Page 31 of Dark Succession (The O’Malleys #1)

She checked on Keira and Callie, but they were fine, both dancing with grins on their faces.

So her brother’s fiancée could let loose.

Good. She’d seen Callie’s face when she talked about Teague.

The woman was over the moon for her brother, and as happy as that made her, she couldn’t kill the little sprout of jealousy that rose.

Teague would finally get his happiness, and he would finally stop trying to take his sisters away and save them from this life.

It had been a vain hope in the first place, but she still mourned its death.

But it just reinforced her belief that no one would take care of her except her .

“I’ll be right back.” She didn’t wait for Sloan’s response before slipping through the crowd, taking her time working her way to the bar on this level, pausing to dance with this man and that and then moving away before they realized she was leaving.

The bar itself was nothing fancy—a counter of faded wood that kept the masses from getting to the wall of liquor on the other side—but it fit the club itself perfectly.

She leaned over, trying to catch the bartender’s eye, dipping down a little more than necessary to flash him a generous slice of cleavage.

“Good luck. I’ve been waiting for fucking ages.”

She glanced over and froze, her breath stalling in her lungs.

The man who spoke was big enough to give even her brothers pause, and had an air about him that promised more danger than she could possibly handle.

It wasn’t his plain white T-shirt or faded jeans that gave that impression, and even his short, scruffy beard and long blond hair wouldn’t make her give him a second look.

No, it was blazingly apparent in every line of his body, in the way he held himself as if ready for a fight to break out at any second, and the way his cold blue eyes searched the room for a threat before finally landing on her again, making her treacherous heart skip a beat.

This man was danger personified.

And she wanted him.

Carrigan leaned against the bar, taking her time looking her fill.

The stranger sure knew how to fill out a shirt, and the clean-cut clothing only accented his rugged looks.

He would be perfectly at home on a Harley if she had to guess.

A biker. Her mouth practically watered at the thought.

She leaned into him under the pretense of wanting to speak, taking the opportunity to run her hand up his chest. Yeah, he was more cut than a damn diamond. “Hey there.”

He moved back enough to search her face. Whatever he was looking for, he must have found, because he closed the distance, his short beard scraping against her cheek as his lips brushed her ear. “You look too classy for this joint.”

“Looks can be deceiving.”

“I sure as fuck hope so.” His hand settled on the small of her back, a slight nudging that she could have resisted easily.

She didn’t. Instead, she let him guide her closer yet, until the front of their bodies pressed against each other.

The fabric of her dress was so thin, it might as well not have existed.

She could almost feel the calluses on his palm, and she resented the hell out of the barrier.

“You want to take this somewhere more… private?”

His laugh rumbled in her ear. “You read my mind.”

A quick glance at the dance floor showed no sign of her sisters or Callie, but she had no illusions that they wouldn’t come looking for her if she was gone too long.

So she wouldn’t be gone too long. She grabbed the stranger’s hand and led the way back toward the bathrooms. Bypassing them, she tried the door to the old, unused storage closet.

He raised his eyebrows, and she shrugged.

“The lock’s been broken for years, and the owner’s too cheap to replace it. ”

“It’s enough to make a man wonder how often you make the trip back here.”

She smiled, even though the comment stung.

It didn’t matter what this man thought of her.

He didn’t know a damn thing about her life or what she went through on a daily basis.

She was entitled to getting her freedom where she could find it.

“And yet it’s benefiting you, so maybe you shouldn’t ask too many questions. ”

“You’re right. I need this tonight.”

Before she could wonder at his words, he was on her, dragging her against his big body and taking her mouth like there was no question of it being his. She opened to him out of reflex, half expecting some sloppy drunk fumbling, but he only tasted faintly of whiskey.

And there was nothing sloppy about the kiss.

He tasted her mouth, seeming to sample her before he groaned and took her.

His tongue clashed with hers, demanding something she wasn’t sure she could give.

Her head spun at the sheer unexpectedness of pleasure coursing through her body, brought on by the feel of him against her and his intoxicating taste in her mouth.

He guided her back to the bare wall and pinned her there.

She was so lost in the kiss, she didn’t realize his hands were moving until one slipped up her dress and yanked her panties off.

They hit her knees and then he was parting her, slipping a finger inside.

Holy shit .

He kissed down her throat, still working her with his finger, relentlessly shoving her toward an orgasm.

She tangled her fingers in his hair, not sure if she was pushing him away, pulling him closer, or simply hanging on for the ride.

He used his free hand to slide her dress off her shoulders, and then his mouth was on her right breast, his teeth against the sensitive skin as he worked his way to her nipple.

A second finger joined the first between her legs, and she couldn’t stifle her whimper.

The stranger looked up, his blue eyes glinting in the near darkness. “You’re close, lovely, but you’re not coming until it’s on my cock.”

Her mouth worked, but no words came out.

He slowed his fingers’ movements, sliding up to circle her clit.

Her entire body tightened at the touch, reacting even as her mind tried to catch up with his words.

They were so… possessive. There was no room in her life for another possessive and dominant man, even for such a short time as this.

But then he kissed her again, and she threw caution to the wind. It was one night. She’d never see him again. She never even had to know his name. He broke away, his hands withdrawing from her body. “I’m going to fuck you, lovely. If that’s not what you want, now’s the time to speak up.”

In answer, she went for the button on his jeans, and carefully drew down the zipper.

A condom wrapper crinkled as she took his cock into her hand, the feeling of it bringing out another whimper.

He kissed her neck, moving her hand so he could roll on the condom.

“I love that fucking sound. It makes me wild for you.”

She wasn’t sure she’d ever made that sound before.

Every other time she’d sought escape in the arms of a stranger, she’d been the one in control and driving things.

There was no control to be had tonight. He lifted her, spreading her legs, pinning her against the wall so she was helpless to do anything but take whatever he chose to give. “Last chance.”

“Oh my God, just fuck me already.”

His white teeth flashed in a grin. “Your wish is my command.” He shoved into her in one movement that stole her breath, stole her thoughts, stole her very soul.

Before that thought could truly terrify her, he moved again, sliding in and out of her, rolling his hips in a way that hit that sensitive spot.

Normally, she had to come at least once before she could orgasm from penetration alone, but he had her primed and ready before he ever brought his cock out. And now…

Now her body sparked with pleasure, promising an orgasm to end all orgasms.

She started to reach for him, but he shook his head. “Arms above your head. I want to see you.”

He couldn’t see more than shadows… could he? It didn’t matter, because the command stripped her bare in a way that had nothing to do with the physical. She obeyed .

“There’s my girl.” He started moving again, slower this time. “You’re so hot and tight around me, lovely. And that whimper? Fuck, I could spend hours coaxing that sound from those sweet lips. Would you make it again if I went to my knees for you and sucked that sensitive little clit into my mouth?”

The pleasure that had been building with each stroke exploded at his words, and she shrieked.

The sound barely escaped her mouth when his hand was there, muffling her cries as he closed the minuscule distance between them and kept fucking her, drawing out her orgasm until all she could do was cling to him and take it.

He came with a curse, grinding against her, and nearly sending her over the edge again. “Damn.”

She slapped his shoulder. “Let me down.” That had been too intense, too possessive, just too damn much.

She hadn’t signed on for this quaking through her body when she’d offered to bring him back here.

Her life was already enough of a mess without some stranger pulling at her in ways she didn’t know how to cope with.

He didn’t move. “Tell me your name first.”

“No.” She wiggled, but she wasn’t getting anywhere with him wedged between her thighs on one side and the concrete wall on the other. Against all reason—and her better judgment—the thought sent a bolt of heat directly through her. Part of her didn’t want him to let her go.

Which meant she had to get the hell out of here. Now . “Let me go.”

“Your name, lovely. I can stay here all night.” He thrust a little and, to her horror and traitorous desire, she could already feel him hardening in her again.

Part of her wanted to keep silent and go another round, but panic reigned supreme.

This hadn’t been the escape she was hoping for.

No, this man made her feel branded—like she was his .

If he could do that after a single time, she didn’t want to know what he could do after two.

So she answered him. Anything was better than being held in his power a second longer.

“Carrigan.” It never even occurred to her to lie, but as soon as the name was out of her mouth, she regretted it.

It was yet another mark of the way this man was different from the others, and she didn’t need the reminder.

“Unique name. I feel like I’ve heard it…

” His eyes went wide and he backed up so fast, she would have fallen if he hadn’t closed the distance just as quickly and caught her.

“No fucking way. You’re Carrigan O’Malley.

” He cut in before she could say anything.

“Don’t bother denying it. You’ve got the same coloring as Teague.

I would have noticed it sooner if it wasn’t for the eyes. ”

She pushed against his chest, gaining a few precious inches. “Who the hell are you?”

“Well, lovely, I’m a token of your shitty luck tonight.” What she could see of his expression in the low light made her heart go cold. “I’m James Halloran. And you’re coming with me.”

“No!”

“You don’t have a choice.” He moved faster than she could have anticipated, throwing her over his shoulder. She shrieked as he opened the closet, sure someone would hear and come investigating, but the music drowned the sound out. Beating at his back didn’t do a damn bit of good, either.

He pushed open the side door, the chill night air shooting straight up her short dress.

She screamed again—out here at least, there wasn’t the music to contend with—and struggled harder.

It didn’t matter. His arm was a band around the back of her thighs, sealing her to him.

He started jogging, the bouncing driving the air from her lungs and preventing another cry for help.

She heard a man call his name and then he dumped her in a trunk. Carrigan shoved her hair out of her eyes, in time to see something like regret on his face before he slammed the trunk closed, leaving her alone in the darkness.