by Toni Aleo
I don’t know where we are going and to be honest, I don’t care. I sit contently in the car as we drive down the weaving roads along the countryside. When we come to the large gate that surrounds his property, I wonder if we are going back to the dock. That’s fine with me, I love it there, but instead of taking the road to the pond, he takes another one and soon we are lost in the lush greenery of his land. It’s spectacular, and I can’t wait to see the main house, or anything for that matter. Declan promised to take me on a tour of the distillery, and I wonder if that is what we are doing. When we pull up next to a large barn, I peer out the window in awe of the massive building.
“That’s a big barn.”
He smiles as he gets out, grabbing a bag out the back before coming around to help me out of the car. “Yeah, we only have about an hour and a half before it gets dark so let’s get Cathmor and get going. Do you have a problem riding in the dark? We might have to after we eat.”
“Oh, we are riding?”
He nods before glancing down at my feet. I know he is thinking the same thing I am since I am wearing flip-flops. “Yeah, I forgot to tell you to get boots or something since you basically pulled me out of the pub and devoured me,” he says before winking at me. “But I’m sure you can fit in Lena’s boots.”
“Okay,” I say, but then he looks back at me, his brows together.
“That’s okay, yeah?”
I nod my head earnestly. “Yes, of course, I’m excited. The last time I rode though, was before my mom got sick, so it might take some getting used to.”
He smiled, his eyes filling with compassion as he laces his fingers with mine. “It’s like riding a bike. Come on.”
I go willingly and when we enter the barn, I am completely astonished. It is state of the art and the most posh barn I’ve ever seen. There are about six horses, all tucked in their little living quarters. Their stalls are bigger than my room, big troths are full of fresh veggies, and then there is one with water. It’s so nice that even I wouldn’t mind living here.
When a pair of boots and socks appears in front of me, I reach for them before smiling up at Declan. He’s gushing with excitement, and it fuels my own. Dropping the boots, I lean over to slide the socks and then boots on. When I stand, I am pleased they fit.
“Good?” he asks.
I nod. “Perfect fit.”
“Awesome, okay, let’s go,” he says, leading me down to a stall that holds a gorgeous, white gelding. I smile when she comes towards me, running her nose along my face for a kiss. My mom loved horses, said when she was younger she wanted to own a billion of them and love each one. She never got the chance, but that didn’t mean we didn’t ride a lot. Those were some of my favorite memories. We’d all pack lunches, go rent some horses, and spend the day riding before having a nice lunch by the lake. It was fun. With my throat tight, I look over at Declan to catch him watching me.
“You okay?”
I nod. “Sure.”
“We don’t have to ride. We can go somewhere else if you like.”
I shake my head. “No, it’s not that. I did this with my mom and dad a lot. I was just thinking of them.”
“Oh, that’s awesome,” he says before wrapping an arm around my shoulders. He brings me in close before placing his lips on my temple.
“Yeah, it was.”
He moves his nose against my temple, and my eyes drift closed. He feels so good against me, and I never want him to stop touching me. I don’t get what I want because he pulls away, opening the gate and letting the white horse out. Suddenly, three people are around the horse, getting her ready to ride as Declan looks back at me. “This is Belle, Lena’s horse. She’s a good girl, huh, Belle? So pretty.”
I reach out, running my fingers along her silky skin. “Hi Belle.”
She lets out a happy horse noise, and Declan grins back at me. “She likes you.” When he reaches for me, I gasp as he brings me in close. “So do I,” he whispers against my lips. Before I can smile, his mouth is on mine, and I swear it’s heaven being kissed by this man. When I hear someone clear their throat, I pull away. I can’t believe I forgot that three people were in the room with us.
“Mr. O’Callaghan, do you want us to suit up Cathmor too?” one of them says, and Declan nods.
“Yes, please, thank you,” he says it so sternly, but when he turns, there is a smile on his face. “So you know how to get on right?”
I laugh as I go around Belle, reaching for the saddle to pull myself up. “I have a feeling you just want an excuse to touch my ass.”
Declan’s cheeks warm with color before setting me with a look. “You’re onto my master plan, I see.”
“I am.”
He laughs. “Are you sure you can get up there?”
I send him a look that tells him not to doubt me before pulling myself up and settling into the saddle. I give him a smirk, and he laughs.
“Okay then,” he laughs before walking over to where his horse waits for him.
“Is that all, Mr. O’Callaghan?” the same one from before asks. He is an older man, while the two other men are young, my age even.
Declan nods. “Yes, thank you.”
“Thank you,” I say, and then they all look up at me. They look so shocked that I thanked them, but soon they are smiling at me.
“Sure thing, ma’am. Have a nice ride.”
I smile just as Declan says, “Ayea, Cathmor.”
His beast of a horse starts out the door and I guess Belle is used to following, because she does just that. Soon the warm, setting sun is shining on us as I follow Declan away from the barn. It’s so beautiful out here. Don’t get me wrong, I love my aunt’s land, but Declan’s is awe-inspiring. It’s so beautiful with lush greenery and big trees that cover most of the grounds. The lake is off in the distance, and I love the way it looks with the sun setting along it. I can see the massive castles, too, with smaller castles behind it. It’s an intimidating thing, seeing all this, but when Declan’s eyes meet mine, none of it matters.
All that matters is him.
When we are a good distance, he looks back at me again, sending me a grin before clucking his tongue at Belle. She trots towards him, and he grabs the reins to stop her beside him and Cathmor. “Ready to ride? Belle is fast.”
“Sure,” I nod, my heart racing a bit from the adrenaline coursing through my veins. It feels great with this beast beneath me, but I’m nervous to ride her to full power.
He laughs. “You don’t look ready, mo stór.”
My brow goes up. “Did you just call me a store?”
He shakes his head, chuckling before he reaches for my hand, bringing me close to him. “No, never, it’s something my da calls my ma. It’s Irish.”
That sends chills down my spine. Leaning closer, I run my nose along his, squeezing Belle with my thighs to stay on. “What does it mean?”
He cups my chin and smiles, his eyes holding mine. “My treasure.”
Yup, warm and fuzzies go nuts inside me as I get lost in his eyes. As he presses his lips to mine, I close my eyes and think how freaking romantic this is. The sun is setting and I’m on horseback with a freaking prince. How the hell does this happen to someone like me? Pulling away, Declan kisses my nose before letting me go. We share a smile before he says, “Right then, let’s go.”
I nod as excitement fills me. Declan hollers something, and then Cathmor is off. The next thing I know, Belle is racing through the countryside right along with him. Breathless, I hold on tightly, my hair flying as the wind whips me in the face. I know I’ll have crazy hair once we stop, but I don’t care. This is exhilarating! He was right when he said it would be like riding a bike, it is, and I love every second of it. We cut around the pond, riding fast, and soon I pull ahead, but only for a second before Declan cuts me off, sending me a grin before kicking Cathmor to go faster. I kick Belle and she digs in, hauling ass as we race for what seems like hours.
When Declan slows down a bit, I pull the re
ins, having Belle do the same. We are trotting alongside each other when Declan asks, “Fun?”
I quickly nod. “Blast.”
“Great, she’s fast, huh? You’re a good rider.”
I smile. “Thank you. Yes, she’s beautiful.”
“She makes Lena nervous. She’s more of a Barbie Doll, our Lena is, so I usually take Belle out since she won’t.”
“That’s too bad. She’s beautiful.”
He nods in agreement before asking, “You ready to eat?”
My stomach picks that moment to rumble, and I smile. “Yeah, I’m starved.”
When we stop at a little, rock garden-type thing, Declan unmounts Cathmor before coming over to help me. My feet hit the ground and then I am wrapped up in his arm, his mouth moving against mine. I hold on tightly to him, basking in the feel of his lips on mine. When he parts from me, he kisses me one last time before saying, “I have to admit, Amberlyn, you look fuckin’ hot on that horse.”
I giggle as my face goes hot. “So do you.”
He winks at me before backing away, taking my hand in his. Once settled on the grass between all kinds of rocks with our subs, chips, and of course, a beer, we enjoy our dinner before I say, “This is fun.”
“Good,” he says with a nod. “I was hoping you’d enjoy it.”
I send him a grin before taking a big bite of my sub. After swallowing the bite, I ask, “How was work?”
His face changes then as he shrugs. “It was work. I actually got in trouble for texting you today during the meeting.”
I laugh as I reach over, swatting at his arm playfully. “Don’t do that!”
He nods. “Oh, I won’t be doing that any more, but my da knows about you now.”
That stops me mid-bite. “He does?”
“Yeah, we were on a blog, I guess, and he did a background check on you, not to freak you out or anything.”
I roll my eyes. “’Cause getting a background check done on me without any notice isn’t going to freak me out, right?”
He smirks at me. “Right.”
I shake my head, biting into my lip before asking, “What did you tell him?”
“That you are the most beautiful woman ever and to mind his business.”
I grin, my heart fluttering in my chest. “Well, that was nice.”
His eyes are dark as he nods. “It’s the truth.”
Grinning, I take a bite before looking around us. I wonder what his dad found? It makes me nervous. I don’t know why, but it does. Declan doesn’t seem affected by it, so maybe I shouldn’t be either. No big deal, right? Trying to let it go, I enjoy my dinner.
“Do you miss the states?”
I look up at him and shrug. “No, yeah, I don’t know. Sometimes I do. I’m actually really happy here except for one thing, that is.”
He looks up questionably. “What?”
“Goober. I can’t find it anywhere in this damn country.”
He looks at me, confused. “What the hell is Goober?”
I laugh. “It’s like strawberry jelly and peanut butter mixed together in one jar. It’s my favorite. If I knew you guys didn’t carry it here, I would have smuggled some in.”
“That’s disgusting! One jar?”
“Yes! It’s the most amazing thing ever.”
He laughs from the gut before shaking his head. “If you say so.”
“I do!” I exclaim, throwing a chip at him, which he catches in his mouth. I glare before popping one in my mouth as he just continues to laugh. It’s a euphoric noise, one that curls my toes and has me giggling along with him. He is so beautiful like this. I feel free and I hope he feels it, too, because as I watch him, my nerve endings tingle and my heart races. Something is happening here and I might not know what it is, but I like it.
A lot.
“I’m pissed at Kane.”
I look over at where Fiona is furiously cleaning the bar. Her face is red, along with her limbs, and her lip is curled up in frustration.
“I would have never known that by the way you threw your phone across the bar,” I say, but then wish I hadn’t when she sets me with a look.
“He’s a fuckin’ eejit, I tell ya! We’ve been dating for what… almost three weeks, no, a month maybe, and this dude won’t admit that we are together! He says don’t rush him. I’m about to fuckin’ kick him is what I’m gonna do.”
Running my fingers through my hair, I hate that I don’t know what to say as my fingers get tangled in it. “Yeah, I don’t know. Fiona? Does he give a reason?”
“No, just that I don’t need to rush things, but I like him, thought he liked me, so doesn’t that mean we are together? I mean, shit.”
“Yeah, I agree,” I say. Inside, I am thankful that I’m not in the predicament she is in. Declan has made it known that he likes me. I mean, we are only dating but if I did want to commit to something, then at least I know he’d be all for it. The night before is still playing over and over again in my head, just like all the times I have spent with him do. We spent the night kissing and cuddling under the stars before riding back to the barn. He then took me home, walked me to the front door, kissed me thoroughly, and then left, promising to text me once he was home. And he did. It was perfect. God, I’m crushing bad on him.
“It’s bullshite is what it is. I swear, the man is going to drive me crazy.”
I nod. “Yeah, but I doubt you’ll stop seeing him.”
“Nope, but I swear to God, Amberlyn, he sees another girl, I’m gonna throttle him.”
“I’ll help,” I promise and, like I wanted, she smiles before wrapping me up in a tight hug.
“You’re too good to me.”
“Always will be, too,” I say, sending her a grin and then restocking the beer. We only have a few folks in the pub today, mainly older ladies who are enjoying tea and Aunt Shelia’s chocolate cake. I’d already had two pieces… okay three, but it’s the best dang cake I’ve ever had! I kind of hope that Declan comes in for a piece. I texted him earlier about it, but he hasn’t responded yet. He usually doesn’t during the day, he is busy at the distillery, but I’m still hopeful.
As Fiona walks around to make sure our patrons are taken care of, I clean the barstools and mop. We are getting ready for the Friday dinner rush and since tonight is bound to be busy, we are working quickly so that we can both go back home and nap. As I wash out the mugs and glasses Fiona has laid on the bar, the door sounds and I look up, wanting to glare at the asshole that comes in twenty minutes before we close. However, I freeze when I see it’s Casey.
“Howya, Fiona.”
Fiona pauses, her eyes wide, but she doesn’t say anything. Casey doesn’t seem worried about it though. His eyes are on me as he comes towards the bar. “Howya, my beautiful sunshine?”
“Casey,” I say, diverting my eyes towards the glasses I’m washing. “How can I help ya?”
“I came to see if ya got the flowers I sent?”
I nod. “I did, thank you. They were nice.”
He doesn’t say anything, and I don’t look up. I am hoping he’ll catch the drift, but he doesn’t apparently. “Did ya read the note?”
I nod once more. “Yeah. I did.”
“I really am sorry,” he says, a little louder than a whisper.
Knowing that I can’t ignore him much longer, I look up and brace my hands on the sink as I look into his eyes. I can see Fiona watching me out of the corner of my eye and I know she is there since I have to nip this in the bud now. I need to tell him the truth, even if I feel like my voice is shaky. My heart is clanking against my ribs, but I have to do this. “Thank you and I forgive you, Casey. I didn’t set boundaries or something but still, I don’t feel the way you do.”
He waves me off. “Sure you do. We just have to get over what happened and move forward. I wanted to give you some time. I think it’s been enough, don’t you?”
Not nearly enough, but I don’t say that. Instead, I say, “I’m sorry, but I don’t, and I can’t get
over it. You hurt my face and you scared my family and me. Nothing is going to happen between us.”
“Because of Lena O’Callaghan?”
I shake my head. “No, because of you! I don’t feel comfortable around you.”
Holding my gaze, he seems to mull that over before he nods. “Then I’ll have to work to make you comfortable.”
Before I can say that no, that’s not what I am trying to say, the door opens again. When I glance over his shoulder, my stomach drops.
Declan’s face breaks into a grin until Casey turns to look back at who I am staring at. The grin is gone, and I swear it is so quiet the only thing you can hear is one of the older ladies’ breathing machines. When Declan looks back at me, his eyes are full of anger but before I can say anything, his heated gaze meets Casey’s again and he says, “What the fuck are you doing talking to my girl?”
My body tenses and I feel my teeth grind as my gaze meets Casey’s look of surprise, but he still doesn’t seem to care that I’m talking to him. I want to kill him. Tear his limbs one by one from his body and then beat him with the bloody ends. Yes, I may be overreacting, but I hate this man and wish him to the nine circles of hell. I feel I have good reason for my hatred, too. He is a fuckin’ slick git!
Putting a smirk on his face, he leans against the bar and throws a thumb towards Amberlyn.
“This is your girl?”
“Yes, that’s what I said, you fuckin’ arsehole,” I say as I start for him. Within seconds though, a hand comes around my bicep, stopping me. I look back to hit whoever has a hold of me, but when my heated gaze meets Kane’s cool one, I pause. Kane slowly shakes his head as Casey says, “She didn’t tell me that. Maybe it isn’t true?”
I whip my head towards him to tell him that it is fuckin’ true, but Amberlyn beats me to it. “Actually, I never got the chance to.”
