Kelly Clan 02 - Connor (16 page)

“This is amazing,” she said softly. Claire leaned in for a kiss but stopped when he pulled away.

“You might want to wait,” he said, slightly nervous.

Claire frowned.

“For what?”

He pulled her to the last room down the hall. She stopped and looked over at him. Conor nodded his head in the direction of the door.

Claire opened the door and entered.

The curtains were drawn. Lanterns stood around the room, casting warm shadows on the wall. The floor was lined with rose petals, and in the middle, a mattress lay on the floor. She laughed quietly at how much effort he had put into it all and was amazed with how pretty it all looked.

Claire turned around and found him on the floor, on one knee. Dryness settled over her throat.

“I know I’m not always the easiest person to be with,” he said, running a hand through his sandy brown hair. His voice wavered a little, and she knew how nervous he must be. “But I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy.” He took a deep breath and let it out. “Will you be my wife?”

She smiled at his formal proposal. It was the sweetest she’d ever seen him, and part of her just wanted to bottle that charm.

He looked up at her expectantly, his smile faltering slightly.

She held out her hand and was surprised when the ring slipped on her finger perfectly.

Claire held the ring up and stared at it. “It’s beautiful.”

Conor stood and looked at the ring on her finger. “Anna helped me.”

“This must have cost a fortune,” she said and looked up to him. “I’d be happy with just a band.”

Conor shook his head. “It was a good deal. Finn helped with that.”

She imagined her cousin did. He knew a few great dealers in town that offered him discount prices.

“Are you going to answer?” he asked.

Claire looked at him, slightly confused, and Conor frowned. His brown eyes looked pained.

“Oh!” Claire exclaimed. “Yes,” she said. “Yes, a million times.”

Claire leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. After a moment, Conor leaned back. “Thank God,” he said.

His lips slid down her neck and across her collar bone.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

Conor pulled back and stared into her eyes.

“I’m about to lose my mind. Tell me you don’t want anything,” he said. His hand slid down the side of her dress and under the front. He skimmed the line of her panties.

Claire moaned and turned in his arms.

“Take me to the bed,” she whispered.

Conor pulled her along. He pulled the zipper down on her dress and let it slip off her body. She shivered under his hot gaze. Not stopping, he unsnapped her bra and pulled down the lace thong.

She stood naked in front of him as he gazed at her.

Not willing to be outdone, she started pulling at Conor’s clothes as well. First, his shirt hit the floor, then his jeans and underwear.

“Conor,” Claire sighed. “Touch me.”

Her body felt on fire. She ached for his hands to be on her. Conor pulled her down to the floor with him and spread her out on the bed. Then, he placed his head between her legs.

“I don’t think,” she started but stopped at the first swipe of his tongue. “Fuck.”

His tongue swirled around her hard clit, and she cried out. “Conor.” She looked down her body at him and shivered at the sight of him there, with his face planted in her pussy and loving it. She tossed her head back as he slipped a finger deep inside.

He fucked her with his fingers, sometimes alternating between his fingers and his tongue.

“Please,” she whispered. “I need you inside me.”

Conor pulled back, and she looked down at him. “Just let me love you,” he said.

Claire shook her head. “Why don’t we love each other?”

He stilled. His eyes flashed with something she’d never quite seen, and she cocked her head to the side. He slipped up her body and lay firmly between her thighs.

“And do we, Claire?” he asked quietly.

She frowned. “Do we what?”

“Love each other?” he asked. She could feel his cock slip between her folds.

“Of course,” she said.

He rolled them, and she found herself on top, his dick still firmly between her slick lips. Claire tested and slipped them up and down.

“Fuck,” he grunted. She gasped when his hands came firmly on her hips. “Say it, Claire.”

She looked down at his face as he waited. All this time she’d been so scared, but she hadn’t seen how much it might be hurting him.

Claire leaned and put her face right in front of his.

“I love you, Conor,” she said and slid her pussy down on his wanting cock.

Conor groaned and bucked hard.

With each stroke, he pressed in deeper.

Claire leaned forward, pressing him deeper inside. “I have always loved you,” she said.

Conor held on to her hip and fucked upward into her, faster and faster.

“More,” she moaned.

His finger found her clit, and he rubbed fast as their climaxes approached.

“Come with me, baby,” he mumbled.

Claire felt the stars move as she came, squeezing him like crazy.

“Fuck,” Conor groaned as he came deep inside her.

They lay quietly for some time after, enjoying the quiet.

“Shit,” Claire said, jumping up. “The party.”

“They knew we were coming here,” he said and pulled her back down to him.

Claire frowned. “Great, so they knew we were going to have sex?”

Conor laughed. “I think the sex was implied.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “What am I going to do with you?”

Conor grinned. “Have sex with me all day every day?”

She laughed at his idea. “Nice try,” she said. “Up,” she said firmly. “I’ve got a victory to celebrate.”

Chapter Seventeen

Claire blushed as they walked into Finn’s house. The party was well under way, and it was clear from some of the looks she was getting that most knew what they had been doing. She linked her hand with Conor's and smiled when he rubbed a finger over her new ring.

“Ready?” he whispered.

She nodded. Conor and Claire had agreed that it was best to keep the proposal a secret until the end of the party, where they could make the announcements.

They made their way around the room. Various people offered their congratulations on the election victory.

She caught sight of Teagan and Alyssa across the room and knew that keeping the news under wraps was going to be harder than she expected.

“Shit,” she muttered under her breath. “I better go meet with them before the whole room knows.”

Conor laughed. “Call if you need backup.” He leaned down for a kiss.

Claire lingered on his lips slightly longer than she needed to. “I will,” she said. The words came out more seductive than she intended, but she loved the fire that lit in his eyes.

He groaned. “We are so going back to the new house tonight.”

She grinned at him. “Sounds like I better make sure I eat.” She winked. He reached out to grab her, but she giggled and stepped out of his grasp. “Oh, look, my cousin.”

Conor turned around. While his back was turned, she slipped away.

She could hear him groan from across the room and knew he figured out her plan. After all that time of not having him, knowing how much he wanted to be with her was the most endearing thing she’d experienced. She loved her life, and she loved him. That was all that mattered.

She stopped abruptly as Maxwell stepped in front of her and thrust his hand into hers.

“I knew backing you would be the best choice,” he said.

She smiled at him. If she had known when meeting him just how influential he would turn out to be, Claire likely wouldn’t have been quite so open, but in the end, it was her openness that landed his backing.

“I can’t thank you enough for all your support,” she said.

Maxwell gave a broad smile. “Just be yourself and continue socking people in the nose who deserve it.” He laughed. “I think you'll make the best kind of politician.” He leaned forward and winked. “You’ve certainly got the interesting family to match the personality.”

Claire laughed. They were quite the family to have when running for office, but the public seemed to have bought into her image as the one with wholesome ways and loved that the plucky good girl had been brought up near such corruption. They were even crediting her with the recent changes in the Kelly family. Even the police admitted the Kellys seemed to be reforming and had contributed to disrupting some of the more unsavory criminal enterprises in the city. Of course, Finn had no problem over-playing all of this to the media.

It was comical to watch her family be viewed in an almost saintly light.

Claire grinned at the older man. “I’ll do my best to keep local politics as entertaining as I can.”

Maxwell snickered. “Now, that’s what I like to hear,” he said. “Well, off with your friends,” he said. “There was a leggy blond around here that I was following.”

Claire snorted. “Good luck.” She winked and turned away.

“Oh, and Claire,” Maxwell called from behind her. She turned to look at him. “Nice ring.”

Her face flamed. She thought she had done a pretty good job hiding it.

“Thanks,” she said quietly and turned back toward her friends.

Claire made her way to the table in the corner of the room where her friends were sitting. It was strange to her to have so many women who were her friends, but as time went on, each was taking on a vital role in her life.

She took her seat between Alyssa and Anna. Teagan sat across from her, with Alyssa’s friend Haley in the corner. The cute little redhead gave a smile as the other women stared expectantly.

“So, Haley,” Claire began, “how is kindergarten going this year?”

Alyssa huffed loudly. “No one wants to hear about dumb old kindergarten,” she said and turned to Haley. “Sorry, Hales.”

Haley wrinkled her nose. “Oh, I understand,” she said. “I know it’s a touchy subject for you since you flunked it…twice.”

Claire snorted.

Alyssa stared at her in disbelief. “I told you that in confidence!”

Haley rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, so you flunked twice. You act like you were sent off to lock-up at that age,” she said. “And don’t insult my kindergartners. They are my sweet little monkeys.”

Teagan grinned. “I like her.”

Claire laughed. “You would. Maybe you can talk to Haley about having some of her kids model your winter lineup?”

Haley sat up excitedly. “Are you a designer?”

Teagan looked to Claire for some sort of help. It was still all new to her to ever think of herself as a designer. Claire understood that, but the online shop she had started was doing very well, and she had even talked about getting her own place eventually, much to Conor’s disapproval.

“She is,” Claire stepped in. “And her clothes are amazing.”

Haley’s eyes lit up, and she knew that Teagan might just have someone to market through.

Anna sighed. “So, are you going to spill or not?”

Claire grinned. It really was nice to have people she could talk to. Without a word, she placed her left hand on the table. Several of the woman squealed and people passing turned to look.

“So, I take it you said yes?” Teagan smiled at her.

Claire nodded and was immediately swept into a hug.

“I’m so glad,” Teagan said in her ear. “Welcome to the family.”

Claire grinned. “Maybe I’m the one who should be saying welcome to the family.”

Teagan laughed. “Only if it means I get a hot husband in the end.”

Haley held up her hand. “Oh, sign me up for that club,” she said. Claire noticed her eyes were constantly pulled across the room to where the men were gathered. She had no question in her mind that Haley wanted Noel. Actually, just about everyone knew that. She’d made herself more than clear with her intentions.

Claire couldn’t help but chuckle. He seemed to keep ahead of the perky little redhead, but she doubted that would last long.

She turned to look at Anna, who held up a hand.

“Oh, count me out,” she laughed. “I’ll take some hot sex, but I’m off the marriage train.”

Claire nodded. She hated to see her friend in such a way, but maybe with time she would see that marriage wasn’t all bad. She just picked the wrong guy.

“Okay, so tell us all the details,” Alyssa said.

Teagan made a gagging noise. “Maybe not all the details please.”

Claire laughed. Yes, having friends was great.

* * *

Conor sat in Finn’s office and sighed. It had been a hell of a day and the last thing he wanted to do was be at a party, but it made Claire happy.

He watched as Liam, Finn’s half brother, Riley and Noel filtered in the room. He closed the door and looked around.

“We got a small lead on Boris,” Finn said as he took the seat at his desk.

Conor sat up, his full body at attention.

“I’ve got some of Reed’s men looking for something,” he said. “Someone went to a hospital about fifty miles from here a month ago with a five-inch puncture wound to his thigh.”

Conor’s jaw tightened.

“The files say he spoke Russian and had to have his friend interpret.” Finn stared around the room.

“Why would he fake not knowing any English?” Conor said.

Finn shrugged. “To throw people off his scent.”

Conor frowned. “I guess I was just hoping it wasn't him, and he was worm food in the ground somewhere.”

“We knew it was unlikely he was dead,” Liam said.

“I was hoping for infection,” Conor said. “Maybe for his fucking dick to fall off.”

Finn snorted. “I think we all were, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. From what Doctor Richards said, a wound like that will take months to fully heal. That doesn’t mean we’re safe. We need to start taking a more proactive approach to this. The next attack might be the one where we lose someone.” He looked around. “I’d rather that not happen.”

“You know Boris is going to come after us for his cousin,” Conor said. Neither Finn or Teagan had talked about what happened at the car that night. He had assumed that Finn might be the shooter, but the amount of secrecy didn’t really make sense, especially since Riley had been cleared fairly quickly on self-defense charges.