Wild Chance (Wild Irish Universe)(24)

“No. I’m used to women running away, that’s all.”

“Well.” She tugged her wrist from him and headed for the door, still wrapped in the sheet. “I’m not running. And they’re idiots.”

Aedan watched her until she was gone then hung his head and laughed softly. What were the chances of him meeting Mona? What were the chances of her walking over, boldly offering to buy him a drink? What were the chances of him pulling himself out of his funk long enough to face up to the fact she was beautiful?

Before he could pull himself out of his funk, Mona was back and once again on her knees. She held up the container for him to see.

“This?”

Aedan nodded.

Mona set to work massaging some of the cooling cream against the base of the stump then a little up the leg. Her fingers were tender, but he could feel every pass of her hand. He bit down against his bottom lip to keep from wincing. In a bid to focus on something else, he looked down at the top of her head. In that moment, he realized no matter what he had to do, Mona needed to stay by his side. He knew there was something about her, about her heart that synched with his and no matter how hard he fought it, that sensation merely grew stronger.

Once she covered the container and set it on the bedside table, he accepted her hand to pull her to her feet. But he didn’t let her go far. He kissed her deeply, taking her moans into his mouth and swirling his tongue around her own to make them louder. He tangled his arms around her, dragging his palms up her back to tug the sheet from her body. It was necessary to feel her skin with nothing between his hands and her.

“Baby?”

“Mmm?” Aedan whispered.

“I’m a little sore.”

“I’m sorry. Maybe we should get something to eat?”

Mona laughed softly before nipping at his shoulder with her teeth. “Okay. Let me wash my hands and put on some clothes.”

“Ugh. Clothes.”

She giggled. He kissed her again before releasing her.

“You behave yourself, Aedan Callahan. I’m a good girl.”

Mona picked up her dress from where it had fallen.

“Stick with me, kid.” Aedan said, leaning back to check out her ass. The way it moved, swaying from side to side with each step made him hard. “I have ways of making a good girl go bad.”





Chapter Nine


Since that night together, Mona found herself spending quite a great deal of her off time with Aedan. She’d spent it talking with him, learning more about his injury, figuring out the things he had been through that he didn’t really want to tell her, but she pushed. She could tell they hurt him and figured if he got them off his chest, he’d feel better. They made love, wild and passionately in every part of her house. One night, they went at it in the art room and thankfully, they didn’t break anything.

She’d then sat there, naked, painting with her finger. It’d been years since she finger-painted. But for some reason Aedan was bringing that freedom out in her once more. Each movement she made on the canvas, Aedan traced it against her back with his fingers or lips. She trembled for him.

“So, you know about my past,” Aedan said. “Tell me about yours.”

Mona smiled and dunked her finger in the paint to trace the outer edges of a skyline in grey paint. “I had a pretty okay childhood. My parents died in a fire when I was a baby, so, I was placed in the system. But, most kids have a horrible time. I was adopted early by a loving man and his wife and they raised me as their own. But, my father died from a heart condition when I was seventeen and my mom went a couple of years later in her sleep.”

“A stórín.” Aedan kissed her shoulder.

“It’s okay. When they adopted me, they were already up there in age.” She explained. “They’d tried for many years but could never have a child. I’m happy for the time I did get to spend with them—I feel blessed. I have an uncle who lives in England who only came by for the funerals and a few calls here or there.”

“So, you’re by yourself?”

“Pretty much.” Mona sighed and covered the grey paint then pulled the yellow and red close to her. “I moved from where we lived in North Carolina to New York. I was finding great success in the art world. One magazine even called me the Rembrandt of the times.”

“Great praise.”

“Yeah. But with great fame comes great responsibilities.”

“I thought the saying was with great power comes great responsibilities?”

Mona chuckled and bounced him with her back. “You know what I meant. Anyway, people got jealous, petty. Before I knew it, I had hit rock bottom and was beginning to get pushed out. I was never the kind of person to retaliate but…”

“It was bad.”

“Yeah. My ex and I split—it was horrible. It just seemed as if everyone was out to get me. So, after I sued my gallery, I went back to school to become a teacher, sold everything except my condo and what my parents had left me. It was hard, but, I packed up and moved here to start over.”

“Are you happier here?”

“Yes.” Mona turned in his arms. “I can honestly say that I am.”

“Good. At least now you know there are some messed up people in the world. I think, if we learned to celebrate each other’s success—I mean, seriously, wholeheartedly celebrate them—then the world would be such a different place.”