Page 56 of Beneath the Quiet

“It caught me by surprise.”

My gaze jumps up to meet hers, but my glasses fog, and I push them up to the top of my head so I can see her better, but the second I do, my vision turns blurry.

“Feck it,” I curse on a soft exhale. If I want to keep seeing her clearly, I have no choice but to get closer to her.

I take three steps towards her, and my heart speeds up from the flare of fire in her eyes. They look so much darker now in the dimness of the stable, but they’re not so dark that I can’t see her shooting daggers at me.

“Care to explain why you yelled at me?” she huffs.

“I didn’t yell.”

But I know I did.

She narrows her eyes and goes toe to toe with me. “I don’t appreciate your tone, Aidan.”

I clench my teeth and watch in fascination as her hair drips. I’m having the hardest time focusing on our conversation when most of her upper body is practically naked.

I soften my tone, though it costs me. “I didn’t mean to yell. But it’s dangerous being out in such a storm, and you could’ve gotten hurt.”

She taps her foot, neck craned back to keep our eyes locked. “I was about to knock on your door, anyway.”

“Why?”

“To ask if I could wait it out, of course.” She furrows her brows and crosses her arms. “Why do you think?”

My already quickening breath falls even faster, but I try to slow my breathing. It’s so bloody difficult, though, especially when my gaze trails down her chest that’s pushed up by her arms. I can see her bra through her wet, buttoned-up frilly shirt. It’s another lacy thing that barely covers the swell of her breasts, and I can hardly suppress a groan.

Sweet Mary, Mother of God, she’s going to wreck me, and she doesn’t even know it.

I wrench my eyes away from her seductive body and raise my eyebrows.

“Just curious.”

It’s true, I am curious, but not for the reason she thinks.

Maeve purses her lips. “You look weird.”

Her words are just the right amount of funny to break the tension.

“Weird how?” I take a step back, but not so far that my vision will blur again. “I just have a lot on my mind.” I clear my throat at the sound of my scratchy voice.

She tilts her head at me, waiting.

“The spring festival is just around the corner, and we’ve fallen a little behind on the schedule, but we’ll make it.” I grin down at her. “We always do.”

“I didn’t know you had a stall at the festival?”

I nod, glad to be back on solid ground. “Yeah, it’s a grand week that ends with a bonfire at the beach as well as a concert on the Saturday with some out-of-towners and local musicians. It’s hard work, sure, but tourist season starts soon, and they’ll bring in a lot of business to the village. The festival signifies the beginning of summer, prosperity, and the harvest.”

Her lips twitch. “You sound like a schoolmistress rattling off a page from a book she’s learned by heart.”

Laughter erupts, and I shake my head at her comparison. “Fuck, Detective. Don’t hurt my feelings like that.”

She shrugs. “Sorry, but you did.”

How does she do it? One minute, I’m strung out with wanting her, barely holding it together, and the next she makes me laugh like a lunatic. It should be impossible.

“Well, I’ve probably said the same thing to lots of people over the years.”