Tiernan A Dark Irish Mafia Romance - Jane Henry Page 0,42
I need to leave now. But how? I’m not free to. I’m a prisoner with certain… privileges.
“Get up and dressed, lass,” he says, lifting the bedsheet. “And I’ll bring you out to them.”
A part of me doesn’t really want to fight this, because a part of me wants to talk to a friend.
What if they judge me? What if they’re mean, like women can be? Cruel and judgmental? Will they gossip about me when they leave? Will it be weird if they know I’m prisoner to Tiernan, that he commands me?
I quickly get ready. It seems I don’t have much of a choice. I brush my hair and splash some water on my face. I tug on a pair of joggers and a t-shirt, and glance at myself in the mirror. Simple but sober. I’ll do.
I’m trembling when I go out to meet him. He’s standing with his hands in his pockets, staring out the window at the churning sea. He looks over his shoulder when I enter the room, and his eyes widen a bit.
“You look fucking beautiful,” he says.
I actually look down in surprise. “Really?” I say incredulously. “I’m literally wearing joggers and a t-shirt.”
He grins, prowling over to me. “Oh, aye,” he says with a smirk. “But I know what’s under those joggers and tee.”
My belly swoops and my pulse races. He kisses my cheek. “Honestly, Ais, you look stunning, even in simple things like that.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
He reaches for my hand. “I’ll bring you out. And remember, you behave yourself. That’s my sister and adopted mum out there, you hear?”
I frown at him. “What do you think I’ll do, curse them out or something?”
He rolls his eyes. “I don’t know. That mouth of yours is a bit unpredictable, you know.”
I stick out my tongue, and he gives me a playful smack to the arse. It does little to soothe my fraught nerves.
They must’ve heard me when I lost my mind. They know that I’ve been… addicted and… loose.
When he reaches to open the door, I bury my head against his arm and can’t look up.
“Oh, Tiernan.”
“What is it?”
“I can’t do it.”
He doesn’t scold or lecture or force the issue. Instead, he releases my hand so he can cup my face between both of his. His eyes bore into mine, making my heart stutter. We’ve only been this close for a few days, but something about my depending on him, his watching over me, has drawn us closer together. I can feel the intensity in his gaze that hits every nerve in my body, the possessive, wild look he gets when he’s intent on something.
“What?” I whisper.
“You can do this,” he says in a vehement whisper. “And you must. I know you’ve got what it takes to be brave, Aisling. You do. And those women out there are the fiercest, strongest women I know.” He kisses me full on the lips, and I come up on my toes, immediately drowning in this kiss. He releases me, and I exhale, coming back to earth. “And you are brave and fierce enough that you belong among them.”
I shake my head. “How can you say that?” I whisper. “Tiernan, I—you saw me at my worst.”
“I saw you battle fucking demons full-grown men can’t battle. You’ve been brave before. Be brave again, Aisling.”
Tears well in my eyes. I look away so he doesn’t see. Drawing in a deep breath, I square my shoulders. What’s the worst that could happen? They hate me? I’ve been there before.
“That’s my girl,” he says with a note of unmistakable pride in his voice.
He opens the door and we walk out, hand in hand. The chattering ceases. I swallow hard, but force myself to keep my eyes trained forward.
Be brave.
Fiona’s older than she was the last time I saw her, of course, but she’s got the same fetching eyes, flaming red hair, and roguish grin.
“Aisling,” she says warmly. “Y’alright?”
She rises and comes to me, crossing the room as if no time’s passed at all. Tiernan lets go of my hand and Fiona wraps me in a hug. I lean into her embrace, and my throat gets tight, my nose all tingly.
“Had a right go of it, didn’t you?” she says, pulling away so she can hold my hands and look into my eyes. The intensity of the bloody Hurston’s will do my head in.
“Aye,” I say, my voice thick with emotion. “I did. But you’ve done well for yourself, I hear.”