Between Love and Loyalty

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2

“Let’s change positions,” Fiona whispered.

Connor held her tight, knowing if she bucked against him, he’d come. Pulling out left him cold and wanting, but at this moment, he’d give Fiona anything she asked. And she wanted a new position. He swallowed hard and moved to lie on his back, figuring she’d want to ride him and have some control.

“You’re not done working yet.” She turned over on her hands and knees and shoved her a*s up at him.

He stared at her, not sure if he could move. She was pink and glistening from her come and he wanted to be back inside her. A burst of energy shot him out of bed and he knelt behind her. He grabbed her hips and brought her onto him. He almost came, especially when she tried to wiggle away. He gripped tight, possibly leaving bruises.

Connor inched out and slammed back into her causing her to yelp. He froze. “You okay?”

“God, yes. Don’t stop.” She grabbed his hand from her hip and forced it back to her c**t.

Even from this position where he should be in total control, Fiona owned him. He stroked her until she came again. This time, he couldn’t hold back. Her walls tightened around him and milked him. He pounded into her one last time hard enough to cause them both to fall forward.

He eased off her, hoping his arms could support his weight; he had no strength left. Luckily he didn’t have to hold it for long. Fiona rolled out from beneath him.

She was still panting, but her smile lit up the room. “Holy crap, that was great. I think it worked.” She paused. “Yep. Bad week totally forgotten.”

They laid together in silence, recovering. After a few minutes, Fiona sat up, her hair wild around her head. “Can you point me to the bathroom?”

He sat and pointed in the general direction of the hall. She’d figure it out. Before lying back on the bed, he disposed of the c****m.

A shadow crossed him and he bolted up. Fiona stared wide-eyed and startled.

“Sorry. I must’ve dozed off.” Then he realized she’d gotten dressed. He hadn’t even heard her return from the bathroom, and she planned to leave. He hadn’t gotten anything other than a great f**k. “You can stay.”

“Thanks for the offer, but it’s probably not a good idea.” She shoved her feet into her shoes. “Do you have a sweatshirt or something I can borrow? I’m going to freeze outside.”

He pushed off the bed and grabbed one from his dresser. Then he remembered her friend asked if she’d be able to get home. “How are you getting home?”

“I’m going to call a cab.”

“Forget that. I’ll give you a ride. Give me a couple of minutes.” He’d already started toward the bathroom.

“Are you sure? I live kind of far.”

“You don’t live all the way up in Wisconsin, do you?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll take you home.” It was the least he’d do for any woman who could make him come so hard he thought his eyes would explode. The car ride would offer him the chance to talk and pry some information from her pretty lips. He cleaned up and redressed while Fiona sat watching from the bed. His sweatshirt swallowed her; he couldn’t even tell she had breasts under it.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Whenever you are.”

He led the way out the back of the house to his truck. Max danced around and Fiona squatted to pet him good-bye. Once in the truck, she gave him directions to her house. She hadn’t been joking; she lived far. It made him wonder what she’d been doing in his neighborhood.

They rode in silence and he knew he’d screw this up. The awkward after-f*****g conversation always sucked. He had no idea how to maneuver her into talking about her family. Before he knew it, he pulled up in front of a big condo building.

“This is me.”

“Can I have your number?” he blurted.

She smiled a soft, sleepy smile. “Let’s not do this.”

“Do what?”

“I know it’s the polite thing to ask for my number, but don’t ask if you don’t have any intention of using it.”

“Here.” He reached into the slot on the dashboard and grabbed a business card. “You call me if you’re interested.”

He handed her the card and threaded his fingers into her hair pulling her across the seat toward him. He kissed her breathless and then whispered, “Be interested.”

She nodded slowly and climbed out of the truck. He waited until she entered her building before driving away. f*****g a Cavanagh probably wasn’t his wisest move, but he saw no other way to get close. While she’d been looking for a f**k, he hoped he’d be able to get more.

Fiona had been an unexpected but very welcome addition to his night.

Fiona let herself into the condo with a smile on her face. She tossed her keys on the kitchen counter, grabbed a bottle of water, and headed for a shower. She felt limber and relaxed, but energized.

While rinsing the shampoo from her hair, an idea for a new necklace struck her. She’d been in a slump and needed to create some new pieces. She dried quickly, pulled on shorts and a T-shirt, and went to her office. Her mother thought the spare bedroom was a luxury, but it turned out to be a great workspace. She had room for all of her tools and the odd stuff she bought simply because it looked cool.

Her mother had little patience for Fiona’s love of things. In some ways, Fiona was a bit of a pack rat, but she’d been able to use that quality to her advantage. She made jewelry from all the trinkets she came across and bought just because. Mom had mostly ignored Fiona’s jewelry designs until her mother’s friends took notice. After all, who wouldn’t want a one-of-a-kind piece?

Sheila’s friends helped launch Fiona’s business, and although she could open a storefront of her own, she preferred to stay small. She had an online store and did some pieces on consignment at a few Chicago shops. Her money was steady, but because she was still relatively unknown, Sheila wasn’t happy.

Fiona didn’t want to use the Cavanagh name to get places. She just wanted to be herself. As she pulled out her tools, she thought about Connor and the way he’d whispered her name while they had s*x. He had no idea who she was and he wanted her. He required nothing other than the night. She wondered how long that could last.

She began sketching her ideas for work and toyed with the concept of leading a double life. Could she be with Connor and keep her family a secret? Would he get suspicious?

Fiona pushed everyone from her mind and set to work. She worked through the night and hadn’t realized it until her phone rang. When she focused on the window, sunlight crept around the edges of the blinds. The phone stopped and started again.

Mom. She was the only one who called until Fiona picked up. Rubbing her eyes, Fiona grabbed her phoned and answered. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, honey. I’m calling to make sure you haven’t forgotten about the fundraiser tonight.”

“Huh?”

“I knew it. I’ve told you about this repeatedly. We need the entire family to attend. You probably haven’t purchased a dress, either. Goodness. Be ready in an hour. I’ll be there to take you shopping.”

“Mom, I have clothes in my closet. I’m sure I have something appropriate.” She mentally scanned her closet and knew it was nothing more than a prayer. She usually donated the crap her mother made her wear.

“Fiona, we’ve been over this. You cannot walk around like some artsy hobo. The constituents have expectations.”

“The constituents should be more concerned about Dad’s policies than where I bought my dress.” Fiona went to the kitchen and poured a glass of orange juice.

“An hour, Fiona.” Then she hung up.

It looked to be one hell of a day. She changed into a pair of ripped jeans to make her mom crazy and paired them with a comfy gray sweater. She finger-combed her curls and lay on the couch to wait.

Sheila Cavanagh was never early nor late. If she said an hour, she would arrive in exactly sixty minutes. By Fiona’s estimation, she had fifteen minutes for a power nap.

When her doorbell rang, she didn’t bother to answer. Fiona stumbled off the couch, grabbed her purse—the giant one which held everything she could ever need—and went down to meet her mother.

When the elevator door opened, Fiona saw her mother tapping her feet. “Hi, Mom.”

“Why didn’t you buzz me in?”

Because I didn’t want to hear the criticism of my place. Again. “I was ready and I want to get this over with as soon as possible.”

Sheila stared at her for a moment. “You haven’t slept.” One eyebrow shot up. “Why not?”

Fiona rolled her eyes. She and her mother had never had the kind of relationship where they shared personal details. “I worked last night.”

She pushed through the exterior door and walked out onto the street. Sheila followed at a clipped pace. Fiona stood a good five inches taller than her mother and used her long legs to her advantage.

Sheila walked around to the driver’s side door. At least she drove herself today. Fiona hated when her mother sent a town car with a driver. Once in the car, Sheila removed her sunglasses and stared at Fiona. “Are you seeing someone new?”

Connor swept into her head and Fiona wondered what her mother would think of him. Hi, Mom. Meet Connor. I picked him up at a bar and all I know about him is that he makes furniture and he’s great at making me come. Fiona snorted to keep her laugh in. Lack of sleep was starting to get to her. She shook her head to dissuade any further questions.

They drove to Michigan Avenue to hit all of her mother’s favorite stores. Sheila meant to keep it simple by sticking to the department stores: Saks, Neimann Marcus, Bloomingdale’s. Stores Fiona never stepped foot in. If Target was sufficient for the first lady, why the hell wasn’t it okay for the daughter of a lowly alderman?

But Fiona knew it was useless to try to talk her mother out of it and so she paraded through the dressing rooms in whatever Sheila tossed at her. Three hours later, Fiona was the proud owner of five new dresses. Obviously, Sheila didn’t want to have to make any more trips to ensure Fiona dressed appropriately.

Over the course of their shopping expedition, Fiona didn’t speak; she knew better and let her mother steer the conversation. She half-listened to the details for the evening and other upcoming events.

“Don’t forget we have your cousin Kelly’s wedding next month. She said she’s keeping it small, but you know how that side of the family is. For the wedding, you can probably wear one of the dresses we bought today.”

Fiona nodded. She’d forgotten about the wedding. She hated weddings. Correction, she hated being a single guest at a wedding. People would grill her about when it would be her turn. They’d quickly glance at her ring finger in search of a diamond, wondering why she wasn’t announcing her engagement. They’d question why she wouldn’t rush the crowd of single women to jump and catch the bouquet.

Maybe she could conveniently get the stomach flu the night before.

They pulled in front of Fiona’s building. She hefted her bags and hip-bumped the door.

Her mother rolled down the window and called, “Take a nap. And do your hair.”

After an incredibly long and restful nap, Fiona did as she was told. She struggled with the flat iron to straighten her hair into the sleek look her mother preferred. Half an hour through the process, she became frustrated. She grabbed Connor’s card and dialed, not quite sure what she planned to say.

“Hello?” His deep, rough voice came across the line above noise in the background. He was working.

“Hi, Connor. It’s Fiona.”

“Hey. Hold on a minute.” A moment later the background quieted. “I’m glad you called.”

“Sorry to interrupt your work.”

“One of the perks of working for myself is that I can take a break when a beautiful woman calls.”