This Love

by Kelly Elliott

  Tammy pulled a book down and shoved it in my face.

  “Look! Romance books!”

  I rolled my eyes. “Oh, joy.”

  I glanced at the cover. It was one of the titles Amelia had bought for me to read last year. I wanted to chuckle but decided against letting Tammy in on the little secret of my reading habits.

  A few people approached, and I made small talk. Everything from how the weather was and how good the fish were biting, right up to it was about time an elegant bar came to town. That was when I lost interest in the conversation. Almost became combative. My bar was nice, not fancy like the one upstairs, but it was nice.

  Assholes.

  My eyes scanned the room, and they locked on the most breathtaking green eyes I’d ever seen.

  Maebh.

  Holy shit. She looked beautiful. More than beautiful. She took my breath away in that dress. My mind instantly went back a few days ago when those legs were wrapped around me and my cock was pressed into her hot core.

  Fucking hell.

  Maebh’s gaze jerked to Tammy next to me. She was going on and on about another book she’d found. Every now and then, she punched me in the arm.

  Maebh looked back to the person she was talking to. She said something and headed up the steps to the reception area, otherwise known as: the bar with the whiskey. Just what I needed.

  Tammy was buried elbows deep in books, allowing me to slip away.

  The second I got up there, I found my family. Well, most of them. Mitchell and Corina were absent since Corina had just given birth to Merit a few weeks back.

  Then I saw her.

  My mother.

  The huge smile she wore said she was on a mission.

  Fucking great.

  “Cord!” My mother exclaimed. “You made it.”

  Leaning down, I kissed her on the cheek. “Of course I did.”

  She pulled me close and put her mouth next to my ear. “Thank you for showing up.”

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  Her brow lifted like she knew something I didn’t.

  What the hell is my mom up to now?

  “Mom, can I ask you a question?”

  She tilted her head and tried to look innocent. “Of course.”

  “Why did you put the Irish butter in my refrigerator?”

  She wanted to laugh; I could see it all over her face. She did a damn good job holding it in. “Well, I read that it’s much better for you. Just ask Maebh.”

  And there it was.

  “Ma, don’t be butting into my business.”

  “Cord Parker, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  I balled my fists at my side. “I’m telling Dad!”

  She glared at me before tossing her head back and laughing. She patted my chest and shook her head. “Good luck with that, son. Ask your siblings how well it’s worked for them in the past. I need to go say hello to someone.”

  Groaning, I made a mental note to stop by my folks’ place sooner rather than later. I needed my mother to keep her nose out of this.

  I glanced around the room, searching for her. Maebh was standing behind the bar, laughing alongside some good-looking bastard whom I was hoping was just the bartender.

  “Maebh!” Waylynn called out. “Show everyone the proper way to take a shot.”

  My dick strained against my pants when I saw her cheeks flush. The things I wanted to whisper in her ear to make those cheeks turn pink like that… I’d done it the other day when I kissed her and had my cock pressed against her body. I knew she wanted me as much as I wanted her.

  I shook my head, clearing my wayward thoughts while I studied her.

  Maebh poured a generous shot. Right before she brought the glass to her mouth, her eyes met mine. I smirked and shook my head slightly. No fucking way she was going to down all that.

  She winked, tilted her head back, and took the shot in one fucking gulp. My knees actually trembled, and my stomach felt like I’d jumped a hill going a hundred miles-an-hour in my truck.

  What in the fuck? I’d had plenty of women wink at me, but Maebh O’Sullivan winking and then downing a shot? Sexiest thing I’d ever seen. But what the hell did it mean? It made me both anxious and horny at the same time.

  “A round for everyone!” she called out. Shots were poured and handed to everyone in the reception area. Maebh’s father stood next to his daughter and lifted the glass.

  “To Aisling!” he cried out, and everyone followed his lead.

  I swallowed hard as Maebh took another shot with ease. She was soon walking around the room, mingling with everyone. I needed to find an escape before she got to me. I couldn’t talk to her. Not after the dick move I’d pulled last week, but damn, I certainly couldn’t control the way my body reacted to her.

  “Where you going?” Tripp asked, pulling me to a stop with his hand on my shoulder.

  “Need some fresh air.”

  “Why are you so afraid of her?”

  I laughed. “I’m not afraid of her. I can’t fucking understand a word she says.”

  He looked at me like I was full a shit.

  “Maybe you should take your ‘nothing to be afraid of self’ and go hide out on the rooftop patio then,” he said with a smirk.

  “Yes!” Harley stated. “It’s stunning.”

  My eyes narrowed as I glanced at Maebh. She was too busy talking to my parents to notice me leaving. I was pretty sure I had to go through a private entrance to get to the patio but didn’t want to go snooping around looking for the doorway.

  “How do you get to it?” I asked.

  Tripp cleared his throat. “I don’t think they’re allowing anyone up there tonight. It’s for future use, to rent out for special occasions. But you can just keep going up those stairs. You can also get to Maebh’s apartment from that staircase.” He pointed back to the set of stairs I had just come up on. Sure enough, the stairs went farther up.

  “Well, I’m going to go check it out. I need some air.”

  They didn’t even bother to stop me as I made my way to the bar, ordered a Murphy’s Irish Stout, then took the steps two at a time. I wanted to hurry up and get out of sight before someone saw me heading to the rooftop.

  The door was open, and I stepped out. A light breeze was blowing, making this July night feel more like a spring evening.

  I made my way over to the edge and looked out over Oak Springs. It was pretty much the same view from my roof, but it felt more like a romantic scene out of one of Amelia’s books. Twinkle lights made a faux roof above with tables and chairs placed in different spots. Candles that weren’t lit sat on each table, and I was positive it would be a pretty romantic spot with them all lit. Not like mine that had oversized chairs, a Jacuzzi and an outside bar with a big screen TV. Mine was more like an outdoor man cave. This was a romantic hideaway made for lovers to enjoy a beautiful night, with low music and candlelight, while they ate a delicious meal under the stars.

  I sat down and finished my beer as I studied the night sky. Leaning back, I put both hands behind my head and stared up at the distant stars, trying to recall the stories about the constellations I’d been taught in school…except my mind kept coming back to Maebh.

  When I knew I couldn’t hide out any longer, I stood—and realized that Maebh was watching me.

  “Is everything alright?” she asked, a sweet smile on her beautiful face. Her thick Irish accent made my head spin, and my heart pound in my chest. Or maybe it was her smile. Or her eyes. Or the memory of that kiss. I wanted to kiss her again and then take her to bed and just hold her as I fell asleep.

  Fucking hell. What’s in this alcohol?

  I wanted to hold her? No, I wanted to fuck her.

  I cleared my throat. “Everything’s fine. This is nice up here. The whole place is really nice. Beautiful.” I swallowed hard.

  “Thank you.”

  I grinned. I loved it when she said thank you because it sounded like she was saying, tank you. It was ado
rable as fuck, especially when she scrunched up her nose.

  She took a step closer and all I wanted to do was run. Run to her. Run from her. Run and jump off the top of the fucking building. Scream for Tripp to get his ass up here. This woman both thrilled me and scared the piss out of me.

  Get it together, Parker.

  No woman had ever made me feel so messed up, yet Maebh O’ Sullivan’s smile turned me into a sixteen-year-old idiot.

  “I’m glad you came.” She looked out over the town square before she went on talking. “I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”

  My eyes widened. “What?”

  “The woman you came with?”

  “Tammy?” I said, laughing at the idea of Tammy being anything more than a pain in my ass. “She’s the manager of the bar. We only walked down here together. That’s it.”

  There went that goddamn smile again. Why wasn’t she mad at me? I’d acted like such a dick the other day. I didn’t deserve that smile. When my gaze moved to her lips, I groaned internally and my cock began to swell in my pants. A sure sign I needed to leave before I did something stupid again.

  “What are you doing up here?” I finally managed to say.

  “I needed a moment to meself and someone suggested I come up here for air. Why are you up here?” There was a playful edge to her voice, and I found myself liking it. I wanted to hear her talk more.

  There was no way I could tell her the truth. That simply being in her presence made me stupid and I needed to stay far away from her.

  “I, um, needed air. I also wanted to see if your view was better than mine.”

  “It’s not the same as your view?” She smirked and my insides heated.

  Fuck. Busted.

  I let out a slight chuckle. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes seemed to light up. She liked it when I laughed. I needed to remember that.

  “You got me on that one. Truth be told, I’m feeling a bit off. I think I’m going to call it a night.”

  She nodded. Was that disappointment? Maybe she was hoping I’d pull her into my arms and plant another kiss on her pretty little lips. I sure as fuck wanted to.

  Dragging in a deep breath, I headed toward the door. Maebh reached out and lightly grabbed my arm, halting me in my tracks. My stomach dropped like a rock thrown into the river.

  Our eyes met, and some weird feeling hit me in the center of my chest. My breath caught, and I swore to God it sounded like hers did too.

  What in the hell is this woman doing to me?

  “Thank you for coming this evening,” she said softly. “It meant a lot.”

  My mouth opened but nothing came out. Clearing my throat, I got my shit back together and winked. “No problem. See ya around.”

  Her hand dropped to her side, and I quickly headed to the door. I loosened the tie that felt like it was cutting off my breath while I picked up my pace. When I got to the reception area, Steed took one look at me and asked what was wrong.

  “Nothing. I’m going home. Tell everyone I said goodnight.”

  I headed down the steps, not giving him a chance to respond or even say goodnight.

  The second I made it out of the restaurant I damn near ran to my place. Sprinting up the steps, I unlocked my door, stepped inside, and shut it like the apocalypse had started and a zombie was trying to get in.

  I bent over, my hands resting on my knees, and I fought to pull in a few deep breaths. My arm still burned where she had touched it. Just like my lips did last week, a slow burn that lasted for days afterward.

  I stood when I felt like I could breathe again. Leaning against my door, I dropped my head against it. What in the hell was happening to me? I couldn’t bring myself to have sex with anyone, and I really needed to figure out a way to get my head clear. When I closed my eyes, I saw her smile. Her emerald green eyes staring back. This was not good. Not good at all. I wanted Maebh like I’d never wanted any other woman in my entire life. One kiss was never going to cut it.

  I let out a laugh and jerked my fingers through my damp hair.

  Am I sweating?

  My phone buzzed in my pocket. Taking it out, I found a text from an unknown number.

  Unknown: You dropped your wallet when you were on the rooftop terrace. I’ll bring it by the bar tomorrow. –Maebh.

  I swallowed. How did she get my number?

  My mother!

  It didn’t matter; now I had her cell phone number. I quickly added a new contact and typed her name with shaking hands.

  “Wait. She has my wallet? That means…I have to see her tomorrow,” I said out loud like someone was there listening.

  Walking to my couch, I dropped face down into the oversized pillows and groaned.

  “I’m so totally fucked.”

  Glancing one more time at meself in the mirror, I took a deep breath while I chewed on the corner of me lip.

  Rolling me eyes, I whispered, “For goodness sake, Maebh. Just go give him his wallet.”

  I headed down the steps and into the kitchen. “Da, I’m going to run an errand.”

  He glanced up from his newspaper. “Where are you going?”

  “Cord’s Place.”

  Me da’s brow raised. “Cord Parker? You’re going to his house, or his bar?”

  I gave him a playful wink. “Does it matter? I am twenty-five, Da.”

  He grunted in response. “I don’t like the way the boy looks at you.”

  Me heart jumped. “What do you mean? How does he look at me?”

  Shaking his head, he replied, “Like he wants ya. I don’t like it one bit.”

  Me cheeks flushed. “You’re reading it all wrong, Da. Cord isn’t interested in me. Sometimes I think he doesn’t even like me, not since he found out I was opening a bar so close to his.”

  The newspaper dropped, and he started to laugh. “You’re joking with me, right? I raised you to be smarter than that, Maebh.” He shook his head. “Your mother was the same way. Never noticed the men staring at her. She was naïve, like you.”

  Me hands went to me hips. “Excuse me. I’m not naïve!”

  “Uh-huh. You going to stand here and argue with me, or go see the boy?”

  “It’s not a visit, Da. It’s simply to return the wallet he dropped last night. That’s all.”

  His hands came up in a defensive position.

  Reaching for Cord’s wallet, I huffed and headed down the stairs.

  “Don’t let the blimey bastard put his hands on ya!”

  Rushing down the steps, I tried to regain the confidence I’d had earlier. The plan was to march in and give him back his wallet and then leave. That was it.

  Less than two minutes later, I was walking into the bar. It wouldn’t open for a few hours, and I was surprised to find the door unlocked. A young girl about my age glanced up.

  “What can I do for ya?” she asked. Her accent was thick, and I knew she had to be from this area.

  “Is Cord around?” I asked.

  Her eyes took me in.

  “He expecting you?”

  “Yes. My name is Maebh O’Sullivan.”

  Did she just snarl at me?

  Picking up a phone, she glanced over her shoulder. “Boss, there’s a Maebh O’Sullivan here to see you.”

  The smug look on her face fell, and she turned away. I took a few steps closer to hear what she was going to say.

  “Send her back? To your office?”

  I stepped away and tried to calm my racing heart.

  His office? Oh hell, I’m in trouble.

  She hung up and cleared her throat.

  “He would like for you to go back to his office.”

  I swallowed hard. I was about to hand her the wallet and tell her to give it to him, but what if for some strange reason, she didn’t? I didn’t know this girl.

  “Do you know where his office is?” she asked, clearly annoyed. She scoffed at my silence. “He won’t bite, honey. Unless you ask him to. He seems like the type who’d be into that.”
r />   My eyes widened, and my cheeks flushed.

  “Right,” she said, laughing. “Follow me.”

  I followed her even though my head told me to run in the other direction, away from Cord Parker.

  She pointed to the last door on the right. “That’s his office. Just knock before you go in.”

  Why was I feeling like a little girl being sent to the principal’s office? I was nervous as hell.

  “Thank you,” I replied with a smile.

  She turned and headed back down the hall.

  With a deep breath, I knocked on the door and held the air in me lungs.

  “Come in.”

  Whoosh.

  It all came out in one hitch as his voice filled me ears.

  When the door opened, I found Cord behind a large, dark wooden desk. Me mind instantly went dark, and I pictured him on top of the desk, me underneath him.

  Ugh. This is a bad idea. A very bad idea.

  “Cord?” I whispered, my voice sounding weaker than I wanted it to.

  When he looked up, my breath caught.

  Why is this man so lash?

  He smiled and stood while me insides did all sorts of weird things. Me stomach flopped around, while me heartbeat went crazy, me mouth went dry, and the room spun a bit.

  “Come on in.”

  His voice practically purred.

  Get in, give him his wallet, and retreat. I stepped into the office and held up his wallet.

  “I went on a shopping spree this morning,” I said, wiggling my eyebrows.

  Cord laughed, and I nearly turned to Jell-O.

  I forced me feet to walk over to his desk where I handed him his brown leather wallet.

  “Thank you for bringing it back to me. It must have fallen out when I sat down.”

  “No worries. It gave me something to look forward to.”

  His eyes widened some.

  “Not that I was looking forward to seeing you or anything. I meant it was keeping me mind off the grand-grand opening tonight. That’s what I meant.”

  His eyes turned dark for a moment, making me stomach flip, but then the look was gone, and he gazed at me blankly.

  I couldn’t help it—I glanced at his desk. I felt a little sick thinking he’d had sex with other women on it. It turned me stomach and hurt me chest in a way that scared me. I shouldn’t care what Cord Parker had done in this room, but I did. And I was jealous. Insanely jealous of all the women he’d had.