The sound of Patrick clearing his throat had Gillian's eyes shooting up to his. "Oh my gosh," she stammered, embarrassed to be gawking at him like a dog in heat. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to stare."
"Yes, you were." Patrick smiled arrogantly as he too licked his lips. "I don't mind, though. Do you like what you see?"
"Very much, actually," Gillian heard herself say huskily. Was that even her voice? "Your body is so…delicious to look at. I'm sure you have heard that a thousand times before, though."
"I have," the Irishman responded honestly as his eyes feasted on her voluptuous, plus size curves. "But this is the first time that hearing it has actually mattered to me."
Gillian was immediately touched by Patrick's response and felt drawn to touch him. Before she could stand up and walk toward him, Stewart entered the room with a cart of drinks. As the butler worked on opening a couple of drinks, Patrick came forward to set the pizza on the leather ottoman between them. Her mouth flew open in surprise at the movie she saw on top of the box. A smile touched her full, pink lips as she picked it up. "This is my favorite horror movie of all time! They're coming to get you, Barbara!" Gillian exclaimed, holding the George A. Romero classic. "There is no way that you, Patrick O'Malley, watch stuff like this."
"Of course not. It's fucking rubbish." The Irishman chuckled as Gillian stuck her tongue out at him like a spoiled child. Dropping down on the couch across from her, he opened the box of pizza before taking the bottle of Guinness from Stewart. "I happened to see this movie in your apartment the first night we brought you to the manor. There was a whole collection of this shit, but this one stood out for some reason."
"That's very stalkerish of you, but I'm glad you grabbed it. Anything else I should know about that you and John stole from my place?"
"I plead the fifth." Patrick smiled, snatching the movie from Gillian to give to Stewart.
"Mm-hmm," Gillian replied, shaking her head as she too took a drink from the butler. "Quick thinking on your part, O'Malley. Don't incriminate yourself more than you already have." Glancing down at the food, she smiled and moaned before taking a deep inhale. "Oh, sweet pizza! How I've missed you."
Patrick laughed loudly as Gillian groaned, taking the first bite. Damn, the woman was just as sexy eating greasy pizza as she was sucking his cock. "You know, I have never seen a woman enjoy her food like that before. I find it refreshing. I quite enjoy eating myself."
"Well, it's because of my love for food like this that I exercise and run. If I didn't, I'd weigh six hundred pounds." Gillian grinned, taking a drink. "John told me that you like to cook. He said you were quite good. What other things do you like to do, Patrick? I mean, I know you work all the time, but there must be something that helps you to relax, besides sex, that is."
Reaching under the blanket Gillian had across her lap, Patrick ran a scarred hand up her inner thigh. Leaning forward, he playfully kissed her lips. "I love sex, sweetheart. A good fuck is all you need to relax." When Patrick heard Gillian gasp as his hand briefly ran along the slit to her pussy, he pulled it out to lick the wetness from his fingers. At her uneven breathing, he chuckled. "However, there are other things that I like to occupy my time with."
Taking a large drink of her Guinness to try to squelch the desire building in her loins, Gillian asked, "Such as?"
"I like to travel, the outdoors, photography, sports, the usual man stuff. I also happen to love vintage cars and jazz."
"Jazz?" Gillian asked, taking another bite of pizza. "I have to admit, that's a little surprising. I like rock and metal myself. I do love the outdoors, though. One of my favorite places on the planet is Yellowstone. I don't imagine you get much of a chance to spend quality time outside. Are John's interests similar?"
"God, no!" Patrick exclaimed in mock horror. "Johnny outside in the wilderness is like a cat who loves to swim. He tolerates it for me, but the bastard would rather be playing with his high-tech toys and cars or working. The bastard would work 24/7 if you let him."
"I take it you don't share his love for work?"
"I like to work but not like John," the Irishman replied as the movie on the screen began. "Johnny loves the game, always has. We have more than made our fortune, but it's never been enough for him. If Johnny had attended school, he would have graduated with honors and been at the top of his class. He refuses to fail. The bloke really is brilliant when it comes to business and finances. I, on the other hand, can see myself on a nice farm in Ireland tending to my livestock with a wife and wee ones. Maybe a garage full of antique cars that need fixed. I would retire from the game, but I can't and won't leave Johnny."
Gillian sat in stunned silence as she listened to Patrick speak. She never would have guessed that the Irishman longed for a simple life. Patrick had even said that he wanted a wife and children. She, too, wanted those things but never dreamed that she could have them. Did John want the same things as Patrick? With a loud sigh, it didn't sound as though he did. Gillian had not been surprised to hear that John lived for his work. She had already made that assumption the moment she met the Brit. Men like John and Patrick didn't get to where they were without sacrificing their personal lives. Could her British lover even have a normal relationship?
"What about you, lovey? Do you see marriage and kids in your future at any point?" Patrick asked, watching her demeanor. He could tell Gillian was deep in thought as he spoke. He could also see the confusion on her face. As his eyes lowered to her beautiful breasts, he shifted in his seat. He fought the urge to rub his tongue along the valley between the two peaks, especially after tasting her sweet pussy on his fingertips. Give it time, mate, he chastised himself, give it time.
"I don't know. I mean, I would love to have a husband and children at some point, but honestly, I don't know what the future holds. I know you want a family, but does John?"
"Absolutely," Patrick said without blinking an eye. "Johnny definitely wants a family. I'm just more open to sharing my feelings about it. You'll learn soon, sweetheart, that my mate has a very difficult time expressing how he feels with words. He often uses sex to deal with his problems. Plus, Johnny has some serious control issues."
"Yeah, I already know about the control issues," Gillian sighed, thinking about their night in France. "Even though I don't like them, I can understand them. When you grow up fighting just to stay alive, it's hard to relinquish it. John doesn't seem like the only one with control issues, Patrick. You seem to have your own."
Chuckling, the Irishman said, "Oh, I do, kitty, trust me. I do like to control a lot of things, sex being one of them, but it would be nice to talk about shit from time to time. Don't get me wrong; Johnny and I talk about our feelings, but he likes to push them aside and deal with them later, which, I might add, he never does. Johnny and I can communicate without words, though, have always been able to, so maybe words don't really matter."
"How did you and John meet in the orphanage exactly?"
Downing the rest of his Guinness, Patrick scooted closer to Gillian to slide under her blanket. He hid the smile that dared to play on his lips when he heard the catch in her breathing. Gillian was no good at hiding her feelings for him. "Well, I won't divulge all of the details, because they are not mine to tell, but I will give you the basics. It was late at night, and I couldn't sleep. I was up creeping around, trying to find something to eat, when I heard what I thought was an animal whimpering. When I reached the doors to the chapel, I saw a four-year-old Johnny, lying in a pool of his own blood, crying. I can't explain it, but I immediately went to him knowing if the priests caught me, I would join him on the floor. I did what my mother would have done for me in a moment like that. I just held him and sang a song my mum had taught me. I think that may have been Johnny's first hug. When he was ready, I helped him clean up the mess and stole us a couple cookies. We've been thick as thieves ever since."