Nolan (Dangerous Doms 3)

I know he can’t. He’s alone in this world, one untrained lad against an army. He doesn’t stand a chance.

“No,” he says, and now his voice is more subdued. I’m afraid he might cry, but he clears his throat and composes himself. “I can’t. Now let me go before Fiona loses her damn mind.”

I can’t help but grin at that. I release him and reach a hand out to him. He takes it and gets to his feet.

“Made my point, then?” I ask him.

He watches me for a moment, then nods his head and runs his fingers through his hair. “Aye,” he says. “One question for you, though.”

“Yeah?”

“Teach me how you did that?”Chapter 14SheenaFalling in love with someone is a bit like being mired in quicksand. The harder you pull against it, the more you get sucked in.

My job, my very purpose on this earth, is to find out truth and bring it to light. I’ve used methods that weren’t exactly kosher to do just that, but it doesn’t mean that I haven’t trained myself to observe things, to note what’s important and what isn’t. To find what’s actually happening versus what appears to be.

And goddamn it, I know. I know in my heart that I’m falling in love with Nolan McCarthy.

I’ve been lying to myself when I’ve said that I’ve hated him. Hell, maybe I did, a little. But love and hate are so closely entwined, both friends on the spectrum of passion. Sometimes all it takes is one tiny action to make the two collide.

Or many actions, as it were.

Beautiful, ardent love-making. The exhilarating, erotic pull of being dominated with a man who does it well. Watching him with my brothers and sister, the way he opens his heart and home. A pair of green eyes that see into my very soul.

I’m falling so deeply in love with Nolan, I’m not sure I’ll ever surface. I’m not sure how.

Just now, the way he was with Tiernan… my heart.

At first, he lectured the boy with the sternness of an older brother, and he made his point well. I feared he’d hurt him when he first beckoned him over, but I trust him. He didn’t. He was careful not to, while he made his point. And the truth is, the lesson he gave my brother was a mercy, given how Tiernan could’ve fared with what he’s done.

Afterward, Tiernan is humbled, and he should be. I can’t imagine how I’d have dealt with what he’s done if I had to manage him alone. But Nolan did it just right. Tiernan learns best with experience, and being overpowered in seconds by an older, stronger man who didn’t even lose his breath, was a humbling experience. After, Nolan reached a hand out to Tiernan, helped him get to his feet, and they talked. I’m not sure what was said, but when they were done, Tiernan was grinning.

“He’s fine,” Nolan says when he joins me again as we take our last steps to the bakery.

“I know it,” I tell him. “I could tell you didn’t hurt him.”

“Aye. I wouldn’t, he’s just a lad.”

“What did he ask you?”

“Wants to learn ealaíona comhraic.”

“All of it?” I ask, a bit surprised. The martial arts in Ireland encompasses everything from bare-knuckled fighting to stick fighting.

“Aye.”

We enter the bakery, and Nolan walks ahead of me.

I stand a bit away from them, observing the bakery. He smiles, bends to the pram, and wipes whipped cream off baby Sam’s nose.

I hated the man I thought he was.

I’m in love with the man he really is.

And hell, where does that leave me? I’ve done wrong against his family. And I may have many flaws, flaws I know so well they plague me. But if there’s anything I am, it’s determined. I persevere. And when I resolve to do something, I don’t waver.

I should’ve known better than to trust a feckin’ O’Gregor. It was more than word of mouth, though. Everything they told me aligned with what I saw, what I believed to be true. But I see now, that I was only looking for a scapegoat. I needed someone to blame, and the McCarthys fit that bill well. And hell, they’re not exactly model citizens, so they gave me plenty to work with.

I hate that Tiernan’s been involved in such dangerous exploits. I’m glad Nolan took him to task for it. A week ago, it would’ve infuriated me, but I’m starting to trust Nolan. The O’Gregors are nobody to fool around with, damn it. I wonder what else we’ll have to deal with because of this.

“Sheena, have some ice cream,” Fiona says. She’s got a large cone with chocolate, and her eyes are bright and shining. Nolan watches her and the baby, smiling, but he’s having a word with his men as well. They’re speaking in hushed tones when I approach them.