“Can I come?” I’d asked her.
“Do you want to?” she replied, and I’d nodded. If it was good news, I wanted to be the first to hear it, and if was bad, then she needed me.
“Okay,” she agreed easily. Besides, going in alone meant letting go of my hand, and I wasn’t sure she could do that.
“Dr Austin, this is my boyfriend Kieran,” she said, introducing me.
“Hello, Kieran. Pleased to meet you,” the doctor said. “Please take a seat.”
We sat, still holding hands, while he got straight to business.
“Look, I know that you’ve had some concerns this last month about headaches and general fatigue, but I think that’s because you’ve been working yourself too hard. You have to remember that your body is an engine. If you overwork it, it’s going to pack up on you,” he explained. So the headaches and fatigue were news to me, but we’d discuss that later.
“As far as I can see from the tests, everything is looking good. The aortic valve repair is still holding nicely. As long as you don’t put your heart under unnecessary strain, there’s no reason it won’t hold for a very long time,” he added reassuringly.
“And long term?” she asked quietly, squeezing my hand a little harder.
“One day at a time, Marie,” he replied. “Cardiothoracic surgery has come a hell of a long way in the last twenty years, and will probably advance exponentially in the next twenty. There are any number of factors that can determine whether a transplant is absolutely necessary, but with the risk of organ rejection, it’s often our last resort. I would want to explore further surgeries if it came to that point. For now, rest a little more and keep doing what you’re doing. If you start having any problems or symptoms, don’t wait for the review, contact me immediately. Other than that, plan on having a long and happy life, and I’ll do my best to get you there.”
Looking at her then, her eyes closed in relief and happiness, I couldn’t believe how happy I was. Knowing that Irish was as healthy as she could be was the best news. It was the perfect end to the weekend and the perfect start to the week ahead.
“Are you ever going to tell me where we’re going?” she asked me, smiling.
“You’ll see soon enough,” I replied, with a grin of my own.
“Won’t Liam miss his truck?”
“Nah, I didn’t think you’d be up to riding all this way on the bike, so we swapped for a couple of days.”
“That’s nice of him,” she said, settling down.
“You tired?” I looked over at her sleepy expression.
“A little,” she admitted. “I’ve been so anxious about the fight and my appointment, that I feel exhausted now that there’s nothing to worry about any more.”
“Why don’t you nap for a bit then. I’ll wake you up when we get there.”
“That’s okay,” she replied. “I’ll bet you’re just as tired as I am.” I smiled at her stubbornness, then flat out grinned when she was asleep five minutes later.
Hours later, and she was still out cold. The key to the cottage I’d hired was in the numbered lockbox, exactly where it was supposed to be. The owners had even been kind enough to leave a picnic basket of food, which I figured would come in handy. I’d just taken in our bags when she woke.
“I’m so sorry I fell asleep,” she said, as she jumped out of the truck and shut the door. Rubbing her arms at the brisk breeze, after the warmth of the truck, she looked around. “Oh, Kieran. Is this where we’re staying? It’s beautiful,” she said in awe.
The one-bedroom stone cottage was tiny, but stunning. A winding path led through a garden, which I’d bet would be full of flowers in full bloom come summer. The inside was pretty basic. The kitchen and bathroom were both tiny, but the wooden canopy bed in front of an open fire had me sold on the place.
“Yeah, I’m afraid there’s only one bed and limited heating in this place, so we’re both going to have to cuddle naked for warmth while we’re here.” I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my chin on top of her head.
“Well, if it’s for the sake of our survival, we really don’t have a choice,” she replied. Fuck, I loved this girl. “Wait, what am I going to do about the shop?”
“Don’t worry,” I answered. “I had a chat with your mum, and she’s covering for you. She said you’ve got a fitting booked in for Friday though, so we need to be back by then.”
“But that’s three whole days away,” she replied, turning in my arms and wrapping hers around my neck, “and I plan to make the most of each and every one of them.”
Leaning down, I met her halfway and kissed her, just as the heavens opened.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Marie
It rained every day for three days, but they were the best three days of my life. Despite the terrible weather, every morning we explored the coast, discovering quaint little seafood restaurants and cosy pubs. But that afternoon was our last, and we wanted it completely to ourselves. The cottage was pretty isolated along the coast, so when a tiny window in the weather allowed, we walked down to the beach and ate a fish and chip supper as we watched the tide go out.
“I don’t care how rich either of us ever get. No fancy restaurant will ever be able to top the taste of good seaside fish and chips,” I told Kieran.
“After months of egg whites and protein shakes, I reckon I could eat this every day for weeks and not have enough. Sorry, baby, but you might have a bit more to hold onto soon,” he said, patting his rock-hard abs. There wasn’t an ounce of spare fat on his body. He didn’t sit still long enough to put on weight.
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about, but I’d still love you, even if you were a chunky monkey.”
“Plenty of sex will keep me trim,” he assured me seriously.
“Ah, well, you definitely don’t have anything to worry about then,” I said with a giggle.
“Never can be too careful. I think we should work out at least twice a day, every day. You can’t take your health for granted.”
“What are you doing now?” I asked as he started on my half-eaten bag of chips, having devoured his own.
“The more I eat, the more I have to burn off,” he replied with a cheeky grin.
He threw the empty bags away and grabbed my hand as we walked on the sand.
“Warm enough?” he asked as I shivered.
“There’s something ethereal about walking along an empty beach in winter, but the wind is arctic today.”
Letting go of my hand, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and tucked me into his side. Instantly, warmth seeped from his body into mine.
“I really don’t want to go home today,” I told him.
“I do,” he said, and I pulled away slightly to look at him. He laughed at my expression and pulled me straight back into his arms. “I want us to look for our own place. The next time we go somewhere, I want us to be going back to our home together. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can make that happen.”
“I love the way your mind works.”
“Baby, let me show you how something else of mine works. I promise you’ll love it just as much,” he replied, walking back to the cottage a little faster.
***
“Jesus Christ!” I screamed out. He hadn’t been lying. I had loved it.
“Are you praying, Irish?”
“Don’t stop!” I pleaded, and he chuckled as he lowered his head and went back to making me scream. How I wasn’t hoarse by this point I didn’t know. There should be a law against bringing someone to the point of orgasm and not letting them come. This was the third time, and if Kieran didn’t end this exquisite torture soon, I was going to jump on him and finish the job myself.
He peppered the inside of my thigh with gentle kisses, then worked his way along my belly and ribs, stopping to kiss every surgical scar along the way. He was shaking himself as he reached my lips.
“I love you,” he whispered as he slid inside me. I was speechless. Hell, I
was completely breathless. I couldn’t even remember how to formulate words. The feeling of holding him deep inside of me, filling every inch of me, only to retreat and slide back in again. It was perfect.
“I love you,” I replied. It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t nearly enough, not to define how important that moment was or how I felt about him. Not enough to explain how meeting him had changed the course of my life forever. Those three little words weren’t enough, but they were all I had.
His trembling hand slid along my thigh as he moved a little harder and deeper. I squeezed my thighs, desperate for everything he had to give. His lips brushed against mine, but they only stoked the fire even hotter. Our tongues collided as we devoured each other, desperately edging closer to that blissful release. We broke apart, and he bent his head to rest in the crook of my neck.
“Tá grá agam duit,” he whispered in my ear. I didn’t understand the Gaelic, but it didn’t matter. I felt its meaning in Kieran. His huge hand engulfed my breast. His hand was capable of such violence, but he caressed me with such care and devotion. My body was liquid beneath his touch. No matter how much he gave me, I only craved more. If it were even possible, he grew thicker and harder inside of me, and I arched my back, desperate for what he alone could give me.
“Irish,” he groaned into my mouth. He withdrew, sweeping his thumb across my nipple as he impaled me. His heated breath met mine as I nipped his bottom lip. Without warning, he lifted me, dragged a comforter off the sofa, and threw it down on the rug beside the open fire he’d lit. Hastily, he flipped me on all fours. Sympathising with his desperation, I clutched the fabric tightly and laid my head down. He groaned at the sight of me lying prostrate and ready for him. I shivered as he traced a gentle path down my spine with his fingertips. When he reached my arse, his touch became more urgent. Gripping my hips firmly, he thrust inside me to the hilt, and it was my turn to moan. It was so deep, so full, and Kieran’s rhythm was relentless. As he pounded into me, I begged him for more.
Wrapping an arm around my waist he pulled me up, my back flush against his chest His bearlike paw swallowed my breast, emphasizing the difference in our size. As his other hand travelled down my body, I reached back to clutch his neck, squeezing a little with excitement and anticipation. Pleasure darted to my core as he rubbed and tweaked my nipple. Surrounded by his strong, hard body, he consumed me, and I had never felt so cherished and protected. His thumb teased confidently at my core, like he owned it.
And he did.
He owned my body like no man ever had or ever would. Not because I was a virgin. I wasn’t. But because I’d given him my body and my heart. Both were Kieran’s in equal measure. What made sex so phenomenal was that he treasured me as much as I treasured him. Never had I surrendered myself to someone as I had to him.
“Kieran…,” I moaned.
“Fuck! I love the way you say my name,” he replied as he drove in deeper and deeper. I knew I couldn’t hold out much longer. He bent his head to nip my shoulder, tilting his pelvis slightly. Pleasure sensors all over my body cried out simultaneously, and the strongest orgasm I’d ever had ripped through me. Kieran jerked violently, every muscled tensed and strained. Our shudders eventually stilled, and we both collapsed to the floor, his dick still buried deep inside me, like he couldn’t bring himself to lose that contact.
“I think you fucked me so hard, I’ve gone blind,” I told him, making him laugh.
“That was beyond epic,” he said, tracing lazy patterns on my abdomen. The fire bounced light and shadows across his tan skin, and I was mesmerised. Limp and completely sated, I cuddled in closer and let him wrap me in his arms.
“I’m going to give you everything you ever dreamt of. You know that, baby?”
“Kieran,” I sighed sleepily, “you already have.”
***
Going back to work after a holiday sucked. It was official. Most days, especially since they featured Kieran, I loved my life. Every day was a gift I tried never to take for granted. That morning though was just the worst. After getting caught in the rain, having forgotten my umbrella, a thirty-minute fitting appointment for an alteration had turned into a two-hour ordeal with a bridezilla from hell. I wasn’t particularly confrontational, but I was anything but a pushover. After barking all of the alterations she wanted at me, I calmly explained that what she was looking for wasn’t alterations but a new dress. A huge row ensued, during which I held my ground until the bride-to-be burst into tears. Three glasses of prosecco later, and it turned out that the dress wasn’t the problem at all. It was the groom.
“Why do people insist on marrying someone they know isn’t right for them? She’s got serious doubts about whether he’s the man for her, and she’s going to marry him anyway,” I asked Mum about bridezilla.
She handed me a cup of tea, then added about three sugars to her own.
“It happens more than you’d think. Some women get scared that they’ll end up alone, or they want children before they’re too old, and they settle. For some people it works, and they have a long and happy marriage. For others, they don’t realise their mistake until it’s too late.”
“I just can’t imagine marrying someone without that certainty of knowing they are the one person I want to spend the rest of my life with,” I told her.
“Ah, but marriage is rarely about certainty. It’s about love, hope, and faith. When you love someone more than you’ve ever loved anyone else, even yourself, you hope for a long life together, and you have faith that both of you will compromise and sacrifice when times are hard to make that life a happy one.”
I smiled at her wisdom, as I thought back on all the wonderful memories I had of Mum and Dad together.
“And sex,” she added as an afterthought. “It’s important to have a bit of chemistry in the bedroom. It’s all well and good marrying your best friend, as long as they stoke your fire. Of course, a bit of the passion fades when you find yourself knee-deep in nappies and dirty dishes. But, Lord… your father could make my knickers take themselves off with a single raise of his eyebrow, right up until the day he died.” She looked wistfully into the distance as she did some reminiscing of her own.
“I love you, Mum, but that’s too much information. I do not need to think of you and Dad getting down and dirty.”
“There was nothing dirty about it. Although, there was that one time—”
“Maaaa!” I protested, squirming. She laughed at my expression until I ended up giggling with her.
“It’s good to see you so happy,” she said to me softly. “You know, as a parent, that’s all we really want for our children. Health and happiness. Kieran is a good boy, and he makes you smile. That makes me happy.”
“Umm, so on the theme of you wanting me to be happy, you wouldn’t feel too freaked out then if we decided to move in together?” I asked her, biting my lip as I waited for her reply. She stared at me hard, probably trying to decide whether I was being serious or not, then finally shrugged.
“You are a sensible girl and you know what you are doing. If this feels right to you, if you have faith, then so do I.”
Abandoning my stool, I walked over to give her a big hug.
“Thanks, Mum,” I whispered in her ear.
“You’re welcome, love. Now drink your tea before it goes cold. Bridezilla’a maid of honour is in this afternoon, and if you thought the bride was a piece of work….”
***
The streets were dark by the time I was done for the day. Mum had left a little earlier than usual to get her hair done, and knowing that Kieran would be there to pick me up soon, I turned out all the lights and locked up the shop. Dropping my keys into my handbag and turning around, I jumped as I saw something move in the shadows.
“Jesus,” I said, putting my hand over my heart in shock. Alastair stood there wearing a long woollen coat and expensive looking leather gloves.
“You’re moving in with him?” His expression was a mask of disbelief.
; “How could you possibly know that?” I asked, too furious to be freaked out.
“I saw you. You’ve been going into estate agents with him, getting listings for places. I saw you,” he repeated.
“Have you been following me?”
“I saw you,” he said, not really answering my question. I stood there completely shocked. He was acting like he had a right to be upset, as though we were in a relationship and I had somehow cheated on him.
“Alastair, this is nothing to do with you. Kieran is my boyfriend, and what we do together is absolutely none of your business. I’ve tried being nice and asking you to keep your distance, but enough is enough. Now I’m telling you. Stay away from me and out of my life or I’ll get a restraining order.”
“Why would you do that? We’re friends. I’m just looking out for you. You’ve known this guy for five minutes, and now you want to move in with him? It’s too soon. You haven’t even given the idea of us a chance!”
“There is no us!” I cried in frustration. “I hoped we could be friends, but that wasn’t enough for you. I don’t want to hurt you, but you need to let this go. Whether you’ve been following me or not, I know you being at Kieran’s fight wasn’t accidental. This is becoming an obsession and it’s poisonous. Do both of us a favour and move on. I love Kieran, and I know that out there somewhere is a girl who will make you happy, but that’s not me. And you’re never going to find her, not like this.”
“I can’t believe that you think you’re in love with him. I can give you everything you ever wanted, you know that?”
“I don’t need the world, Alastair. I just need him.”
“You think you need him, but you don’t. He has you brainwashed, but without him you’d see—”
“Enough!” I interrupted. “Enough, Alastair. I think you need to sit down and talk to someone. Have you spoken to your family about the way you feel?”
The Storm Page 19