That man was back and kissing her the moment he entered the sanctuary of her bedroom. Their hands touched everywhere.
He heard their moaning and panting, and as tears ran down his cheeks, he heard them exchange words of love.
Still, if he told her how he felt…
fifty-one
DAGR
Dagr wasnervous about how Bran and Patrick O’Faolain would receive his news. And Bébhinn, of course. He glanced down at the woman walking by his side. She must have felt his hesitation as they neared her family’s front door because she paused her stride and met his eyes.
Her cheeks were still rosy from having sex right before they got into the car that brought them to her family. He’d gone straight to her house from the airport, and the moment they’d laid eyes on one another, clothes had been ripped off.
He’d been out of his mind to have her after she’d teased him with her body over video the night before. As soon as her bedroom door had closed and they were naked, she’d told him to lie on his back before climbing on top of him. Remembering that moment had blood rushing to his already throbbing dick.
Watching himself disappear as she’d slowly slid down his length… “Christ, babe, I’ve got to stop thinking about you naked. I really don’t want to eat supper with a hard-on.”
“Yeah, try not to do that,” a man’s voice said behind him. Daniel O’Faolain.
Jonathan stepped up beside his cousin, where Dagr and Bébhinn had turned to greet them. “While you’re at it, never speak about seeing Bébhinn naked in front of me again. I might not be able to eat.”
“Shut up, assholes,” Bébhinn practically growled before looking at Dagr. “I have to have the nosiest family in the world.”
“Don’t be mad at us. Your boyfriend is the one standing in the middle of the walk talking about his dick.” Daniel shrugged and lifted his hands in peace.
The fact that he was trying not to laugh made Dagr want to poke the man back. “You’re right, Daniel. It’s just that your aunt loves it when I talk dirty.”
“You should have heard us over video chat last night,” Bébhinn teased. She gave Dagr a wicked smile. “Right, babe?”
“Still thinking about it, baby,” he replied before leading Bébhinn the rest of the way to the entrance. He heard Jonathan mutter, “And there went my appetite.”
The meal and the company were easy and pleasant. The men seemed to have thawed toward the idea of him being in Bébhinn’s life, which he assumed the women had some influence over. When they retired to the bar downstairs for drinks, he knew it was time to discuss what he’d come for.
Shaking off the nerves and putting on his confident solicitor mien, he began with, “I know your solicitor, Lee Whiten, well.”
He had everyone’s attention with the unexpected segue. “We’ve worked several environmental cases over the years. He always spoke highly of Hugh,” he nodded solemnly toward Rowan and Hugh’s sons.
“Not necessarily related to what I want to speak about, Rowan, but my father was on a few different committees overthe years with your husband. They never met in person, but Dad enjoyed their calls.”
Rowan blinked rapidly momentarily, and the whole table held its breath. Dagr was kicking himself for bringing that up when Rowan finally said, “That makes me so happy that your father knew, at least a little bit, of Bébhinn’s father. Thank you for telling us.”
“I’m sure you know that Lee brought me in as a consultant on the conservation guidelines for your new property acquisition.” The four men nodded in confirmation. Bébhinn gave Dagr a quick side eye at the news but didn’t interrupt.
“That case isn’t what I wanted to discuss today. Lee wants to retire. He’s asked me for two years now if I want to take over his firm. He doesn’t have any children or family in the business. If I agreed, Lee’s clients would agree to be integrated into Griffiths & Wallace or find a new firm.
“I told Lee yesterday that I would accept his offer to buy him out. For two reasons. First, I want the challenge, and I want my firm to diversify. The second, and most important reason, is because of Bébhinn.” He turned and briefly gave the woman at his side a look that he hoped showed how much she meant to him.
“Lee has an office in London, which will be integrated with mine, but there is also an office here in Dublin. I plan to take over the Dublin office and leave my partner to head the London division.
“Bébhinn is here. Her family is here. She has a year left at uni and plans to work at Triskelion. I want that for her, and I can make sure that her life goals don’t have to change. I only care about having her. With me.” And then, because he was already in the deep end, he tacked on, “Always.
“There will be no hard feelings if you choose to find another firm to represent the O’Faolain interests. Business is business.
“In that same vein, personal is personal, and since I know family is as important to me as it is to you, I wanted you to know my intentions with Bébhinn. I plan on finding a place for us to live together. Immediately, if she agrees.”
He looked each of the four men listening to his speech in the eye to gauge their reaction. They watched him back with equal intensity.
Bran spoke first. “So basically, what you’re telling us is that we can take your representation or fuck off, and that your relationship to my sister is a done deal, and we can fuck off our opinions on that as well.”
