“Yeah. I think so. It feels like it.”
Lola squealed in delight. “Then if this is Sugar’s swan song, we’ll have to do it up right. Do you want to drive him crazy or just give him something sweet?”
Siobhan gave it a second’s thought. “It’s his birthday. It should be over the top, don’t you think?”
“That’s my girl.” Lola laughed, mad genius style. There was a reason the Crimson Bay Bombshells performed to packed houses, and Lola’s savvy was it. “Poor Charlie won’t know what hit him.”
“Should I be afraid?”
“Yes. This will be one Club Tatas will talk about for years to come.”
TWENTY-ONE
After closing the café and reconciling the books, Siobhan made her way across the town square to Charlie’s office. The late summer air swirled along the sidewalk, the shade hinting at the cooler weather to come. Soon the lazy days of summer would give way to returning college students and the uptick in business the café thrived on, though she had to admit Charlie’s idea of a limited delivery service was a success, adding much-needed revenue to their slim summer bottom line.
She needed to admit to a lot of things when it came to Charlie. He was a balm to her battered psyche. Charlie had given her so much by letting her into his family circle. He’d given her back a sense of belonging that went beyond what she had with Nadia and Nadia’s family.
“Hi, Siobhan,” Charlie’s assistant, Nance, greeted her as she stepped into the outer office. “Charlie’s on the phone but he won’t mind you going on back.”
“Thanks, Nance.” Charlie’s staff always greeted her warmly whenever she visited, which she tried to limit as much as possible. Like her, Charlie had a business to run and he took that business as seriously as she took hers. They didn’t need to distract each other when there was money to be made.
Speaking of distractions, Charlie had his back to her, offering an excellent rear view. Years of surfing had honed his body and she was the one who got to reap the benefits.
Siobhan leaned against the doorframe and watched her man work. She didn’t shy away from the phrase this time and acknowledging it didn’t bring on the panic it should have. Maybe because her mind finally realized what her body already knew: Charlie was hers just as she was his.
He paced behind his desk, an earbud perched on his right ear, which freed his hands to gesture as he talked. He focused completely on his conversation. His ability to concentrate like that was one of the main things she loved about him—when he sharpened his attention on her, he made her feel as if no one and nothing else existed.
She loved him. The knowledge washed over her like the warmth of his smile, enveloping her. Charlie gave her something she’d been missing for years: comfort, confidence, acceptance. In that moment she believed she deserved the happiness that brimmed inside her, happiness that began and ended with Charlie.
He turned the corner of his desk, then stopped as he spotted her. The smile he gave her animated his entire face, making her feel as if she was the source of his happiness. It humbled her even as it tripped her heart into overdrive.
Charlie ended his call, then tossed the earpiece on his desk before crossing to her. “What’s that look for, sweetness?”
Heat curled inside her, sparked by his tone, the endearment, and his nearness. “What look?”
He draped his hands on her shoulders, sliding them down and leaving tingles of awareness in their wake. “It’s like you’re noticing something for the first time and you’re surprised by what you see.” He cocked his head. “Is it that I’m wearing a purple shirt?”
“No.” With her realization still freshly echoing through her, Siobhan wasn’t ready to share. She settled on another truth instead. “I’m really happy to see you.”
His gaze cleared as he brought her hands up to kiss. “I’m happy to see you too. It’s been nearly twenty hours since the last time I was able to do this.”
He kissed her, brushing his lips across hers once, twice, then again. Desire and passion lit her up, fueled by her newborn realization. Entwining her arms about Charlie’s neck, she yielded to the kiss, yielded to him. He groaned his approval, his hands dropping to her waist to pull her closer.
After a long moment he pulled away, resting his forehead against hers. “It’s also been about twenty hours since I was last inside you. Now seeing you in that dress is making me wonder if you’re wearing panties.”
“You’re going to have to keep wondering, mister,” she teased, laughter lining her words. “After all, you’re the one who decided on an office with glass walls.”
“A décor choice I’ve regretted every day since I’ve met you.” He stepped back but kept his hands on her waist. “I guess we’ve put on enough of a floorshow for my crew. When I’m with you I have a habit of forgetting everything else.”
Siobhan toyed with his collar. “Maybe I should get you some sort of reminder tool for your birthday.”
He stepped back as if she’d shocked him. “How did you know about my birthday?” he demanded, then immediately shook his head. “Let me guess. Lorelei.”
Siobhan crinkled her brows, curious about his reaction. “Yes, she might have mentioned it. Is there any particular reason why you wouldn’t want your girlfriend to know about your birthday?”
He gave her a pointed look. “Besides the fact that it will remind you of our age difference?”
“Ouch.” She placed a hand over her heart. “Okay, I know I had issues about that at the start, but to be honest I don’t think about it so much anymore. When I’m with you, all I can think about is you and me and how good it is.”
“And when you’re not with me?”
She smiled. “I’m thinking about how many hours there are until I see you again, not how many years are between us.”
His gaze bored into her. “Are you sure it’s no longer an issue?”
There were a plethora of issues all on her side of the bed, but their five-year age difference wasn’t one of them. “I’m sure. So can we celebrate your birthday?”
He shoved a hand through his hair as he paced away from her. “I don’t like to make a big deal out of it,” he finally confessed, turning back to her. “I do for the boys’ and Lorelei’s birthdays, and they seem to think I should have a party for mine too. If I had my way, I wouldn’t celebrate it at all.”
“Really?” That surprised her. This was Charlie, who called every day they saw each other “Siobhan-day,” his favorite day of the week. He celebrated everything large and small and nonsensical. “Why not?”
Warmth seeped from his eyes. “My parents died shortly after my birthday. It’s hard to think about one without thinking about the other.”
“Oh God, Charlie.” She wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t know. You understand, though, why I don’t want to throw a party or whatever else Lorelei put you up to?”
“She wanted to have a cookout at your house with family and friends.” She stroked his cheek, wanting to smooth away the tension in his jaw and the clouds in his eyes. “Maybe it’s time to create some new memories. From what you and the others have told me about your parents, they were overjoyed to welcome each of you into the world. They wouldn’t want you to only associate that day with their deaths. If anything, they would want you to celebrate your life, their lives, and all the good you’ve all shared. So if you don’t want to celebrate your birthday, maybe you should make it O’Halloran Day, and celebrate your family.”
Emotion flared in his eyes, so burning and intense that she had to look away. “Not that it’s any of my business,” she hastened to add, retreating, “but that’s what I would do if I were in your shoes.”
“You’re wrong.”
She shot him a glance. “Which part?” she asked. “I want to be sure I get angry over the right thing.”
Laughing, he approached her again. “You’re wrong that it’s none of your business. How I celebrate my birthday is somet
hing you should definitely be a part of and have an opinion on. As a matter of fact, I think your idea is perfect.”
He cupped her cheeks, warmth lighting his eyes again. “Thank you, Siobhan.”
The kiss, so sharply sweet, sliced through the last shreds of doubt and hesitation she had. Charlie was everything she wanted, everything she needed. Why should she continue to stare into the storms of her past when the future was so clearly bright with Charlie?
“Hey, what is this?” He stroked his thumbs beneath her eyes. “Why are you crying?”
“Nothing bad,” she assured him, blinking back the surprise tears. “I think I’m PMS-ing.”
“For most guys, that would be bad.”
She choked on a laugh. “Good thing you’re not most guys then, right?”
“True enough.” He studied her, then smiled. “Sounds like I need to ply you with chocolate. Since my favorite café is closed, should we stop entertaining my employees and head to the ice cream shop down the walk for brownie sundaes?”
“You always know the right thing to say,” Siobhan said, threading her arm into his. “Lead the way, Mr. O’Halloran.”
* * *
Charlie studied Siobhan as she dove into her chocolate brownie sundae with extra hot fudge on top. The fact that she wasn’t being deliberately erotic made her enjoyment of the decadent dessert even more so. Remembering the way chocolate sauce slid across her beautiful breasts hardened him with hunger, but not for the dessert melting in front of him.
“Don’t tell Nadia that I’m cheating on her with this,” Siobhan said as she licked chocolate sauce from her spoon. “Or how much I’m enjoying it.”
“If it means I get to watch you do more of that, your secret’s safe with me.” He shifted in his chair. “Tell me you’re coming over tonight.”
She froze, the spoon halfway in her mouth. “Um, I wasn’t planning on it.”
Was that a guilty flush staining her cheeks? “You know you don’t have to wait for a formal invite, right? You can come over anytime. I’m pretty sure the rest of the clan would love to have you over for dinner every night if you can stand that high a dosage of O’Halloran charm on a continual basis.”
“Thanks.” She swirled her spoon in the ice cream. “I’d love to have dinner with the family, but I think tonight needs to be an all-O’Halloran affair.”
Desire abated as he pondered Siobhan’s words. “Does this have something to do with Lorelei?”
“It does.” She returned her spoon to the bowl, then pushed the dessert aside. “She came to see me earlier today.”
“I’m guessing you talked about more than my birthday.”
Siobhan stared at him, a debate waging over her features. He cocked his head, giving her a quizzical stare. “What is it?”
“I’m trying to decide if the girl code trumps the significant-other code,” she said honestly. “Our relationship is important to me, but I want Lorelei to know she can trust me. It . . . it touched me that she felt she could come to me for advice. You know she’ll go to you with anything important, but sometimes we need woman-to-woman talk.”
He exhaled a slow breath. Lorelei went to Siobhan for advice. That had to mean that his sister considered his girlfriend someone trustworthy, someone to confide in. On the one hand, he wanted them to grow closer, wanted Lorelei to have someone like Siobhan to go to. On the other hand, Lorelei went to Siobhan because she didn’t want to talk to Charlie about something that bothered her.
“You think I overstepped.” She sat back with a sigh. “Hell, I thought I went too far when I talked to her. I did tell her that I didn’t want to get between you two and that I wouldn’t keep anything from you. I didn’t want to assume authority where I don’t have any.”
He tangled his hand with hers, not liking the worry in her eyes, worry he’d caused. “I’m glad Lorelei chose to come to you. It’s just that there are only a few things she knows I’d flip out about, and one of them is sex.”
He steeled himself. “Is my baby sister having sex?”
“Your baby sister is a legal adult, Charlie,” Siobhan informed him, her voice soft with understanding. “She’s also a very levelheaded, responsible young woman.”
A cold knot of panic and anger formed in his gut. “I know. I know. She’s still my baby sister. I fumbled my way through her puberty without grossing myself out or her killing me. I don’t want to think about her having sex.”
“She’s not.” Siobhan tugged at their hands, making him realize he’d clutched hers a little too tightly. “Lorelei wants you to treat her like the adult she is, which is why I told her to talk to you at dinner tonight.”
“A dinner you don’t think you should attend, when we’ve both put you in the middle of this?” Charlie shook his head. “Sorry, babe. You’re part of the family now. You might as well see the warts as well as the rainbows.”
Her beautiful blue eyes fractured with unshed tears, but she smiled at him. “Thank you. I’ll take your warts any day.”
His heart thumped hard. Good God, this woman had become as necessary to him as breathing. She was everything he’d stopped hoping for years ago, a reward he almost felt like he didn’t deserve. He was too greedy, too damn needy to refuse it though. Now he just had to get through his birthday and make sure that Siobhan really didn’t have a problem with their age difference. If she did, he’d find a way to convince her to give them a chance. No matter what, he wasn’t going to let her go.
TWENTY-TWO
The Friday before Charlie’s birthday found him at Club Tatas waiting for Siobhan and the rest of the Crimson Bay Bombshells to take the stage. Nadia and her fiancé were at the usual table, as well as Siobhan’s other friends and staff. Though he and Siobhan had already had a pre-performance celebration, he was ready for the show to be over so he could take Siobhan home and make love to her until he went shouting her name.
He was in deep and he knew it—so deep he didn’t think he’d ever get out. Not that he wanted to. Siobhan’s sweet curves were matched by her sweet heart. The patience and affection that she displayed with his siblings would have won him over even if nothing else had. The boys and Lorelei flourished under her attention, a maternal instinct that was as natural and automatic to Siobhan as breathing.
It bothered him that her relationship with her own family was so strained. They were missing out and he felt sorry for them. Their loss, however, was his gain. He didn’t want to push her, didn’t believe she was ready, but he’d meant it when he’d claimed she was already a member of the O’Halloran clan. Soon, very soon, he’d convince her that she had a permanent place in their lives.
Nadia fairly bounced with excitement. “Are you ready for the show, Charlie?”
“Do you know something I don’t?” Charlie asked, half-teasing, half-concerned.
Her grin deepened into something downright suspicious. “I think you’re going to have a good weekend, birthday boy.”
The houselights dimmed before he could respond. Max, the lone male member of the burlesque troupe, who served as bouncer and emcee, stepped to the microphone. He got the crowd ready and eager, then the performers took the stage one after another. Four acts in, still no Siobhan.
Charlie fought his impatience as the first half concluded without Siobhan making an appearance. Normally she did at least two sets each night, one on each side of the musical interlude. Why hadn’t she taken the stage yet? Has she been injured?
He rose to his feet. “I’m going to go ask Max what’s going on.”
“Easy, tiger.” Nadia grabbed his hand, tugged him back down. “Good things come to those who wait.”
Charlie stared down a Siobhan’s partner. “What aren’t you telling me?”
The brunette had the nerve to grin. “You’ll find out soon enough. Looks like the second half is about to start.”
The lights fell as Max stepped back on the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen! Have we got a special surprise for you. Tonight, for one night only, Crimson Bay
Bombshell Sugar Malloy will present a very special up-close and personal performance!”
Charlie sat up straighter as the crowd whistled their approval. What the hell did “up close and personal” mean? Was she going to bring someone onto the stage?
“That’s right, Club Tatas,” the master of ceremonies said as if in answer. “One lucky son of a bitch is going to sit onstage while Sugar performs her one and only number of the night. Things are about to get really sweet up in here!”
What the hell? Was Sugar about to give someone a lap dance? He thought burlesque performers didn’t do that sort of stuff. Charlie clenched his jaw, wondering if he could sit through Siobhan entertaining someone else. Hell, no. If she was going to break the rules, it should be with him. It had better be with him.
Max grinned into the crowd. “Of course, this guy is already lucky because he gets to have a little sugar every day. But he’s celebrating a birthday this weekend, so Sugar wanted to give him an extra special present. Charlie, come on up here!”
A spotlight hit him in the eyes. Charlie blinked, rising to his feet as the crowd erupted with applause, cheers, and a couple of jeers. He didn’t blame them. Hell, if he weren’t the one getting a special Sugar show he’d be jealous too.
He made his way to the stage, where two bombshells guided him to a chair. He sat down as Max continued to work the crowd. “I know, I know. It’s not fair that our lovely bowl of Sugar is off the market, but you’ve got to have a special kind of sweet tooth to capture her attention. But have no fear, ladies and gentlemen! If you’re lucky, you might just be able to catch the eye of the rest of the Crimson Bay Bombshell beauties, including the fabulous and oh-so-lovely Lola Fontaine. Watch out though—that tigress will chew you up and spit you out!”
The crowd whistled its approval as Max walked over to Charlie. The big man covered his microphone as he leaned over. “Don’t give these guys any ideas, all right? Keep your hands to yourself while she’s dancing unless she specifically asks you to move or help her with something. Got it?”
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