He’d hidden in the bathroom way longer than he should have and firmly decided he had to leave the tiled sanctuary. Walking back into the bedroom, Patrick gave himself a pep talk. Tomorrow was New Year’s Eve, a party at Wolves, and back to Dublin the day after the New Year. They would be so busy there really wouldn’t be enough time to have a serious conversation. It was better to leave it until they were back in Ireland.
Patrick had never been a procrastinator, but in this, he was willing to see how it worked out for him. As Patrick walked to the bed, even after his mini freak out, he was still exhilarated at the thought of River waiting for him in his bed. He was met with mussed white sheets.
No River.
She’d left.
He’d fucked up.
Embarrassed her.
Damn it. He should go to her, but what would he say— what could he say?Sorry, I freaked out. I took your virginity but I’m not ready for a serious relationship.No. Talking tonight would only make things worse.
6
She and Patrick had sex.
It was amazing.
He ghosted her after she told him she loved him.
River was currently trying on dresses with her sisters and Jo. It was their big New Year’s
Eve party at Wolves tonight.
Smile. Laugh. Tease. Take a sip of Jameson. Ignore the soreness between her legs. Lie about the small bruise on her breast, currently on display in the extremely low-cut dress she was supposed to wear— that she’dbeen excitedto wear until she’d seen the suck mark. Oh, and ignore the looks her sisters kept sending her.
To take the heat off herself, she asked Jo, “What do you think Honey’s going to think of you in that dress?” The four women had gotten slinky, barely there, sequence dresses for Wolves before leaving Dublin. They wanted to look like four disco balls. River’s was turquoise, Raven’s was bright green, Rowan’s was silver, and Jo was currently trying on her gold.
Jo’s cheeks pinkened. Score one for River. “Pfft, as if that man looks at anything but escape routes, shadows, and threats,” Jo airily announced.
Even Raven wasn’t buying Jo’s story. “Mmhmm. So, you’re saying when he has other guards in the room to watch over us, and I catch him staring at you like he wants you naked and in his bed... I was mistaken?”
“You are so full of shit, Raven! He does not. I irritate him. Honey barely tolerates me.”
Rowan weighed in. “Yeah, Jo, about that. Thomas stared at you for so long the other night, and this is no lie, he adjusted his... Peter Rabbit.”
The sisters were in tears, they were laughing so hard. Jo looked horrified before sheepishly admitting, “I do, sometimes,rarely, try to push his buttons. Still, I am just a job. You guys know he’ll leave when they finally catch that weirdo.”
That sobered things. “I can’t believe he’s still out there. I admit, I like having Thomas’ crew living with us. Those pictures he took of me and sent to Bran still give me chills,” Raven admitted.
“The FBI contacted his security firm a few weeks ago. They’ve worked with Honey’s company before and wanted to make sure each group had all the pertinent information.”
“Was there anything new, then?” River asked.
“I asked the giant asshole. He grunted and walked away. There are moments when I’ve thought of how satisfying it would be to kick him in the ass with averypointy shoe.”
“So, Riv,” Rowan began.
And here it was. The interrogation. She didn’t blame her sisters. They’d given her time to tell them what was going on with her and Patrick since returning to Oklahoma. She hadn’t, and she should have. Now she had even more things to tell them.
“It’s time you tell me, Rave, and Jo, what the hell is going on with you and Pat.”
Slipping out of her dress, River put on a robe. “You three might as well get comfortable for this. We don’t leave for a while, and this will take a minute to explain.”
Once everyone was settled on the bed, River admitted she’d had feelings for Patrick for a while. They all nodded in agreement, quite aware, obviously. She told them she knew Patrick wasn’t interested in having a serious relationship, but she’d still held out hope. How he would touch her back or leg or hand on occasion— and they weren’t super brotherly.
She told them about the night he walked her home from the pub. How he’d almost kissed her. How he’d asked her not to date anyone.
