“Tweedle Stupid and Tweedle Stupider are with Mum,” I giggled at his pet name for our younger twin brothers Tristan and Matteo. All three of them followed after Dad and became engineers. Much to Mum’s dismay though, they all practised engineering as roughnecks on a North Sea oil rig. It was tough, dangerous work, but the boys craved the adventure. And when they didn’t have it, they drove me nuts. They were boisterous, overprotective, and overbearing, but I adored them. Technically, they might have been younger, but I’d spent so many years in a hospital bed with them looking over me, that they’d long since outgrown me.
“Doing what?”
“Mum’s pissed that they’ve cleaned out the fridge again, she’s on strike until they’ve filled it back up,” he replied with a chuckle.
“They’ve gone food shopping?” I said in disbelief.
“With Mum,” he added. “She didn’t trust them to go alone. I called and spoke to her half an hour ago, and she was screaming at them for leaving her with the trolley to chat up the checkout girls.”
“I don’t know what she’s thinking. It probably took her longer to get them in the car than it would have to do the entire food shop on her own.”
“Well, her bridge club is coming over tonight, so she’s kicking us all out. Fancy coming with us?”
“Em beat you to it. She’s going into town for a girls’ night, and I said I’d join her.”
My brothers hadn’t met Em, but they knew all about her from me. Between the hospital stints growing up, I never really made many friends from school who stuck, and since then I’d been working hard to make my own business a success, not leaving much time for anything else. Em was shy, and I’d never met anyone as innocent and kind as she was. From the first day we met, when I’d fitted her for her wedding dress, we became firm friends. It was a gift I’d needed so much more than she could ever realise.
“Glad to hear it. You could do with letting your hair down a bit,” he said. Of all the boys, Luca always seemed to worry about me the most. As much as he drove me crazy sometimes, it was nice having him back for a bit.
“Look, why don’t you get ready at Mum’s, and we can share a cab,” he suggested.
“It’ll be late,” I warned. “I have fittings until seven, so I’m not meeting Em until nine.”
“No worries, the women will wait for me I’m sure,” he said, making my roll my eyes. “You need a hand with anything before I go?”
“You’re a diamond. Thanks, Luca. Could you carry this tray of prosecco to the bridal party in the fitting room? They’re just oohing and aahing over the dress, so they’ll all be decent,” I said.
“More’s the pity,” he replied, taking the tray with a wink and walking into the back room. I could hear the moment that he arrived by the chorus of excited shrieks. I wasn’t surprised by their reaction. Luca was one good-looking guy. But I couldn’t help but giggle as I wondered whether they’d still fancy him as much if they’d heard him and the twins flatulating their way through a Brittney Spears song last Christmas.
***
It felt so good to be cutting loose on the dance floor. It was true that I was a horrible dancer, but with the club as packed as it was, it wasn’t as though anyone could really see me in the crowd. Besides, the cocktail Em had ordered for me had loosened my inhibitions enough that I didn’t really care. I could still drink with my medication, but in moderation, so two drinks were my limit.
“Having fun?” Nikki shouted over the music.
“Definitely,” I shouted back, smiling widely at her.
“Looks like you’ve got an admirer,” she said, nodding her head and looking behind me. I turned to follow her gaze to where a group of guys were dancing. I used the word dancing loosely because most of them were doing the two-feet shuffle that I favoured. The guy I’m guessing she was talking about caught my eye and smiled. He was the tallest of the group, and his fitted shirt stretched tightly across a muscled chest. His sandy blond hair was stylishly messy, and he had that cute boy-next-door vibe that would have piqued my interest a few months ago. That was before Kieran and that kiss of course. Now, it seemed, he had ruined me for all men. I appreciated the interest from this guy, but honestly, it just made me wish it were Kieran standing there throwing some charm my way.
“He’s been looking over at you for ages. You should go talk to him,” she shouted.
“I’m good, thanks.” I carried on dancing, distracted by thoughts of a blond-haired, brown-eyed giant whose kisses were more addictive than crack.
Ten minutes later, I was contemplating getting some water when someone bumped into my back.
“I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” someone shouted from behind me. I turned around to see that it was the cute guy, holding his hands up in apology.
“No problem.” I smiled to show him I wasn’t mad.
“Can I buy you a drink to make up for it?”
“She’s fine,” Tristan said, thrusting a bottle of water into my hands.
“Sorry. I didn’t realise you were here with your boyfriend,” the guy said.
“This is my brother, Tristan,” I replied. The guys smirked, as though he was back in the game. He had a better chance of scoring a date in a nunnery than he did with me when my brothers were around.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Mark,” the guy said. He literally moved in front of Tris, giving him his back as he leant in closer to talk to me, acting as though he couldn’t hear over the music. Mattand Luca joined Tris in giving Mark the evil eye.
“Nice to meet you, Mark. Thanks for the offer of a drink, but my brothers have me sorted,” I replied politely.
“Brothers?” he said, realising I’d referred to more than one. Following my gaze, he met the stares of my three pissed-off brothers.
“I’d better get back to my friends,” he said hastily, not taking his eyes off them.
“How is it you always attract stupid people?” Tris asked me.
“How do you know he was stupid? He could have been a smart, successful guy for all you know,” I replied.
“You meet a girl you like, you don’t turn your back on her family. It’s not rocket science to figure out the guy’s a douche canoe.”
I rolled my eyes, but said nothing. There seemed little point in explaining that I hadn’t been interested regardless.
“What are you lot still doing here anyway? I thought you were meeting your mates in Blades five minutes ago,” I said, referring to the sports bar up the road.
“Trying to get rid of us, little sis?” Tom asked, slinging his arm around my shoulder. “I thought we’d hang around for a bit and meet your friends. Seems a shame to waste an opportunity.” He looked around to see who I was with.
“Hell no,” I replied. “I love you guys, but there is no way you’re hooking up with my friends. Besides, Em’s married and most of the other girls are in relationships,” I lied. Well, it was true Em was married, but most of the other girls we were with were single. Still, my brothers didn’t like complicated, and I had no desire to spend my evening watching them stick their tongues down my friends’ throats. A few of my friends had hooked up with my brothers in the past, and it never ended well.
“You are no fun, short stuff,” Tris said, smiling.
“If we go, do you promise not to hook up with numb nuts?” Luca said, referring to the guy they’d scared away.
“I promise,” I said, this time refraining from rolling my eyes.
“Trust me, boys, she’s in good hands,” Nikki said, linking her arm through mine. The boys looked amused at her attempts to steady herself as she leant on me. She’d been knocking back the cocktails since we’d arrived, and it looked like they were kicking in.
“Okay, sis, have a great night and call us if you need us,” Luca said.
“I will,” I reassured him.
They knocked back their drinks and waved goodbye as I searched the dance floor for the rest of the girls. Spotting them at a table in the corner, I dragged Nikki over. Seeing us c
oming, Em scooted up on the bench, making room for us.
“Was that your brothers I saw you talking to?” Em said.
“How did you know?” I asked her.
“You told me they were giving you a lift, and the family resemblance is uncanny,” she said. I wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or not, but she laughed at the face I pulled.
“What’s O’Connell up to tonight?” I asked her. Em never drank when she was on her own, but she seemed pretty happy and relaxed as she sipped on her glass of wine.
“He’s giving Kieran a hand with something,” she said. I didn’t reply, but she looked like she was searching my expression for something.
“What?” I asked her, finally.
“There’s not a tiny part of you wondering what Kieran’s doing tonight?” she asked. I shrugged, not sure what to say to her.
“Doing the right thing is tough,” I admitted. “I was doing okay until he kissed me.”
“He’s that good, huh?” she asked. My body melted against the seat and I sighed deeply, remembering just how good it was. She smiled at my reaction. Then, after taking a sip of her drink, smiled even wider as she looked past me at something.
Suddenly, the song ended and the lights dimmed further. At the front of the dance floor was a small stage, usually filled with girls dancing. Tonight it had been cleared and a small spotlight shone down in the centre of it.
“Hold tight for me, boys and girls. We have a little surprise for you. I want you to give a warm welcome to some very special friends of mine. Ladies, put one hand in the air and use the other to stop your knickers taking themselves off. Take it away, boys…,” the DJ announced cryptically from his booth. I loved hearing live bands, so I was quite excited to see who they had playing. All of a sudden, girls started shrieking and flooding the dance floor, but from my seat, I couldn’t see what they were looking at. Nikki, having no inhibitions at all, stood up on the bench to see what everyone was fussing over.
“Oh no, they didn’t,” she shouted, laughing. She looked down at Em knowingly, who shared her smile.
“Yeah you!” the crowd sang as a band played the first bars of The Vamps’ “Somebody to You.”
I still couldn’t see, but a guy with a voice that could melt butter began to sing. A tingle ran up my spine, and I couldn’t help feeling like I was witnessing something special; I just didn’t know what. The crowd joined in every time with the lyrics “yeah you,” throwing their arms up and pointing at the band. The atmosphere was electric.
As the crowd on the dance floor began to part, Em spoke into my ear.
“Be brave,” she said, clapping her hands to the rhythm of the music.
Out of the throng of people, Tommy danced his way over to us, shaking his arse like a professional. As soon as he reached for my hand, I knew this was Kieran’s doing. Dying with embarrassment, but secretly elated, I followed him sheepishly as he walked me to the front of the stage.
Looking up, I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. Standing at the microphone like some rock god was Kieran. It was his amazing voice that belted out the lyrics to the song. He strummed a guitar as he sang like he owned the stage. As I stood at his feet, he looked down at me with the biggest smile, and I knew then he didn’t just own the crowd, he owned me too. Tommy, Liam, Albie, Heath, and even Con were dancing beside him, buoying up the crowd and making all the girls crazy.
Kieran looked into my eyes as he sang, and it was like the crowd disappeared. This was so much more amazing than a text message or a phone call. He wanted us to be together, and now the whole world knew it. As the song built to a crescendo, Em and the girls joined me, and we jumped and clapped with everyone else. I couldn’t ever remember having had so much fun.
My heart was bursting when they finished, and I waited for Kieran to put his guitar down. Con reached Em first, jumping off the stage and lifting her to wrap her legs around him as he kissed her like a man possessed. Tommy dove straight into a group of screaming girls, but it was Liam who surprised me the most. Wrapping his hand around Albie’s neck and into his hair, he brought their lips together in a kiss so hot that everyone around them cheered. Kieran thanked the band then jumped off the stage in front of me.
“So, have I convinced you then?” he asked, looking a little nervous.
“Convinced me of what?”
“To be my girl.”
Grabbing the front of his shirt, I pulled him close. “I was always your girl,” I replied.
He rested his forehead against mine and breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m not letting you go this time. No matter how hard you try to push me away.”
“Promise?” I whispered, not daring to believe that we were actually doing this.
“Promise.” Shutting his eyes, he closed the gap between us and kissed me gently. I sighed in satisfaction, and he swallowed the noise as his mouth moved more urgently against mine. Raising my arms around his neck, he wrapped an arm around my waist and lifted me off the floor so that he didn’t have to bend down. Both of us were breathless when he parted his lips to touch his tongue against mine.
“About time, fuckers,” Tommy cheered, as people whooped and hollered at us. We broke apart and discovered our friends all stood watching us and clapping. Kieran wrapped his arms around me from behind and buried his face in my neck.
“So, you can get up and sing in front of hundreds of strangers, but you’re embarrassed when the boys see us kiss,” I said to him jovially.
“I’m not embarrassed about the kiss, love. I just didn’t think you’d want the girls seeing me hard-on,” he replied, and I burst out laughing.
***
The rest of the night passed in a wonderful blur. We kissed, we danced, and we kissed some more. Kieran had to stay stone-cold sober as he was in training, but both of us were drunk with happiness. I was starting to get tired, but I so desperately didn’t want the evening to end.
“One more bottle of water for the road?” he asked me. I nodded my yes then kissed him briefly, just because I could.
“I’m so excited for you guys!” Em said, practically vibrating with happiness.
“I can’t believe you kept all this a secret!” I said. “And I can’t believe Kieran actually got Con up dancing.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’ll be happening again anytime soon, but Kier wanted to do something big for you so you’d take him seriously,” she replied.
“He’s absolutely crazy, but it was so perfect.” I sighed, still feeling like I was floating on air.
We laughed and chatted some more until a warm hand snaked its way around my waist. The overpowering smell of alcohol registered at the same time that I felt a hand squeezing my arse. Jerking away, I found Mark, who was now completely plastered. Then my attention jumped to a furious Kieran standing in front of me as he handed me a bottle of ice cold water.
“Another brother?” Mark asked, slurring his words drunkenly. Paying no attention to the fact that I’d already pushed him off once, he put his hand right back where it was and pressed his erection into my hip.
Moving so quickly I nearly missed it, Kieran smacked him square in the face, knocking him on his arse.
“Boyfriend actually, arsehole,” he replied. “Touch my girlfriend again, or any girl without her consent for that matter, and next time you won’t be walking away. Now fuck off.”
Mark scrambled, muttering, “Fucking lesbian,” under his breath, and I had to restrain Kieran from going after him again.
“You okay, love?” he asked.
“My hero,” I whispered to him as he tucked my hair behind my ear and brushed his thumb gently across my cheek.
“Always.”
Chapter Nine
Kieran
“Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred. Now switch,” Con said, calling out one-arm press ups. I changed arms without hesitation and continued in time with his count. When I’d done the same number on both sides, I climbed up the bars to start the hanging sit ups, even before he ask
ed. I knew the routine; we both did. I’d been calling out these instructions to him for years.
“How we doin?’ Danny asked.
“He’s getting faster, and not a single fucking complaint all day,” Con told him.
“That girl must be good for him,” Danny said. Arms crossed, and a cigarette hanging out his mouth, he analysed my form.
“His tone is looking good, but I want to up the cardio,” he said to Con. “Have him run midday and then before he finishes for the day.” He studied me some more before shuffling his way to check on the other fighters, which was as close as Danny would ever get to telling me he was impressed.
“Still no complaints, fucker?” Con said, chuckling.
“Mate, I feel like I’m on top of the fucking world at the minute. Truth be told, we could do with stepping up the training, ’cause I know I’ve still got something left in the tank at the end of every day,” I told him.
“That’ll be the sex ban,” he said. “Let’s see how much energy you’ve got when you spend four hours a night fucking.”
“Jesus, no wonder Em always looks tired,” I said, earning a scowl from Con. “Oh, so you can give it but’cha can’t take it.”
“I don’t like you thinking about Em like that, let alone talking about it,” he admitted.
“Well, cool your jets, fucknut. I’ve got my own angel now.”
“Makes you feel invincible, don’t it?” he said, smiling.
“I am fucking invincible,” I replied, making him roll his eyes.
He was right though. This feeling was indescribable. I wanted the fight to be tomorrow, because right now I felt like I could take on the world. The last four weeks had been amazing. For six days a week, I trained from dawn till long after dusk. It was probably just as well that it was Irish’s busy season at the shop, because the times we saw each other were getting harder and harder. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other. She was a fire in my blood, and the burn consumed me. When we did get together, we tried to see each other in public places. It worked at first, but last week we’d nearly been kicked out of the cinema. It started as an innocent kiss in the back row, and by the end of the movie, I was nearly on top of her.
The Storm Page 7
