Ahhh.
“Go on.”
She’s going stir crazy. I’ve handled her too gently, and it isn’t helping at all. I’ve given her space and time to heal, and it seems it’s done the opposite.
I vowed I’d give her leniency, and instead she’s lost respect for me.
I kept her on the grounds when she wants to spread her wings a little.
It was a mistake.
Her face colors a little deeper. “And I don’t like being treated like I’m a fragile little creature. That first night… that first night when I woke, you…” she swallows hard, clearly embarrassed, but determined to speak her mind. “You showed yourself as a real man, one I could depend on even if he pissed me off, not this—”
Real man? Now I’ve had it.
“Enough.” She freezes.
“Go back to the room,” I tell her. “And get yourself ready. I’m taking you into town. We’ll go to the shops and get something to eat, and perhaps it’ll help you. When we come home, I have other plans for you.”
Her bright eyes and soft smile tell me I may be on the right track.
I’ve slept beside her for days, so eager to fuck her it’s killing me. She’s right. I’ve treated her like an invalid but Christ, I missed my mark. My girl needs so much more. She’s young and healthy, so her recovery was quick. Physically, anyway.
I stand and take her hand, lifting her to her feet. “Go. And be quick about it.”
I send her off with a sharp crack to her ass that has her squealing, but I swear she leaves with a smile on her face. I dial Keenan.Chapter 12AileenI’m not exactly sure what happened down in the garden. Sometimes I wonder if I’m right in the head.
I’ve enjoyed my time with Maeve and Caitlin, and we’ve all spent time with Maeve’s niece and Cormac’s cousin, Megan, a beautiful, brass girl who’s instantly friendly and kind. I like them all. And they answer questions honestly when I ask them, not shielding me from the truth. It’s pretty clear that I’ve not known them for long, so fortunately it seems that we’re nearly starting fresh.
I love baby Seamus, and I love the garden. The library holds untold hours of entertainment. They’ve even, in fairly recent months, set up an actual movie theater in their home. Complete with a surround sound stereo system, padded seats, and a large screen with an overhead projector.
But I don’t like being home all the time. And it’s most unsettling because I still don’t know exactly who I am.
The first night I came to, Cormac was dominant to the point of being domineering, bossing me around and promising that I’d learn to obey. And it turned me on. It fucking made me wet. He’s made me climax, and he’s really damn good at it.
But he hasn’t fucked me.
He’s likely bangin’ one off in the shower when he’s able. What’s wrong with me? Is he afraid he’ll break my delicate bones?
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
I know I acted the brat in the garden, and I didn’t quite mean to. I absolutely didn’t. But God, the tender, gentle distance he holds between the two of us pisses me off. If he’s supposed to be my husband, he can grow a pair already, and not treat me like I’m going to dissolve into dust at the merest breath.
I walk up the stairs to the house, and I swear I feel for a moment as if someone’s watching me. I pause, and turn around, but all I see is the garden behind me, the well-kept lawn that surrounds me, and far off in the distant, the blueish green of the Irish Sea. Birds twitter in the air, and I even hear some of the guard just beyond the entrance to the home. They’re a burly, gruff bunch, that follow us around, ready to swat a damn fly if it comes too close.
I frown, looking around me for evidence to support my gut feeling, but there’s no one. Nothing. It must be in my head.
I turn back to the house, and my stomach suddenly rolls. My mouth waters with nausea. I shake my head, dismissing it. What fresh hell is this? Head injuries are complicated, Sebastian says. I blame it for the nausea and ignore it. Cormac says he’s taking me into town, and I don’t want to miss it.
I enter the house to see several of the men in the entryway. Keenan and Nolan are among them.
“Y’alright, Aileen?” Nolan asks. I nod.
“I’m good, thanks.”
“Have you seen Cormac?”
“Aye, he’s just in the garden. Sent me up here to get ready to go to town.”
Keenan gives me a curious look. “Town?”
“Aye.”
He pulls his phone out of his pocket and mutters to himself. “Missed his call.” He calls him back.
Nolan smiles. “Gettin’ a little stir crazy, are ya?”