On Forgetting Ch. 10

"I would never hurt you," he breathed.

Langdon chewed on her lip. He wouldn't. She knew that. She trusted him. And knowing that was even more exciting. "And how do you know I'll enjoy it?"

"Because you enjoy being tied up about as much as you enjoy tying me down." Connor flinched as soon as the words were out of his mouth, as if he couldn't believe some of things he was saying.

As the implication of his statement sank in, Langdon felt herself quickly turning red. "I tie..." she swallowed, a small thrill running through her at the idea. He was bigger than she was, stronger than she was. If he really wanted to do something, there wasn't much she could do... unless.

Connor watched the emotions play across Laney's face with curiosity. "Laney?"

"Ok," she smiled timidly. "But you're next."

He felt the corner of his mouth draw back into his characteristic lopsided grin. His fingers brushed through her hair, running them around her ear to settle at the nape of her neck. "You," he kissed her, his tongue making a brief foray into her mouth. "Are so amazing," he finished, nuzzling her cheek.

She murmured her pleasure, pulling him close and digging her fingers into his back as his teeth grazed the soft skin at the base of her neck. She tugged at the hem of his shirt, exposing the shifting planes of his back and shoulders to her palms. The fabric bunched at his armpits as she explored his sides and chest, and with a little coaxing, she managed to push it over his head, letting him strip from the sleeves.

He didn't want to leave her, not even for the time it took to rid himself of the shirt. His hair, mussed from the struggle with the fabric, was subjected to further disarrangement as her fingers tangled in the dark waves. He groaned. Her touch was like fire. Every little caress was light, teasing, demanding, igniting.

His hands crawled the ladder of her ribs, drawing her shirt up to reveal her pale perfection. Her few, small freckles stood out against the fairness of her breasts and he took the time to kiss each one before removing her shirt completely. Just the sight of her had him achingly hard.

Connor found her mouth, distracting her with teasing kisses, nipping at her lower lip. The sigh that escaped her was like music to his ears and he took advantage of parted lips to delve his tongue into the hot recess of her mouth. His hands found hers, pinning them to the pillow over her head with one large palm. "Connor," she groaned, her head tilting back as he abandoned her mouth to latch his lips onto a sensitive spot on the underside of her jaw.

Laney melted beneath him. He hit every hot spot she knew of on her neck and three she didn't. A wave of pleasure crashed through her and she moaned as his hands stroked down her ribs. She shifted to reach for him, surprised to find her wrists securely bound to the headboard with a soft, silk tie. She hadn't even noticed when he'd done it. He sat back, straddling her hips, appreciating the view. She blinked up at him, flushing under his heated stare. "Connor?"

He grinned, running his index finger along her stomach. She squirmed, biting her lip. "You are so perfect," he whispered. His finger caught in the elastic waist of her boxers and he tugged on it gently, the light sensation of his grazing finger raising goose bumps across her skin. He ducked down to plant a kiss just above her belly button, sliding his hands into the waistband at the back of her hips and kneading the soft flesh he found there. She moaned in response.

Two sharp knocks sounded at the door and Langdon started, her eyes going wide with surprise. "Mr. Kennedy? Turn down service." Connor glanced over his shoulder at the door, a sardonic smile masking his irritation. The woman knocked again. "Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy?"

Connor turned back to Langdon. He kissed her nose and regretfully climbed off the bed. "Don't go anywhere," he winked.

"Connor!" Langdon whispered sharply. "Come back here!"

He grinned outright. "I'm just going to answer the door. If I don't, you know she's going to come in." He could see the flush spreading from Langdon's face down her chest as she gave an irritated huff and kicked her heels into the mattress. The movement made her breasts jiggle enticingly and he chuckled.

Outside the door he heard the jingle of keys and thought it best to get to the door before it opened of its own accord. He planted his foot just a few inches from the doorjamb and caught the door against his knee, only allowing it open a few inches. The woman on the other side gave a small gasp of surprise, nearly dropping a large key ring on the floor. "Oh, dearie, you gave me a fright. Would you like me to turn down the bed?"

Connor laughed richly. Clad only in his boxers, his hair was mussed, and he had a guilty flush in his cheeks; it took the woman a moment to process this through the narrow opening of the door, but her expression changed as she realised what was going on. "Thanks, but no," Connor grinned. "I've managed on my own."

The pleasant older woman gave him a cheery smile and nodded. "Well, have lovely evening then, you two."

Connor closed the door softly and locked it, flicking off the last lamp before returning to the bed. He reached Langdon's side, and even in the dark, he could tell she didn't look pleased. "Oh, come on, Laney," he stretched out next to her on the bed. "You wouldn't want someone to walk in on us, would you?"

She rolled her eyes and gave the silk tie a tug. "Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy?"

He grinned and kissed her cheek. "As tempting as it was to stand there in my drawers and argue semantics..." He didn't need to finish. Langdon knew he was right; she just didn't want to admit it. He shifted, leaning over her without touching. "Besides, I had better things to do."

His mouth found hers, softly coaxing a response from her. She didn't want to give in, but his lips were gentle and persistent. Soon the sensation of his mouth on hers was too much and not enough. She moaned and shifted, trying to find contact, trying to find him. He chuckled against her lips, happy to oblige her. He pulled back to run a single finger along the border of her lower lip.

Langdon sighed as his hand travelled, fingers tracing the line of her jaw, gliding down her neck, and flattening out to pause in the valley between her breasts. His head bent, lips brushing hers, and he whispered, "Close your eyes." He kissed her softly, his hand moving to cup the weight of her breast in his palm.

She whimpered; her eyes fluttered closed as he deepened the kiss, his thumb feathering over her nipple until it was painfully taut. His tongue swept through her mouth and she tried to capture it as his hand switched to her other breast, drawing idle circles around the dark pink tip until she groaned. His mouth left hers to find the sensitised peak his fingers had recently abandoned, his tongue flicking across her nipple before sucking it into his mouth.

Her breath caught as she tugged on the bindings, wanting her hands free. Connor tilted his face toward hers, raising a brow at her predicament. "Connor, please," she ground out.

"I do please," he murmured, kissing a path to her other breast, satisfied to give it the same treatment as the other one, his hand sliding down her side to rest on her hip.

She whimpered and arched against his mouth. "Please."

"Please what?" he whispered against her skin.

His teeth grazed her nipple and it sent shards of pleasure shooting deep into her core. "Lower," she groaned.

"Anything you want," he purred. His lips slowly worked their way down her stomach, kissing, nipping, licking, teasing her skin as it heated beneath his mouth. He paid particular attention to the slight indentations inside her hipbones as his fingers snagged the elastic of her boxers and panties together and slid them down her legs. He sat back to tug the last of the clothing from her body then his before turning his attention to her foot.

He pressed his thumbs into the arch of her foot, massaging the tendons, then kissed the sensitive skin on the inside of her arch. "Is this low enough?" he asked with a chuckle. She groaned, the sharp comeback dying on the tip of her tongue as his mouth moved slowly higher, along the inside of her calf. His hands preceded his lips, tracing small whorls while gently nudging her legs apart.

Langdon was almost embarrassed at how quickly she lifted her hips to his touch when his fingers stroked through her folds. Almost. His thumb grazed her clit and it sent a shiver through her body. He locked eyes with her, sliding his finger inside her. He bit back a groan at the sensation; she was warm, wet, and welcoming, her slick muscles closing around his finger. He drew out slowly sliding a second finger in with the first, watching as Laney's eyelids fluttered shut and her head dropped back against the pillow. God, she was beautiful. He had to stomp down on the urge to plunge into her there and then. A mew of disappointment escaped her lips as he pulled his hand away.

He bent and laid gentle kisses along her inner thigh, inching upward, his tongue peeking out to flick along the crease where her hip met her soft stomach. He hooked his arms under her thighs and lifted her hips from the bed. The ease with which he lifted her left Langdon with an overwhelming sense of vulnerability. He was so gentle with her, but it was always with an undercurrent of restrained strength that sent a shiver of awareness through her.

At first, his lips only brushed against her with a frustrating subtlety and she squirmed, the light sensations zinging along her nerves, straining for a firmer touch. Langdon gasped as his tongue suddenly swept through her heated flesh, her hips bucking involuntarily. He traced a path from her entrance to her clit, pausing to give due attention to the sensitive bundle of nerves. He repeated the motion, his tongue dipping inside of her this time.

Langdon could feel her orgasm building, the muscles in her body tightening in response to the maddeningly slow rhythm he had found. The small cries that escaped her lips drove him on, his tongue sliding inside her only to retreat to tease her clit again and again. A thin sheen of sweat coated her skin, glistening in the silvery light filtering from the window. His teeth nipped at her clit and she was crying out. Her body shuddered, clenching and writhing in his grasp.

Connor couldn't wait any longer. He settled quickly between her spread thighs and thrust into her in one swift motion. She gasped, her eyes flying open, the sensation of him filling her almost sending her over the edge again. A sound halfway between a sigh and a growl rumbled low in Connor's chest, his eyelids fluttering in a sign of his pleasure. He held himself still, calming his breathing before fixing his gaze on her face.

The heat from his stare alone set her blood boiling. He smiled sweetly, bending to brush a light kiss across her lips. "I love you," he whispered. The intimacy of their position with the raw honesty of his admission had her heart swelling with emotion. All she wanted to do was respond in kind, but she couldn't find her voice and, to her horror, she felt tears spring to her eyes.

Connor studied her face, a smile slowly spreading into a broad grin. "God, Laney," he half laughed. "You're going to kill me." He captured her mouth with his, his lips hungry against hers, eager and insistent. Her squeak of surprise melted into a sigh as he kissed her until she was breathless. She shifted beneath him, his stillness within her becoming torture, and used her thighs to hold him to her.

He groaned low in his throat and thrust into her fully, her body shuddering and tightening around him. He began a slow, lazy pace, pulling almost completely from her before thrusting back in. His mouth paid homage to her breasts, shoulders, and neck before meeting her own, heat blossoming from every touch. The sweet friction that built between them had Langdon gasping for breath and eagerly meeting raising her hips to meet him. She arched against him and the sensation was devastating to his self-control.

Without thinking, Connor tugged the tie free of the headboard, and grasped her hips, his thrusts becoming heavier, surer, deeper, and more demanding. Langdon wove her fingers into the dark waves of his hair and pulled his mouth back down to hers, kissing him with all the ferocity of the feelings he wrought within her.

The heat of her mouth and insistent play of her hands through his hair, across his shoulders, and down his back sent a shudder through his body. Instinct had him slamming into her, seeking to drive deeper than before. He wanted to lose himself in her. Her soft cries rose to moans of pleasure and his body tightened in response. She owned him in every way possible and she didn't even know. It was terrifying and wonderful and arousing on the most primitive level.

Her body tensed, her nails digging into the skin on the back of his shoulders, the pinpricks of pain overwhelmed by the fluttering of her muscles around him. She cried out, screaming his name. He claimed her mouth cutting off a series of cuss words that followed his name with a devastating kiss. Smothering his own yell in the heat of her mouth as his own powerful orgasm erupted.

Connor struggled to keep himself from completely collapsing on top of her, dropping onto his side, and pulling her against his chest. They were both breathing heavily, sweat coating their bodies, hearts gradually dropping back to a normal rhythm. He managed a strangled laugh and reached a shaking hand to brush a wayward strand of hair from her cheek.

Her eyes were heavy-lidded when she raised them to meet his gaze. A contented smile spread across her face, her hands sliding up his chest to rest against his shoulders. "Tomorrow, you'll have to explain why you laughed at me."

He snorted and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Tomorrow?"

She yawned and nodded, nudging him over onto his back. "Tomorrow." She pillowed her head on his chest, turning to press a kiss to the expanse of bare skin before settling. "That way, if I'm mad, I'll have the energy to hit you."

He chuckled and pulled the blankets up around her shoulders, running his fingers idly through her hair. "That doesn't sound good for me," he murmured.

She sighed in a way that reminded him of a cat purring, her eyes closing. She wanted to stay awake, she wanted to talk to him, she wanted to kiss him more, but her body was so lax, and her brain seemed happily empty. She was half aware of his breathing slowing when his hand stilled. "I love you, Connor," she whispered, letting sleep claim her tired mind.

Connor held his breath, not entirely sure he had heard her. A wave of joy and smug pride washed through him. He had been waiting to hear her say that, say that on her own without prompting, say it and mean it. She never liked to say 'I love you too,' said it was trite. Her hesitation earlier left him hoping, and now, content to hold her for the rest of the night, he fell asleep with a smile on his face.

~o~

Langdon raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she looked at the fort walls from inside the ring fort. The view off of the Dun Beg cliffs at the Promontory fort was amazing, and the fort itself was one of the more dramatic archaeological sites she had visited since she came to Ireland. They had started their hike early in the morning in hopes of beating any tourist crowd to the site, and with the sun still peaking over Mount Eagle on the east horizon, Langdon was fairly sure they'd have the place to themselves for a few hours.

Connor easily hurdled the ringed wall to take in the view of Dingle Bay from the cliff face, turning back to give her a broad grin. "Hey, Laney, what do you think of getting few pictures from here?" He swept his arms wide, backing toward the small wire fence that served as the last barrier between wandering tourists and the breathtaking vertical drop to the sea over a hundred feet below.

Langdon giggled. He was such a kid when they were off travelling. "Tell you what, I'll get a picture of you then we can try to set the timer to get one of both of us."

He nodded and struck a cheesy pose when she pulled out her camera. She held her laughter long enough to snap a steady picture and slipped off her pack, using it to prop up the camera on the wall. She pushed the button and scrambled over the wall to his side. "How long do we have?" he asked through a smile.

She shrugged. "I just listen for the beeps. There's a blinking light too, but it'll beep to warn you when you have like three seconds."

"Oh," he wrapped his arm around her waist and squinted at the camera, listening for the quiet beeps. As soon as he heard them, he pulled her close, tilting her back over his arm, and kissed her dramatically. He heard the camera click and chuckled against her lips.

She pushed back against his chest and peered up at him. "That better not have ruined my picture, buster."

He laughed again and released her. "I'll make sure, then let me get a shot of you out here." He snagged the camera as he passed, hopping the stone wall as he checked the previous pictures. "They look great!" he shouted over his shoulder before turning to get a picture of her.

~o~

Paul grumbled from his hiding spot behind the low wall. Of course they had to pick a site like this that was so open. He groused at the horseplay and frowned with distaste as Connor kissed Lang again. Did that guy ever keep his hands to himself? He watched Connor pick up the camera and climb back over the wall. He was only about ten feet away now, and the furthest he'd seen Connor from Lang all morning. Paul clenched his jaw, now was as good a time as any.

~o~

Langdon squinted into the sun, only able to see Connor's outline in the bright morning glare. Something about his stance told her that he holding the camera up. "Hey, gorgeous!" he called. "Show me that sexy smile!"

She couldn't help but to laugh and she gave her best ridiculous pose, grinning for the camera.

"On three," he held up a hand with three fingers raised, dropping them as he counted down. "Three... two..."

Langdon squinted, movement from behind Connor catching her eye. Her smile faded as she saw a figure loom behind him. Even with the sound of the surf rising from the base of the cliffs behind her, she could hear the sickening sound of something hard smashing into Connor's skull, and he crumpled bonelessly to the ground. Langdon screamed.

~o~

Paul grinned broadly at the sight of blood on the rock as he dropped it into the grass next to Connor's prone body. The idiot hadn't even heard him coming. If he managed to take care of Lang quickly, he might even get two for the price of one. His head shot up at the sound of Langdon's scream. Fucking bitch would wake the natives. She locked eyes with him for a fraction of a second and took off at a dead sprint. With a snarl, he leapt over the wall and chased after her.

~o~

Langdon froze. She saw Connor fall and she saw the horrifying smile on Paul's face. She couldn't seem to move, but she screamed. And when he raised his eyes and glared at her, Langdon felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. He was insane. She ran.

With out consideration for where she was going, Langdon took off in a sprint. The sheer cliff face just to her right, she kept the wall of the fort to her left. Ahead, she could make out the most inland wall of the fort with open air beyond it. There were open fields, the road and a cluster of farmhouses close enough to see, but too far to yell to for help. She screamed anyway.

"Goddamnit!" Paul snarled, both startled and infuriated by her speed. "Get back here you bitch."

Langdon choked back a sob, desperate to put anything between herself and Paul. She scrambled over the wire fence that separated the fort from the sheer cliffs, using one of the pickets for leverage. She sucked in a deep breath, readying another scream.