Through Your Eyes

by Shannyn Schroeder

  “Real? I was unaware that there were degrees of Catholicism.”

  “Sure. I’m technically Catholic. I was baptized as a baby and went to Catholic school through eighth grade, but we aren’t churchgoers. I guess we’re more Catholic in name than in practice.”

  She thought about that. While she couldn’t say she felt the need to go to church, she went regularly, especially while here in Chicago. “My aunt likes the company.”

  “So I guess dinner is out.”

  “You’re welcome to join us.”

  The look on his face made her laugh. She might as well have suggested shark wrestling.

  He glanced down at himself. “I’m not really dressed for church.”

  “The Lord cares not about what you wear.”

  He pulled up in front of his house. “The Lord might not care, but what about your aunt?”

  “You have a point. Do you have something with a collar?”

  “If I go, does that mean you’ll have dinner with me after?”

  “I’ll have dinner with you after even if you don’t go.” She leaned across the seat and kissed his cheek.

  “Give me five minutes. I’ll see if I can find something.”

  “We leave in ten. Aunt Eileen won’t want to be late.”

  “I’m a guy. When I say five minutes, I mean five.”

  She stepped from the car and walked across the street. Eileen sat on the couch, clearly ready to go. As she rushed through the room, Deirdre called over her shoulder, “Sorry I’m running late. I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

  She took the stairs two at a time to avoid hearing Eileen gripe about the time. She whipped off her T-shirt and freshened up. Then she chose one of the tops she’d borrowed from Maggie and added a cardigan to it so Eileen wouldn’t be scandalized.

  As she was coming back down the stairs, a knock sounded at the front door. Eileen was opening it before Deirdre could say anything.

  “What are you doing here?” Eileen asked.

  Tommy’s voice came from the other side of the door. “Deirdre invited me to go to church.”

  Eileen stepped back from the door but crossed her arms as if she didn’t believe him. Tommy walked in and Deirdre halted. He wore a navy-blue, long-sleeved, button-down. The sleeves were rolled up, revealing some of his tattoos, but Deirdre knew it was only a tease. He’d combed his hair neatly, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She liked the way his hair normally flopped around on his forehead.

  He smiled up at her. “Five minutes on the dot.”

  His words got her moving again. She approached, unsure of what to do. She hadn’t talked to Eileen about Rory. Plus, she normally didn’t kiss in public. Of course, that was before she’d met Tommy. He was always touching her in front of everyone.

  As if reading her cues, he backed toward the door and held his arms out. “Ready, ladies?”

  “You’re going to church with us?” Eileen asked.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Eileen eyed him up and down. “As long as it’s been since the priest has seen an O’Malley, you might want to consider confession before mass.” She walked past him, adding, “I’m sure you have much to confess.” Then she walked out the door and down the front steps.

  Tommy waited for Deirdre on the porch as she locked up. “Sorry about that.”

  He lifted a shoulder. “What? She’s right. I don’t know if there are enough Hail Marys to fix some of my sins.”

  They walked down the steps together and saw that Eileen was already walking down the block.

  “I can drive,” Tommy offered.

  “We usually walk, weather permitting.”

  “Good. That means I get to hold your hand.”

  He took her hand and interlocked his fingers with hers. She enjoyed his warm touch, but looked ahead to where Eileen walked.

  Tommy leaned down and spoke quietly in her ear. “It’s not like I’m ravaging you in the street. This is totally innocent.”

  She smiled but whenever he touched her, she felt far from innocent. Constant reminders of what they’d done together entered her mind. Part of her felt like she needed the confessional, but more of her wanted to spend whole days and nights in Tommy’s arms repeating everything.

  “You’re a dirty girl.”

  She jerked to a stop. “What?”

  “That look on your face said you were thinking about me ravaging you.”

  “Was not.”

  “Getting snippy when you lie too?”

  She slapped a hand at him playfully. “It’s your fault. I’ve never had such thoughts before.”

  He lowered his voice again. “But they’re good thoughts, right?”

  She nodded, afraid to voice what she felt because Tommy made her feel too much.

  As they neared St. Viator Church, Eileen slowed down as though she wanted them to catch up. Of course, Deirdre knew Tommy wasn’t in any hurry to get to mass. He’d only agreed to come to spend time with her, which was sweet.

  Yet another sign of a relationship. Deirdre pushed the thought from her mind. She had at least two months, maybe two and a half if she stretched it, to enjoy her time in Chicago. She didn’t need to think about what they were becoming. For the first time, she felt free and fun.

  Eileen turned and purposefully looked at their clasped hands. “Does your mother know about this?”

  Deirdre sighed and released Tommy’s hand. “Can you go in and wait for us? I’d like to speak to my aunt for a moment.”

  Tommy nodded and walked into the church. The door closed behind him.

  Deirdre pointed. “Look. No fire. I guess he’s not the devil himself.”

  “Watch your mouth.”

  Deirdre shook her head and stared at the ground. “I’m sorry, Aunt Eileen. Rory broke up with me last week. It’s not like I’m being unfaithful.”

  “Hmm. Unlike you, I spoke to Una, and she said nothing.”

  Uh-oh. Deirdre looked up at her aunt.

  “She told me your phone wasn’t working.”

  “Uh . . .”

  “What is going on with you?”

  “As I said, Rory broke up with me. I knew it would cause trouble with my family, and I didn’t want to get caught up in it. So I lied. You know how my parents can be.”

  Eileen smiled. “I do—especially Una. Which is why I didn’t tell her your phone is working just fine.” She pointed toward the church. “Is it serious with this one?”

  Deirdre shrugged. “Not too serious. I have to go home soon enough. We’re having fun.”

  “I’ve heard that from more than one child before. You be careful around him.”

  “Tommy has been nothing but good to me.” She wanted to itemize every kind thing he’d done, but she knew it would reveal more than she wanted Eileen to know.

  “Mass is starting,” Eileen said abruptly and turned to walk in.

  Deirdre followed. Tommy was waiting in the vestibule for them. Eileen looked at him, but said nothing.

  When Deirdre came up, he asked, “Everything okay?”

  “Fine.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Tommy hadn’t stepped foot in a church since he’d graduated eighth grade. As mass began, he wasn’t sure he’d remember what to do, but it all came back. He might’ve stumbled over a few words in prayer and often had to watch to know when to kneel, but overall, he thought he blended in well.

  Much of his inability to know what to do was because Deirdre was a constant distraction. He kept thinking about her naked and writhing on his bed. Although he’d known stopping the other night was the right thing to do, part of him regretted it. He wanted her.

  Mass seemed to go much faster than he ever remembered it being as a kid. His sexy thoughts definitely helped pass the time. He would probably burn in hell for that.

  Outside, he took Deirdre’s hand again.

  Eileen watched the movement. “I’m watching you, Tommy O’Malley. You treat my girl right.”

  “Absolutely.”<
br />
  “And if you don’t, you just remember, the O’Learys outnumber you.” She turned and once again walked ahead of them.

  Tommy squeezed Deirdre’s hand. “I think your aunt just threatened me.”

  Deirdre smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Did you not hear the first part? She was giving her blessing to us. As long as you behave yourself, that is.”

  “Me? You’re the one who wanders the streets knocking on windows while drunk and looking to get lucky.”

  She smacked his arm. “Shush.”

  They walked the rest of the short distance in silence. When they got closer to the house, Deirdre called, “We’re going out to dinner, Aunt Eileen. Would you like me to bring you something?”

  “I’m fine, thank you.” She gave them a nod and went inside.

  “I’m suspicious of her.”

  “Why?” Deirdre asked, turning to face him.

  “I told you. Your aunt is scary. Now she’s being almost nice. What’s her plan?”

  “I don’t think she has other motives. I told her I like you. Maybe she accepts it. And I think you impressed her by going to church.”

  Tommy didn’t think anything would be that easy, but he didn’t want to waste time talking about Eileen O’Leary. “What do you want for dinner?”

  Deirdre gnawed on her lip.

  “Are you thinking or debating? You look nervous.”

  “I’ve had a long day. Would you be up for ordering in?”

  He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “If we eat at my house, yeah. I want to be alone with you.”

  “No one is ever alone at your house.”

  He led her across the street. “There are people around, but they’re not staring at us. Your aunt stares. Like she’s waiting for me to make a wrong move.”

  “She might be. Don’t make a wrong move.”

  His hand slid over her back to her ass. “With you, I want to make all the moves. Good and bad.”

  “I like the moves you make,” she said quietly.

  Instead of going to the basement, they went upstairs through the kitchen door. “Pizza good for you?”

  “Sure.” She sat at the kitchen table while he dialed the pizza place. He walked into the living room and asked his dad, “Sean and Norah around?”

  “Nah. Out getting laid, I suspect.”

  Tommy glanced over his shoulder to see if Deirdre had followed. His dad was not what she was used to. Eileen was all proper, and his dad was crude. The pizza place answered, and Tommy placed an order for delivery.

  His dad had a hockey game on TV. Deirdre wouldn’t want to watch. “Yell when the pizza gets here.”

  “Sit down and watch the game.”

  “Not tonight. I’m having dinner with Deirdre. We’ll probably watch something downstairs.”

  “Watch something. That what you’re calling it these days?”

  “It’s not like that.” At least not yet. And even if it was, he wouldn’t want to hear his dad’s opinion. He went back to the kitchen. “We can go downstairs. My dad will yell when food’s here.”

  “Okay.”

  Tommy flicked on the basement light when they reached the stairs. In his room, he kicked off his shoes and plopped on the bed. Reaching over to the nightstand, he picked up the remote.

  Deirdre stood just inside the room.

  “Come sit down. Relax.”

  She looked like she needed to debate that in her head. Hadn’t he already proven that she could trust him? He patted the mattress and smiled.

  She relaxed and toed off her shoes. She crawled over to him and sat, their thighs brushing.

  “What do you want to watch?”

  “Doesn’t matter. I don’t follow much.”

  He flipped through the channels, pausing on the Blackhawks game his dad had on upstairs, before moving on. She laid a hand on his forearm.

  “You can watch the game. Explain to me what’s happening.”

  “Really?”

  “Caitlyn taught me quite a bit when I came to your game, but I’d like to hear you tell me. You have different insight as a player.”

  Deirdre became a damn near perfect woman in that moment. He turned the game back on. He muted the TV so he didn’t have to compete with the commentators. He started to explain some of the plays, but a few minutes in, he realized it was unnecessary.

  Deirdre might not have known or understood the rules of the game, but she enjoyed it. She started cheering and cringing and yelling right alongside him. A loud thump on the ceiling told him the delivery guy was there.

  “I’ll be right back.” He kissed her and jumped off the bed.

  “You want some money?”

  “I got it.”

  Upstairs, he paid the pizza guy, set a few slices on a plate for his dad, and went back to the basement. Deirdre had scooted to the end of the bed and stared intently at the screen. Tommy stood in the doorway a moment and watched her. She was beautiful, and when she sat there enjoying something that he was into, he realized how much he really liked her.

  Maybe his brothers weren’t as far off as he’d accused them of being. He was falling for her and they hadn’t even fucked yet. That’s how he knew she was different. She suddenly turned to face him with a huge smile on her face.

  She stood and grabbed the pizza. “I’m starved. Come on. You’re missing the game.”

  For the next hour, they watched the game and ate. They laughed and he stole kisses during breaks. As far as dates went, this one ranked near the top. Minus the whole going-to-church part.

  The Hawks were up three nothing and the game wasn’t holding their interest anymore. Tommy set the pizza box on his dresser and sat back beside Deirdre. “You have time to fool around before going home?”

  “By fool around you mean . . . ?”

  “More of what we did the other night. An orgasm before bed will give you the best sleep.” He moved closer in an attempt to kiss her, but she moved back.

  “What do I have to do to get you to have sex with me?”

  He pulled back. “I want to. We’ve been over this.”

  “Then let’s have sex.”

  “Why now? The first time I barely touched you while fully dressed, you pushed me away saying you were saving yourself for marriage.”

  She came close again, stretching her legs out over his lap. “I did that because you scared me. I was still with Rory. Even though he told me to go out with you, I wasn’t ready for how I reacted to you.”

  “But you’re what—twenty-five—and you’ve never had sex. There must be a reason.”

  She traced the line of his hockey stick tattoo on his forearm, staring at the movement of her finger. “Rory didn’t want me. I know that now. Before, though, it was convenient to avoid any conflict with him, to push him to explain why we hadn’t had sex. I was brought up in a Catholic household and taught that I should be a virgin until I married, but I never decided that I would be. I thought love was enough. But it wasn’t.”

  “That still doesn’t explain why now. We don’t love each other.” But Tommy could see himself landing there in the not too distant future.

  “I know you think I’ll regret this. I don’t believe I will. Have you loved every woman you’ve slept with?” She didn’t wait for his answer. “I’ve missed out on being a normal woman. I want to date and have fun and shed some of the expectations that my family has placed on me.”

  Now she looked up and stroked his chest. “I like you. I like the way you make me feel.”

  He would lose this battle. A man had only so much strength to do the right thing. Blowing out a deep breath, he closed his eyes. Her hand stilled on his chest.

  “When’s your next night off?”

  “I don’t work nights. You do,” she said with a smile. He poked her. “Any job that has you getting up at three in the morning is a night job. You know what I mean.”

  “I work at the bakery tomorrow. I’m off Monday.”

  He tugged her and pulled her ont
o his lap. Toying with her hair, he said, “Then between now and then, you think about if this is something you really want. Like you want to do this with me. Not because you want to get back at your ex-boyfriend or you want to get it over with so you’re not a virgin anymore. But you want it because you want me.”

  “I do.”

  He pressed a finger to her lips. “Really think. And if you still feel the same, plan to spend the night tomorrow.”

  “You’re thinking it’ll take all night?”

  He chuckled. “No, Cupcake. Even I’m not that good. I just want to spend the night with you.”

  Her eyes went soft, and she leaned down and kissed him. The kiss quickly turned hot. Their tongues slicked along each other, and Tommy’s dick hardened. He squeezed her hip, longing to pull her onto him, slide into her. He pulled back. “Let me walk you home.”

  She sighed. “Always with the walking me home. You know, back in Ireland, I walk all over town unaccompanied.”

  He didn’t need the reminder that at some point she was going home. “I think I’ve already expressed what an asshole your boyfriend was. I have to show you how much better I am.”

  She laughed, but stood. “Thank you for dinner.”

  “Any time.” He shifted his dick to get comfortable. One more night. If the look in Deirdre’s eyes could be believed, she had no intention of changing her mind.

  * * *

  Deirdre jumped out of bed at three twenty, before her alarm had the chance to sound. She was excited to get her day moving so that she’d be able to get to her night. With the exception of this past Christmas, which had flopped, she couldn’t remember being this excited. She was finally going to have sex.

  She allowed the thought to sit tight in her mind for a moment. Her nerves jangled a bit, but it was more about the unknown than being unsure. Mostly she felt excited. Being with Tommy was fun. He made her feel amazing, physically and emotionally.

  As she went through her morning routine, she thought about what she’d need to do this afternoon before going out with Tommy. Besides the obligatory shaving, she should get something nice to wear under her clothes. Something he could appreciate.

  While she mulled that over, her mobile beeped. A text from Rory.

  Free to talk?