This Love (Cowboys & Angels 6)

Wasn’t it?

“Riiight. The fence. That needs repairing,” Trevor said, a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Yep, the fence,” I stated with a look that dared him to fuck with me.

Thunder cracked across the sky in the distance.

“Is it safe for you to be working outside in the rain?” Maebh asked Trevor. Why did she care? The fact that she harbored any concern for Trevor pissed me off.

“It’s fine,” I said before he could interject that it would be dangerous and that he should stay and help me with whatever project Maebh had in store.

“See ya later, Trevor.” I motioned with my hands for him to move along.

His eyes widened in amusement. He looked between me and Maebh, and I could tell she was starting to wonder if she should have asked for help after all with the way we were glaring at each other.

My younger brother laughed and shook his head. “Maebh, it’s been a pleasure, as always.”

Trevor grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. I saw red. Fucking red. I’d never wanted to hit my brother over a woman before. Never.

I grew even more angry when Maebh’s cheeks turned slightly pink.

What in the hell?

“Bye, Trevor,” I said, pulling him back and away before he moved his lips anywhere else. Lifting his hands in defeat, he laughed.

“I’m going! Jesus, Cord. See ya later, Maebh!”

She lifted her hand. “See ya!”

Trevor focused back on me as he took a few steps backwards, giving me a look that said he was going to tease the fuck out of me for this. At the moment, I didn’t care. I had a chance to get to know the woman who was my direct competition. Shaking his head again, Trevor spun around and headed to his truck, but not before calling over his shoulder, “Talk to you later, Greedy Smurf.”

My mouth dropped open. “I’m not a fucking Smurf, you asshole!” I shouted.

“What’s a Greedy Smurf?” Maebh asked, her nose crinkled up again in the most adorable way.

Did the ground just move? Or was that my knees buckling?

My cock jumped, and my whole body trembled. I wanted to lean down and kiss her. This woman was driving me mad.

I took a step back and pushed my hand through my hair. “You don’t know who the Smurfs are?” I asked, a smile on my face as I tried to ignore the weird feeling in my gut and the strain against my zipper.

She shook her head. “Nope.”

“Then we’re going to have to fix that problem and quickly.”

She pressed her lips together, as a shy smile moved over her face. When she looked at me through her eyelashes, I saw her cheeks turn the most beautiful shade of red. I had made her blush just like Trevor had with the kiss on her hand, but this was different. The shade on her face screamed embarrassed and excited.

Clapping my hands to distract myself from those blushing cheeks and beautiful eyes, I said, “So, what did you need me to do?”

Me hands shook as I unlocked the door to the apartment above Aisling and let Cord in.

“Where’s your father?” he asked, looking around the room.

“Me da’s in Ireland.”

His head jerked back, and he stopped walking. Almost like he was afraid to be in here alone with me.

“Ireland?” Cord asked, his voice filled with something that sounded very much like fear.

I nodded. “Yep. He went to go pick up a few things from our house and some more whiskey.”

“You couldn’t just order the whiskey?” Cord asked, his brows pulled together. “That’s how I get mine at the bar, no traveling for me.”

“Not this kind,” I replied, leaving it at that. He didn’t need to know that da was only bringing one bottle back. The last bottle of whiskey me ma had drunk from. He’d been saving it for a special occasion and the opening of the Aisling was that occasion.

Cord stared into my eyes for the longest time. He seemed to do it a lot, and I loved it. It gave me a chance to stare back into his beautiful ocean-blue eyes. They reminded me of the clear blue waters of home. You’d stand on the hillside and cast your eyes out to the ocean and see the most amazing shades of blue.

I missed Ireland. Even though I loved it here, a part of me would always long for home.

Trevor had blue eyes as well, but they weren’t as deep as Cord’s. And they didn’t hold as many secrets.

He finally pulled his gaze away from me and back to the apartment we were standing in.

“It’s beautiful up here.”

“Thank you,” I said softly as Cord chuckled.

“What?” I asked.

“Your accent. It sounded like you said, tank you. And when you say what…you keep the H silent. It’s hard to understand you half the time.”

My heart dropped. I wasn’t sure why Cord didn’t like me. I’d done nothing to him. At least he was finally talking to me more. A few months ago he simply would give me the cold shoulder and barely speak two words.