Off Course (Off 4)

I don't have to turn around to know the fury behind those words belongs to Cillian. Cormac appraises him over my shoulder, but he doesn't make a move to release me. I try to shove him backward again, but he doesn't move.

"One..."

"Cormac, let me go. He's not kidding."

Cormac doesn't move and his eyes go hard. He glances to me then back to Cillian. I can feel his body tense up.

"Two..."

"Let. Me. Go. He will spill your blood on this sidewalk if you won't listen."

"Three."

I hear a "snicking" sound from behind me and I see Cormac's eyes go wide. His hands immediately fall away from me and he takes a step back. I whirl around to see Cillian there with murder in his eyes and a switchblade in his hand.

"Oh, for God's sake, Cillian. Put that away before you get arrested."

He never takes his eyes off Cormac, but he closes the knife and tucks it back into his pocket, even as he's walking forward. When he reaches me, I grab onto his wrist, halting his progress, because there is no doubt in my mind he's not finished with Cormac. Laying my other hand on his chest, he finally looks down at me.

"Please don't. Just let it go, Cillian."

His jaw muscle is popping as he looks back to Cormac. "If you come near her again, I won't stop. No matter how much she begs me to."

I glance back at Cormac. His face is pale and I see at some point, he's even stepped a few paces further back. His gaze leaves Cillian and returns to me. "Are you with this guy? Are you fucking him?"

Cillian tenses under my hand so I squeeze his wrist reassuringly. "It's none of your business who I'm with, Cormac."

His face now mottling red with anger, Cormac blusters, "You can't possibly want to be with some... some... street thug that threatens people with knives."

"He's a musician," I say quietly.

"What-the-fuck-ever! That's not who you are, Renner. You like stability and reliability. There's no way you want him."

Cormac's last words are said with disdain and it almost makes me laugh out loud. Particularly the part where he is preaching to me about stability and reliability. I suddenly realize that although Cillian may turn my world upside down, tie my stomach in knots, and scramble my brains, I very much want to be with him.

Turning my back on Cormac, I look up at Cillian. He returns my stare, his eyes warm and curious. "But I do. I think I want him very much."

I vaguely hear Cormac blustering behind me. Cillian never takes his eyes from mine, but his words are hard when he says to Cormac, "Take a walk and don't bother coming around her again. You won't like what happens if you do."

I have no clue what Cormac does, nor do I care. I'm positive he will walk away like the coward I know him to be. He doesn't have the sticking power to pursue me, not with Cillian's threats hanging in the air.

The only thing that holds my attention now is the look in Cillian's eyes as they bore into mine.

"You want me, do you?"

"Yes."

Cillian moves so fast he startles me. Grabbing my hand, he drags me back into The Hibernian. Moving past the main bar, Uncle Keefe fortunately does not see this spectacle. As we walk swiftly by Maureen, I tell her in passing, "Can you watch my tables for a few minutes?"

Cillian is pulling me so quickly that I don't hear her response but assume she has my back. God knows I've covered her tables on more than one occasion when she's wanted an extended smoke break.

He pulls me down a dark hall and finally through a door.

The storeroom.

Pushing me gently through, he flicks on the light, closes the door softly behind me, and turns the lock. The soft click sounds ominous and when I turn to look at him, he's leaning against the door with a satisfied look on his face.

"What are we doing in here?"

"I need to taste you just a bit and I don't fancy everyone watching."

My insides tighten and I can't help the dampness that forms between my legs over those few words.

Pushing off the door, he practically stalks to me, reaching out to push his fingers through my hair.

"Cillian... we shouldn't."

"Shhh..." is all he says before he starts kissing me. It's wild and wet, just as hot as that night he kissed me in my apartment. Except now, there's not an underlying tone of dominance. Rather, this is pure need I'm feeling from him and my arms automatically go around him.

His tongue is warm, the ball of his piercing erotically touching the inside of my mouth. When I pull my mouth slightly back so I can suck at his lip rings, he issues a groan as his hand sneaks under my shirt.

His fingers leave a blazing trail of fire as they skim up my stomach, reaching my breast. He cups me gently at first, and then moves his thumb over my nipple. My body shudders hard and I gasp into his mouth.

Emboldened by my response, Cillian drops his hand to the button of my jeans. "Last time I did this, you told me to stop. Are you going to do that now, sweet girl?" He's teasing me, daring me to say no.

I think briefly about the fact we're locked in the storeroom and I have customers waiting for me. But Maureen has me covered, and chances of us being disturbed are small.

"Don't stop," I tell him, insanely needful of something more.

He deftly pops the button on my jeans, and whether he's feeling the pressure of our limited time in here or what, he wastes no time in slipping his hand down the front. His fingers skim under the waistband of my panties and he runs his middle finger over me.

"Oh, God," he murmurs as he sinks one finger into me. "You're so fucking wet."

My head falls back as I feel his finger working inside of me, my hips responding to the movement of his hand.

He gives me a swift, hard kiss and looks me in the eyes, his face just inches from mine. "This is going to be fast," he warns. "I'm going to get you off with my hand, because I'm dying to see you come. Right here. Right now. Just for me. Then I'm going home with you tonight, and I'm going to fuck you so hard, you're going to be sore tomorrow. And every time you take a step tomorrow, every time you feel that little sting of pain, you're going to remember that it was me between your legs all night. Are we clear?"

His words are like heroin, or at least what I imagine heroin would be like... dark and addictive. I nod, pulling my bottom lip in between my teeth so I don't scream over the sensations he's creating inside of me.

"That's my girl. Now wrap your arms around my neck and hang on."

CHAPTER 12

Cillian

When Renner gets off work, we practically run to her apartment, both of us breathing hard by the time we get there. We push our way inside, and then our hands are all over each other. Part of me wants to pull her onto the floor right there, get the bare amount of necessary clothes off, and just hammer my way inside. That's how worked up I've been since our moment in the storeroom a few hours ago.

But I know we have nothing but time and I force myself to be somewhat of a gentleman. In between scorching hot kisses, I'm able to pick her up, walk into her bedroom and I toss her on the bed. Pulling out my wallet, I grab a condom and throw it on the bed next to her. My clothes come off quickly, dropping haphazardly on the floor. She watches me, eyes wide and not the least bit shy as she runs her gaze over my body. If I thought I was hard before, the way she looks at my cock, panting slightly, has me at the breaking point and the blood is hammering in my ears.

I make quick work of her clothing, practically ripping them from her body. When I have her completely naked, I make an attempt at a calming moment to just look at her. She's leaning back on her elbows, her creamy breasts stuck out with hard nipples begging for my mouth. I don't think I've seen anything more perfect in my life.

When I run my look up the length of her body, her eyes catch me off guard for just a moment. Up until now, Renner has been almost tentative in exploring our sexuality. But the way she looks at me at this moment, her eyes glittering with desire, I think I may be the one that gets lost in this encounter.

> Breaking the eye contact, I pull her legs apart and crawl in between them. Sitting back on my haunches, I reach down and stroke between her legs, triumphant at the way her eyes roll back in her head and a sweet moan meets my ears. She's warm and wet, completely ready for me. Renner reaches her own hand out and wraps it around my dick, squeezing lightly before she starts stroking me. Fuck, but that feels incredible and I throw my head back and close my eyes, just for a moment, while she palms my length.

She has me at a point I've never been with another woman. I feel like an animal without any control, my only purpose to get inside of her. I need to get some measure of control so I reach down and wrap my fingers around her wrist. It's so tiny and pale in my grasp. It's torture pulling her hand away.