She looked at the fullness of his chin, his day old growth of black beard and the softness of his mouth. Without thinking, Rooney reached closer and ran her tongue over the fullness of his bottom lip before taking it in her teeth. His arms gripped her tighter but she brushed them off and wrapped her arms around his neck as she deepened the kiss.
Eight years of holding back erupted inside her and there was nothing she could to stay her emotions, even if she had wanted to. When he returned the kiss, his hands gripped her butt, pulling her closer and she groaned against his mouth. Rooney dug her fingers into his rich black hair, pulling and smoothing the glossy locks alternately as she pushed herself into him, trying to gain access to the body denied to her for so long.
Stevie took a step back and lifted her to sit on the counter. She looked down into his eyes and he smiled. It was all the encouragement Rooney needed. Gripping the front of his shirt, she ripped it open to admire the smooth curves of his chest. Gone was the boyish body she remembered, replaced by muscles gained through a rigid fitness routine. Abandoning resistance, she trailed her fingers down the ridge of his breastbone and traced the smattering of hair surrounding his nipples. She leaned closer to take one in her mouth.
He groaned in pleasure, letting her nip and tug the small hard nub. When Rooney lifted her head, Stevie raised an eyebrow and she grinned. With shaking hands, he undid the buttons on her shirt, peeling it from her shoulders down to her elbows. He stopped her from shrugging it all the way off by holding her hands against the counter top.
Suddenly, she felt exposed and wary. It was still daylight and anyone could come in and catch them. She opened her mouth to tell him to lock the door when he leaned forward and traced the outline of her bra with his warm tongue.
"Oh God, don't stop. Please, don't stop." Rooney arched back to give him unrestricted access to her breasts. When he released her hand to unclasp her bra, she shrugged off the shirt leaving hers naked and wanton.
The prickle of his day’s growth rasped deliciously on her breasts as he took a nipple in his mouth, and she gasped as old memories came racing back. Rooney sucked in a deep breath and pushed him away. I can't do this, I just can't.
Stevie looked at her, his expression one of puzzlement as Rooney grabbed her clothes.
"No, stop. Step away." She put her bra on and jumped down off the counter. Rooney watched him from under her lashes as she pulled on her shirt doing the buttons up like a shield around her broken heart. This wasn't the way she wanted it to go. There were things they needed to talk about before they fell into old habits. Because once they did, there would be no going back.
Chapter 24
Rooney walked into the kitchen and put on the kettle. When she had two cups of coffee ready, she came back and placed one in front of him.
He leaned against the bench and watched her. She was nervous now and it worried him. "What's wrong, Rooney? You reached for me just like old times and then you push me away. I don't get it, what's going on? Is there more to the animal cruelty case you’re not telling me?"
"No." She sighed and bit her lip before meeting his gaze again. "There is something you need to know and I figured we should sort it out before we jump back into the old routine again." With a shaking hand, she pulled the band from her hair and raked her fingers through the long strands. While she tied it back up, catching the tendrils that had escaped, she sorted out the words in her head.
"When I left, I took more than I thought with me." Pain gripped her chest as he looked at her. "I didn't find out for a few months. I guess my cycle was all up the creek with stress and everything. I was pregnant, Stevie."
He glared at her with a thunderous mood ready to raise its head, and she held up her hand. "Don't go all caveman on me, it won't work. You left me. You fucking left me to my father who strapped my arse so damned hard I still have the scars. Don't you dare go all 'poor me' over this." The tears poured down her face now and she brushed them away.
"What did you do?" His gut rolled as he looked at her.
"I raised her alone. It was damned hard, but I had no choice. Dad would have killed both of us if he'd known." She sniffed and grabbed a tissue. "I managed and, now I'm back home, I thought you should know."
"Thank you very much, Rooney. That’s so damned irresponsible, you know? You could have called me. I would have come to you, helped you out." He ran his hand through his hair and turned from her, the hurt burning through him like a knife.
"What could you have done? You had no money, no job, no future. For all I knew, you could have been in jail yourself. You weren't exactly the model citizen back then, Stevie."
Ashamed of the childhood he’d had, he snapped at her. "I was a stupid kid, I get that, but I think I deserved better. I would never have turned you away, Rooney, never."
She looked at him her lips trembling and uncertainty in her eyes. She twisted her fingers in the hem of her shirt watching him for a reaction. He almost relented,
