AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I nodded curtly and gathered my coat in my arms, feeling a bit too warm to put it on.
When I walked out of the pub, my driver was waiting for me. After a quick ride, he dropped me off in front of my corner townhome on Shawmut Avenue.
I gazed down the block. My brothers lived a few houses down. Kieran had been buying several different rowhouses along this street. Many of them had been renovated for our own devices and I had chosen one for myself. With the nearly endless supply of Murphy money, the neighborhood was quickly gentrifying into something far nicer than it had been just a few years ago.
I’d chosen a corner unit with more square footage and curb appeal than any of the other houses. It also carried with it the highest retail price, but my older brother hadn’t even batted an eye when I’d settled on it. He indulged me sometimes and I knew it. All my brothers did, but I’d more than earned it. They knew I deserved it, too.
I unlocked the door and walked into the silver and violet wallpapered entryway, then flicked on the light. My gorgeous crystal chandelier sparkled overhead, catching my gaze like it always did. Decorating this place had been ridiculously fun. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I knew that there were a few other townhomes locked in the purchasing process, so I was hopeful that I would soon get another chance to do the interior designing for one of them so I could run a bed and breakfast or ritzy hotel to add even more revenue to the Murphy bank account.
It never hurt to diversify your businesses.
Shane’s hazel green eyes flashed before mine, and I groaned out loud as I shut the door behind me. For a second, I’d let myself be distracted by the memory of him, and his smooth arrogance had come right back to the forefront of my mind.
I climbed up the stairs to my luxurious master suite, peeled off my clothes, and hopped into my spa-inspired rain shower, switching on all the showerheads so that water pelted my skin from every direction.
It felt good.
His hands on you would probably feel better, though.
Fuck me sideways. I refused to think about him anymore. I wouldn’t let myself. In a feat of defiance, I washed my face and shampooed my hair. When I was done, I slathered my long, red locks in deep moisturizing conditioner, and I didn’t think about him once.
Did telling myself I wasn’t thinking about him count?
With increasing annoyance, I started to wash my body. I started with light pressure, but I found my arousal already at a dangerous level, so I started cleansing myself a bit more firmly to avoid turning myself on any further. I used my loofah so I could avoid touching my flesh with my bare fingers.
There wasn’t a single part of me that wanted to face the fact that the whole exchange had aroused me, so I stayed completely in the lane of denial as best I could. I wouldn’t admit that he’d made me wet, not to myself and especially not to him.
I was AdafuckingMurphy.
I’d go back to the pub tomorrow and I would show him that my name meant something.
Here in Southie, it meant everything.
CHAPTER2
Ada
The next morning, I woke up in my own bed, feeling refreshed and reinvigorated. I made myself a steaming cup of coffee, topping it off with sweet cream and vanilla foam. I sipped it slowly, readying myself for the day.
There were several shipments arriving at my various retail stores, some of them designer clothes, others bootleg liquor, and a few of them knockoffs. I’d gotten word that one of the crates contained an expected batch of handguns and bullets meant to bolster the Murphy armory, and I wanted to see to it that I retrieved it in person.
My phone rang and I answered it. It was Aidan.
“Word around town is some stranger was giving you grief,” he said quietly. Aidan came off as the quiet, moody type, but he was fiercely protective, more so than any of my other brothers. There had been several times I’d gotten myself into scrapes when I was young and Aidan had been the one to bail me out. Sometimes that meant that he had to use his fists.
“Some rich asshole thinking he’s hot shit, is all. You don’t need to worry about me,” I sighed.
“All you need to do is say the word, Ada. You know me,” he added.
“I can handle this guy. I’m not worried. I’ve dealt with much worse. This guy just needs to be reminded who runs this town.” I grinned, chuckling softly to myself.
“That’s the spirit,” he said with a chuckle.
“Hopefully he learns his lesson before he has to find out what a good shot I am,” I replied with a lighthearted laugh.
“It won’t be the first body I’ve had to get rid of for my baby sister,” he teased.
“True enough. Listen, want to meet me down at the docks in about an hour? The weapons shipment is due to arrive, and I’d like at least two of us to be there.”
