AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He was circling back to their conversation in the pub yesterday. She’d insisted they needed to choose to be together, not be corralled into it. He was honoring that, which was what sealed it for her. “All right. We’ll do that. Maybe you can take me to the Brazen Donkey for a drink afterward. I thought it might be easier to meet everyone there for the first time. Keep it light. I’m going to explode if I keep having these intense conversations, first with the cops and now with you.”
A burst of laughter shot through the room, making him look like the handsome man she remembered flirting with yesterday. “I hear you,a stór. I really do.”
Then he held out his hand. Pushing past the part of her that wanted to clam up and turn away, she took it, her chest as rigid as the metal spray cans in the box he’d given her.
“Thank you for not armoring up.” He squeezed her hand with delicate pressure. “I know that was hard for you.”
You think?“No mind reading there, huh?”
His green eyes were steady as he said, “No, and I’ll do my best not to. Until you’re more comfortable. But I can’t go back on who I am any more than you can share the secret you hold so closely inside yourself.”
The message between the lines was as clear as a bell:until we both have to choose to simply be ourselves with each other.
She glanced back at the box.
Couldshe trust Liam with her deepest secret?
Because damn it all, she really, really wanted to.
CHAPTERFIVE
Somehow Liam hadn’t expected dating Taylor to be a challenge. He’d always thought he knew how to date, and in the past his gifts had been welcomed. The one he’d given her had been as spontaneous as it was heartfelt. But contained in those combustible spray cans was the secret to unlocking the heart of the woman he was already thinking of as his.
He was going to need to rachet it back a notch. Thankfully, she was growing less tense as they sped up the coast and the wind thundered over them. He’d headed straight for the water, needing the sea breeze with its clearing salt content to transform the negative energy around them. As they climbed a narrow steep road boasting a killer view of the dark water crashing against the craggy rocks below, he felt her body shift from tension to awe. Somehow, he knew she loved the water and the beach as much as he did. Not that he was going to mention that for a while.
Since he was a boy, he’d been able to put himself in other people’s shoes. Understanding them was as simple as breathing. Over time, he’d come to learn the term empath. So he could understand her fears—to be so known by someone without making the conscious choice to share such personal knowledge would be scary. He was well aware it bypassed the wholegetting to know youpart of dating. He would have to trust they would be able to navigate their journey together, that was all.
They coasted down the incline on the other side of the mountain, past goats and sheep grazing in the green and brown hills. Her arms tightened around him as they leaned into a curve. He could feel her heart racing as she pressed herself to his back and let out a cry of awe at the postcard scene before them, and he did his best to ignore the rush of pleasure at how her hips and thighs curved around his own. There was plenty of time for that.
Only locals knew the shrouded road he took at the end of the incline off to the right. Sure, the ground was a little muddy and bumpy, but it was worth the view from the private beach. He did his best to maneuver around the ruts, but when he heard her laugh as they hit one that was unavoidable, he could feel her joy. This outing was doing exactly what he’d hoped it might—bringing them back in balance.
At the end of the unpaved road, he guided the bike as close to the sand dunes as possible and then parked. She was off the bike in a heartbeat, lifting her helmet and then holding it out to him with a wide smile. The sunlight caught the reds of her hair, making it appear as though fire was dancing around her. He took the helmet with an answering smile and stowed both of them as she started off toward the path between the sand dunes, her arms flung overhead. The desire for her, which he was also trying to hold at bay, surged through him. She liked to stretch her arms like that, he’d noticed, and he wondered if she knew it was because she was opening her heart to all that was around her. Another thing he knew better than to say now.
He followed her, watching as she stopped to roll up her jeans and peel off her boots and then her socks. Did she know how cold the October water was? When she gave a yelp moments later from along the shore, he fought a laugh. She’d been skeptical when he’d advised her to wear a heavier coat. It was usually colder by the sea, and while he ran warm, he had on a waterproof coat lined with fleece.
“It’s beautiful,” she called out, braving the water again as the tide shifted the sand under her feet. “But freezing. Is it ever warm enough to swim?”
He walked closer after peeling off his boots and socks as well. “It takes a certain constitution. I’ve swum in it since I was a boy, so it’s normal to me. I thought swimming in Bali was like swimming in a warm bath.”
She raised her arms again, making his mouth water. The lines of her body were made for his hands, he knew.
“I like both. Bali lulls you into relaxation. The water here makes you feel so alive it’s like your skin is charged with something powerful. I’m so glad this place is as I imagined it. Sometimes you visit a place and it’s all hype, you know. Ireland has such a pull for some people—me included. Maybe it’s my Irish ancestry from way back, but this is exactly how I thought it would look and feel.”
His heart energy was gaining ground as she met his eyes, all soft and vulnerable.
“Thank you for bringing me here, Liam.”
He gave her a smile, wishing he could cross to her and simply wrap her in his arms.Soon. “You’re welcome, Taylor. Do you want to walk a bit?”
“I’d love that,” she said and strode over until she was by his side.
Then she brushed her hand against his, and he took it as a sign and let their hands clasp together. When she threaded their fingers together, he sent up more thanks.
“I was hard on you earlier,” she confessed, looking over at him with that intense directness of hers. “I’m sorry. You’ve been nothing but kind—and I freaked out on you. Not cool.”
He hadn’t expected an apology. “It’s all right. We’re figuring things out. Learning each other. There will be bumps along the way, but nothing insurmountable.”
“Do you really believe that?” She shook her head. “I wasn’t raised in a very happy family, and I haven’t seen too many happy relationships.”
