“Congratulations, Cormack,” Siobhan says, smiling sweetly.
“Yes, Mackie, congrats. I heard she’s a knockout. Does she have a sister?” Does he do this to intentionally upset Siobhan?
“Do you have to be a perverted prick with your wife right there?”
He scoffs and then takes a swig from his flask. “She knows her place.” God, I would love to wring his neck. He’s so fucking selfish. Siobhan is a good woman. She wasn’t his choice for a wife, but deals were struck, and he resents her for it as if she’s the one who got the better part of the deal.
“Enough. If you keep it up you can’t be my best man,” I tell him, snatching the flask from his hand and closing it because the man has no respect for anyone.
“For real?” He grins proudly, and I feel like a dick that we never had a close relationship. It’s not my fault that he’s the fuck up in the family, especially because he owns that shit with pride.
“For real,” I repeat. My hope in offering that to him is he will be on his best behavior until I get Gloria tied to me.
Frankly, I don’t need anyone to stand up with me, but I’m sure I’ll need someone, and he is my brother and now the head of the Delaney family. I can only see our ship sinking with him at the helm, but luckily I put my businesses out of reach for the family, so I had something left after he destroys what our family has built.
“Well then let’s get the services over so I can meet the unlucky woman.” Yes. This is how he treats my father’s memorial. What a prick.
I check my phone for any messages before I power it off. I love them so much- Gloria and there’s a picture attached.
Gloria’s upper body with the roses covering her breasts just barely. Fuck me. I reply, A masterpiece. I can’t wait to watch each petal fall. Be good. I will call tonight.
I power off my phone, knowing I’ll only be tempted to look again. Worry fills me as I do it, but I enlisted my men to be ready should Shamus call with any problems.
I make it through the service, holding back my tears because there’s too many sharks in the water. They understand that I’m hurting, and everyone pays their respects as they pass Peter and me.
By the end of the night, I return to our family home in Kilkenny and to my private suite. I don’t want to do anything but talk to Gloria, so I finally power up my phone and give her a call.
“Hey, I didn’t think I’d hear from you,” she answers with bubbling hope in her voice.
“I’m sorry, love. How was your day?”
“Actually, I stayed in, but that’s not going to last because I won’t be in Dublin much longer. I’ll wait for you to return, but I have to head home soon, so I’m not missing out on what the city has to offer.”
A fire burns in my gut at the prospect of her leaving. I can’t and won’t let that happen. “What have we discussed?”
“Cormack, please. I’m not saying it’s over between us.” She huffs, pausing and then continues. “Let’s not do this now. I know where you are even though you didn’t tell me. I’m sincerely sorry about your father. I can’t imagine losing my papa.”
I breathe a sigh of relief at her lack of anger. “He was a good father to me and would have loved you.”
“Absolutely. Everyone loves me,” she says with an air of playful arrogance. “Well, except that girl at the bar. She was so filled with jealousy, I thought she was going to poison my wine,” she finishes.
“Is that why you didn’t drink it?” Anger builds in the pit of my stomach.
“Yes.” I seethe because I hadn’t even considered someone would do that to my future bride in my own place of business.
“I’ll deal with it.”
“Deal with it? She could have done nothing wrong, and it was my buzzed imagination. You’re a handsome man, it’s only natural for chicks to want you to pick them.”
“Fine, but she will be watched from now on.”
“Okay. I don’t want anyone fired for me.” Fired is the least I’d do to someone for something so egregious, especially to Gloria.
“So are you dressed?”
“Yes, in a pretty nightgown I brought from home. Although someone forgot those panties for me, but luckily, I just decided to forgo any tonight.
I groan, balls heavy with need for her wet pussy. “Sorry, I didn’t want to send Shamus to get you panties. I’d have to cut his hands off and I was in a hurry.” My phone beeps. “Hold on beautiful, I have to take this call.”
“Just call me back.”
She hangs up and I answer the other line. “What’s going on Shamus?”