“I’m so sorry Eddy I had no idea they had said all of those things I can’t imagine how much it must have hurt you” Charley said sadly giving both her husband and Gavin disappointed looks
Eddy sniffed as a tear slid down her pale cheek, “Aye it hurt to me bones but it was their opinion” she shrugged “I have been on my own fer a vera long time and I’ve done just fine but since I’ve met you people I’m jaded, banjoxed, I’ve been pushed around and beaten, treated like a whore, I’ve lost me home, and been degraded, you make me feel beyond the pale, and now I’ve to do what I never wanted to do, you’ve put on the kibosh”
The room was silent for a moment before Gavin asked “Who is Liam O’Grady to you Eddy?’
She gave a sobbing laugh but did not answer
“Is he your Uncle” he pushed
“Aye Gavin, me Uncle, me owner, the one and the same”
“Nobody can own you Eddy” Gavin pointed out as if she were crazy
She laughed and it was an eerie high pitched sound that brought goose bumps to the arms of the others in the room, “You do na know Liam O’Grady, he owns me, has me papers and he paid good money for me”
Shaking his head in confusion Gavin stood, “Eddy please come sit down, eat something, God knows if you loose any more weight those hip bones are going to cut me to ribbons” he said offhandedly
Her gasp was loud as was Charley and Kev’s ‘Gavin!’
Eddy’s lips quivered pitifully and she tried but lost the struggle to hold back the waiting tears and the painful sob, “I do na want yer food I do na want yer charity” turning she headed for the stairs and Gavin sprung after her, she stopped and held up her hand, “I need the jacks Gavin must ya follow me there to!”
Gavin backed off since it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that she was heading for the bathroom, he’d wait and then they would get to the bottom of this mess.
Having been in the house before Eddy knew there was a window in the bathroom that she would fit through, she locked the door as she went in and stood on the side of the tub to first remove the screen. She leaned down and turned on the water in the sink and the grasped the window ledge, pulling with her arms and pushing with her feet until her head and shoulders were outside and then she shimmied and scooted until she was fully on the ground outside. She heard Gavin calling to her from inside to open the door and she stuck her head back in, “Aye Gavin give a minute” and then she stood and dashed to his truck using the back tire to climb into the bed to retrieve her bags. She ducked when the front door swung open but nobody opened the screen so she took a peek and not seeing anybody she hopped down on the driver’s side careful to ease down on her good knee.
“There she is Gavin” Charley yelled
And Gavin came out the door, spotted her and jogged towards her as she ran, her knee gave her troubles but he had on cowboy boots that slid in the damp grass. The Donnelley’s property was large and she had a way to go before she got to the road, he made a lunge for her but she threw her duffle bag and he stumbled as it hit him in the chest.
“Shit” he exclaimed, “Damn it Eddy come back here”
Eddy hit a patch of mud and nearly went down but caught herself, a hand landed at her shoulder and caught the strap of her back pack but she shrugged it off and went a few steps before stopping and turning. Gavin stood about 10 feet in front of her holding both of her bags, daring her to come and get them.
“Give me, me bags Gavin” she panted as she bent forward with her hands on her knees, “You’ve no right to detain me”
“Who’s going to stop me Eddy?” he taunted as if he were enjoying himself
She looked at him and in that moment despised him, he wasn’t breathing hard, hadn’t even broken a sweat, just stood there holding her bags as if they weighed nothing and grinning because he knew he had her.
“Come on then boyo” she said taking a boxing stance and raising her fists
He laughed out loud, “Get real Eddy, give up”
But he could see that she was actually serious, “Put em up Gavin Blackhawk”
Chuckling less confidently he raised his hands palms out, her bags hanging at his elbows, “I’m not going to box you Eddy”
“Then give me the bags” she said watching him carefully
“No” he said and before he knew it she caught him on the chin with an upper cut and knocked his head back. Gavin rubbed his jaw and dropped her bags.
She hit him again with a right hook and swung his head around. Gavin’s eyes darkened and his brows slashed down, “Don’t do that again Eddy” he ground out menacingly. She punched him dead in the nose, “Fuck me!” he shouted as blood spurted out.
“Gavin don’t you hurt her!” Charley shouted from where she stood next to Kev.
If looks could kill Charley would have been dead on the spot.
As he turned his face back towards Eddy she hit him again and busted his lip, he turned and spit blood on the ground, he stepped towards her, she backed up, he raised a hand towards her and she ducked under it and slugged him in the ribs and was satisfied with the ‘woof’ as the air left his lungs. He spun around to grab her and inadvertently hit her across the nose and jaw with his elbow; she fell to the ground and rolled swiping at her bleeding lip and nose.
“There’s a lad” she said as she spat blood on the ground
“Eddy stop this, I don’t want to hurt you but I will” he had raised his fists now
“Pain let’s ya know yer alive Gavin” she spat again, “The body will heal and there’s nothing else ya can say to hurt me worse than you’ve done already”
They circled one and other and he swiped at her catching her flat handed in the side of the head, she went down on one knee and shook her head and when Gavin bent down to pull her up she let loose with a barrage of punches and caught him with another in the nose, the chin, and the corner of his left eye, Gavin grabbed her left ankle and pulled and she went to the ground with a shriek of pain before he landed on top of her.
“God damn it I warned you” he hollered he tried to pin her shoulders down but she shrieked again and pushed at his chest as tears of pain and anger courses down her dirty face, he tried to hold down he legs and she screamed.
“Na dean sin, na dean sin” she begged
“Gavin whatever you’re doing stop” Kevin rushed forward, “She’s begging you don’t do that”
Not sure what the problem was Gavin got off of her and knelt beside her, Eddy tried to sit up but cried out and clutched her left thigh. Gavin reached over to push up the leg of her jeans; they were so loose he was able to push them to her thigh. “Jesus Christ!” he exclaimed
Her leg was out of joint at the knee and her knee cap was out of place.
“Call an ambulance” Gavin shouted
“Nay Gavin nay” Eddy begged, “Give it a tug and a push” she said as if it were an everyday occurrence.
“Come on Gav I used to see this happen in football” Kev said confidently, “You get behind her and put your arms under hers and hold her down, Charley you go down here and grab her ankle and when I tell you I want you to turn and pull at the same time” he demonstrated what he had meant,
“When you pull do it hard Charley, jerk her leg, Eddy are you ready?” she nodded and put the side of her hand in her mouth by her thumb.
“Ok Gav you hold on tight do not let her body come this way, alright one, two, three, pull!” Gavin held her, Charley pulled, and Kevin maneuvered her kneecap back into place, Eddy bit into her hand and screamed through her teeth, and her leg snapped back into place.
Eddy lay in his arms with her eyes shut breathing hard and Kevin suggested they go back inside and get an ice pack on her knee. Eddy bent her good knee and using Gavin’s shoulder for leverage and balance pushed to her feet putting all of her weight on her right leg. Kevin held out a hand to Gav and pulled him to his feet. Gavin tried to pick Eddy up but she refused just clasping her hand over his arm and limped beside him.
&nb
sp; Gavin lifted her up the stairs going into the house, and down into the family room and placed her gently on the couch. Kev passed him two small pillows to put under her knee and Charley came in with a large bag of ice and a small towel, putting first the towel and then the ice over her knee. She handed Gavin a wet cloth and motioned for him to clean Eddy’s face.
His hands where exceedingly gentle as he wiped away the blood and dirt from her face and Eddy thought back to the date that they’d went on and how nice he had been to her, he had been nice until the next morning when he’d gotten a call and after that he had been different and she’d never known why.
Her face was clean and he was wiping her hands now, she winced as he held her right hand and he looked down at the deep bite marks that she had made to keep from screaming when they’d worked on her knee, and frowned.
Eddy took the cloth from his hands and reached up to return the favor but he drew back, “Why do ya hate me so Gavin?” she whispered, hurt that he couldn’t even bare her touch.
Gavin sighed “I could never hate you Eddy” he said, and when she started to protest he said “Hush” and kissed her lips softly, moving his lips slowly and gently, lingering as though he didn’t want to stop.
“Ta’ gra’ agam duit Gavin” she whispered against his departing lips.
“I’m going to wash up and then we will eat and talk, you will eat Eddy if I have to feed you myself” he said as he walked away
“Aye Gavin” she finally agreed with him.
CHAPTER 5
Charley had decided that more than snacks they needed a meal. She insisted that Eddy Have a nice long soak in the tub while she cooked, naturally Eddy protested but was finally convinced that the hot water would be good for her knee. Gavin helped her to draw the bath and left her, thankful for the peace and quiet she sank slowly down into the water which was filled with rich luxuriant bubbles that once she settled in covered her up to her neck.
Eddy hadn’t lied to Gavin, she was tired and what’s more she didn’t know where to go from here. Knowing what you should do and actually doing it where two completely different things, but she knew that if she did not face her past that she would have no future no mater how bleak it would be when she was through. She went back over her life in her mind, before, and after her parents had died and the vast difference always amazed her, and the past couple weeks had been the best and the worst of the past seven years. So engrossed in her thought Eddy hadn’t realized that she was silently crying or that Gavin had tapped on the door.
Three times Gavin tapped with no response before he turned the knob and went into the bathroom. At first she appeared to be asleep she was so still, but then he saw the tears coursing down her cheek. His chest felt like someone had stuck their hand inside and squeezed his heart it contracted so at the sight of her hurting. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her, he just hadn’t wanted to love her, but he did, he knew that now, he just didn’t know what to do with it.
Getting down on his knees beside the tub Gavin traced a tears trail with a finger, Eddy was startled and sat up quickly, bringing up her good knee and wrapping her arms around it, “Gavin?” was all she said.
He reached for the wash cloth and the soap and after moving the wet tail of her hair he began washing her back, his hand moved in small circles over her shoulders, neck, and upper back before moving down below the water. He rinsed her and gently lifted first one arm and then the other and then moved to her breasts and belly. His touch was tender yet impersonal as her proceeded down her right leg, unbending it as she leaned back and holding it up to wash all the way to her toes. The left leg he did not lift, instead he put his hand down under the water and started at her toes and worked up to her inner thigh then to her soft mound and washed her there using the rough cloth on her most sensitive parts until she groaned softly. He gave her his mouth then, stroking her tongue softly with his as he continued cleansing her below until she stiffened and cried out into his mouth and her body shuddered.
Eddy looked down at the top of his head as Gavin dried her legs and bottom, he could be so good when he wanted to be she thought, but so far those times had been few and far. She decided that she wasn’t going to take any of this to heart because most likely before she knew it she would be getting the shabby treatment once again. She dressed her self under his watchful gaze, he cheeks turning redder by the second as he monitored her every move.
“Look at you” he said running a finger down her flushed face, “I’ve seen more of you than anyone else in the world yet you blush when I look at you” He ran his thumb over her full lips, “How can you pose nude and not be embarrassed and yet be ashamed when I look at you?”
Gavin blocked the door so she had no choice but to stay and answer, “It’s different Gavin” she whispered, unable to meet his eyes.
“Its men looking at your body either way so what’s different about it?”
“With them it was business” was all she said
He stepped closer and tipped up her chin so that she would look into his eyes, she did and they were dark, stormy, and filled with tightly leashed passion.
“And me Eddy, what was it with me, sex, is that what you see?”
“Aye” came her barely audible reply
“None of them ever looked at you like I do Eddy?” he asked in a whisper
“Nay Gavin never has anyone ever looked at me like you do” her face was flaming and her breathing was labored.
“What do you see in my eyes Eddy?” he whispered in her ear as he kissed her neck.
She whimpered, “Passion, want, heat, aye so much heat”
His mouth seared a path up her neck to her lips, her legs gave way and he clutched her waist, his fingers meeting in the back and front, kneading and caressing.
Loud rapping sounds at the door, “Yo Gav foods ready downstairs” Kev hollered.
“Saved by the bell hmm” he kissed the tip of her nose and let go, “Shall I carry you down?”
“Aye Gavin” she said again blushing furiously under his direct gaze.
Dinner was salad and spaghetti with cheesy garlic bread. Gavin had brought her plates down and put them on the coffee table in front of her; he helped her to sit with her leg under the table and went back for his plates. When Charley and Kevin joined them they brought glasses and wine.
“I brought these down for you as well Eddy for after you eat” Charley placed a prescription bottle of pills down by eddy’s plate, “They were Kev’s from when he had his wisdom teeth taken out last year”
Eddy didn’t say anything, instead she picked at her food, the food was fine, good in fact it was just that she wasn’t used to eating much. She drank the wine though; in fact she was on her third glass already.
Gavin took the bottle of pills and opened it, “What are these” he asked
Charley pointed, “This one is for pain, and this one is a muscle relaxer with an anti- inflammatory, she can have one of each every six to eight hours as needed”
She didn’t put up an argument as Gavin fed her the pills, she was beginning to feel relaxed from the bath and the wine, and when he said it was time to talk she had no objections to that either.
“Eddy” Gavin spoke, “Tell us about your family”
“Ya know me mathair and athair are gone seven years now, they were grand parents ya know, artists they were, that’s why the modeling did na bother me, I grew up around it” she emptied her wineglass and held it out for more, “When they died I could have stayed in Ireland if there had been any money but there was na so Mr. O’Leary, he held the note on the property, he called me uncle Liam and he told him he would send me on for a fee”
“Wait a minute” Charley stopped her, “What do you mean ‘for a fee’?”
“See they was behind on the note, me parents, so he told Liam that for 50 thousand American he would send me along, that was 20 for the property, 5 for travel and expenses, and 25 for me”
“I don’t understand” Charley frowned, “Why woul
d your uncle pay for you”
“Because Mr. O’Leary told him that I had the look of me ma see and way back Liam had the eye for her but she did na love Liam she loved mac instead…”
“Who is mac? I thought your father’s name was Francis” Gavin said
Kevin answered, “Mac means brother, so Liam loved her mother but her mother loved his brother Francis, right Eddy?”
“Aye, did I tell ya me athair’s name, I don’t remember, anyway, Liam sent the money and I went to New York, to Long Island. Liam had a great large house and I was taken there and from the first I met him I did na want to be there. At night when he was in his bottles he called me Marie, that was me mathair, and he would, he would…” she stopped and gulped down an entire glass of wine, “He tried to touch me and, anyway I was na gonna have it and I told him so. He beat me, and I still would na do it so he took away all me clothes and for days he paraded me in front of different men, he let them touch me but nothing more.” She drank more wine and tried to stand, “Give me a hand would ya Gavin, me arse has gone to sleep” She giggled a little as he pulled her up onto the couch, “I could use some more wine Kev, since I met the lot of ya I seemed to have developed a taste for spirits” she giggled some more
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