Squeezing Tierney's hand tighter—his head swimming with the need to stay vigilant and buzzing from the feelings he was just admitting—he pushed his way into the bustling floral shop. Individual flowers were being handed out along with candy and coupons for future purchases. They each accepted a free flower as Ronan grinned. It was hard to be mad about that, but maybe they should have brought bags for all the goodies. Talia at least had her ever-present backpack.
Turning away under the guise of looking at the arrangements on display, Ronan scanned the people in the store. No one looked like any version of Vander clef to him. Unable to stop himself, he reached out, grabbing a small bouquet of purple and white, thinking to give it to Tierney. It fit with his self-designated role as her protector. For a moment he thought about sliding it back into the holder as he recalled her admonishing him and suggesting that would bring Elliot down on him harder.
Ronan wasn't as concerned about his ability to fend off Elliot as much as he was about his ability to keep Tierney safe. He also didn't want to risk her wrath, if only because she had enough on her plate right now.
She eyed the bouquet in his hand oddly. In a moment of quick thinking, he reached out and found a gorgeous orange and yellow bouquet of the same size. Leaning in close, he whispered in her ear, "Look around."
It was stupid—as if she didn't know to do that, as if she wasn't constantly vigilant. The feel of her skin, so close to his mouth, and the scent of her wafting over him for a moment, made him close his eyes and linger. Forcibly, he shook himself out of it.
Was he going to do this? Was he really head over heels for Tierney? Just moments ago, he'd believed he was already underwater on that, but now he thought maybe it was just the stress of the situation. Was he bored because he'd been out of work for weeks? Was he lonely? He wished he had better answers to all of it.
He wished this shit with Elliot Vander clef was already over. But he promised himself it would be soon as he headed to the counter to pay for the bouquets. He came back and handed the purple to Tierney and the one that looked like a sunset to Talia. After brushing off thank-yous, he pushed his way out the door, trying to make a wide enough path for Talia, as the two women followed in his wake. The street had once again become more crowded and noisier in the time they'd been inside.
He looked around and again didn't see anything alarming.
As he let out a sigh of relief, his head snapped up. A deep male voice called out, "Emily! Emily!"
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Tierney was exhausted. Maybe it was from the Crawl itself, but she suspected it was from walking on eggshells. She’d heard shouts for “Emily” on three different occasions but never could locate Elliot. She would have fallen asleep in the passenger seat of Ronan's sports car if it hadn't been so awkward.
They'd first looped back to the Bakery—no easy feat—to get Talia to her car. There had been no way to get Talia and her chair back to the shop except to walk it. Luckily, Ronan's car was nearby. Tierney had climbed in gratefully, ready to be home and thinking she might just really sleep for the first time tonight. She was suddenly that tired.
But the seat wasn't cushy, and she leaned her head against the window watching the lights, but they weren’t passing very fast. The post-crawl traffic was slow enough that Tierney figured they might have been able to walk faster.
"Are you okay?" His hand snaked out and twined with hers.
"I'm good. Just tired ... and I miss Sean." She shouldn't hold his hand.
A shout went up next to her side of the car and she straightened even as Ronan ducked his head to look out.
"Asshole," he commented at the man strutting down the street, too drunk to be upright.
Tierney felt her eyes widen. Wayne Davies.
She hadn't known him at the time, but later when she'd seen him again, she'd learned his name. She turned to Ronan. "You know him?"
"Sure, enough to know he's an ass."
But not enough to know that this man had fucked his wife at her parents' home just after they'd been married? Nothing in his expression gave away any pain, nothing personal. Tierney clenched her teeth.
Siorse should have honored some level of honeymoon phase, but clearly she hadn't. So Tierney, underwater with her own problems had kept the secret to this day.
"Why?" Ronan asked her. "I assume everyone knows he's just an ass."
"You have no idea," she answered through a nearly locked jaw.
"Did he do something to you?" The response was swift and harsh. Not at her, but for her.
Shaking her head, Tierney bit back the words, No, but he did something to you. You just don't know it.
They approached the intersection at a crawl as the officer waved them through and Wayne Davies and his just-as-obnoxious friends turned right and headed away from the car. On the other side, traffic picked up a little speed and by the time they were through the next light, the crowds were almost gone.
Tierney would have nodded off, but for the odd structure of the seat and her residual anger at Wayne Davies. And at Siorse.
She hadn't actively caught her sister with other men, but she'd caught her in more than one lie over the years. There was no reason to think Siorse had changed. She'd seen her sister in Lincoln with a blond-haired man, but it wasn't anyone she knew, and no one who'd come into the bar ever. Tierney's heart sank with a thought that she'd not had in a long time ... had Paddy even been Ronan's child?
She'd had her doubts at the time. The child's blond hair and the timing made her wonder, but she'd held her tongue as she always had when it came to Siorse. Trying to shake her morbid thoughts, Tierney looked out the window. "You missed my turn!"
"Nope. We are going to my place."
"Mr. Kittens is there alone." It was the only excuse she could come up with as her chest tightened and her blood bloomed warm through her whole body.
"We'll check on her and the kittens in the morning."
Tierney swallowed and nodded but kept looking out the window. Before she'd had time to think about it, they were idling in the drive waiting for the garage door. Then she was in the relatively warm cocoon of the garage, the cold of the night finally wearing off. She didn't even have a bag on her, all her cash and her ID had been stuffed into pockets to be relatively carefree. There was a stash of cookies in her pockets, a bouquet in the backseat that she couldn't leave. And she was full of pie and cupcakes and shots from Snafu.
Maybe she'd had too many of those shots—more than the average crawler had gotten because she was the manager. Was she tired? Or maybe a little tipsy?
She stood up a little too quickly and covered her bad balance by grabbing the things from the backseat. Trying to stay perfectly upright, she followed Ronan inside through the small mudroom. In the kitchen that she knew almost as well as her own, she reached up for a vase and felt the warm press of Ronan against her as he seemed to realize she couldn't reach it. Slowly, he put the glass vase into her grip and she grabbed it with two hands—like a toddler ... or a woman who realized she was far too attracted to the man handing her the vase.
She was cutting the stems, so hyper-focused on the task at hand—on keeping her mind from what she wanted to do with her hands—that she was startled when he touched her. His fingers caressed her shoulders, then her neck and she had a fleeting thought that he was going to seduce her.
"Let me get this."
But he was only taking her coat.
She turned, her face surely as flushed as it felt and she was too stupid to do anything but stare at him for a moment. His own coat was gone. Her eyes flicked to the side, and saw it hanging on the stand near the door. She watched him turn and hook hers next to his ... as though it belonged there. As though this was her house and he was hers.
Tierney turned back to the flowers, chopping too hard with the knife, and setting each one into the water. As she got down to the last two, she realized he hadn't moved. Ronan was still standing behind her.
Why was he there?
> She breathed heavier. She'd definitely had too many shots. She was not thinking clearly.
But her thoughts were clearer than they ever had been. She knew what she wanted. Though she reminded herself that this man had once belonged to her sister, her other half replied that her sister had never belonged to him. Even if he didn't know that, even if he never learned it, he'd not deserved what Siorse had done. For some reason, that gave Tierney an excuse to do what she knew she shouldn't.
She put the last stem into the vase, telling herself that he would move. That if she turned and he walked away, she wouldn't pursue him.
Without taking a moment to check the arrangement, she sucked in a breath. She was buzzing with anticipation.
"Tee?"
His voice was too close. Too seductive. She told herself it didn't mean what she wanted it to mean. But she wanted it too.
Turning slowly, she found that he wasn't just too close, he was so close that she brushed against him as she lined herself up. Her breath caught, her eyes flared. The scent of him in her space invaded her.
She froze.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Tierney stood, immobilized, pressed against Ronan and probably not quite sober enough to make the decision she was making.
Ronan didn't move either.
It would have been awkward if she had been breathing. But after a moment, she had to.
Her eyes glanced away, her heart pounded, and her fingers and toes curled. She wanted this. She wanted her made up past to be her real one. She wanted her name to actually be Tierney Doyle, and she wanted Ronan Kelly to love her. None of that was real, but this moment could be.
When Ronan tipped his head to catch her gaze, he likely caught more than he bargained for.
Surging upward onto her toes, Tierney wrapped her arms around his neck. She didn't mean to trap him, but the impulse was too strong and she clung to him the way she'd wanted to for so long. She pressed her mouth to his, not knowing what would happen, just giving it a try.
His breath sucked in and his hands settled at her hips and for a petrifying moment she was certain he was going to push her away. But he didn't.
Unexpected heat flared in his eyes as he leaned in closer and took what she was offering.
Digging harshly into her hips, his fingers pulled her closer. His mouth devoured hers as he leaned into a kiss she'd never expected to happen anywhere other than her dreams. Pressing forward, Tierney laced her fingers into his hair, daring him to take everything. And she was offering everything.
She was tired of waiting, tired of wondering if her past would show up to surprise her or haunt her. It was doing both, and she might not survive it, but she could have this. One night.
The counter pressed against her lower back and she used it to leverage herself into him. Surely, he would call off this craziness at any moment. But she wouldn't. As she lifted onto her toes, she felt the friction of the two of them sliding against each other, and another burst of flames shot through her. Her brain fogged and reality slipped away. Nothing mattered but now, so she clung to it with everything she had.
Her fingers found the hem of his shirt and slid underneath to smooth skin and thick muscle. Her breath escaped as his mouth moved to her ear, her jaw, and down her neck. Her fingers slid upward, just a little, enjoying the feel of him and the way his stomach sucked in at her touch. She quickly ran into the fresh scar from his accident. He was healed, but it was still new. Her fingers curled back, not wanting to hurt him.
Ronan abruptly stepped backward.
The space between them was small but cold and empty.
What had she done? Was it over? If that was all she ever got of this man it would have to be enough.
He was looking at her, examining something, and Tierney was certain she'd failed whatever test he was giving her.
Taking another step back, he widened the distance just enough to put her out of arm's reach. It was over. Short and sweet, but done.
His hands reached up and over his head. Grabbing the back of his shirt by the neck he pulled it off, taking the t-shirt underneath with it in one smooth motion.
This stupid town had to have their annual Crawl in the cold. As though it were some show of bravado to suffer the weather like real Nebraskans. He was bare chested in front of her now, and she still had on two shirts of her own.
Tierney stepped forward, her hands on his hips, holding him to her as she leaned in and took a breath. He smelled like ice cream and whiskey. Like a night on the town. Like the man of her dreams for so long. She kissed along his collarbone while he stood still and let her worship him for a moment. Making her way down his chest, she kissed across his side, and her knees bent. She lowered her mouth down to the scar where she gently revered it with small kisses. It meant he was alive and for that she was more grateful than she could express.
His breathing was ragged beneath the soft touch of her lips. She could feel the spike in his pulse, watch his fingers clench and uncurl, clench and uncurl as she caressed him. There was no better feeling than the power of making this man want her. He sucked in another deep gulp of air as she trailed her mouth across his stomach, but then his fingers dug into her shoulders and he pushed her away.
This time, she looked up at him. Stood up and met his eyes.
This time, she saw the flames there, blue and gold and white hot.
He pulled her toward him, kissing her greedily, and grabbing for the hem of her shirts. Tierney helped, and in seconds they were off, tossed and forgotten onto the floor beside his. Ronan stared reverently at the lacy bra she wore as Tierney thanked every god she could think of that she'd decided it was comfortable enough to wear all day. But she wasn't wearing it much longer.
In seconds, he'd slid the straps off her shoulders, baring her to his view. She could have been embarrassed or shy, but the reverence in his gaze burned all of that away and he leaned in to kiss her mouth, pressing them together, skin to skin, as the jolt of it shot through her system, tightening between her legs and making her slide against him again.
There was only a short wall defining the edge of the kitchen, but Ronan backed her against it. He used the pressure to hold her in place as his mouth searched her flesh, causing her to gasp and moan. Her eyes rolled back. When had it felt like this?
She realized her hands were grasping at his waist and she didn't want to pull at the freshly healed wound. There was still a small nagging voice at the back of her head for that one ... but she quelled it, or he did, with his mouth. With his fingers making short work of the button on her jeans.
Returning the favor, Tierney tugged at the zipper on his and sighed as his warm hands slid down between the denim and her skin.
Ronan Kelly was touching her. It seemed straight out of her dreams. The dreams she'd always told herself were okay because they were only dreams. Because they'd never become real. But here she was, pressed firm against the wall, Ronan Kelly anchoring her there, the thick ridge of his erection jutting between them.
He reached back into his pocket as the jeans got lower, before he couldn't reach. He pulled out a receipt and tossed it onto the counter that was pushing at her hip. He yanked a list and tossed it, too, his eyes still holding hers. Then he pulled his wallet and set it gingerly down, so his fingers could search by touch. In a moment, he pulled back. His breath was heavy between them and tucked between his first two fingers was a condom.
A little beaten up, it made her happy. She was glad it wasn't shiny new. He hadn't put it there today ... This wasn’t taking fresh advantage of that, nor had he used the last one so recently he’d had to replace it. Neither option should matter to her, but it did.
Tierney was more than willing to let this man take advantage of her. His last conquest should be of no consequence when she would only ever have this one night. But she was going to enjoy it. She plucked the foil from his fingers to say "yes."
His hand was in hers, his jeans still riding low as he stepped away. Ronan tugged her around the
corner, stepping in front of the fireplace and hitting a switch that roared the flames to life. She would have laughed, it might not be the sexiest building of a fire, but a fire was a fire, and she hadn't had to sit back and wait while he assembled little piles of kindling.
She almost told him so but, before her mouth could open, he was skimming his jeans down his body. Despite the weeks off work, he was still glorious. Tierney told herself that she shouldn't already know this, but she did.
He was fully naked and fully at attention in front of her and, while she'd known she wouldn't turn back, she hadn't been sure he wouldn't until now. Making short work of her own jeans and socks she stepped out of the messy pile of clothing and reached for the sides of her underwear. Somehow, he’d plucked the condom from her grasp and he was now sliding down her body, taking her underwear with him. Taking her with him.
She was on the thick, fluffy white rug in front of the fireplace, Ronan's arms around her before she realized what was happening.
Though he tried to slow down, there were no brakes on this system and Tierney was wrapping herself around him, needing him in a way that didn't allow for time. Her hips moved, her back arched, her fingers dug in, holding him close as he quickly rolled the condom on and held himself steady as she pushed her hips forward.
He hadn't quite been ready to make the move, but she made it for him. His groan of satisfaction only encouraged her. Tierney rolled her hips again and took him in slightly further.
That was it. Any strength he'd had to hold back, to go slow, disappeared. With a thrust that strung her tight like a bow, and his arms tightening around her, Ronan joined them together fully.
The flames licked at her side, but the heat of him moving inside her shut out all other sensation. There was only her and him and this one moment. Only her own body telling her to get closer, to make him moan again, to tie him to her and let him know without words how she really felt. Because this would be all there was. This might even be too much, but it was too late to go back.
Down in Flames (Wildfire Hearts Book 5) Page 12
