“You were right,” she whispers. “You really have been paying attention.”
I pull her into me, press a kiss to her temple. “From this point forward, only to you.”
She nuzzles into my chest, one leg sliding over mine, like she can’t get close enough. Fuck if it doesn’t do something to me all over again.
I spent years learning a woman’s body—nerve, rhythm, response.
None of it prepared me for Marcella.
Sex with her isn’t technique.
It’s everything I never knew I was missing.
twenty-three
Marcella
A Few Days Later
Wehaven’tcomeupfor air.
Every moment blurring into the next—bodies, mouths, hands, heat.
It’s been days and Seamus has only left my place once. Monday, when I was on a conference call I took from home, he popped out to grab some clothes and groceries.
He’s been here ever since—like he belongs with me.
We’ve fucked so much, I’m half-convinced my body’s permanently shaped to fit him.
As incredible as the sex is, my favorite thing is what happens after. He caresses me like I’m something sacred. Always pulling me into his chest when we sleep, like he can’t stand being apart.
He’s so different than I imagined. When I first heard about the stairwell thing, I figured it was some cocky med-school flex. Now I realize it’s never been about skill, it’s about care.
Seamus McGloughlin was trying to prove he’s worth loving by showing exactly how to give it.
So, why am I so I’m scared?
I know the answer. This thing between us is too easy. Too good. Toofast.
He’s saying all the right things. Doing all the right things. I’m head over heels for the man.
I’m not ordinarily one for woo-woo manifestation bullshit. Sometimes—like right now, with Seamus half-asleep beside me and his hand resting protectively on my hip—I start to wonder if the universe was holding out. Like maybe my bad luck with men was because Seamus had to age into the man he is today.
It’s wild, really—how easily he touches me, holds me and treats me like I’m the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. If I’m honest, I’ve been bracing for the shoe to drop. With Seamus, however, there’s no catch. He’s as straight a shooter as I’ve ever known.
Which is why the idea of meeting each other’s families hasn’t sent me into a full-blown panic.
Today, we’re heading to Tacoma to have dinner with my parents, brother, and sister at the restaurant. I’m nervous. Excited. Sunday I’ve agreed to attend his family dinner with him. No big deal, me meeting a good portion of the McGloughlin clan including all his older rockstar brothers.
It’s not lost on me what it means. I’m bringing a younger man home to meet my family. Tomorrow, the youngest McGloughlin is bringing home an older woman to meet his.
I’d like to talk about it. It’s too soon so I’m trying to go with the flow. How are we going to introduce each other to our families? To the world? Caldwell is still Seamus’s boss. While the settlement’s wrapped, their dynamic hasn’t exactly untangled itself.
At the very least, the rest of his residency is going to be awkward no matter what.
Then there’s Joe Finney and the rest of my partners at the firm. I know how people get into everyone else’s business. It’s human nature. Yet, I’ve built my whole career on being unshakeable. Controlled. When this gets out? It’ll be gossip fodder for sure and I don’t like it.
The problem is, the sex is so good there’s not a lot of time for talking. He’s now trailing kisses across my bare shoulder and his monster erection burrows into the cleft of my ass.
