by Cora York
“Listen,” I said, rubbing her biceps, “how about we get out of here for a while. Walk around the grounds… talk…”
She curled her arms around herself and shuddered. “It’s freezing. We can talk in here.”
“I’ll keep you warm.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?”
“I have my ways.”
She smiled, and the tension lines on her face faded, and, not for the first time, her beauty took my breath away.
“I’d like to see those ways. Let’s go.”
****
“Warm enough?” I asked and laughed.
Blinding snow carpeted the grounds, and our feet squeaked over the fresh covering. Tessa had wrapped a scarf halfway around her face until only her eyes were visible.
She nodded. I shoved my hands deep into my pockets, and she curved her arm around mine. Such an insignificant gesture shouldn’t have made my heart jump, but it did. This was something a real couple would do, and despite what was happening between us, we weren’t a real couple. Although… No. Some ideas were too dumb to entertain. That was how hearts got broken, and a broken heart wasn’t something I ever wanted to experience again.
I took out my phone and checked to make sure it wasn’t on silent. Shane hadn’t been in touch since yesterday. Niall, his partner, and a few squad cars were hidden on a neighboring farm, ready to pounce. I wanted to get my meeting with Gorman over with so I could stop worrying about him showing up at the castle and telling Tessa all about our connection.
“You’ve checked your phone every minute for hours.” Tessa gave me a playful nudge. “You expecting an important call?”
“Something like that.”
“A watched phone never rings.”
“Isn’t that a watched kettle never boils.”
“Think it’s a watched pot.” She laughed. “Are we seriously talking about idioms? We’ve been sleeping together for less than a week, and we’re already boring. Next, we’ll be doing crosswords and thousand-piece puzzles.”
A hawk cried in the distance, and we both looked up at the mist-shrouded mountains. The place was beautiful, and it struck me how much more beautiful it was with Tessa by my side.
“I’m from a few miles down the road, but I’ve never been on the castle grounds before. Passed it enough, but never came in. Sacrilegious, isn’t it?”
“You’re from Derry, right? I go there a lot. I’m sure I’ve bumped into your family a few times.”
“Probably. It’s a small place. My dad drives a taxi. You might have been in the back of his car.”
“With the way the Universe and fate works, you never know.”
“You believe in all that?”
She shrugged. “I think we all have lessons to learn and that some things were meant to be.”
“You think we’re meant to be?”
“No. You’re a lesson in lies coming back to bite me in the ass. Lesson learned—don’t lie.”
“I don’t remember biting your ass.”
She laughed, the sound muffled behind her scarf. “We’ll remedy that later.”
We came to a turret at the end of the courtyard. “Let’s go down here,” Tessa said. “The staircase leads to the dock by the lough.”
She led the way into the turret and down a set of rusted, winding stairs, and when we reached the bottom, I swept snow from a stone bench so we could sit.
“Can you imagine living here in the old days?” Wistfulness filled Tessa’s voice. “It would’ve been like living in Winterfell.”
“I wouldn’t have taken you for a Game of Thrones fan.”
“You know nothing, Keegan Devlin.”
I rolled my eyes and groaned. “You’re hilarious. It would’ve been miserable. No heating or plumbing.”
“You’re such a romantic.” She gave me a gentle push.
Heat climbed up the back of my neck. “I am. Or I can be.” Not wanting to go down the road of romance, I changed the subject. “Tell me more about your ex. Are the police after him?”
“They were,” she sighed. “There’s a warrant for his arrest, but they’ll never find him. He doesn’t want to be found.”
“He’ll slip up eventually. Criminals always do.” In a few hours, if all went to plan, he’d be out of our lives for good. No way was Shane getting away with screwing Tessa over and then getting me involved. Payback would be a mother fucking bitch.
“Maybe… I’m past caring. It was a tough lesson.” She lowered her scarf to her chin, and her breath puffed in front of her face. “New Year. New start. Time to let the past stay where it is. I’m done beating myself up. Rehashing every single minute. Wondering what I should’ve done differently. Wondering if it was my fault for loving him, trusting him. I was so goddamn gullible.”
“You’ll never know how sorry I am for acting like a dick.” I pulled her into me and draped an arm over her shoulder. “I’ll do what I can to make it up to you.”
“You’re right, you were a dick, and a jerk, and a jackass.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” She reached for my hand and squeezed, then looked me in the eye. “But I’m glad you’re here.”
Too much emotion and intensity filled her face and her eyes. It was a look I knew well, and despite her declarations of not wanting to fall in love, she was falling for me, and I needed to set her straight. Set both of us straight.
“I like you, Tessa. But it can’t be any more than like. A relationship isn’t something I want. Baggage, y’know.”
She gave a nervous, high-pitched laugh. “I’m not looking for anything either. Sorry if I gave you the impression I was. This is sex. Just sex. Good sex. Great sex. I’m using you for orgasms.”
I didn’t believe a word she said. “I like you using me for orgasms. You can use me for orgasms all you want.”
“I’ll take you up on that.”
We sat in comfortable silence wrapped in each other’s arms. I enjoyed being here with her like this. No pressure to be anyone other than who I was.
“Since I’ve spilled my guts about my woeful life,” she said, “tell me what’s stopping you from falling in love. Why don’t you want a relationship?”
I leaned forward and clasped my hands together. Did I want to tell her about Grace, give her the whole sob story? Show her I was weak, that someone didn’t think I was enough? Would she wonder what I’d done to make my girlfriend cheat? Grace’s betrayal wasn’t something I wanted to rehash or relive, and if I told Tessa, she’d get a sympathetic and pitiful look in her eyes. I didn’t want that, but I’d already lied so much. Maybe it was time to rip the Band-Aid I’d worn for the past three years off.
“She cheated. We broke up. The end.”
“I’m sorry.” Tessa reached out a gloved hand and touched my arm.
“No need for sorry. You weren’t the one I was about to propose to.”
“Oh…”
“I loved her. Would’ve given her the moon if she’d asked. But even that wouldn’t have been enough. I suppose it’s better I found out she cheated on me before I asked her to marry me.”
“What a fucking selfish bitch.” She clamped a hand over her mouth.
I laughed, but it sounded hollow, forced. “When I found her shagging her boss in our new apartment, I called her worse. I could’ve handled it differently.”
“You haven’t had a relationship since?”
“I prefer fun with no strings.”
“You give me orgasms. I give you no strings. We’re a good team.”
“Sounds like a partnership made in heaven.”
If I had the brains I was born with, I’d walk away before the strings became chains. Get out of Tessa’s life before I couldn’t leave. Before Shane stuck his boot in and kicked both of us where it hurt. But why walk away from someone who enjoyed sex as much as I did? Someone who challenged me and made me laugh. A few more days wouldn’t cause any permanent damage to either of us.
“I get that we
both have skeletons,” she said, breaking into my thoughts, “but I’m not going to cling to your leg and beg you never to leave me.”
“That obvious?” I blew out a breath and gazed at the cement-colored clouds.
“Think of us as method actors. We’re supposed to be besotted, and now that we’re sleeping with each other, it’s believable.”
“How so?”
“It’s easy to tell when a couple’s having sex. There’s an intimacy between them, and we have that now.”
“As well as using me for orgasms, you’re using me to make your lies more convincing?” I leaned over and nibbled the cold shell of her ear.
She screamed playfully and fought me off. “I’m not the only one who’s lying.”
Tessa tilted her head and kissed me with so much tenderness I forgot everything else and focused on the sensations warming my body. She had me, and I wasn’t sure I ever wanted her to let go. So much for no baggage and no strings. She wasn’t the liar here, I was. The biggest one I’d ever met.
Her phone beeped. She broke away, dug through her coat pocket, then jumped up from the bench. “Thank you, God. Violet’s agreed to pay for everything. She’d emailed when she was drunk and can’t remember a thing, but she still wants me to fatten up her bridesmaids.”
“You amaze me, you know that?” I grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Come on. Let’s celebrate. We can sneak up to our room and warm up.”
She looked up from her phone and raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by warm up?”
“What do you think I mean?”
“You could mean drinking hot chocolate, or you could mean getting naked in front of the fire.”
“How about naked in front of the fire and hot chocolate after?”
“That sounds like a fantastic idea. I like how you think.”
My phone rang, and my heart stilled. “You head on up. I’ll be there in a few.”
“The phone call you’ve been waiting for?”
“Aye.”
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. “I’ll start warming myself up.”
“Now that’s something I’d like to see.”
“You can if you hurry.” She ran into the turret. Before I answered my phone, I made sure she wasn’t within earshot.
****
A few hours later, outside the castle grounds, I leaned against a stone wall dressed in running gear. The excuse I’d given Tessa about needing to go for a run was a lame one, but I needed to disappear without raising any suspicions. More lies, but I could justify them—to myself at least.
Thanks to another heavy snowfall, the cleared roads were rapidly turning white, and since Shane hadn’t contacted me in over an hour, I didn’t know if he was on his way or if he’d even make it to the castle. But desperation made people do ridiculous things like drive on ice-covered roads or jump on planes and pretend to be someone’s fiancé.
Since I didn’t know from which direction Shane was coming, I continuously glanced from left to right. Who knew what kind of trouble I was walking into, but this was about saving Tessa. I smiled to myself. It seemed she’d gotten her very own wedding-planning superhero after all.
In the distance, the dim lights of a car lit up the road, and excited anticipation squeezed my stomach. Shane had taken the bait. The car drew closer. Niall, who watched from a neighboring farm, should arrive any minute.
The car slowed and crunched to a stop, and the passenger door opened. Shane got out. An unkempt graying beard covered his jawline, his eyes were sunken and lined, and his wrinkled clothes looked as if they’d been slept in more than once. This wasn’t the man I knew. The man I knew had always been clean-shaven, never had a hair out of place, and wore designer suits.
A smirk filled his face. The smarmy shite would smile on the other side of his face soon enough and then on the other side of prison bars. Stale nicotine and booze oozed from his pores.
“From what I hear, you’re shagging like rabbits.” Shane leaned against the open car door.
“Where’d you hear that?”
“Friends in low places. The stupid bitch didn’t vet anyone she hired. My man was in and out in a few hours. Told me all I needed to know. A few euros gets a lot of answers.” He rubbed his hands in glee. “She’s mental in bed, isn’t she? Not as good as your sister, mind you.” He rolled his shoulders. “I can still feel her nails on me back. I have a few scars to prove it.”
“Hell would be too good for you. You’re a piece of dirt and deserve everything that’s coming to you.” My nostrils flared, and I curled my fist. Shane would push every button to get a reaction. Pounding him into the ground would be so easy and immensely satisfying.
“Wire the money. Otherwise, my driver will beat you to a pulp, and I’ll tell every paper that’ll listen about Tessa’s scam. How I was the one who walked away from her. How I couldn’t live with the guilt anymore.”
“How do you sleep at night?” I asked.
“I close my eyes.”
“Before I do anything for you, explain why you have it in for Tessa. For me?”
He shrugged and gave a cynical, lip-twisting smile. “Two birds. One stone. She told me to get out of her life—”
“After you told her to blackmail her clients.”
Shane shifted from foot to foot, his eyes darting all around, never settling in one place. “Would’ve been a good money maker. She sent the police after me big time. As for you, I saw a chance to fuck with you and I took it.”
All blood drained from my head and pooled in my hands. My vision clouded, and time slowed to a sloth’s pace. In a flash of movement, before Shane could jerk back, I threw a right fist and landed a stomach punch. With a heaving groan, he staggered back and doubled in two.
He coughed and spluttered. “Big mistake, Man. Big fucking mistake.”
“My only mistake was trusting you.” Adrenaline spiked through my system. Not allowing Shane any chance to counterpunch, I swung an uppercut jab to his chin, knocking him to the ground. Shane slumped to his knees, winced, and worked his jaw back and forth.
“I’m going to fucking kill you,” Shane screamed, lurching to his feet. “And I’m going to enjoy every minute.”
My hands shook, and my knuckles throbbed, but I wasn’t done. Not by a long shot. Growing up with three brothers had its benefits. Learning how to give and take a punch was one of them.
I strode toward Shane and grabbed the lapels of his jacket. “You’re filth.” I lifted my right arm, ready to pummel him to a bloody pulp, but the wide-eyed fear and desperation on his face made me stop. Disgusted, I shoved him away. “You’re not worth it. You’re not fucking worth it.”
The car door swung open, and a six-foot-something man built like a brick shithouse stepped out and stalked toward me.
Shane’s nostrils flared. “Hope Tessa still likes you when she sees your fucked-up face.” He cut a glance toward the other man. “Slash his face, Lynch. Make it so his own mother won’t even recognize him.”
I stood my ground. I wouldn’t back down, and I wouldn’t run. I owed it to Tessa and my sister, and God knows how many other women Shane had screwed over. But I wouldn’t complain if my cousins and his colleagues showed up to give me a hand. Where the hell was he?
Lynch cracked his knuckles and lifted a meaty fist, but before he made contact with my face, I ducked out of the way. The other man might be bigger, but I was faster.
“That all you got,” I taunted, moving this way and that, not allowing Lynch’s swinging fists a clear shot at my face, ribs, or stomach. “C’mon, big man, you can do better than that. Hit me. Give me all you have.”
Lynch advanced, grabbed my shoulder, and swept a foot behind my ankle, lifting me off my feet. I hit the cold, hard ground with a thud, and my head lolled to one side. Pain ricocheted around my brain, obliterating thousands, if not millions, of brain cells.
Lynch knelt and pressed his knee deep into my chest, stealing my breath.
The caveman grinned. �
�You want to see what I have, huh, tough guy? When I’m done, they’ll have to wire your jaw shut.”
Shane hunkered down, smirked and patted my cheek. “You’ll be lucky if you can eat more than baby food for the rest of your life.”
I struggled to get up, to shove Lynch off me. If I didn’t get away, they would leave me for dead. And I wasn’t ready to die. Shane Gorman wasn’t the last face I wanted to see.
Images of Tessa rolled through my brain. The first time I’d met her. The first time I’d kissed her. The first time I’d taken her to bed.
The next time I saw her, if I ever saw her, my face would look like ground beef.
The drone of sirens flew toward us, their flashing lights strobed across Shane’s face, wiping his smirk away. Relief flooded through me, washing away my adrenaline rush.
“I’ll make you pay for this, Devlin.” Shane spat in my direction, narrowly missing my face.
Lynch shot up and jumped into the waiting car, followed by Shane, but it was too late for a getaway. Niall’s car slid in front of Shane’s and blocked it from going forward. A second car slid up beside, and a third pulled in behind.
A dull, throbbing ache settled at the base of my skull. I stood and rubbed a hand over the egg-shaped bump on the back of my head. I flinched. It hurt like a motherfucker, but a few beers and several Advil would soon dull the pain.
Niall and the other police officers jumped out and unholstered their guns.
“Both of you, step out of the car with your hands up,” my cousin shouted.
Shane slapped his fist against the dashboard and called out, “This is entrapment. You have nothing on me.”
“Step out of the car,” Niall repeated.
Shane and Lynch stepped out with their hands up.
“I have friends everywhere, Devlin,” Shane said and snarled.
“You’re a disgusting excuse for a man.”
“Watch your back, dickhead. I’ll rip your head off as soon as I get the chance.”
“You do not have to say anything,” Niall stated while handcuffing Shane. “But it may harm your defense if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand?”
