Page 16 of Irish Betrayal

Blair felt her cheeks heat and quickly lifted her Guinness to hide the blush spreading across her face. She was still getting used to this new side of her relationship with Daniel.

She would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy it, though.

Blair: You’ll pay for sending me that when I’m sitting RIGHT ACROSS from my brother!

Daniel: I can’t help myself. You’re finally talking to me again. I’m a greedy bastard. Will you be my date at Friends’ Christmas at Gray Eyes?

Blair: Are you trying to make us official with the group, Mr. O’Faolain?

Daniel: Yes.

That conversation happened last week, and Friends’ Christmas was tomorrow night. She would trust him. She did trust him. Plus, it was too late now to back out of the date since she had told her friends the plans.

There was only one obstacle standing in the way. She was about to spend a semester on her own, in another country, and without Peter’s doom and gloom crap in her ear.

Which meant it was time.

She needed to stay the course once she was in Peter’s presence. He only asked that she stop by his flat to review her master's thesis goals for OSU and to rework her CV, which she’d already updated with her latest achievements, so she’d only have to be there for a matter of minutes.

Though her palms were slightly damp with nerves as she rode in the back of a lift to Peter’s, she felt a renewed sense of confidence because on the drive over, she’d also made up her mind to let Peter know that, though she appreciated his friendship and mentoring over the years, they would never again cross over the line of teacher and student.

Her face burned with shame over that. She should have ended it a long time ago. And truly, she should never have let it begin.

The crazy thing about getting so close to Peter was that, yes, he made her feel special, but so did her family and friends. Blair couldn’t remember when he’d become so important to her, but he had been, still was, just not as important as he used to be.

In fact, there were times when she felt angry at Peter for being so damn important. Even now, she already felt the familiar guilt twist her guts, knowing how much it hurt him when she didn’t agree with him.

He raised his hand to her twice when she upset him. He’d apologized profusely, and she always forgave him. Should she have?

No matter, she wasn’t turning from her course now. If she and Daniel were going to make a go of a relationship, setting boundaries with Peter was the first and most important step.

But maybe it should wait until after the Christmas party at Gray Eyes. After all, she knew that even though Peter seemed okay with her dating Daniel, he would surely try to guilt her in some way, and she wanted to have a fun night with her friends before she cut the last of her ties.

She asked the driver to take her to Gray’s house instead. At lunch, Gray had said she’d be working from home the rest of the day.

Blair wasn’t usually a procrastinator, but just this once…

eight

DR. PETER SAMSON

Peter wasn’t an idiot. He knew Blair better than any other person in the world, and he could tell that her commitment to him was waffling.

Sure, she still confided in him. Of course, she did. He’d trained her to be his perfect little girl.

Obedient in every way. Almost anyway. She shouldn’t have a stubborn bone left in her body, but still, he allowed her a certain amount of defiance. Similar to a parent.

She was a child prodigy in plant pathology, and yet he was the one who molded her. It was his hands, his voice, that she turned to. That was powerful.

That’s why her decision to accept the American university’s offer had thrown him. He’d advised against it. He could count on one hand how many times she’d gone against his wishes, especially about something so important. That was concerning.

The distance he’d been feeling between them would only worsen. Peter could feel a tension headache coming. Especially when he considered her obsession with her friend Daniel. That should have been quashed years ago.

He helped her with that. Repeatedly.

He hadn’t spent years of his time—an investment, really, and a tremendous commitment on his part—just to watch her waltz off to another country. To another man.

No. That wasn’t an option.