"I don't know the answers," I say wearily. "But we have to draw a line with her. Maybe we tell her that if she slips, it's either back to rehab or she's out of the band. That at least gives her an option to get back on track."
Daniel and Sean both nod their agreement and none too soon. The doorbell rings and Daniel heads into the living room to let her in. Sean and I pass a serious look between each other. I take a deep breath.
When Maeve walks in, I'm relieved to see she looks pretty damn good. Her eyes are clear and there's actually a healthy glow to her skin. It's made me realize that she had been looking a little run down in the past few months.
"What's with all the sour faces?" she asks as she plops down in the fourth chair around my table. "Did someone die?"
When none of us answers, she leans forward with a frightened look on her face. "Oh, God... did someone die?"
Sean chuckles. "Nope. All present and accounted for."
Sighing with relief, Maeve leans back in her chair again and stares at me. "So, lay it on me. Proceed to intervene."
"Excuse me?" I say, caught off guard by her blunt appraisal of the situation.
"Don't play stupid, Cillian. You guys are here to tell me that I better get clean, or else... right?"
"Nothing slips by our girl," Daniel quips.
Maeve turns to him and blows him a kiss. Then she takes a moment to look at each of us. "Look... I get it. I fucked up and I understand I'm a liability right now. But I'm good. Great actually. I'm feeling good and I don't have any desire to drink... or pop pills... or even slit my wrists."
I curse inwardly at her casual joking over her suicide attempt but attempt to keep my tone light. "Maeve.. .babe... you know we care about you. We just want you to be healthy so we can all go on and make great music and be wonderfully rich and successful."
"And I want the same thing, Cillian. No doubt. I'm on board."
I sneak a glance at Daniel and Sean. Sean gives me a slight nod of his head. "That's good... because we've all decided that if you slip up, then there's only two ways this will play out. You'll have to go back to rehab--and complete it this time--or we'll be shopping for a new bassist."
Maeve brings her ankle up and rests it over her knee. Crossing her hands over her stomach, she says, "Fair enough. Now can we fucking get to the real meeting. I'm dying to get back to work."
I let out a long breath of relief that this went rather well. "Sure. First order of business... we need to decide on the song list for our gig at The Hibernian next weekend. Then I have some new material to go over with you."
***
The meeting has finally wrapped up and I glance at my watch. I still have another hour before Renner gets off and a thrill of excitement goes through me that I'll be seeing her soon.
I bought her a gift and I'm dying to see her face when I give it to her. Then I'm dying to get her naked and make her scream. Maybe not in that order.
I walk the gang to the door.
"So, Cillian... what's up with the hot red-head that Sean said you're seeing?" Daniel asks.
Fuck! I wasn't prepared for that question... not in front of Maeve. I glance at her and she looks curious.
"It's okay," she says. "I'm cool with it."
I glance at Sean, and his face holds nothing. Daniel looks like he just stepped into it big time. "I'm sorry, dude. Was that inappropriate or something?"
"Of course it wasn't inappropriate," Maeve assures. "I'd like to hear more about her."
Her tone sounds sincere and she looks genuinely curious. But for some reason, I'm not feeling like sharing Renner with her. I think my distrust of her motives runs a little too deep.
"She's just someone I'm seeing. No big deal."
But, oh God, is she a big deal. She consumes my waking thoughts and my interest doesn't seem to be waning. If anything, I've been thinking long-term shit. Like, I wonder what it would be like if she traveled with me? What would it be like to know I'd wake up beside her every day? To have her at my ready whenever I needed or wanted her.
It's a feeling I haven't quite had before. I thought it was something I might have had with Maeve, but when I compare the two, it couldn't be more different. With Maeve, it was all about getting a sexual release. Renner...there's that too. But there's also a desire just to be near her, to talk to her, to have her show an interest in me and I'm definitely interested in her. Those are things I never had with Maeve.
I open the door and everyone starts walking out. Maeve turns to me and lays a hand on my chest. My body stiffens in reaction but her eyes remain clear, her voice light. "Truly, Cillian. I just want you happy. Maybe you can introduce me to her soon, okay?"
I just nod in agreement, not sure what to say.
***
Renner opens the door to her apartment, throwing her keys on the table near the entrance.
"Man, I'm exhausted," she says. Then she turns to me and wraps her arms around my waist, laying her head on my chest. "But not too exhausted to let you take advantage of me."
I kiss her on the forehead then step back. Taking her hand, I lead her over to the couch to sit down. She follows suit.
"Before I molest you, I have something for you," I tell her. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out the little jeweler's box.
Her eyes go wide as she stares at it. "You didn't have to get me anything, Cillian."
"I know. But I did all the same. Open it." I hold the box out to her and she takes it. I notice how delicate her hands are. She never wears nail polish, except on her toes, and her nails are just long enough that they tend to scratch and sink into my skin when she comes.
Renner opens it and when she sees what's inside, she gasps. "Oh, it's lovely."
She lifts out the silver necklace with a musical note pendant attached and runs her fingers over it.
"It's engraved," I tell her.
She flips the pendant over and reads out loud. "My Beautiful Girl".
I hold my breath, waiting for her reaction. When she gives it to me, it's more than I could have hoped for. There's appreciation in her smile and warmth in her eyes. I think she cares for me the way I care for her.
"It's perfect," she says.
"No. You're perfect. Now, let me put it on you." I make a twirling motion with my hand so she turns around.
When she does so, I pull her onto my lap, knowing she'll feel the hardness that's lying heavy between my legs. She squirms against me just a bit and unbridled lust surges through me.
She hands me the necklace and then moves her hair to the side. I lean forward and clasp it around her neck, laying a kiss just above the silver chain when I do.
"The things you do to me, Renner."
She leans back into me and I wrap my arms around her waist, breathing in her smell.
"You do the same things to me," she whispers.
A warmth spreads through me, suffusing me with a comfort that I have never felt. Not once in my life. It had always been denied to me. Not even
those two years I lived with Keefe's family. No, they offered me respite and although they loved me like their own children, I never had comfort. Not the type of solace that Renner seemed to bring to me.
I stand from the couch with her in my arms and head back to her room. She wraps her arms around my neck and nuzzles me.
She causes me to yearn, and I don't know if that is good or bad, but I'm going to give into it right this very moment.
CHAPTER 17
Renner
I step out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around my body. A waft of steam follows me out as I walk down the hall to my bedroom.
Cillian is standing by my bed, holding my miniskirt in his hand. I had laid my clothes out for the big night... OTE's homecoming performance at The Hibernian, compliments of Teagan's borrowed closet. He holds it up in front of him and I realize how miniscule it is against the background of his broad chest.
"Are you wearing this tonight?" His voice is thick with something I can't put my finger on. I hope he's not mad.
"Yes. Teagan picked it out."
"My compliments to Teagan," he says, a slight smile on his face as he walks toward me.
When he's standing just a few inches from me, he leans down and places a kiss near my temple. "Do me a favor, okay?"
I nod, my eyes fluttering closed... my senses completely overwhelmed by his nearness, his voice, his smell.
"Don't wear any panties under this."
My eyes open in surprise. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Don't wear anything under this. I want to be on that stage, looking down at you, and knowing that you're bare underneath. Knowing that I could walk up behind you if I wanted and within just a matter of seconds, be lodged deep inside of you."
Oh, geez. The things he says to me... the things those words do to my senses. My body flushes warm and images flash through my mind of him doing just that.
I glance over at the bedside clock and see that we have over an hour before we have to be at the pub. I reach out and take the miniskirt from his hands, tossing it to the floor. "Why don't you let me do something that will give you one more thing to think about when you're on that stage?"
"Oh, yeah? What's that?"
I don't answer. Instead, I drop my towel to the floor. His eyes go dark and then hot. I reach out and undo his belt buckle and he takes in a shaky breath. His hand comes to my face, stroking my cheek. The softness of the caress is at complete odds with the feral look he's giving me.