Irish Affair

by Heartley, Amanda

  Something inside me stirs as I watch her ease herself into the water. She dives under then surfaces, her wet body doing nothing to ease my erection. I glance down and smirk because there’s no hiding it. She swims over to me, then stops, her eyes widening when she sees my cock. She bursts out laughing while I frown at her.

  “Are you trying to give me a complex?” I ask her.

  “I’m so sorry,” she gasps. “You’re just so…hard.”

  “That’s what seeing you in that does to me,” I murmur, glancing at her approvingly.

  She shakes her head and moves closer, wrapping her arms around my neck. I groan as she lifts herself onto my hips, my dick pressing against the thin fabric of her bikini bottoms.

  “You know this can’t happen,” she reminds me. “I thought it would be easier to just stay away from you—”

  “Easy is so overrated,” I mumble, pressing my lips against hers. I know I should tell her that Rory knows about us, but I don’t want to ruin the moment. I walk her over to the edge of the pool, then lean her against it. She sighs, gently rocking herself against me, teasing me as I kiss her roughly. I groan and reach behind her, untying her top.

  “Oops, sorry about that. Looks like your top is coming down,” I say, my lips finding her neck.

  “No, you’re not,” she giggles.

  “Sorry about this too,” I say with a grin, closing my mouth over her nipple.

  She gasps as I suck, my eyes fixed on hers. I flick my tongue against it until it stiffens. She guides me over to her other nipple, moaning when I do the same. I place my hands on her waist, threading my thumbs through the band of her bottoms, then holding my breath, I disappear under the water, taking them down with me. She kicks them off and I surface with them between my teeth, then toss them over the side of the pool.

  “Proud of yourself?” she asks, grinning. She dives under the water and I watch her swim around, then she surfaces and snakes up my body, wrapping her legs around mine. She pulls herself against me and kisses my lips as she reaches down, wrapping her hand around my shaft. I grunt, not sure if I love or hate that she’s such a tease again.

  Then her eyes widen, and I smirk, until I realize she’s staring over my shoulder. I look around and curse when I see Rory walking down the path. He’s still far enough away, but not for long. I get out, grabbing my clothes and dive into the pool house behind me, just as Rory’s voice fills the air.

  “What’s going on with you?” he asks suspiciously.

  “Nothing, just having a swim,” Siobhan replies, her voice about ten notches too high. I cringe and rub my face, wondering what to do. There’s no way in hell he’s not going to know I’m here somewhere, especially since I’ve already told him the truth about Siobhan and me.

  “Come on, don’t lie to me. You know you can’t get away with that,” he says.

  “What do you want me to say, Rory? You don’t want me being with him, and you don’t want me to lie. Which one do you want more?” she asks, sounding frustrated.

  “Just be honest with me and have the decency not to lie to my face,” he grumbles.

  “Fine. He was just here, and now he’s gone. Satisfied?” she says, sharply.

  “Siobhan, I’m just worried about you. I know the kind of guy he is. I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s great and I love him, but he can be an arse when it comes to women.”

  “I’m a big girl,” Siobhan says gently. “I can take care of myself.”

  “I’m not sure you can,” Rory responds. “I’m just worried about you getting hurt. I’ve seen it with you before. Just don’t let yourself get too attached to him, okay?”

  I sit in that pool house with my head against the wall, feeling like shit. Hearing him say that about me has really gotten me down. I lay down and stare at the ceiling, waiting for Rory to go, so I can leave. I tune out of the conversation. I don’t want to hear any more. Is that really who I am? Just a player who breaks women’s hearts? It’s certainly not who I want to be. About half an hour later, I jump when Siobhan gently knocks on the door. She smiles at me.

  “You look like you’ve fallen asleep,” she teases.

  I shrug. “I should have mentioned to you that I told him the truth over lunch. I didn’t mean to, but he said you’d already told him, so…”

  She nods. “That explains why he was so annoyed.”

  She sits down next to me and puts her head on my shoulder. We don’t say much, and I just stare at the ceiling. Eventually, I get to my feet.

  “Maybe I should take off,” I mumble.

  “Really?” she frowns. “I thought we could go and grab dinner, or something?” She smiles at me. “I mean, there’s no point hiding the fact that I’m seeing you now, is there?”

  I shrug, because I’m not sure it’s a good idea to carry on seeing her, as much as I want to. The last thing I want to do is hurt her, but what if that’s how this ends? It’s not like we even live in the same country.

  Maybe she’s better off staying away from me.

  * * *

  In the end, I cave, and we go out for dinner. When I say dinner, I mean we have tacos at one of my favorite little Mexican places and eat them down in the park.

  “You’re really quiet,” she says with a frown. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”

  “Sure, it’s fine,” I shrug.

  “I’m not sure I believe you. What’s up?” she says.

  I sigh. “I’m not sure what you want me to say.”

  “Just tell me what’s wrong, for a start,” she says with a frown. “Ever since Rory, you’ve been weird—”

  “I heard you and Rory talking by the pool,” I say, cutting her off. “I heard what he said about me, and it upset me, and then it worried me. Maybe I am just going to end up hurting you,” I mumble. “And that would break my heart more than anything.”

  She stares at me for a moment, then smiles.

  “Did you keep listening?”

  “No,” I admit.

  “If you had, then you would’ve heard what I’d said,” she explains. “That you’re sweet, attentive, you care about your family a lot. And that I like you. A lot.”

  “You said all that about me?” I ask. She nods and walks around to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I sigh as she presses her soft, warm lips against mine.

  “I said all of that,” she confirms. “Look, Ben, I haven’t known you very long, but I feel like I know you better than Rory does. I mean, you haven’t had hot sex with him, have you?” she says, giggling.

  I burst out laughing at the thought, then quickly wipe it from my mind. Cuddling up to a hairy Irishman? Gross.

  “I think you show him, and probably your other friends, the side you want them to see,” she continues. “The cocky, arrogant arse that has a different woman in his bed every night. Makes you feel better, but it’s not the real you.” She pauses and looks at me. “There’s so much more to you than what you show people,” she whispers.

  “Maybe,” I say with a sigh.

  I love that she thinks that highly of me, but I’m still not sure I believe it myself.

  Chapter Eight

  Siobhan

  It’s Saturday, the morning of Rory’s concert and the night before I go home. I’m trying not to think about that, but it sits in the back of my mind, festering away. I walk out of my room and into the kitchen, but there’s no one there. I call out, but nobody answers. I’m about to text Rory, when there’s a knock on the door.

  I jog through the kitchen and the living room, cursing the fact that it’s so far away. Next time, buy a smaller house. I pull open the door, just as the knocking starts up again. Kayla grins at me.

  “Hey,” she says brightly.

  “Hey?” I repeat.

  She winces. “Okay, don’t be mad at me,” she pleads.

  I sigh, and stand back, letting her inside. She follows me out to the pool, where we sit down.

  “I’m so sorry, Siobhan. I don’t know how I lost you and then I lost my pho
ne…”

  “Ever heard of Facebook?” I grumble. “You could’ve got hold of me if you wanted to. And why has it taken you nearly a week to come over?”

  “I tried the day after,” she protests, “but you were still in Vegas.”

  “Right,” I mumble, remembering the conversation with Rory. “So, what happened to you, anyway?” I ask.

  She grins at me, looking like she’s going to burst. “I ended up going on a road trip with two guys I met,” she says.

  “What?” I growl, horrified she’d be that stupid. “That right there is the start of a horror movie,” I say. “You’re fucking crazy. What if something had happened to you?” I frown at my friend, disappointed in her for leaving me, and for this stunt. “You just keep doing that kind of bullshit, Kayla.”

  “I know, and I know I should’ve told you where I was going, but they were really nice guys. If I’d thought they wanted to hurt me—”

  “They’re not exactly going to announce their intentions to rape and murder you,” I say, still scowling at her.

  She giggles. “If you’d seen them, you’d understand why that’s so funny,” she says. “Oh, wait a second.” She rummages through her bag until she comes across her phone.

  “I thought you lost that,” I say suspiciously.

  She flushes. “I thought I had, but it was in my bag all along.” She hands me her phone. I look at the photo of her and two scrawny guys who don’t look much older than twelve. Despite myself, I chuckle because I’m sure she could outmuscle them both at the same time. I roll my eyes. Only Kayla could get away with something like this.

  Well, and maybe Ben.

  “Anyway, how did you get home?” she asks.

  “Ben,” I say, my heart racing at the sound of his name. Kayla stares at me, then breaks into a smile.

  “Something…happened?” she asks, raising one eyebrow.

  I laugh. “A lot happened,” I admit. I fill her in, right from when he arrived in Vegas, to Thursday night when he overheard Rory talking about him. Kayla shakes her head in dismay.

  “I can’t believe how much I’ve missed while I’ve been gone,” she says. “So, where are you now? Have you seen him since the pool house incident?”

  I nod. “He took me out for tacos on Thursday night.”

  “And what happens after you go back?” she asks.

  “I don’t know,” I admit with a shrug, an empty feeling filling my stomach. “We haven’t gotten to that point yet.”

  Kayla hangs around for a while, until I have to make my excuses to get myself ready for the concert.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t get me a ticket,” she grumbles.

  “Sorry, I had other things on my mind. Like my brother proposing,” I say, laughing. “If I don’t see you before I go, I’ll call you, okay?” I say, hugging her tight.

  “You’d better,” she says, frowning at me. “Do you really have to go home? Stay here with me...and Ben,” she adds, reluctantly.

  I laugh. “I wish I could, but I have to go.”

  “Hey, where’s the wedding going to be?” she asks.

  “I’m not sure, probably Ireland. Why?” I ask. “Will you come back for it?”

  “While there’s still a chance he’ll realize I’m the one he wants? Hell, yeah,” she grins. I narrow my eyes at her. “What?” she protests. “I’m kidding.”

  I walk Kayla out to her car then call Rory to see what they’re up to. I’m a little concerned neither of them are back yet. I glance at my phone, since it’s getting late. If they’re much longer, we’ll all miss the concert.

  “I was just about to call you,” he says.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, picking up on how stressed he sounds. “Where are you?”

  “There’s been a change of plans,” he mumbles. “Amelia’s not coming to the concert.”

  “Why not?” I ask.

  “Uh, because she’s in hospital?” he says, his voice charged with emotion.

  “What?” I say, my heart jumping into my throat. “What’s going on?” I ask. “Is she okay?”

  “I’ll explain later. Can you get here, Siobhan?” he asks.

  “Yeah, of course I can, but tell me what’s going on,” I demand.

  “Shite, the doctor’s back. Look, just call Ben and get him to drive you in, okay? I’ll see you soon. I’ve got to go.” He hangs up before I can get any answers out of him.

  I call Ben, all the worst-case scenarios running through my head on a loop. What if it wasn’t food poisoning, after all? What if she’s really ill? I take a deep breath, feeling a little sick, and anxious at the same time.

  “Hey,” he says, sounding pleased to hear from me.

  “Ben. Listen, Amelia’s in the hospital. Can you come and pick me up and take me in?” I plead.

  “Sure. Of course. Is she okay?” he asks, sounding concerned.

  “I don’t know,” I say, frustrated. “Rory had to hang up before he could tell me. Sounds serious though. I’m so worried for them.” I’m driving myself crazy. I know I need to calm down, not for my own sake, but for theirs. If something’s wrong, they don’t need me falling apart.

  “I’ll be over in a few minutes,” he assures me.

  “Thanks, and drive safe,” I whisper.

  I pace up and down the lounge, anxiously waiting for Ben to arrive. Ten minutes later, he’s tooting the horn out front. I quickly grab my bag and walk out. He smiles at me as I get in his car, his eyes sympathetic.

  “You haven’t heard anymore, I guess?” he asks gently.

  I shake my head. “I’m so worried,” I say. “I mean, why wouldn’t he tell me what’s going on over the phone, unless it’s bad news?”

  “That’s not necessarily true,” he argues. “It could be that they don’t have any answers yet.”

  I frown. I guess that could be true, but it doesn’t make me any less anxious the whole drive there. The ten-minute trip feels like it’s taking forever, and I sigh when we finally pull into the parking lot. We both get out, Ben takes my hand and we race inside. I try calling Rory, but there’s no answer, so I text him, asking where we go. When I don’t get an immediate reply, the impatient side of me stalks over to the information desk to ask.

  “Fourth floor, room ten,” the woman says kindly.

  We thank her then I run toward the elevator with Ben right behind me. We get out on the fourth floor, but before I can race down the corridor, Ben turns me around. I stare at him in surprise as he looks deep into my eyes and puts his hands on my shoulders.

  “Calm down, Siobhan. Take a minute to breathe before you go in there,” he says. I know he’s right. I’m so worked up. I nod and close my eyes for a moment, taking deep breaths. In and out. “Good,” he murmurs.

  “Thanks,” I say, smiling at him.

  He puts out his hand, and I take it, loving the feel of his fingers entwining with mine. Just as we reach the room, my phone rings, but I’m in no mood to take calls, so I reject it and then shove it in my pocket.

  I glance at Ben before knocking gently on the door, my heart racing as I try to figure out what news awaits us on the other side.

  “Come in.” I push the door open.

  “Hey,” Rory says, looking pleased to see us. I frown, as I look from him to Amelia. They’re both smiling. Like a lot. What is going on with them? Are they tripping out?

  “I just tried calling you,” he says.

  “Oh, I didn’t answer since I was here already,” I reply. I glance anxiously from one to the other. “So, false alarm, huh? You’re both grinning like Cheshire cats so I assume the emergency is over and you worried me half to death for nothing? Now, can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on before I pass out from stress?”

  Rory looks at Amelia, and she looks back at him before bursting out laughing. She shakes her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. I glare at them, wanting answers, like right now.

  “If you don’t tell me, I’m going to beat it out of your smug, ugly f
ace, Rory Maguire. And you know I will,” I growl at him.

  He chuckles at me, making me even more annoyed. “Okay, okay. Calm yourself, will you? Jesus,” he says, holding up his hands in surrender. “And you’d better not be showing that kind of violence around your new niece…or nephew.”

  My mouth falls open. “What? What new niece? Oh! Are you kidding me?” I gasp.

  Rory laughs. “Does it look like I’m kidding you?”

  I shake my head in disbelief. “Holy Mary. So, you knocked her up already? How the hell did that happen? I didn’t know you had it in you.” I shake my head and put my hand up, laughing when I realize how stupid that sounds. “No, no! God, please don’t answer that,” I say as I try and delete the thought of my brother having sex with Amelia from my mind. Images that can’t be unthought. Ewww!

  He laughs, teasing me further. “Oh, the usual way. I’m sure you know how,” he says, shooting both me and Ben a knowing look. “Surprised?”

  I feel my face burning, and now I understand how he feels about me and Ben together in the sack. I nod, still processing it all.

  “Congratulations, guys,” Ben says, stepping forward. He gives Rory a nervous hug, then kisses Amelia on the cheek. I sit down on the edge of the bed, trying to take it all in. I can’t believe this.

  “So, it was morning sickness and not Rory’s disgusting cooking, after all,” I muse. Rory makes a face at me and I poke my tongue out back at him.

  “A very severe form of morning sickness,” Amelia explains. “Which can, apparently, last through the whole pregnancy. It’s got some Latin name that I don’t even want to remember.”

  “Wow, that’s going to be fun,” I say.

  “Yeah,” she says, screwing up her face.

  “This is crazy.” I shake my head and laugh. “I can’t believe it. I’m so happy for you both.”

  “Uh, I hate to be the one to break up the party,” Ben says as he glances at his phone, “but what are you doing about the concert?” he asks Rory. “It starts in like an hour.”

  “Shite.” Rory curses. He glances at Amelia, who shrugs.

  “Go,” she urges him. “Siobhan can stay here and keep me company, if she doesn’t mind. You can’t pull out now, or you’ll have heaps of angry fans to answer to and wanting their money back.”