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Now what? There’s no way I can put on the simple black jumper and return to the church—and I really don’t want to. I was right earlier, I don’t belong here. But what about Declan? Now that he’s gotten his answers, does he go back to his old life? Do I want him to?
His hand strokes down my side and he presses a soft kiss to my back. “You’re thinking too loud, Eve.”
I blow out a breath as he slips from my body and then a small yelp as he sits and pulls me into his lap, nuzzling into the side of my neck. “I’m sorry.”
“Did I hurt you?”
“No.” That was amazing, earth shattering, life altering, but I can’t seem to form the words. My cheeks heat and I wrap my arms around myself as I avoid his gaze.
“You don’t need to hide from me, M’fhíorghrá. I see you. I’ve always seen you.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
DECLAN
Eve shivers, and I don’t know if it’s from the cool air blowing through the chapel, the reality of breaking her vows running wild in that brain of hers, or the aftereffects of her orgasms.
Still, I’m not a complete savage. I reach in front of us and grab my shirt from the floor.
Before I can get it around her shoulders, she stiffens. “Do you have to go?”
“No.” I graze my nose along the length of her neck, still pink from having the rosary so tight, and I can’t wait to see it next time. To choke her with it as I gag her on my cock. But not here. This place is mostly secluded, but there’s a chance someone could have heard her screams. I don’t give a shit if they see me, but I refuse to share Eve with anyone else. “But we should go.”
She turns, pinning me in place with those bright green eyes rimmed with tears. “We?”
“Do you really think I would ever leave you willingly? I lost four years, Eve. Four fucking years without you, and I’m not going to risk losing another second.”
“Even though I’m not the same girl you fell in love with? Even though I’m broken?”
She lets me help her into the shirt and I wrap my arms around her, holding her tightly against me. “You’re not broken, merely scarred. We’re not so different, M’fhíorghrá. We’re both marked by our past, but together we can destroy the chains that bind us to that place and create something beautiful. Do you still want to run away with me?”
She chuckles, relaxing against me. “You have a life here.”
“I’d set it on fire and walk away.”
“What if I wanted to stay?”
“Then you can move in with me. I’ve got plenty of room in my closet for your ugly dresses.”
Eve turns toward me, smiles, and I swear my heart is about to leap out of my chest. “I won’t have to wear those if I’m not living here. That feels weird to say. I’ve been a part of the church for so long, it’s hard to imagine being anywhere else.”
“Is this where you want to be?”
She stays quiet for a while, her head resting against my shoulder, her fingers toying with the bottom of my shirt. “I was here for so long because I didn’t have a choice. This is where my parents sent me, and after I lost the baby I had nowhere else to go. I was in a dark place. The nuns found me one night, barely conscious, in a bathtub filled with my own blood. They took care of me, healed me as best they could. I stayed because it was convenient. I never had the passion that any of them had. I only wanted to repay them for their kindness.”
I’ll never forgive myself for not being there when she needed me the most. The fact that I had no idea she was even pregnant with my baby is insignificant. Eve is mine, and I should have been there when she fell apart. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that alone. I promise you, Eve, I will make it up to you, even if it takes the rest of my life.”
“Maybe you could start by taking me on a real date?”
I let her stand and then jump to my feet, quickly turning her around and gripping her chin. “I’ll take you anywhere you want, but not until you’re fully clothed. As much as I love having you naked, I will absolutely kill anyone for looking at what’s mine.”
Her eyes widen, and she chews on her bottom lip. “That might get us kicked out of a restaurant.”
“Come on, M’fhíorghrá, let’s get you home.”
“You never did tell me what that meant.”
I lean down, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips. “It means ‘my true love’. And before you ask, it wasn’t a random nickname, it wasn’t something I called anyone else. I knew, even then, I knew you were it for me.”
