by Liz Gavin
“He told me he was from Limerick,” Keira was puzzled.
“He told you only part of the story. We know he was born and lived in Killarney until he turned nineteen. He moved to Limerick after his father divorced his mother. Apparently, he had some distant relatives there who got a job for him. Ms. Green was born in Cork and moved in with the O’Hallons when her mother died. Nobody knew who her father was.”
“He told me he had a bunch of sisters and brothers,” she added.
“Not true. He’s an only child. Ms. Green gave us an address to a house in Killarney, where he might have gone looking for shelter. It’s not his mother’s. We already had that one. I’ve talked to the Superintendent of the Garda Síochána there. He’ll check the place out, talk to O’Hallon’s mother, and let me know about his findings.”
“I’m sorry, detectives. I know you’re doing your job but it’s so frustrating to be here sitting on my hands. Yesterday, Katherine told me I couldn’t even call my family back home. They must be worried sick.”
“I hear you, believe me. We can’t risk anyone, O’Hallon or the press, tracking you down. I called your father. He’s as frustrated as we are, but he understands the seriousness of the situation. He knows these measures are for your safety. I promised to call him every day to update your family on our investigation and your well-being.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Thank you. But, this just goes to show I’ve got a valid point, sir. You wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble, if you caught the guy. Let me help you do that.”
“Sorry,” Heller offered her a wide smile because she reminded him of his younger daughter, Genna. Both were great kids but as strong-willed as they come. “Life is not like the movies. There are too many things which can go wrong in a plan like the one you suggested. It’s out of the question. Our psychiatrist has told us O’Hallon most likely sees you as a surrogate for his cousin. That would explain why you’re the only one of his victims with whom he tried to create a bond. That also means he might get quite irrational about you.”
“He did say some crazy stuff to me at the hotel room,” Declan remembered. “At the time, I thought he was just taunting me. Now, I’m not so sure.”
“Yes, you told us then that he said Miss Ashe liked him. We relayed your statements about the attempted rape, and our findings about Ms. Green, to the psychiatrist. He’s convinced O’Hallon is on the verge of a psychotic break. This means anything can trigger a break from reality in him. Since Brian, our psychiatrist, hadn’t talked to O’Hallon in person, he couldn’t give us a detailed assessment. He gave us a general prognosis. He can’t be certain about what might actually trigger a break, nor the outcomes of it. The causes could range from drug-induced depression to losing a loved one. As for his reactions, they could vary from harmless delusions to extremely violent acts. The bottom line is - we don’t know what’s going on inside that head of his. We should expect the worst and be prepared for it.”
Keira was far from reassured by those words, and Declan chose that moment to stand up and start pacing. He seemed about to explode. Standing up, she intercepted him. He gazed at her, his expression changed immediately when he saw panic in her beautiful blue eyes. He controlled his anger and frustration, putting on a brave face and opening his arms up to harbor Keira, “Come here, little one. I’ll take care of you. I’ve told you I won’t let anything happen to you, love,” he closed his arms around her, kissing the top of her head, looking at the two police men sitting down in front of them. “We won’t, right?”
They stood up, “We should get going. Slane is right. No need for you to worry.”
A week passed by without much news. Keira and Declan established a routine of activities they did together and stuck to it – exercises in the morning, cooking lunch, reading in the afternoon, and sleeping early. Declan was a great cook and Keira was more than happy to leave him in charge of the stove. She helped cleaning up afterwards. They had a lot of fun preparing their meals – he cooked while she watched him. And he was an eyeful! She never got tired of watching him.
Declan convinced Keira to join him when he went jogging in the mornings. They were followed by the two male gardai on these occasions. The safe house was set in a beautiful rural area, whose landscape offered a wealth of challenges for a fitness freak like Declan. However, Keira was a rookie jogger and he slowed down his pace to allow her to keep up with him. Regardless of the circumstances, he loved sharing those early morning moments with her. Since he had arrived, they had spent each waking moment together. They slept in the same bed. Still, Declan could not get enough of her.
“You’re such a quick learner. I bet in another week or so you’ll be outrunning me.” he laughed as they entered the house, panting.
“I don’t know about that. I just know I’d have a blast kicking your snob ass at jogging, Mr. Marathon Man,” she playfully punched his upper arm.
“I never said I ran a marathon. I won a couple of races in college.”
When she tried to punch him again, he grabbed both her hands, and held them behind her back. All playfulness left him, as his blood ran faster through his veins, when Keira nestled her body against his. Her soft curves robbed him of any rational thought; his body reacted immediately to her heat. She felt it and smiled up at him, batting her eyelashes in the fakest innocent expression she could manage. Rubbing herself against him, her smile broadened when Declan hissed and closed his gorgeous green eyes. She stood on tiptoes, laced her arms around his neck, and pulled him down towards her expecting mouth. He stopped an inch away from it and raised an eyebrow.
“You’ll be the death of me, you know? I’m still out of breath from jogging and you want to steal what little air I have left.”
“Don’t worry, I know CPR.” she whispered, lifting her head, eliminating the distance between them, and kissing his deliciously tempting mouth.
He surrendered willingly to the amazing sensations she evoked in him. He quivered as his rough tongue parted her soft lips, invading her in search of her eager tongue. He felt her shudder as his tongue slid against hers, and heard her gasp when she forgot to breathe. His arms surrounded her like two steel bands, but she felt safe inside that circle as he pushed her closer against the solid, wide wall of his chest. She melted against it but it wasn’t enough. She wanted more. She didn’t want any barriers between their hungry bodies, as her hands tug at his hair and the kiss got deeper and hotter.
Declan felt the same urge. If he followed his instincts, he would strip them both naked and ravish her there, in the middle of the living room, like the wild animal he felt raging inside his human frame. Although he knew better than to let the sexual beast inside him get the upper hand, he decided to ignore his rational side for a few more moments and indulge in the heat that was furiously consuming them. She whimpered when he broke the kiss to focus his attention on her face and neck, showering her with soft, quick pecks. She giggled and held tight to his shoulders for support.
“I could do this forever, you know,” he whispered. Her skin burned under the wet touch of the tip of his tongue as he suckled a sensitive spot on the white column of her neck.
“I think we should,” she replied while her hands found the lower hem of his sweatshirt and lifted it to explore his torso.
When her cool fingers touched the bare skin of his abdomen, close to the waistband of his sweatpants, Declan felt a scorching wave of heat starting at the point of contact, radiating through his muscles, and exploding at his nerve endings. Shivers ran down his spine and he held her hands, preventing her naughty fingers from wandering further.
“You know we shouldn’t,” he stared into the crystal blue depths of her eyes and felt as if he were drowning. Her allure was extremely potent but he had to resist it. He shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts and made a huge effort to succeed. “We’ve had this argument before. As much as I’d love to rip our clothes off right now and lose myself in you, you’re not ready for this. Not yet, anyway.”
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She gazed into his dark green eyes for a long time, assessing his feelings, until he thought she was probing his very soul, “Our attraction is undeniable and our feelings grow stronger by the day. Granted, we’ve met about a month ago, but I feel like I’ve known you my whole life. You say you feel the same way. We’ve been through so much together. The difficulties we faced, and overcame, have made our bond stronger. Now, it’s much more than physical attraction. Why do we have to wait? I want you. You want me. Are you sure I’m the one who’s not ready? Sometimes I think you’re the one running from these feelings.”
He pondered her words over before opening his heart to her once more, “I love your candor so I have to be honest with you, too. I’m terrified. After the horrible ordeal you suffered at the hands of that lunatic, I’m afraid you’ll hate me for taking advantage of you at a fragile moment such as this I feel we should wait until all this is over and our lives are back to normal. First, I need to be sure you’re safe,” he took her hands, which had come to rest on his chest and kissed them. “Besides, it’s been only a few days since the attack.”
“It’s been over a week and it feels like forever to me, Declan. We’ve discussed this again and again over the last days. I don’t want Paul to have this kind of power over me – the power to dictate how we make decisions. It’s like he’s winning, you know? It’s like I’m a prisoner, or a hostage, waiting for him to decide my fate. I’ll make my own decisions. I’ve decided I want you to make love to me,” she smiled into his eyes.
Hers shone so bright with passion and love that his willpower faltered. He scolded himself for his weakness and offered her a wide grin, “I don’t want your first time to be hurried. I don’t want it to happen in a safe house, while you’re hiding from a psychopath. I want to romance you. You deserve candlelight diners in fancy restaurants, a luxury suite in a fashionable hotel with a bed covered in silk sheets.”
She put a finger to his lips to silence him, “You’ve already said that. I don’t agree but I respect your opinion. It’s just that when you say these things you make me want you even more. You’re so tempting,” her voice was rough and low as she tried to press her body against him but he pulled away, laughing.
“No, no, no, young lady. You won’t trick me that easily. You are the siren here and I am the one who needs to worry about temptation.”
Shaking a finger at her and chuckling at her flustered expression, Declan winked and went to their bedroom. She plopped herself down on the couch. Every day over the last week, they had had that argument. She wanted to take the next step, while he wanted to wait.
I need to change his mind. I can’t stand this frustration. How can I pull it off?
A little after lunch, like they did every afternoon, Declan and Keira sat on the couch, facing each other, leaning against the armrests, and reading their books. They didn’t have much else to do because the gardai didn’t allow them to use any electronic devices. In fact, all their things had been stored in Cork’s Garda Station. Murphy had told them the police didn’t want to risk anyone tracking them to the house, no matter how remote the possibility of that actually happening. Although there was a television set in the living room, they had no interest in watching it. They had tried to watch the news on their first night there, but the reporters seemed to talk only about Paul O’Hallon’s Hollywood-style escape and Keira’s disappearance. Most of what the journalists said was mere speculation. A few newscasters resorted to downright lies and innuendo since the police wasn’t commenting. Disgusted with what she saw, Keira had asked Declan to turn it off and they hadn’t tried to turn it on again.
Inspectors Heller and Dwyer, who came by the house every afternoon, were their only links to the outside world. So, when Keira and Declan heard an approaching car, they exchanged hopeful glances, putting down their books and sitting upright.
“Maybe this time the news will be good,” she smiled at him.
“I need it to be good or I swear I’ll go nuts.”
The expressions on the detectives’ faces killed off any hope the couple had had.
“What’s wrong?” Declan asked before they sat down on the armchairs.
“I’m afraid we don’t have any news. We’re stuck and it’s driving me crazy.”
“So you know how we feel trapped in here,” Declan grumped.
Keira petted his forearm and smiled at the policemen. She knew Declan quite well by then to read the signs when he was about to lose it. His patience was wearing thin and she didn’t want to antagonize the investigators, “Have you talked to my family? How are they?”
“They’re as fine as they can be, under the circumstances. Your father tells me every day he wants to come to Ireland and I have to convince him it would be a waste of time and money at this point. He wouldn’t be able to see you. Your sister has been even harder to dissuade. Your mother rarely talks to me. But, I know they are just worried sick about you.”
“My sister’s quite a handful,” her smile was sad because she missed them terribly.
Declan put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close, and kissing her sweet-smelling hair. He loved that scent.
“Indeed she seems to be quite a character,” Heller chuckled. The Ashe family was very similar to his so he could relate.
“What about the hotel? Did you get in touch with Harry or Màire?”
“Yes, I called the hotel, Slane. But I talked to your boss, instead,” Dwyer answered.
“Miss Jennings? Oh, my! I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”
“She wasn’t very happy to get a call from Cork Garda, I’ll tell you that,” Dwyer remembered the scolding he had to endure from her before he was able to explain the situation. He decided to spare Slane. He had grown fond of the hot-tempered, but big-hearted, boyfriend. “Once I was able to speak, she understood the situation and calmed down. She said she couldn’t promise to hold your job for you. But, she promised to offer you another position when you return to Dublin.”
“Miss Jennings is a tough cookie but she’s fair. Thank you, Dwyer. I owe you one.”
“Don’t mention it. Just doing my job.”
When the detectives decided to return to Cork, Keira and Declan saw them to the car.
“We’re in touch with the Killarney Gardai. They haven’t gotten any luck investigating O’Hallon’s ties there. We’ve got a couple of leads to follow, too. I said we’re stuck but we’re not sitting on our hands, Miss Ashe.”
“We’re doing our best,” Dwyer added.
“I know you are. Thank you,” she leaned forward to kiss Heller’s cheek and shook Dwyer’s hand in farewell.
The older man was a strong fatherly figure to her, while Dwyer was very thoughtful. She trusted them with her life and she understood that feeling of being stuck because she felt the same way. It was disturbing, bitter and disheartening. She laced her fingers through Declan’s as they stood in the garden, watching the car disappear down the road. He squeezed her hand in return and she felt better. He had that effect on her nerves.
Around nine o’clock that evening, Keira and Declan were both tired and restless. There was no reason for that so they gave up trying to relax and decided to go to bed even though it was much earlier than their usual bedtime.
As Declan brushed his teeth, he braced himself for what was about to come. Since he had arrived, they went over the same routine every night: Keira tried to seduce him or talk him into having sex with her; he refused; she got angry; he got frustrated, and they wound up arguing. He didn’t know how much longer he would be able to resist her advances. They were getting bolder at the same time as his self-control was wearing off. It’s a dangerous combination. Besides, according to what they had learned from the police that afternoon, their lives weren’t about to go back to normal any time soon. I hope she gives me a break tonight. I won’t last too long. He squared his shoulders and went back to their bedroom. To his dismay, Keira had already fallen asleep. He stood by the bed, observing her. Her breathing was
even. She didn’t move a muscle. He scratched his head, got under the covers, careful not to wake her. As sleep eluded him, he stifled the disappointment that crept up on him. That was what I wanted, wasn’t it?
A very long time went by before Keira heard Declan’s soft snore. When she did, she sat up against the headboard and studied his face. He was gorgeous, there was no doubt about that; but, he was funny, intelligent as well as kind and protective. Although she had had her doubts about him in the beginning, she had come to understand Declan better. She could easily picture the frightened little boy he once was as she ran her fingers lightly over his brow. She wished she could have cradled that boy in her arms, whispering in his ear that everything was going to be fine, that he was going to grow into a very good man.
She had also had doubts about giving herself to a man she had met so recently. She didn’t have doubts about that anymore. She had waited all her life for a man like Declan. A man who made her feel safe when he was around her, and made her see stars when he touched her. Her feelings for him were also strong. She hesitated to say she loved him because she had always believed she would have only one true love in her life, like her mother. Although it was too soon to say that he was the one, Declan was a strong candidate for that position. On the other hand, she had never planned on saving her virginity for Prince Charming. She just hadn’t met a guy she wanted to sleep with, before she met Declan.
Unable to resist, Keira leaned down and brushed her lips over his cheek. When he didn’t stir in his sleep, she moved down to his strong mouth. She didn’t want to wake him up so she controlled the impulse to kiss him properly. It was hard but she changed her focus to the sheets coverings his wide chest. She pulled them down to expose the hairy expanse of flesh that fascinated her so much, running her fingers over the soft, curly hairs and down to the waistband of his sweatpants. She hesitated for a fraction of a moment before inserting her hand in his pants, searching for her prize. She found him, closed her fingers around his member and began stroking it gently, spreading open-mouthed, butterfly kisses on his chest.
