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Then there’s knowing we’re going to have to face Declan the moment I open the door. When I stand up, my woman’s eyes glassy with pleasure that makes me feel like a fucking king, I kiss her softly, wanting her to feel just how much she means to me.
“Come on, let’s put you to rights,” I murmur softly.
Her voice wavers, and I fucking hate it, “You know he’s going to be waiting right outside, don’t you?”
“We’ll deal with him,” I promise her. “Together.”
The way she melts against me tells me everything I need to know. She trusts me to stand at her side and to have her back. She has no idea the gift she’s given me, but I’ll make sure to never take it for granted.
CHAPTER 9
SAOIRSE
The thought of walking out of the room Conor carried me into has me nervous as hell. I know the thunderous face of my brother is right on the other side. He’s going to be pissed. Hell, he has a right to be pissed.
We’ve been sneaking around behind his back and it’s not like I have anyone to blame but myself. I should have known it would come out in the worst way. I’ve never had good luck with secrets.
I’m surprised I’ve kept the whole school thing under wraps for this long. Maybe I can soften the blow of the whole Conor situation by bringing up my decision to not go back to California for school. Or would that make things worse?
It’s hard to tell right now.
Conor’s hand squeezes mine just as he reaches for the door. He’s dressed in normal clothes after taking a quick shower. He asked me to join him, but it would have been a recipe for disaster, and we already have one on our hands. There’s no reason to compound it by adding more infractions to the long list Declan has had time to work up.
I won’t be adding to it with wet hair. It’s bad enough that his best friend, the man he trusts most in the world, gave me an earth-shattering orgasm with his mouth. Yeah, I won’t be mentioning that either.
When Conor opens the door, Declan is leaning against the opposite wall in the small hallway. His stance is relaxed, but nothing about his face is. Roisin is looking up at him, her back to us, and I have no doubt she’s trying to talk some sense into him.
When my brother’s gaze snaps up to us and his eyes narrow, I know she couldn’t get through to him. It’s a lost cause and he’s pissed.
I try not to recoil under the glare he’s sending my way, but then Conor’s back is filling my gaze and his voice rumbles, “You won’t be reading her the fucking riot act here.”
“No,” Declan intones, “I won’t. We’ll be dealing with this at home.”
How can only a few words feel so big and threatening? It’s a power Declan has always had. It’s one of the reasons men follow him, even into the gray areas of life where most wouldn’t venture. It also had me spilling the truth long before I was ready.
I guess some things never change.
I peek around Conor’s body to find Roisin looking at me with a reassuring smile on her face. “Well,” she claps her hands, “looks like the show’s over for the night.” The yawn she lets out is so exaggerated I almost laugh. She grabs Declan’s hand and starts to pull him away. “See you both at home,” she calls out over her shoulder.
If Declan didn’t want to go, he would have planted his feet and stayed right where he was. I can only hope Roisin will soften his edges by the time we all reconvene. I do not want to think about how she’ll go about doing that.
With Conor leading me, his hand on the small of my back, I zone out. I know he’s got me, and I can’t help but think about how bad this is. In my experience, Declan doesn’t go to violence first, but I’ve never seen him in a situation like this.
The only time I dated was a few months before I turned 16, right before I realized I was in love with Conor. That’s when I lost my virginity, which was a small miracle because my brother did his best to scare off the guy I was seeing.
I ended things when I was hit with the knowledge that I could never love the boy, or anyone else, because my heart was already spoken for. I wonder how long after that I made moon eyes at Conor, and he realized I had feelings for him. The distance he put between us is a bad memory, one he’s almost completely wiped away.
When Conor opens the passenger door to his car, he grips my shoulders and pulls me into his strong chest. I realize I have my coat on again. When did that even happen? I need to fucking focus, but it’s hard when it feels like everything is falling to ruin around you.
“It’s going to be okay,mo bhanphrionsa,” he murmurs against the top of my head, “I promise.”
I nod mutely and then slide into his car, my leg bouncing the entire time we’re driving to Declan’s house. It used to be my house too and while I feel just as welcome, it’s not the same as it used to be. I need to look for an apartment since I’m not going back to the West coast for school. I need to take control of my own life here in Boston.
I hope my brother is going to be included in that life and this doesn’t blow everything up.
When we pull up to Declan’s house, we park down the street and I take a big breath as I prepare to get out of the car. Before I can, Conor’s hand lands on my knee and my eyes snap up to meet his. His eyes. They’re such a beautiful seafoam green color. I know it might be dramatic, but I hope this isn’t the last time I get to look into his eyes.
“Saoirse,” his voice is a gruff command, “I can see you’re freaking out, but there’s no reason to. Your brother loves you and he only wants what is best for you. He wants you to be happy.”
