Chapter 8
8
FIONN
I closed my eyes and leaned into the hot water pounding over my face and neck, sighing in delight. I didn’t need another shower tonight, but I’d used it as an opportunity to get away from Daire and think about what had happened. When Sloan found out about Daire carrying me out of Bellissimo over his shoulder—and he would find out—he would be pissed. Which meant I needed a way to spin tonight’s mess in a positive light.
But that wasn’t the focal point of my thoughts right now—Daire was. Yet again, my desire for more than fucking had been rejected, and I was made to feel like a child playing in an adult’s game, which both frustrated and angered me. I was twenty-six. Before Conall had come along, I’d been well on my way to learning about running the Company. I helped Sloan control the ports and deal with the rogue Italians. My uncle had used me for accounting and trusted me, but all that came to a halt the moment Sloan got his new pet. I was forgotten, left to watch from the sidelines.
Daire? He acted as though I was a nuisance. If that were the case, then I was done with the flirting and fucking and waiting for Daire to come to his senses. I deserved better. I deserved someone like Michele, who looked at me as though I’d built the entire world in a day.
I frowned at the black shower tiles. I didn’t want Michele. I didn’t know him, for one, and he wasn’t Daire. Dating never hurt, though, right? The only man I’d had inside me didn’t want me for more than sex, and I was clueless when it came to other men. My obsession with my uncle’s best friend was ridiculous, but I couldn’t get Daire and our wild, passionate nights out of my head. If getting Daire out of my wet dreams involved letting Michele date and fuck me, then so be it.
With my mind made up, I finished my shower and turned off the shiny knobs. I opened the glass door and stepped out, grabbing a fluffy black towel off the rack, then wiped myself down until I was nearly dry. Wrapping the towel around my hips and tying it in a knot, I stepped over to the wide mirror above the vanity and wiped away the condensation from the heat of the shower. I stared at my reflection, taking in the narrow face and high cheekbones that looked back.
The more I worked out at the gym, the more my abs became defined, but I was still lean and sinewy. My hair was a dark brown again. Like my father’s. A soft dusting of light brown hair covered my chest, but it was barely visible, and my nipples were tiny on my pecs. I laid a hand across my right nipple and sighed. Pointing out everything wrong with myself wasn’t going to help. To hell with Daire. It was his loss.
Mentally holding on to my decision, I dressed in the pajama pants and T-shirt Daire had given me, then hung the towel on the rack before finally exiting the bathroom. He wasn’t anywhere to be seen, so I took the liberty of sliding under the comforter on the right side of the bed and flopping on my back. I huffed, staring up at the dark gray ceiling. The only light left on in the bedroom was the lamp sitting on the nightstand beside me.
I didn’t know how long I lay there, staring at that high ceiling, before I heard two people outside the door. Aodhan’s and Daire’s voices filled the hallway, and even though Daire tried to shush his brother, Aodhan’s words seemed to grow louder until I could finally hear what was being said.
“I’m telling you , go into that room and fuck that sexy ass. He’s a feisty little kitten with claws that I know you want to scratch up your back. You know you like fucking him.” Aodhan laughed.
My breath caught and I stayed as still as I could, listening to every word my ears could catch. Did Daire’s brother know we’d been having sex for years now? Clearly he knew something.
What did that say about this entire situation? Why did Daire tell his brother? Fuck. This was all so confusing.
“Shh. Aodhan, keep your voice down. He’ll hear you.” Daire sounded irritated.
“Oooh, here, kitty kitty.”
“Stop it.”
There was a scuffle, and Aodhan howled in laughter. “If you don’t keep riding that ass, someone else will. That Italian was certainly interested in sticking his cock in your precious boss’s nephew.”
Daire whispered something I couldn’t hear, and before I could decide to get to my feet and walk closer to the door to listen, he spoke louder again. “Leave it. I mean it. Fionn’s the future of the Company, and he deserves respect.”
“So, respect him with your spunk filling that tight little hole of his, Daddy .”
More scuffling. A hard thump like someone had been thrown against a wall.
I stiffened, hoping Daire didn’t get hurt, because it didn’t sound like a friendly fight.
“Keep his name and everything about him out of your dirty fucking mouth,” Daire snapped loudly. “He’s better than you and always will be.”
“Touché.” Aodhan laughed again. “Now get your hands off me before I break every one of your fingers. Brother or not, you know I’ll do it.”
“I don’t care what you do, but if you say one more word about Fionn, I’ll kick you out and tell Sloan you’re here so he can send his trusty little assassin after you. Mom and Dad will be upset with me, but don’t think for one second that I wouldn’t.”
“Well, well, well. You do care about him.” Aodhan laughed. “Color me not surprised after all. You’re too loyal to the Killoughs.”
“Sloan’s been more of a brother than you.”
I sucked in a breath and held it, listening carefully. The silence that fell was tense, and I could feel the high emotions from where I lay. If they said anything else, I couldn’t hear it. The door to the bedroom opened. I shut my eyes tightly, pretending to be asleep.
Daire muttered under his breath, and even though I couldn’t see him, I could pick out his scent in a room of a thousand men. I peeked through my lashes and watched as he walked straight to the bathroom. A moment later, the shower turned on. I relaxed and pondered the conversation I’d overheard.
He’d been quick to defend me, but I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. Maybe he’d been pissed and embarrassed about Aodhan suggesting he fuck me, even though he already had—numerous times. Daire had a considerable amount of respect for Sloan, and if he’d shown me anything, it was that he wasn’t interested in anything deeper. Instead, he pushed me away every time I attempted to make a connection. So, what was the sex? A quick way to get off? Of course it was. I was a willing hole. Nothing more, nothing less.
I groaned. I was such a child about this. Lovestruck, like a fourteen-year-old.
The sound of shuffling against the carpet made me frown, and I sat up in bed. What I saw nearly had me flying to the ceiling. Two dogs the size of bears—okay that was dramatic, but they certainly seemed like it—stared at me with dark eyes. In the shadows, they looked like hellhounds.
“Hi?” My voice wobbled and I stared down at them when they stayed frozen. “Don’t kill me please.”
The bathroom door opened, and I jumped in surprise because I hadn’t heard the shower turn off again. Daire stood in the doorway in only a towel wrapped around his waist, beads of water trickling down his rippled and tattooed chest and stomach.
The dogs were forgotten as my mouth watered at the sight of Daire.
I loved his tattoos but had never had the chance to explore them all. Our sex was quick and dirty, and he left as soon as he was done.
He snapped his fingers at the dogs, breaking me from my thoughts. “Heel.”
I gaped in surprise. The ink of the Dobermans made sense now. Of course they were his dogs. I had no idea that he had these majestic beasts until now, another sign that I didn’t know him as well as I wanted to.
The dogs turned their stare away from me and ran over to Daire, sitting on their butts in front of him. They were at attention, like soldiers ready and waiting for orders, and I couldn’t help but stare. I slid out of bed and followed them, ready to heel for him exactly as he’d ordered the dogs to. Instead of following through with the embarrassing thought, I stopped behind the dogs.
My head spun. I didn’t know where to start with all these new revelations. “You have dogs.”
Daire finally looked at me, mouth curled in a soft smile. “I do. Sinead and Oona.”
“Where were they when we came in?” I asked, noticing the dogs didn’t react to my voice. Their sole focus was Daire, their boss. One of them, the black dog with patches of brown, had her tail wagging, and I smiled at the adorable sight.
“They sleep in the laundry room. They usually know it’s me when I arrive because of my smell.” He scratched both of their heads and grinned. There was a softness in his gaze that made my heart give a hard tug.
“They’re Dobermans, right? I thought Dobermans have pointed ears and a stumpy tail?”
He frowned at me. “Those dogs have had their tails and ears cut. In extreme cases, it’s done to resolve medical issues, but otherwise it’s for appearance value.”
My mouth fell open. “Cut? What do you mean?”
“You don’t know about ear cropping or tail docking?” He straightened again and waved his hand toward the left. “Bed. Go.”
The dogs ran to the side of the room that Daire had gestured at, and it took me a moment to realize there were dog-size cushions in the corner that they immediately curled up on.
I shuffled backward and returned to my side of the mattress, sliding beneath the blankets and resting my shoulders against the headboard. “I didn’t know.” I scrunched up my nose. Even though I loved dogs and had begged Sloan for a puppy, I’d never had one.
He tugged at the knot of his towel uncomfortably and cleared his throat. “It’s a cruel practice that has no health benefits for the animals. It’s people who do cosmetic surgery on their dogs to make them look better.” The last two words held enough venom to kill and he grunted. “I should cut off the tips of their ears and a leg and see how they like it.”
Finally. This was something Daire was obviously passionate about. I was seeing a different side of him, one that wasn’t controlled and managed like the good and loyal Company man he was. No, this was the real Daire, angry at the cruelty of humans.
“I didn’t know that,” I whispered honestly. “I thought they were bred that way.”
He snorted, and the way he unintentionally tugged at the towel gave me a view of the start of his trimmed pubic hair, something I shouldn’t be looking at because I’d just made a deal with myself to move on from this ridiculous crush. But it was hard not to stare at the tattoos that curved with the natural shape of his body. I had never realized how much Daire’s skin was meant for ink until I’d seen it for the first time.
“Some breeds can be, specifically an Australian cattle dog, but not Dobermans.” His gaze strayed to his girls and the smile returned.
I licked my lips as I studied the magnificent canvas of his chest and arms, the desire to stride back over to him and drop to my knees growing like weeds inside me. Nothing good came from invasive thoughts, but he’d always been my addiction.
I didn’t have to worry, though. Instead, Daire simply nodded and walked back into the bathroom, closing the door with a firm click .
I sighed.
So close, yet so far.
I listened to the soft snores that came from the dogs with a small smile. Sliding down the bed, I snuggled deeply into the mattress. My heart thumped steadily, a beating reminder of how desperate for Daire I was. I could join him in the bathroom and beg him to fuck me, but I also needed to expel him from my system. If he couldn’t love me the way I deserved, then I’d find someone who would.
A few minutes later, he opened the door again, dressed in a pair of gray shorts and a shirt. He headed to the opposite side of the bed and slunk into it, keeping as far away from me as possible.
“I don’t bite,” I whispered with a small smirk.
He grunted but didn’t say anything.
With another big sigh, I reached over to switch off the lamp. The silence hung in the air again, with the dogs’ snoring the only sound to break the tension. They were clearly comfortable in their living situation.
Tomorrow was another day. With the resolution of moving on from the stupid crush, I was ready to start anew. Not only would I learn the nitty-gritty of the Company, but I would keep my eyes open for potential new lovers.
If only it were that easy, right?