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Keir wasn’t sure what was going on. Mairi wasn’t herself: she was confused and hurting. Her whole world had turned upside down, and she didn’t know how to fix it. He understood what she meant about using him, but he didn’t feel the same way about things. If he could give her a few hours of pleasure, of respite from the thoughts driving her nuts, then he was more than happy to do so. Even more than that, he wanted to be with Mairi. He wanted to show her, through every touch, how much she meant to him and how desperately he wanted to be with her.
He wasn’t an idiot. Their relationship, if you could even call it that, was balanced on the edge of a knife. One false move and they’d both be bleeding. Even knowing that, he couldn’t stop the hope rising inside him, because Mairi was here, in his house, soon to be in his bed. After years of dismissing him, she was touching him, talking to him, leaning on him. It was more than he’d ever hoped to achieve in such a short period, and nothing would stop him from showing her how much he loved her. That he’d never stopped loving her. That he would always love her. He was born to love Mairi, and everything within him ached when she wouldn’t let him.
He pushed his bedroom door open, realizing his bed wasn’t made and that Mairi wouldn’t even notice, which made him smile.
“More gray and black, Keir? Really?”
He smiled at her. “Tell you what. You marry me. and you can flood the house with color.”
“Funny,” she said, but before she looked away, he saw only pain in her eyes.
“Hey. I was joking.”
“I know.” Her eyes were shuttered now, and he couldn’t read them. “Do you know what’s really funny?”
“Tell me,” he said, hoping she didn’t mean that ironically, because if she told him something sad and burst into tears, he didn’t know what he would do.
This time when she looked up at him, her smile was genuine. “I’m wearing this stupid cat suit, and I don’t think I can get out of it. I had to use half a bottle of baby oil to get into it.”
His heart stuttered, and his cock woke up from its slumber. “Putting aside the thought of you and a bottle of baby oil, why did you put the damn thing on?” It still rankled that she was wearing a sexy outfit some other guy had sent her.
“I put it on to wind you up.” Her grin was pure mischief. “It worked.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Then you won’t care if the suit doesn’t survive me taking it off.”
“You wouldn’t.” She took a step back.
“Oh, yes, I definitely would.” He lunged for her, but she squealed and ran, scrambling over the bed to the other side.
“Come on,” she said, “even the bedding is gray.”
He threw himself over the bed at her, but she laughed and ran, letting him land with a thump on the floor. She was heading for the door, but Keir was faster; he snagged her ankle, making her fall in front of him.
“That’s cheating,” she said.
“I didn’t know there were rules.” He held her tight as he crawled over her to straddle her hips.
“Now, Keir. This was a gift. You need to be reasonable. It isn’t polite to ruin other people’s gifts.” There was no sadness in her eyes now. They sparkled with mischief. The wild woman he knew and loved was well and truly back, and he was going to make sure she stayed for good.
He grabbed the neckline of the suit and pulled. Nothing happened. He’d expected it to rip, but all it did was stretch.
“What the hell?”
“It’s indestructible,” Mairi said through laughter. “I’ll have to live in it forever, which makes me thankful for the missing bum section.” She dissolved into hysterics.
“Stay here.” Keir climbed off her. “I’m serious. Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
She was still laughing when he ran down the stairs to find some scissors. That cat suit was coming off, even if he had to shred it.
When he got back, Mairi had moved. She was in his closet, going through his clothes. She stuck her head out to look at him. “Even ninety percent of your clothing is black or gray. You need counseling.” She spotted the scissors in his hand and her eyebrows shot up her forehead. “Oh hell no, you’re not getting near me with scissors.”
And she ran for it. Again. This time, he was ready for her and faked her out when she scrambled over the bed. Instead of going over it after her, he rounded it and hooked an arm around her waist. With one swift move, he tossed her into the middle of the bed, then tumbled her to her belly.
“Don’t move,” he said. “I have scissors, and I don’t want to cut you.”
She froze. “You cut me, you die.”
“That’s fair.” He put the scissors on the bed beside them and yanked her denim shorts over her hips and down her legs.
His heart almost stopped completely at the sight of the creamy, succulent cheeks peeking out of all that black. He ran his hands over her flesh and squeezed, delighting when Mairi let out a little moan.
“I’ve think I’ve changed my mind,” he said. “Maybe we should keep this outfit.”
“I’m glad you’ve come around to my way of thinking. Every time I look at it, I think of the twins, and I wouldn’t want to lose that precious memory.”
“This sucker has to die.” Keir reached for the scissors and straddled Mairi’s thighs, to keep her from moving suddenly and injuring herself.
He gripped the material in the gap at the bottom of her back and cut into it. It took some force, but he managed to cut a line straight up her back to her neck. The material fell apart, and Mairi heaved a sigh of relief.
“That was not comfortable,” she said.
Keir was too distracted to pay attention to her words. He put the scissors down for a second to run his hands over her beautiful, plump behind and up her smooth back.
“You are so soft.”
“That will be the baby oil.”
He grinned as he stroked her flesh. “You know, I think I’m kinkier than I realized, because cutting you out of this thing is making me a little desperate.”
“Then have at it,” she said, her voice husky. “The sleeves pinch.”
“Then they have to go.” He picked up the scissors and cut a line up each sleeve.
“Better,” she said on a sigh.
Keir moved down to her legs and cut the suit away from each one, starting at her hip and working his way down the outside of each thigh. At last, the suit lay in pieces beneath her.
“You aren’t wearing any underwear.” He sounded guttural as he ran his hands from her ankles, up her legs and over her body.
“You saw the suit. There wasn’t room for underwear.”
The breathless words made him want to hit every man who’d seen her wearing the cat suit. But he had better things to do. “Roll over.”
Slowly, seductively, she did exactly what he’d told her to.
♦♦♦
Mairi had intended to tease Keir until they were both desperate for each other, but when she turned to look at him, she realized all she wanted was to have him close. To feel him inside her. To feel complete, instead of empty, just for one night.
She lay on her back, in the middle of his bed, and held out her hand to him. “Come make love to me.”
Keir closed his eyes slowly, as though savoring her demand, and then he pulled his t-shirt over his head and tossed it away. A second later, he’d fished a condom out of his jeans, kicked off his shoes and stripped everything else off. He was magnificent as he slowly crawled up the bed to lie on his side next to her.
In his eyes, she could see words he wanted to say, but felt he couldn’t. Words she wasn’t ready to hear, might never be ready to hear. All Mairi could do was cup his nape and pull him down to her. His kiss was slow, sweet, almost reverential, and it was exactly what she needed. As their tongues met in a lazy dance, Keir’s hand trailed over her body, caressing her breasts and tracing circles on her stomach until he reached the ache between her legs. An ache only Keir could assuage.
With a leg over hers, he widened her thighs and traced her sensitive lips with featherlight touches. Mairi clasped his shoulders, pulling him closer, needing to feel his strength against her. With a gasp for air, he broke their kiss and moved his lips to her throat, all the while tracing her clit with a teasing touch that drove her wild. She needed. There was no other word for it, only stark, desperate need.
“Keir,” she gasped. “Please.”
She expected him to joke about her lack of patience, but instead he leaned over her and stared into her eyes as his teasing fingers stilled. She watched as he started to say something, something he could never take back, and she pressed a finger to his lips.
“Later,” she whispered, begging him to let her have this moment without the pressure of the past, or worry for the future, crushing her.
He let out a curse and slammed his mouth on hers, the kiss turning ferocious as his fingers plunged inside her. And just like that, Mairi shot up into the stratosphere and exploded. Panting and clinging to him, she felt him spread her legs to make room for his hips. She opened her eyes and leaned forward to trace the red swirls over his heart with the tip of her tongue. She wanted to memorize every line, in case it was the last time she saw them.
With a grunt, Keir plunged into her, and Mairi’s head fell back. Her neck arched, and her legs wrapped around his thighs.
“Yes!” She dug her fingers into his shoulders and held on tight.
“You make me crazy,” he growled against her throat, giving her his weight as he slid in and out of her blissfully happy girl parts.
Mairi bit his shoulder and ran her tongue over the sting. He tasted musky and clean and smelled like warm sheets straight from the dryer. She wanted to wrap herself in him and never come out. A safe haven from the world. And that thought, that need, scared the life out of her. He was inside her, under her skin, burrowed deep, as she suspected he had been all along. She would never be done with Keir, and part of her never wanted to be.
As he took her away from herself, Mairi let her mind float on the sea of sensation he created. Aware only of Keir and what he made her feel. Aware of the desperate explosion building inside of her that he alone controlled. As they fell over the edge of sanity together, Mairi realized just how much she’d missed Keir’s touch and wondered if she’d ever be able to give it up again..
For long minutes, she clung to him as they gasped for air. His weight was a comforting blanket and his heat seeped into her through her pores. She almost sobbed when he kissed her and headed for the bathroom, leaving the bed cold and empty without him. A minute later, he returned, turned off the lights and climbed in behind her. With an arm over her stomach and a leg thrown over her legs, he pinned her tight against him, his front to her back.
“Go to sleep, Rusty. Things will be better in the morning.” He kissed her temple and curled a hand around her breast, as though he possessed it.
Mairi didn’t sleep. She lay there, watching the shadows play over the walls and listening to Keir breathe behind her. The rhythm of his chest rising and falling was soothing to her. The heat from his body wrapped around her, keeping out the cold of life. A while later, he turned over and away from her, allowing her the chance to slip out of bed.
Stealing a blanket, she tiptoed down the stairs and curled up on the couch to think.
And that was where Keir found her hours later.
“Rusty, wake up.” His gentle voice roused her, and she blinked up at him.
The light from the unadorned windows was stark, illuminating everything she had to deal with that day. Keir was dressed and crouched beside her. He gently brushed her hair from her face.
“What are you doing down here?” he asked.
“Was thinking.”
His smile was gentle. “You come to any conclusions?”
“Aye.” She tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry. “I’m going to take you up on your offer. I’m going to marry you, and I plan to tell everyone about it at a press conference tonight.”
Keir’s hand stilled on her hair. “You sure?”
“It’s my only choice. You’re right—my back is against the wall and I need you.”
The light in his eyes dimmed somewhat. “Good decision.” He stood and walked toward the door. “I’m making coffee. I’ve put a t-shirt on the bed for you, and your shorts are still good. Once you’ve had some breakfast, I’ll take you home.”
And then he was gone. Leaving Mairi alone to wonder what she’d just done.