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With a huff, I reached for it and saw I had about three million texts from my brothers.
Feeling bad about not texting sooner, I shot off a simple message:
Me: Alive, well, on the ground.
I hit send before I thought about what to tell them re Star.
Deciding that the truth was easier to maintain than a lie when things were about to get complicated, I continued:
Me: I’ve got her. But we have some work to finish off together here in Croatia. (Don’t fucking ask.) I’m gonna crash. Been on the move since I set off for JFK. I’ll speak to you in the morning, deartháirs.
‘Deartháir,’whether we admitted it out loud or not, was our code word.
We rarely shared that we loved one another, but Gaelic was our poison of choice whenever we did the deed.
Not wanting to see their replies because I’d have to answer them, I flipped my phone screen side up after I’d set it on silent, then I closed my eyes.
I had no idea how long I slept for. My eyelashes felt like they were rimmed with salt and my eyes were dry and crusty, but something had made me stir.
That was when I felt it.
Felther.
For a moment, I just thought I was dreaming.
Star couldn’t be here. Not on the couch.
With me.
But she was.
Her face was nuzzled into my armpit of all places which totally made me freak out about whether I’d used enough deodorant after my shower last night, and her hand was on my chest.
What the hell was she doing on the couch with me?
And had I dragged the roll-on twice over each armpit like I usually did or was I too tired and only did it the once?
My eyes drifted down before I had answers to those questions. My head tilted to the side and my lips gently brushed the crown of her still-damp hair.
Then, I fell asleep again.
Not knowing what magic had brought her here, I just hoped I’d wake up and it wouldn’t be a dream…
25
STAR
Conor was hot.
I wasn’t just talking appearance-wise which, being an O’Donnelly, was a given. I meant he was like a furnace. He gave off more heat than a radiator, and my feet, always cold, were toasty warm thanks to how I’d tucked them between his calves.
My face was pushed into his side, his arm was around me, and our legs were a tangled knot.
The couch was too small for us, the cushions not wide enough for two people to lie flat, and yet, I hadn’t slept so well in years.
The only reason I’d woken up in the first place was because I knew he was texting someone. His arm was flexing slightly and a soft laugh rumbled from him that made his chest vibrate against my cheek.
For a moment, I just enjoyed myself. His citrusy scent filled my senses, he was warm and comfortable, and he felt so fucking good beneath me that I knew I’d made the right move last night when I’d found him on the couch.
