The Storm

by R. J. Prescott

  “Apples,” he whispered to me, but as it seemed like he was talking to himself, I didn’t reply.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  “I am now, love. Shit day is all. Sorry I woke you, but I couldn’t wait until tomorrow to see you.”

  “Best surprise, ever.” I grinned, but the chill from the hallway was beginning to seep into my bones.

  “Come on, let’s get you back to bed and warm. I’m gonna fill you up with my sweet treats and keep my eye out for that nip slip I’ve been hoping for,” he said. With an effortless show of strength, he leant down to place his shoulder at my stomach and rose to carry me, picking up the sack along the way. Kicking the door shut, he threw down the locks and walked into my bedroom.

  “How did you know this was my room?” I asked him, as he set me down on the bed. His cheeks blushed red, and I was intrigued.

  “I dropped Em over here once straight from the gym and asked her which one was your bedroom. She laughed her arse off, but she told me. You gonna make fun of me now?”

  Sitting up on my knees, I cupped his face and kissed him in reply. Having him here in my bedroom felt just perfect. He smiled and nuzzled his nose playfully against mine before unloading his goodies. I climbed under the duvet and shimmied across the bed to make room for him. Sitting in my bed, we opened our hot chocolates and sipped as we nibbled on the delicious sugary treats. I told him all about the beautiful lace dress I was making for the loveliest girl.

  “I try to make every dress special and unique,” I told him. “Especially with my collection, because a little bit of me is in all of them. But I swear, the nicer the client, the more love I put into it. I don’t mean to do it, but I think about the clients as I’m sewing, and I can’t help going the extra mile for the people who you know are just special.”

  “What was it about this girl that you liked so much?”

  “She and her partner just found out that they’re having a baby. They were already engaged, but hadn’t planned on having children this early. They wanted to get married before the baby comes, but that’s not what I liked about her. It’s the way she was when she saw my designs. I mean, she looked beautiful in all the dresses, but when I brought out my collection, she looked at me like I was some kind of magician. I guess I just want to give her a little bit more of that magic.”

  He smiled at me and kind of stared. “You’re something else, you know that, Irish?”

  I smiled and shrugged. “I’m sorry for rambling on at you about my day.”

  “Baby, I could listen to you talk all night,” he replied, and I wanted to kiss him all over again.

  “Why was your day so bad?” I asked, thinking of how terrible I was for telling him all about my great day before asking about his awful one. He told me about Albie and Liam, and I felt a great swell of rage towards arseholes who always wanted to tear down and destroy anything beautiful they didn’t understand.

  “Are you okay?” I asked him, quickly checking him over for signs that he’d been fighting.

  “Irish, I didn’t even get to raise my fist. Con cracked his knuckles and got to swan about all manly, and I’m pretty sure Tommy didn’t even get his face in the doorway. All I did was stand there and look pretty. Danny’s the hero of the day. I don’t know what he has over Liam’s dad, but I sure as shit would like to find out.”

  “Will he tell you?”

  “Hell no, darlin’. I love him like me own family, but that man is tighter than a duck’s arse when it comes to secrets and money.”

  “Poor Albie and Liam,” I said, handing Kieran my empty cup to throw in the bin and scooting down to cuddle into his shoulder.

  “They’ll either find a way or make one, but a love that’s meant to be will last forever. No ignorant fuckers are gonna destroy the beautiful thing they’ve found together,” he told me. I could tell from the reverent tone of his voice how in awe of these boys Kieran was and how deeply he wanted them to find their happily ever after, and I knew then that I was falling for him hard.

  “Where are they now?” I asked.

  “He’s staying over at Albie’s tonight, and to be honest, I think Albie needs it. Tomorrow I’ll get him settled into Ma’s place. She’ll be fussing over him so much, he won’t be able to wait to move out.”

  We chatted some more about our plans and how things were going, but eventually I couldn’t hide my yawns anymore. I didn’t want the night to end, but I wouldn’t be able to stay awake much longer.

  “Will you stay?” I asked, half asleep already.

  “I can set the alarm on my phone and run to the gym in the morning, if that’s okay with you?”

  “I’d love that,” I replied, then waited for him to shrug off his trainers, socks, T-shirt, and hoodie.

  “You’re not taking off your sweat pants?” I asked in confusion, having expected him to sleep in his boxers.

  “I need the protection in case any randy little dressmaking nymphs get carried away in the night and start dry humping me in their dreams,” he said, mischievously.

  “Well,” I said, as he lifted the duvet and pulled me into his chest, “it’s always a possibility.”

  “Here’s hoping. But fair warning, any accidental pyjama malfunctions in the night, and I’m totally eying up your boobs.”

  It was with one of his hands over my heart and the other just below my breast, that I fell headlong into the deepest, most restful night’s sleep I’d had in a long time.

  ***

  I woke in the morning, and I knew without opening my eyes that he was gone. Everything about him just exuded life, and I hungered to be a part of that. Without him, the room just seemed a little colder and emptier. That I was the solace he’d looked for after a bad day filled me with joy. I’d gotten so used to the idea that he would be the bright spark that lit up my dark places, that it never occurred to me that I might be his, that he might need me as much as I was coming to need him. Not willing to drag my lazy arse out of bed yet, I curled deeper into the duvet that smelled so deliciously like him. The ring of the alarm was interfering with a perfectly good daydream, but when I realised the noise was coming from the phone, I grabbed at it. None of my family called this early in the morning, so I worried it was an emergency.

  “Hello?” I said down the phone, bracing myself for bad news.

  “Tell me you were touching yourself in bed and thinking of me when I called,” Kieran replied.

  “You sound like some heavy-breathing pervert,” I said, giggling.

  “Irish, that’s exactly what I am.”

  “Serious, what’s with the heavy breathing?”

  “I’m running, but I’ve got hands free.”

  “Doesn’t it mess up your rhythm to talk while you run?” I couldn’t imagine being able to run to the corner shop and back, let alone hold a conversation while I was doing it.

  “Hell yes, but it’s worth it to speak to you. Between my training and your work, I’m getting some serious withdrawals. Last night just made things worse. Now I want you in my bed every night,” he admitted. I couldn’t help my little groan as I imagined that too. “Seriously, baby, you can’t be making noises like that when I’m not there. Running and talking is one thing, but even I don’t think I can run with a hard-on.”

  I laughed as I imagined it, and just like that, Kieran had filled up the gloom with his light.

  “Why are you running again?” I asked him. “Didn’t you run to the gym this morning?”

  “Usually I don’t have to run again until lunch or the evening, but Danny’s pissed.”

  “Why?” I’d met Danny a few times since I’d known Em, but I didn’t know him well. Still, I couldn’t see what Kieran could have done to wind him up already. He’d only been at the gym a couple of hours.

  “Tommy shouted across the gym to ask me where I spent last night, because he called me at Ma’s and I wasn’t there. When I told him I spent it with you, Danny lost his shit. He thinks I broke the sex ban, and despite pleading my innocence,
I don’t think he’s really buying it. He told me to ‘feck off outta his sight for five miles.’”

  “Poor baby. Do you think it would help if I wrote you a note confirming that my virtue’s intact?” I asked him, giggling.

  “Even if he didn’t tell me to feck off, it wouldn’t be entirely true. I mean, we might not have technically broken the ban, but I think about fingering you at least once every half hour,” he admitted.

  “Kieran,” I whined, rubbing my thighs together, trying to ease the ache building between them.

  “’Course, then I start think about touching my tongue between your legs, and how sweet you’ll taste. And that gets me thinking what it’ll feel like when I’m finally inside you, below with you above me, and behind with you bent over in front of me. Whether I’ll have my hands on your tits, or whether they’ll be in my mouth,” he said. It might have been my imagination, but his breathing seemed to get much harder.

  “You’re going to give yourself that hard-on,” I warned.

  “Yeah, it’s a bit late for that, Irish. Not one of my best ideas, calling you in the middle of training.”

  “Serves you right for getting me all hot and horny when you aren’t here to do anything about it,” I replied, laughing.

  “Man, that is a fucking beautiful sound. I’ll see you tonight, love, and I don’t worry, I don’t mind in the slightest if you touch yourself after I hang up as long as you’re thinking about me,” he said.

  “Good luck training for the rest of the day with that visual in mind,” I replied, making him groan as he realised what he’d done.

  “It’s gonna be a long day,” he said on a sigh.

  “Only twelve more hours, Kier, and just for you, I’ll wear my favourite blue panties today to match the colour of your balls,” I replied. The line went quiet for a second, and it sounded like he’d stopped.

  “Irish, I think I’ve finally met my match,” he said, breathlessly.

  ***

  The morning flew by in a flurry of activity. As it was a Saturday, I had back-to-back appointments and fittings all morning. Lucas had popped in briefly to give me a hand shifting some boxes, and I managed to snag a packet of salt and vinegar crisps from the bag containing the enormous lunch he’d bought for himself. Perched on a stool, I was snacking on the proceeds of my pilfery and sketching out a new design that had been dancing in my head all morning. I was so engrossed in what I was doing, I didn’t even register the opening door, or the man who walked through it, until my favourite chicken tikka baguette was placed on the counter next to me. I looked up to see Alastair leaning towards me on the counter, smiling.

  “Now tell me I didn’t make your day,” he said.

  “Ugh, that’s really kind of you. I wasn’t planning on stopping for dinner though. I’ve got another client in fifteen minutes,” I lied. It was seriously beginning to creep me out the amount of times he just ‘popped up’ into my life.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “I was seeing a client in the area, and I had a feeling that you’d end up working too hard to eat. So I thought I’d take care of you,” he replied, and I kind of felt bad.

  “It’s probably a good thing you stopped by,” I said, hesitantly. “I think we need to talk about something.”

  “Talk and eat,” he said, pushing my baguette closer to me. He removed his coat and jacket, placing them carefully over the wooden counter, before pulling up a stool, far too close to mine. Easing my legs as close to the counter as they’d go, I opened my lunch and started taking small nibbles. Not knowing how to break this gently, I figured that coming straight out with it was probably best.

  “The thing is, Alastair, although we are friends, I’m not sure that us seeing each other like this can happen anymore. You see, I’m sort of seeing someone, and it feels wrong to be friendly with another man while I’m in a relationship.” I braced myself for his reaction.

  He slowly lowered his sandwich, his face as black as thunder. “You told me that you weren’t in the right place for a relationship, so I waited. I’ve waited for all this time for you to be in the right place. And now you’re telling me you’re seeing someone else,” he said, eerily calm but with an edge that had me twisting in my seat.

  “I didn’t lie to you. I wasn’t in a place where I wanted a relationship, and I told Kieran the same thing, but he just swept me off my feet.” In truth, I’d never felt about Alastair the way I felt about Kieran. Alastair had seemed so easy-going when I’d first suggested that we just be friends. I had no idea he felt so strongly. I felt terrible, but it was best that he knew where he stood with me.

  “I see,” he said, finally. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to work. But I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.” With that, he put on his suit jacket and coat, and after leaning in to kiss me gently on the cheek, headed out the door.

  Chapter Eleven

  Kieran

  I fucking hated running. I’m sure that’s why Danny made me do so much of it. I wondered, if I spent more time moaning about how much I hated weight training, would he have me doing that instead. Knowing my luck, he’d probably just double up on both. Despite my bitching, I couldn’t argue that he was getting results. I always thought I was fit, but his regime had taken my fitness to another level. It was totally old school of course. There were no machines to record how hard I could punch or how much I had increased my lung capacity. If we all had a talent, Danny’s was the ability to look inside a fighter and know exactly what it would take to make him the best he ever could be. Apparently for me, that meant endless miles pounding the pavement.

  At least these days, I had something to occupy my thoughts. With every step I took, Irish was in my head with me. Whether I saw her or not, the world was suddenly a better place. It was like I’d been handed this amazing gift, and every day, as I got to know her a little better, I’d get to unwrap another layer of it. I ran mile after mile wearing the dopiest smile, but I just didn’t care.

  “Shit, I’d never have guessed this was your third run of the day. I’ve been trying to catch you up for the last mile,” Liam said, falling in step next to me.

  “Why aren’t you driving?” I asked, pulling out my ear buds and stuffing them in my pocket.

  “I’m trying to keep a low profile,” he admitted. “Danny is convinced that Da won’t break whatever truce they’ve got going, but I wouldn’t put it past one of my arsehole brothers not to key my truck if they saw it.” Liam loved that fucking truck. It was the first thing he bought himself when he started making good money in construction, and it was a beast. It certainly fit the tank of a man driving it.

  “I give it until it rains for the first time before you jack it in and decide to risk it,” I told him.

  “I don’t even think I’ll make it that long. I can train in the gym all day long, but I’m just not built for this.”

  “Stop ya bitchin’,” I said jovially. “You’ve got a man to keep in shape for now. Speaking of which, how’s the house hunting going?”

  “Trying to get rid of me already?”

  “Not at all, mate. You stay as long as you like. As long as you’re there, Ma’s more interested in your love life than mine.”

  “You told her about Irish yet?”

  “She knew the minute I walked in the door with a smile. If there’s a hint of romance in the air, she’ll sniff it out like a bloodhound. She’s already got me and Irish married off with kids, and she hasn’t met her yet.”

  “Doesn’t bother you, does it?”

  “Hell no,” I replied. “I just don’t want Ma scaring her away. She’s coming around for dinner tonight before we go out. It’s the first time I’ve ever brought a girl home before, so I have a feeling Ma’s gonna have a total freak-out and start talking grandkids or some shit. At least, if you’re there, I can deflect.”

  “Ah, sorry, bro. I already told your Ma that we’re going to see a house tonight, so we’re grabbing food afterwards. It’s
just the three of you I’m afraid,” he said, grinning remorselessly.

  “Laugh it up, lard arse. One day soon you’re gonna be meeting Albie’s parents.” I smiled as his face dropped.

  ***

  “What if she doesn’t like lasagne?” Ma said, patting her hair nervously to make sure no strands had come loose.

  “Her ma is Maltese,” I told her. “I’m sure she’ll love it.”

  “What’s that got to do with anything? Lasagne is Italian.”

  “They’re both in the Mediterranean, aren’t they? Besides, everyone loves your pasta.”

  Ma’s food really was amazing, but she cooked like she was feeding a small army. Even after Da died, she never really got the hang of cooking for two. Luckily, I had more than one mate who never let anything go to waste.

  “I hope she’s here soon. Dinner is just about ready. Why aren’t you picking her up from work?” she asked.

  “She was going to the hairdresser’s after her last appointment. I offered to collect her when she was done, but she told me she’d just meet me here, and I’ve learned not to argue with my girl. I think she’s worried about me not having enough downtime to rest after training. Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked her, seeing the look on her face.

  “Awww, you said ‘my girl.’ That’s so sweet! Do you know how long I’ve waited for you to bring a nice girl home, Kieran Doherty?” she said, squeezing my cheeks together like I was a cute baby.

  “Maaaa,” I protested, squirming away just as the doorbell rang. Leaving her in the kitchen, I raced through the house to the front door. Irish stood on my doorstep, waving goodbye to the taxi behind her. She’d barely turned to face me when I bent slightly to pick her up and claimed her mouth mercilessly. Having no choice, she wrapped her legs around my waist and moaned as she speared her hands into my hair. I was completely lost, my body craving to claim her in every way possible. Her tongue brushed tentatively against mine, and I captured it before she could move away. Everything about that kiss was wild and primate. Her taste was so fucking addictive, I knew I’d never have enough. She pulled back just long enough for me to remember where we were.