July Flames

by Mari Carr

  Fergus swallowed heavily, touched by his cousin’s gesture, his compassion and understanding. “Thanks, man. For everything.”

  “We’re going to get you through this. And God willing, at the end of it, you’ll have that beautiful woman to call your own, to love for the rest of your life…” He paused before adding, “You poor bastard.”

  Fergus laughed, then he and Colm headed back to the arena. He had a woman to protect…and to love.

  Chapter Eleven

  Aubrey stood on the balcony of her hotel suite, looked out across the Inner Harbor, and sighed.

  It had been two weeks since she’d had sex with Fergus…since the stalker had made an attempt on his life.

  She’d tried to push him away, but Fergus remained true to the promise he’d made the first day they’d met. He’d stuck to her like glue. Though he had respected her use of the safe word, no longer initiating sex, he’d doubled down on the rest. He never left her side whenever she wasn’t on the bus or in a hotel room, though she hadn’t done that any more than necessary, too terrified of the prospect that something bad might happen to Fergus.

  At night, Fergus also stayed close, sleeping next to her in bed, either on her bus or in her hotel suites. He no longer touched her, no longer kissed her. Just lying next to her, letting her know he was there, that he would keep her safe.

  He’d given her the distance she’d asked for emotionally, if not physically.

  And it was killing her.

  Her insomnia had returned with a vengeance, but with him beside her, she’d been forced to stay in bed, quiet, dreaming of his hands, his lips, his everything.

  She also hadn’t worked on her music once during the entire past two weeks.

  Both of those things made her grumpy, walking around like a dog with a thorn in its paw.

  Fergus stepped next to her, clearly enjoying the view more than she was. “There’s nothing like Baltimore in the summer. Look at that blue sky. The sun reflecting off the water. And smell that.”

  Aubrey took a deep breath, failing to catch any scent that she found remotely pleasant. “Garbage? Stagnant water? Pollution?”

  Fergus shook his head, though his grin never faded. “Come on, Aubrey. It’s time for you to see a part of Baltimore even you can’t criticize.”

  “I’m tired, Fergus. I think I’m going to hang out in the hotel today.”

  The last thing she wanted to do was sit around in yet another nondescript hotel suite, but that seemed imminently safer than going anywhere with Fergus in his hometown. She’d heard too many of his stories over the past six weeks…about his Pop Pop and the pub, his parents, the Inner Harbor, the aquarium, the art museum he loved on North Charles Street. He’d painted a picture of this city she’d found hard to resist.

  The town she called home, God help her, was L.A. A city filled with plastic people, traffic, smog, and greed. She hated the city. Hated what she’d become there.

  Fergus grasped her hand—it was the first time he’d touched her since Houston—and dragged her toward the door. “You’re not hiding one more day, Aubrey.”

  “You’re the one who told me to hide.”

  “And I’m revoking that order. Come on.”

  She stopped walking and tried to pull her hand away from him, but he tightened his grip.

  “You can walk out of here under your own steam, or I’ll toss you over my shoulder. Choice is yours.”

  “Fergus. Wait.”

  He paused by the door, and she forced herself to look at him—really look at him. She’d been avoiding doing so ever since the attempt on his life. Because looking prompted longing, and longing made her whole body ache.

  But now she saw there were dark circles under his eyes, stress lines marring his forehead, his shoulders tight, tense.

  She’d thought she was a wreck, but Fergus beat her. Was it fair of her to ask him to stay inside another day when his family—the people who brought him peace and happiness—were so close?

  Perhaps she could convince him to leave her here.

  Yeah, right.

  “We only have a couple more days. I don’t want to push our luck, you know. I mean…” She struggled to find words that would make sense. The lack of sleep was really messing with her. “We’ve already managed to put some distance between us. Maybe we should just…keep it there. It’ll make it easier when it comes time to say goodbye.”

  Fergus frowned. “No.”

  “What?”

  “There’s no distance between us, Aubrey. I want you more now than ever. Don’t assume the fact I haven’t touched you is a sign I’ve given up. I’ve been hired to protect you, and I can’t let anything distract me from that. But I’ve been working on a plan, a way to keep you safe and, God, maybe even trap the stalker. I had to wait until we got here, to Baltimore, because my family is going to help. Right now, they’re the only ones I can trust with your life.”

  “You’re in danger too.” Every time she closed her eyes, she saw that lighting rig fall, saw Fergus leaping out of the way with only seconds to spare.

  “I can take care of myself.”

  She shook her head. “The stalker doesn’t fight fair. Everything’s been a sucker punch, something no one ever saw coming. How do you protect yourself from that?”

  “By remaining alert—and not letting myself be distracted by how beautiful you are, by how much I want to kiss you, touch you, pull you under me and bury myself deep inside you.”

  Aubrey was out of fight…on all fronts. “I want you too.”

  He smiled, and she realized it was the first time he’d done so in two weeks. “Good. Hold on to that thought. Actually, maybe I should prove to you exactly how little distance there is between us.”

  He pressed her against the nearest wall to give her the kiss of the century. His tongue stroked her lower lip, urging her to open her mouth to let him in for a taste.

  Aubrey ran her fingers through his hair, then let them wander toward his face so she could touch his close-trimmed beard. Fergus was taking advantage of the opportunity to explore as well, his hands drifting under her shirt to touch her breasts.

  The kiss grew more heated, her arousal reaching critical mass in record time. It had been too long since he’d kissed her, and every second of the time since had been spent waffling between fear and sexual frustration.

  Aubrey drew her hand along his chest, making her way to his jeans. She only managed a glancing touch of his very hard, very erect penis trapped beneath the denim, before his hand circled her wrist and pulled it away.

  “No. We can’t do more than this, Aubrey.”

  “Yes, we can,” she said, trying to break free of his grip, intent on unfastening his jeans and getting a skin-on-skin touch.

  “No,” he repeated more firmly. “I didn’t mean to let that go so far. I lose all control with you. We don’t have time to do this right, and I’m not settling for a quickie.”

  “We don’t have to be anywhere until late this afternoon. We have hours.”

  Fergus chuckled. “One minute you’re pushing me away, the next you’re dragging me to your bed.”

  He had a point, though she hated to admit it. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m really bad at…” She didn’t know what word to use to describe what was happening between them.

  “Relationships,” he supplied. “And I’ve noticed. But don’t worry. I’ll teach you.”

  “Says the man who’s never had a long-term girlfriend.”

  He nodded his head just once as if to say touché. “Then we’ll learn together. As soon as this stalker is caught—”

  “What if we don’t catch him?” It was the question she’d never let herself voice before. The label had hired him to be her bodyguard during the duration of the tour, which ended tomorrow. It would be the height of stupidity to expect the stalker to just fade back into the woodwork, which meant…what? Fergus had a new business to run. He had signed on to guard her because of the short time frame. That time had run out.


  “We’re going to catch him.” Fergus seemed determined not to consider the alternative to that. “And when we do, when the tour is over, you and I are making up for lost time. Tell Blair to clear your schedule for a week. Maybe two.”

  Aubrey laughed, even as she shook her head. She’d had too much time lately to think about the two of them, and every time she played it out, it ended the same way. With him in Baltimore and her in L.A.

  She’d been down this road before, let herself fall in love, dream of a future, and every time, it crashed and burned in spectacular fashion.

  “Why are you shaking your head?” he asked.

  “Because I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Fergus studied her face for a long, quiet moment. Aubrey fought to hold his gaze and not squirm under the scrutiny. “You still don’t get it,” he said at last.

  “Get what?”

  “As soon as the concert is over tomorrow, you’re going to be my girlfriend. We’re dating—exclusively.”

  “Have you forgotten we live on opposite coasts?”

  He shrugged as if that meant nothing. “Tour’s over. That means you start writing songs for the next album. You can do that anywhere…including Baltimore. Sunnie moved in with Landon shortly after I got back to the States, so there’s an empty room in the Collins Dorm we can claim until we find our own place.”

  Fergus had obviously been thinking about their future together as well. And his looked a lot different than hers. Hell, his even included living arrangements.

  Aubrey wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but Fergus didn’t give her time when he looked at his watch and said, “We gotta go. We’re late.”

  “For what?”

  “We have a lunch date we need to get to.”

  “Where?”

  “Pat’s Pub. Come on.”

  He resumed his grip on her hand and this time she didn’t resist, didn’t fight. They walked through the kitchen of the onsite hotel restaurant to a back door, and there, she discovered a vehicle with dark-tinted windows waiting for them. The driver opened the door, and Fergus quickly ushered her to the backseat, climbing in to sit next to her.

  The drive to the pub was a short one. If she’d been anyone else, they actually could have walked it, but no doubt Fergus didn’t fancy the idea of the two of them getting mobbed by fans on the street. The driver pulled up behind the pub. There was a locked back door, but Fergus produced the key and ushered her in.

  As soon as she entered, she was assaulted by the smell of baking bread. She sucked in a deep breath of the delicious air. “Now that’s a good smell,” she murmured as they walked down a small hallway, passing a storage closet and the restrooms.

  Once they entered the dining room, Aubrey smiled as she looked around. Fergus had described it to her once, declaring the pub his favorite place. She could see why. It wasn’t particularly crowded at lunchtime, yet she got a sense the people here were regulars. More than that, they were friends.

  There was an older version of Padraig and Colm manning the bar. He waved when he saw them. “We were just wondering where you were.”

  Fergus led her to the bar. “Uncle Tris, this is Aubrey.”

  Tris shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “And this,” Fergus said, gesturing to the old man sitting at a stool in the center of the long mahogany counter, “is Pop Pop.”

  Aubrey had never truly believed in love at first sight—but one look at the sweet, dear man’s face, and she fell. Hard. He smiled kindly, the look accentuating the deep laugh lines by his bright blue eyes. His gray hair was thinning but not completely gone, and though she knew he was in his nineties, she was impressed by how fit, how healthy he looked. She’d bet he had been a lady-killer in his prime.

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Collins. I’ve heard quite a lot about you, and now I see where all the men in the family get their good looks.”

  “Damn,” Fergus muttered. “I’ve just lost you to my grandfather, haven’t I?”

  Aubrey laughed and nodded. “I think you might have.”

  Pop Pop, the rascal, enjoyed the joke, giving her a wink as he laughed as well, the sound truly jovial, infectious.

  Aubrey claimed the stool next to the older man. “I hope you’ll forgive me if I act as if I know you. Fergus has told me so many wonderful stories about you and your family.”

  “He gets his storytelling from me.”

  She nodded. “Oh, no worries there, Mr. Collins, he gave you credit for all those wild Irish tales.”

  “It’s lovely to meet you, lass, but if you truly knew me, you’d know that ‘Mr. Collins’ thing won’t fly with me. We’re in the pub. And in the pub, I’m Pat. Or Pop Pop, if you prefer.”

  Aubrey swallowed heavily, wishing she had the gumption to take him up on that offer. The sum total of her family was one—just her. She’d given up thinking of her mother as anything more than a bad cold she simply couldn’t shake. “Pat,” she said.

  He narrowed his eyes. “No. I’ve changed my mind on giving you an option. Pat doesn’t work either. Not for you. It’s going to have to be Pop Pop.”

  Clearly, Fergus got his take-charge attitude from this man as well as his handsomeness. “Pop Pop,” she repeated softly, blushing as she did so.

  “I think I see what Finn and Miguel have been going on about these past couple of weeks,” Pop Pop continued. “You made quite an impression on the Collins men at the bachelor party.”

  “It was nice of them to let me tag along.”

  Aubrey glanced toward the front door of the pub as it opened, smiling when the very men they’d been talking about entered, along with several others.

  They walked to the bar, and Aubrey had never felt so tiny in her life. It was as if she were suddenly a fairy who’d been banished to the land of giants.

  Miguel, Finn and Landon all said hello, Miguel giving her a quick kiss that earned him a warning growl from Fergus.

  “Still possessive of his girl, I see,” Miguel muttered.

  Aubrey didn’t know how to respond to the “his girl” comment. Fergus’s family and friends—like Fergus—seemed to think they were a couple. And while Fergus had told her that was what he wanted, she wasn’t sure it was fair to let anyone think that was true with so much still up in the air.

  “Miguel—” she started, ready to correct the misconception.

  Fergus cut her off, introducing her to his uncle Aaron, who was also a cop, and two more very attractive male cousins, Lochlan and Lucas.

  “You sure do make big guys in your family,” she remarked to Pop Pop.

  “Good Irish stock,” he declared.

  She looked at Fergus. “This is our lunch date? It feels more like a second bachelor party.”

  He shook his head. “The guys are my lunch date. We’re going upstairs for a war council, getting our ducks in a row for tomorrow’s concert.”

  “What about me? Shouldn’t I be involved in that?”

  “I’ll fill you in later, I promise. You’re already sitting with your date, though given the way you’re looking at him, I’m not sure I can trust you two alone with each other. I’m afraid Pop Pop will try to steal you away from me. You think Miguel lays the charm on thick…”

  Aubrey shrugged playfully. “Oh, believe me, that’s a definite possibility. I have a thing for older men,” she teased.

  “Is that so?” Pop Pop threw in. “Well, then, I make no promises, Fergus. You know I’m a sucker for a pretty singer. Now, if you can cook, my dear…”

  Aubrey feigned a wince. “I knew I should have signed up for cooking classes.”

  They all laughed, and the rest of the men drifted to a doorway near the back of pub that she assumed led to the apartment upstairs. The Collins Dorm, Fergus called it.

  Fergus hung back until the others had gone. Standing behind her stool, he wrapped his arm around her, giving her a quick kiss on the top of her head. He wasn’t hiding his feelings for her from his family, and his actions fel
t natural and right after two long weeks of rigid, forced distance.

  It was nice to see Fergus in his true environment, acting like himself rather than a bodyguard. She hadn’t seen him like this since the night of the bachelor party. While Fergus the Bodyguard was sexy as sin, there was something even more irresistible about Fergus the Family Guy.

  “We’re just going to be upstairs,” he said, more to his uncle Tris and Pop Pop than to her.

  “We’ll keep her safe,” Tris said, with the same confidence she’d come to understand was a trait all the Collins men possessed.

  Then Fergus spun her stool so that she was looking at him. “My mom and dads are stopping by the pub at some point this afternoon to meet you. They have tickets to the concert tomorrow, and I promised to introduce them then, but they couldn’t wait. Okay?”

  She nodded. “Sure.”

  “I realize there are a lot of us and it can be sort of overwhelming.”

  Aubrey shook her head. “Actually, it’s not. They’re all really nice,” she said softly. “I like it here.”

  Fergus’s smile widened, then he gave her a kiss on the cheek and headed to the apartment.

  Yvonne, yet another of Fergus’s cousins, introduced herself, then asked if they wanted the lunch special. They did. Tris walked around the bar to take the drink orders of a couple who’d just walked in, leaving her alone with Pop Pop.

  As they ate, they spoke for a little while about the tour, the cities she’d seen, and how unbearable the heat in Baltimore was in July.

  Fergus’s parents did stop by briefly, the three of them taking a short break from their jobs to come meet her. She’d been charmed by Fergus’s fathers, and though initially nervous meeting his mother, Lily, the woman had put her at ease instantly. The three of them promised they’d have more time to visit after the concert, then said their goodbyes.

  She had just finished the most incredible fish and chips she’d ever had when Pop Pop turned the conversation to her.

  “So, tell me about yourself, Aubrey.”