Taking Risk Series

by Toni Aleo

  Letting out a breath, I pull into the pub and notice it is packed. I wouldn’t expect anything else, but I guess a small part of me hoped they’d be dead so Amberlyn and I could escape away. Locking the car door, I head inside, greeted by silence when everyone sees that it is me.

  “Howya, Declan.”

  I look up to see Mrs. Maclaster grinning at me, and I smile back. “Howya, Mrs. Maclaster.”

  She winks before balancing a tray on her hip with plates. “At the bar tonight? Or would you like a table?”

  “The bar, please.”

  She cocks her head up toward the bar and says, “On with ya then. Amberlyn should be out in a bit.”

  “Thank you,” I say, heading to the bar where my girl stands with a grin on her face and her hands full of plates.

  “Hey you,” she calls as she passes by me, winking playfully. The smile on my face can’t be removed as my fingers run along the small of her back, the silk of her shirt teasing my fingertips.

  “My love,” I whisper, and she flashes me a grin before going to deliver the plates to her patrons. I watch as she moves, talking and joking with the elderly couple before going to a group of ladies. I know they feel at home, loved even, because that is the way you feel when Amberlyn is around. You just feel good. She looks amazing tonight, too. In shorts with a white, see-through blouse layered over a green tank, her hair is pulled up in a bun and she is wearing thick, dark-framed glasses that are covering her sparkling eyes. I’m not sure if they are prescription, but I love the hip look she is portraying. When Fiona passes by me, I see that she matches Amberlyn, wearing the same glasses but with a yellow shirt. I smile at her as I settle into the barstool, receiving one back before pulling out my phone, checking my Facebook until Amberlyn appears.

  When she places a pint in front of me, I say with a grin, “I needed this.”

  She smiles before coming up on her tippy toes, leaning over the bar to place a sweet kiss on my lips. As we part, my grin grows as I say, “No, I needed that.”

  As I cup her beautiful face, we share a smile before she falls back on her heels.

  “Everything okay?”

  I shrug. “Family drama.”

  “Anything I can do to help?” she asks, her head falling to the side, her eyes genuine.

  I shake my head, lacing my fingers with hers. “Just being here is helping.”

  “You don’t talk about them much.”

  I shrug. “There is nothing to talk about.”

  She bites into her lip before squeezing my hand and asking, “Are you hungry?”

  I nod. “Yes, please.”

  “Special? Fish and chips.”

  “Yeah, sounds good.”

  “Awesome,” she says, letting my hand go to fill my order. I play on my phone while I wait. It doesn’t take long, and soon she returns, laying my plate on the bar.

  “How long until you’re off?” I ask, munching on a chip.

  “Gotta get through the rush and then I can go. Tomorrow though, Fiona is going out with Kane so I probably won’t be able to see you,” she says sadly with a shrug.

  I smile, running my finger along the back of her hand. “I’m not going to lie, that sucks.”

  “I know.” She grins as she moves away from the bar. “Enjoy your dinner.”

  “Thanks, love.”

  As I eat, I watch her. It’s hard not to. She is intoxicating and takes up whatever space she is in. I love her laugh, the way she moves, and the way she has a quick comeback to the drunks in the bar. Sometimes I feel like I’m enveloped in her carefree way, and I love it. I wish I could be half of what she is. I am still so mad, frustrated with my da, but like I said earlier, she makes it better. Nothing bothers her. She takes everything with a grain of salt and always sees the brighter side. I wish I could do that. Instead, I dwell on things and I constantly think of things I cannot change. I want to learn to be like her, I want to grow with her, and to constantly be surprised by her. She is simply amazing and thankfully, all mine.

  It takes longer than I would have liked for the rush to slow down. It’s well past eight before we are in the car, heading toward the movies.

  “I’m sorry,” she says for the hundredth time.

  “Love, its fine. We’ll just make the later show.”

  “I know, but I feel bad you had to wait so long.”

  “It’s no big deal,” I say, squeezing her hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her yawn and ask, “Do you still want to go?”

  She nods earnestly. “Oh yes, I can’t wait. I’m just worn out.”

  “Are you sure? We can go back.”

  “No, I want to go. I want to be with you.”

  I bring her hand up to kiss her knuckles before letting it drop back in my lap. We arrive at the movies just in time for the later showing like I hoped. Getting out of the car, I come around and wait as she fools around with something before getting out.

  “Hey, do you have your wallet?” she calls at me.

  I glance over at her and slowly nod. What is she worried about my wallet for? “Yeah, why?”

  “Can you hold my bank card?” she asks, holding it up for me.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t want to bring my purse in, and my shorts don’t have pockets.”

  I blink and can’t believe what I was thinking. This is Amberlyn, not some fuckin’ gold-digging bitch. Taking her card, I smile as I tuck it in my pocket. “You don’t need it.”

  She laughs. “I like popcorn and stuff.”

  “And I’ll buy it. It’s a date, Amberlyn,” I say, taking her hand in mine.

  “I know that, and you are obligated to buy my ticket, but I can get the popcorn with extra butter, M&Ms, and a pop.”

  I pull her against me, kissing her temple before saying, “Or I can get it all and you can hush?”

  She glares up at me, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Are you telling me to shut up and let you be the man here while I am the girl?”

  I laugh. “Yes. Now come on, we are late.”

  She laughs along with me, probably knowing I won’t budge, and once inside, I pay for everything before settling into our seats to watch the latest action flick. It is good, but it’s better with Amberlyn in the crook of my arm. When it ends, we head through the lobby toward the car while people stop and stare. I hate it. I want to apologize but in a way, I know it would do no good. My da’s words play in my head, saying that she isn’t made for this life, but I know she is. So I don’t say anything because she needs to get used to it if we were going to be together, but when someone pulls out their phone and takes a picture, I can’t help it and say, “Sorry, people are staring and taking pictures. I hoped it wouldn’t be this busy.”

  I feel so self-conscious, as if at any moment she is going to throw her hands up and storm away, hating this thing I call life, but to my surprise, she grins up at me, and God, I love her eyes. They are so bright, so playful, and I swear, everything about her drives me insane.

  With a shrug, her eyes narrow in such a matter-of-fact way as she says, “They stare because we look so good together, duh! Or they’re jealous because I’m with the hottest guy ever.”

  When she winks, my heart explodes in my chest. Not knowing what to say, I let my body do the talking by turning, stopping her mid-stride, wrapping my arms around her waist, and pulling her to me. Her eyes go wide before I drop my mouth to hers, kissing her so hard and deeply that nothing else matters but her sweet lips. Slowly our mouths move together, and all I can think is if people weren’t staring before, they sure are now. Parting, I press my lips to hers lightly before whispering, “You are the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  A slow grin spreads over her face before her hands travel up my chest and around my neck. I can feel her heart pounding, her eyes are bright, and I feel like she is trying to say something without really saying it. Twirling her fingers in the hair at the nape of my neck, she smiles. “I’ve never felt like this.”

  “Me neither
,” I say, taking her mouth with mine. I know for sure that people are staring, along with taking pictures, but I don’t fuckin’ care. I also know that my ma and da will probably get wind of this before I get home, but, at this moment, nothing matters but holding this woman in my arms and getting lost in her kisses.

  “Do you want me to take you home?”

  Amberlyn looks over at me and shrugs. “Up to you. I’m not tired now.”

  I laugh as I turn onto the road that will lead back on her aunt’s property. Driving out on the grass, I park under the tree by the lake.

  “We could have walked,” she jokes as she throws the door open.

  “Yeah, but then we wouldn’t have anything to lie on.”

  She looks at me questioningly. “So what? We are lying on the car?”

  I shrug. “Why not?”

  She throws her hands toward the car. “This car is sexy! I don’t want to dent it with my huge ass.”

  I roll my eyes before setting her with a look. “Did you say that so I will say you don’t have a huge ass?”

  She smiles shyly. “Maybe.”

  “Well, sorry, love, your ass is huge and I fuckin’ love it. Now come on,” I say, smacking her ass playfully. She laughs but then stops, reaching down for a weed.

  “Oh! My favorite! Make a wish.”

  “Love, it’s a weed,” I say, but she holds it up to my face.

  “No, it’s a wish,” she says, her eyes glittering with excitement. I’m lost in her eyes, and before I know it, I’m leaning forward making a wish. She smiles before picking another one, closing her eyes tightly before opening and blowing with all her might. Slowly, the little fuzzies fly through the air around us, and when I glance at her, she is just grinning. I watch her, my chest seizing as I admire her love for the world. I don’t understand how she could have been through so much crap and she can still bend down for a weed and turn it into a wish. It’s magical, really.

  As she smiles back at me, I lean forward and kiss her temple before I pull her up onto the hood of the car. As she cuddles into my side, we look up at the clear sky and I let out a long breath.

  “So my attempt at fishing for a compliment went to shit, huh?” she asks, wrapping her arm around my waist.

  I smile. “Love, you don’t need to fish, but yes, very much so.”

  “Hmm, maybe next time.”

  I laugh. “If you want a compliment, I’ll give you one.”

  She doesn’t say anything for a second and I think I’ve offended her, but then she says, “I’m waiting!”

  I look over to meet her grinning face. “For?”

  “For my compliment!”

  A hearty laugh escapes my lips before I say, “Oh, sorry.”

  “Jeez, leave a girl hanging like that,” she says, smacking me playfully.

  “Shh,” I say, squeezing her hip tightly. “Here I go.”

  “Hit me with it.”

  “I’m trying, but you keep talking,” I tease, giving her a pointed look. She bites her lip, holding in her laughter as I say, “You, my beautiful Amberlyn, are by far the most gorgeous girl in the world. I love your eyes, your lips, and I am convinced that you have the greatest arse in Ireland.”

  Her face warms with color before she snuggles into my chest, causing me to laugh. “Look, I compliment you and you hide!”

  She laughs as she snuggles deeper. “Shut up, you make me blush.”

  “Grand. Look at me, I love seeing the color on your face.”

  She peeks up at me, and then we both dissolve with laughter. Hugging her closer as our laughter subsides, I kiss her temple before whispering, “This is nice.”

  She nods. “Yeah, it is.”

  Slowly running my hands along the small of her back, I take in her scent, basking in the flowery smell of her. “You know, today I discovered that I don’t know something about you.”

  She looks up at me and smiles. “No way.”

  “No, really, I know you are going to school in the fall, but I don’t know for what.”

  “English major. I want to be a teacher,” she says. I can’t help but notice that her eyes light up with the mention of teaching.

  “That’s awesome. So you like kids?”

  She grins as she nods. “Yeah, but I want to teach older kids, like the theory of English maybe. I’m not sure. I just want to be immersed in books, and I want to share my love with someone else.”

  As much as I love her passion, I can’t help but think she probably wouldn’t be happy being a stay-at-home mom and wife, which is what usually happens when O’Callaghans get married. Swallowing my disappointment, I say, “Wow, you’re very passionate about it. It’s refreshing.”

  Threading her fingers in my hair, she nods. “Yup, we are both passionate about the things we love, huh?”

  I couldn’t agree more. Leaning toward her, I run my nose along hers before taking her mouth with mine. Our lips move with ease as our limbs tangle and the kiss deepens. As I hold her close, our kisses get more demanding as our hands explore each other’s bodies. Hooking her leg over my hip, I press into her, our tongues tangling with each other. I am so hot for her. I can’t control my need to feel her, to be completely immersed in her. Tearing my mouth from hers, I kiss down her jaw, nipping and licking down her throat, but soon stop when I hear her yawn.

  “Oh my God, please say I did not just yawn.”

  A smile covers my lips as I pull back to look down in her flushed, beautiful face. “You did.”

  “I’m so sorry, ignore it. As you were,” she says, urging me on, but I can’t.

  “No love, you’re tired. Let me take you home.”

  Her eyes drift closed in embarrassment, and I laugh before kissing her loudly on her lips. “Come on, love,” I say, getting off the car and pulling her with me. She comes unwillingly, but once in my arms, she melts against me.

  “I suck. I’m sorry.”

  I shake my head. “Don’t apologize. It’s no big deal. We have all the time in the world.”

  She looks away and shakes her head. When she looks up at me, her eyes are serious, and I swear it’s as if she has kneed me in the gut. “No, we don’t. I could die, you could die, and then I would never get to have you like this again. All we have is now, and I don’t ever want this to end. I would honestly be lost without you, Declan. I know that’s crazy to admit, but it’s true. Don’t be freaked out! Oh my God, I just went completely off the handle there. It’s just scary, you know? I love being with you, I love your body touching mine, and I can’t believe I yawned. You don’t bore me, I swear!”

  She says it all so fast, but each word pulls at my heartstrings. My mouth pulls up at the side before I hug her closer to me. “Amberlyn, calm down, jeez. It’s not a big deal. I know that our time is limited. I do treasure every second I have with you, don’t ever think that I don’t, but like you said, we have to live in the now, and right now, I can’t exactly get off with ya while you’re sleeping.”

  She snorts with laughter before hiding her face in the crook of my shoulder. I pull her away, holding her cherub cheeks in my hands before whispering, “And to be honest, I’d be lost without you, too.”

  Her face brightens with excitement before she slowly goes up on her toes, meeting her mouth to mine. When our lips touch, I know that it’s the truth. That my life would be nothing without this girl in my arms.

  Chapter 21

  Amberlyn

  “I’m a dumbass.”

  Fiona lets out a laugh as she looks through the racks. “Totally. Who yawns while her guy tries to get off? Was it boring?” she asks, cutting me a look.

  I flash her a dark look, shaking my head quickly. “No, I was just dead on my feet. Nothing is boring about Declan. He’s romantic, perfect, and can kiss like you can’t believe. It was amazing, and I didn’t want it to end even though I was so tired.”

  “I suggest when you go out, make sure you are awake, and don’t ever yawn again. You’re gonna give him a complex, and he won’t want to
kiss ya.”

  Like I hadn’t thought of that already. “Thanks,” I moan as I look through the racks that are full of white dresses. On a rare day where my aunt and uncle have given us a day off, Fiona and I are off on a mission of shopping for the ball before getting lunch. I am starving, but Fiona said we couldn’t eat until after we got our dresses, since she didn’t want to be bloated trying them on. I didn’t care one way or another. I just wanted to eat, but she told me that she wasn’t buying a dress sporting a food baby.

  While I am annoyed and hungry, Fiona is excited, wearing a bright smile with her blond locks falling in her eyes as she searches the racks. She is more excited than I am because I guess it means she and Kane are coming out to everyone. Which is great, don’t get me wrong, but while I can’t wait to get dolled up and spend the night dancing with Declan, I’m nervous. I haven’t been to a ball before. I don’t even know how to act at these types of things, but Fiona has and guarantees me everything will be fine. I just hope I can find a dress that suits me. I don’t want to look like a whore or a frumpy weirdo when I meet my boyfriend’s parents.

  Turning to me, Fiona holds up a dress. It’s hideous! I shrug, not wanting to be rude, and then after a moment she does the same before putting it back. We do this for what seems like hours as my night with Declan plays over and over in my mind. The more time I spend with Declan, the more I get to know him, and the more I fall. I love his smile. I love his eyes, they are like coming home, and his arms are so warm. I was being honest when I said that I’d be lost without him—I would be. It’s become such a routine between us. We spend the day texting until the moment we are able to see each other, usually during lunch. Then we both return to work before joining up later that night. Tangled in each other’s limbs, we talk for hours, learning so much about each other, and I love every single moment of it. He keeps me on my toes, he makes me laugh, and he makes me feel so special. It’s perfect and everything I’ve ever wanted.