lives made them label her with unflattering nicknames. Liam did not get involved. It was her own problem and she would have to deal with it in her own way. But it did make him concerned about what might happen when the old man gave control to his daughter. People worked for Old Man Andrews because they respected him. People would work for his daughter because they got paid.
But they hadn’t seen Maggie’s momentary vulnerability in the store. Or what she looked like with her hair down. Where Liam reined in his imagination before, now he let it wander. In his mind, her hair was already dry and yet she wore nothing but a towel. He would stand before her and rip that towel from her body, to look his fill at her shapely form. In reality, sensible suits always covered her cleavage, but the glimpse he viewed as she left the bath proved to him that her ample breasts were round and firm; he imagined holding them in his large hands, feeling her soft flesh squeeze out between his fingers. Letting his gaze travel down her body, past her smooth, flat stomach, Liam’s imagination viewed the curly patch of auburn hair that would cover her more private area.
But it was the image of that flowing mane of reddish-brown curls that hardened his cock in the water. The way her hair fell from that bun as she shook her head and let herself relax. Grinning, he knew exactly what he would have her do with that hair.
Leading her to the bed, he pictured those long auburn tresses spread out over his chest, their silky softness caressing his skin. The willing woman would move her body sensuously over his, draping her hair to cover his stomach, his waist; dragging her head down to let her curls float over his cock and tickle his balls and the muscles of his thighs.
Leaning back against the porcelain tub, Liam closed his eyes and cupped his thick cock in his hand. Teasing himself with the image of Maggie kneeling over him, he rubbed his thumb along the top, feeling the purple veins ridging along his length. Sliding the bar of soap over his hardened cock, he imagined Maggie leaning forward to blanket his cock with the feathery softness of her hair. Her long and slender fingers would hold him firmly and she would need both hands to massage him since his cock was too long for her to hold in only one.
Liam dwelt on the feel of her hands on him as he slid the soap under and around his balls. While one hand rubbed his cock, the other spread the soap over the twin sacs that hung beneath. And then the little vixen switched positions to use her tongue to torment him. Her face disappeared from view so her little pink tongue could dart around the base of his cock and suckle on the stones hidden in his balls.
And then, her face peering from around his thick cock, she would brush her hair to the side, a naughty grin on her face as she licked her warm, wet tongue from the base of his cock all the way to the very tip. Her mouth surrounded the sensitive, dark tip and Liam’s fingers tightened on his cock in response. Her tongue flicked out to lick the small amount of pre-come that gathered in the slit and his hand pumped his cock faster. For many long moments, he hung on the edge as he imagined her ardent lips pressing down just behind the head of his cock while her tongue continued to torment him, sliding around the tip and slithering in and out of that tiny slit. Drawing in her breath, she sucked hard as she kept up the pressure and the exquisite agony.
And then, with her eyes turned up to him in an attitude of servitude and trust, she opened wider and went down on him, taking in his entire length.
His cock hit the back of her throat and she swallowed him down, her throat constricting around his cock as his hand pumped and squeezed tight. She pulled up; his respite was brief before she plunged down again to squeeze his cock with the deep muscles of her throat.
Liam could stand it no longer. Raising his cock so the tip was just above the surface of the water, he groaned as his seed spurted like a geyser to land back in the water near his feet. Over and over the muscles of his body contracted as he pumped his cock until, with an explosive sigh, his body finally emptied and relaxed.
Standing before his semen could cling to
him,
Liam got out of the tub and let the water drip off his muscled chest. He was proud of his physique and worked hard to maintain the hardened muscles of his youth. Fine, dark hair covered his chest and back and grabbing a towel, he rubbed his tanned skin dry.
He grinned. No doubt he’d lose his job if the boss’s daughter ever caught him fantasizing about her that way. The leprechaun had said he would marry her—Liam didn’t know about that. But he certainly would not mind bedding the woman—especially if she could really fuck like that.
* * * * *
By the time Liam dressed and entered the bedroom, it was almost eight o’clock, and time for them to meet their first client over dinner. Maggie’s professional look firmly in place again, she had dressed in a tailored suit of chocolate brown; an ivory button up blouse peeked from under the buttoned jacket; the straight skirt came demurely to just below her knee. Once again in dark, low heels, she stood as she heard Liam’s hand on the doorknob.
Damn, but the man was handsome! In spite of her dislike of his take-charge
demeanor
, Maggie had to admit he looked incredible. His still-wet dark hair clung to his neck and twisted in little
pincurls
around his temple. He wore a crisp, white shirt that looked freshly pressed, smoke-gray slacks and, as of yet, no socks. He also wore a satisfied grin. Now she knew for sure what that groan of his had been for.
“We need to get going.” Her manner was firm; what he did in the privacy of the bath was his own concern. The fact that she had pleasured herself in the same way was none of his business.
Liam noted that the sword had been moved and her suitcase put away. He couldn’t resist as he sat on the edge of the bed to put on his socks. “So, Ms. Andrews, what do you think of the sword?”
She had examined it at length while he had been otherwise occupied. For some reason, it looked vaguely familiar to her. Something about the filigree work tugged at her memory, but since she couldn’t quite place it—and certainly she did not read Gaelic—eventually she simply set the long sword on the bed and dressed. Why Liam had bought it was a mystery to her. “It’s an interesting piece. Are you a collector?”
“I wasn’t.” There seemed to be
a wryness
to his voice and at Maggie’s look, he continued. “But one must start sometime.”
“You’ll have a devil of a time if you try to take that through customs. You’d better mail it back to the States with all the proper paperwork.” She was not about to have to spend one extra day with this man because he decided he wanted to collect sharp, pointed objects instead of something safe, like condoms from around the world. She bit her lip to keep from laughing at her suddenly naughty thought.
Where Maggie had brought three pairs of shoes—the navy ones she had worn earlier, the brown ones she wore now and a pair of sneakers she doubted she would need—Liam only brought the one pair of dress loafers. She sighed as he slipped his feet into them and shrugged his broad shoulders into his suit coat. It wasn’t fair.
Sliding his wallet into his breast pocket, Liam gestured toward the door. The hotel key lay on the dresser where he had dropped it earlier and Maggie scooped it up, dropping it into her purse with a satisfied smile. Okay, it was only a symbol of control, but right now, she would take every tiny scrap that she could. Looking far more self-assured than she felt, she strode past him and out the door.
* * * * *
Maggie had never seen Liam work a client before; that was why she was on this trip. As the future president of the company, she actually had little to do at the moment but sit back and watch a master at work.
