Chapter 18
I”m on cloud nine,giddy with happiness. I”m falling so hard for Stephen that I can”t even think straight. Over the past two weeks, he”s shown me a different side to him. He”s sweet and protective, and he shows me every day just how beautiful he thinks I am. Having him show me what he sees has boosted my confidence.
When he entered the bedroom the first day I was here, I was shocked, rooted to the spot, unable to breathe as he watched me. Only Mallory had seen my scars, and I”d never wanted anyone else to see them. I couldn”t bear to stand the looks of disgust or pity. But Stephen didn”t do that. In fact, he was angry, then the anger swiftly turned to lust. In that moment, he obliterated everything I had perceived would happen upon finding out about my scars.
He”s worshiped my body, taught me that it”s okay to be imperfect, that perfection comes in different shapes and sizes. I”m not afraid to be seen for who I am.
It”s crazy to think just how much my life has changed these past two weeks. It”s all down to him. If he hadn”t been watching me these past four years, making me feel safe, I don”t think it could have happened.
I”m bloody crazy, that”s for sure, but I”m happy, and that”s down to him.
”You okay, baby?” he asks as he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me closer to him.
I sink into his embrace, leaning back into his body. ”I am,” I promise him. ”I”m just a little nervous.”
The last conversation I had with Jer was a weird one. I finally found out the truth, and while it was a hard pill to swallow to find out that my dad was a lying sack of shit and everything I had been led to believe was a big fat lie, it also made me realize just how my anger had put a wedge between me and my uncle, and I need to apologize for that. He didn”t deserve my anger, nor did he deserve for me to continuously push him aside.
”They”ll be here soon,” Stephen tells me. ”Tomorrow, I”ll be speaking with Callie.”
I grimace as I turn to face him. He doesn”t release me. In fact, his arms tighten around me. ”How do you think that”ll go?” I ask.
He sighs. ”I don”t give a fuck how it goes. You”re mine, Jess, and I”m not losing you.”
I love that he”s so adamant about it. He”s never wavered on it, not in the time I”ve known him. But Callie”s his best friend, and she”s been that way since she was five. I can”t lie and say I”m not a little scared about how she”ll take it, but I”m hoping Stephen won”t let anything come between what we”re building.
”Any word on Dad?” I ask. It”s been weeks and there”s nothing, not a single word. I”m worried. I know what he”s like and he”s sly as hell. He always has contingency plans and I don”t doubt that he has one right now.
Stephen”s eyes darken as they do any time my father”s mentioned. The bruises my dad put on me have faded, but Stephen”s gaze always seems to linger a little longer on where they were. He”s not forgotten and I”m not sure he ever will. He hates any mention of my dad. He wants to find him, and I know if he ever does, he”s going to kill him.
”No, but we”ll have information soon,” he assures me. ”If and when we get the information, I”ll let you know.” Well, that”s one way of ending a conversation.
”Do we have any food in?” I ask. He mentioned to Maverick earlier today that he needed to go shopping.
His lips twitch. ”Don”t worry, Little Dancer, Mav”s on his way with food.”
I raise a brow. ”What food?”
He shrugs. ”Maverick told me to trust him, that he knew what you liked.”
I grin, knowing Maverick and I have spoken about it a few times, sometimes when he”d come to Dad”s to bring me food. ”Okay, now what about Jer?” I say softly. ”He”s a tad bit old-fashioned.”
”Don”t worry about your uncle, baby. He”ll be grand,” he says dismissively as he reaches for his cell that’s on the floor. A few moments later, he grins at me. ”Besides, they”re here now.”
My brows knit together. ”Who”s they?” I ask, wondering just how many people are here.
”Mav and Jer. No one else is allowed here other than them and Freddie,” he tells me without missing a beat, palming my ass and pulling me closer to his body, his lips descending on mine. I cling to him. God, I love the way he kisses me. I relax into him fully as his tongue slides into my mouth and he deepens the kiss. I”m so lost in him. Everything fades, as it does every time we kiss. The man knows how to make me lose my mind.
When he pulls back, I”m panting and wishing no one was here. Since we had sex this morning, I”m a lot more hyper aware of him. Everything he does is a huge turn on, but him kissing me so deeply is what makes my toes curl.
”Okay, baby, why don”t you get settled on the sofa,” he says softly. ”They”re about to enter the house.”
I narrow my eyes at him. ”How is it that you can kiss me and not be affected?”
He smiles and I pull in a sharp breath. He”s without a doubt the sexiest person I have ever met, but the genuine smile he has for me just amplifies it so much more. He”s gorgeous, dangerous, and mine. God, how the hell did I become so lucky?
”Baby,” he groans. ”Trust me, I”m affected. I”m just good at hiding it.” He reaches for my hand and presses it against his pants. I can feel his cock. It”s hard. I giggle. ”Don”t,” he says thickly. ”Christ, Jess, hearing you laugh is like a direct zap to my cock.”
”Good,” I breathe. ”Because whenever you kiss me, I get wet. Now we”re even.” I turn on my heel and start to walk toward the sofa, but his hand clamps around my wrist and pulls me to a stop. I look up at him and all the air leaves my lungs at the lust-filled gaze he has.
”Trust me, baby,” he says low. ”If these fuckers weren”t here, I”d take you to bed and show you just how affected I am. But don”t worry, baby, I”ll make it up to you when they leave.”
”You”d better,” I say, squealing and laughing as I dart out of his reach.
”Fuck,” I hear a low voice say, and I turn to see Uncle Jer staring at me. Within seconds, Stephen has his arms wrapped around me.
”I”m not going to hurt her,” Jer says, glaring at Stephen. ”I”m just happy to see her smiling.”
My heart constricts at his words. I haven”t smiled in a long time. It”s hard to do when you don”t see a way out of the torment and pain. But being around Stephen has made me really happy. I feel as though I”m finally finding who I am.
”Food”s here,” Maverick says, moving past Jer and smiling at us. ”How about we let Jess eat?”
”What”s for dinner?” I ask as I take a seat on the sofa, not in the least bit surprised when Stephen sits beside me and Maverick takes the other seat. The two of them are my self-appointed bodyguards.
Jer scowls at them both but doesn”t say anything as he takes a seat. I smile when I see Maverick did in fact get my favorite food. A chicken sandwich and fries. I settle back on the sofa and start to eat, letting everyone around me talk.
I’m halfway through the meal when Jer turns to me. ”I heard what happened,” he says, and I can hear the anger in his voice. ”I hate that you didn”t tell anyone, but I also understand that you felt alone. I”m sorry for not being there. I should have found out why you were pushing me away.”
I shake my head. ”It wasn”t your fault. I”m sorry for pushing you away.”
He gives me a soft smile, and I know we”re going to be okay. ”So, you”re shacking up with Maguire.”
I sigh. I should have known he”d bring this up eventually. ”Jer,” I say, not wanting to get into this.
”Yep,” Stephen says as he takes a bite of his hamburger. ”What”s it to you?”
”Stephen,” I hiss as Maverick laughs. ”You”re not helping matters.”
”She”s my niece. It matters a lot. Don”t think you can just shack up and not marry the girl,” Jerry snaps.
I choke on a fry. ”What?” I hiss. ”Jerry, what is wrong with you?”
He raises a brow. ”Are you staying here with him?”
”Of course,” I reply. “I”m not going anywhere unless Stephen wants me to.”
”Then you two need to get married.”
I can”t help the laughter that bubbles up out of me. I turn to Maverick and see he”s chuckling away.
”You”re crazy,” I tell Jer. ”Absolutely fucking bonkers. Tell me, how many women have you had sex with that you didn”t marry? Hypocrite.”
”Firstly,” Maverick growls, ”I don”t want to know about your sex life. Secondly, Jer, you can”t be serious?”
I press my lips together as Stephen glances down at me. I hadn”t realized my words would sound the way they did, and I can tell Stephen”s amused.
”We”ll do what we want,” Stephen says evenly. ”Just because you want something, doesn”t mean it”ll happen.”
”What if I made you?” Jer says with a glare. ”If I gave Jess the option of marrying you or leaving here, what would you do, Jessie?”
I blink. What the hell is his problem?
”Then she”s marrying me,” Stephen growls. He”s getting angry and I hate that. ”But the point is moot. We”re not forcing her to do anything,” he snarls. ”Now, enough of this fucking conversation.”
The front door opens and in walks Freddie, his face filled with anger, his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. ”We have a problem,” he clips. ”I”ve managed to find some intel about Thomas.”
I feel both Maverick and Stephen tense beside me. ”What?” Stephen bites out. ”What”s that cunt done now?”
I watch as Freddie glances at Stephen, his eyes filled with anger but also worry. ”He”s lined up a buyer.”
I frown. ”A buyer for what?” I ask. What the hell is my dad selling?
”You,” Freddie says simply. ”He”s lined up someone to buy you.”
”Not fucking happening,” Stephen snarls. ”Who? Who”s the fucking cunt he”s hoping to sell her to?”
My body begins to tremble. What the hell? Why does my dad hate me so much? I don”t understand it. I don”t know what the hell I did to deserve the hatred he has for me.
”Fintan,” Freddie says, his anger still palpable.
”Want to say that again?” Stephen snarls. ”Fintan O”Leary?”
My blood runs cold at the name. Oh God.
”That fucking cunt,” Jerry growls. ”Does he want to die?”
Fintan O”Leary is old. Older than my dad. He”s the head of the O”Leary gang. They mainly work out of Northern Ireland, but they also do business here in Dublin. His son, Jarlath, was the man Stephen killed months ago.
”Why?” I whisper. The fear that this may actually happen has me in a chokehold.
”It”s not fucking happening,” Stephen growls.
”Why does he want to do this?” I ask, ignoring Stephen. He can”t be sure of that. I know my dad. When he sets his mind to something he”s not going to leave it alone. He”ll do whatever it takes to make that plan happen.
”He”s broke,” Freddie tells me. ”Your father has no money.”
”Your ma, Jessie,” Jer begins, ”left everything in a trust to you. That trust comes into action when you turn nineteen. Your ma was far from stupid. She knew what your da was like. She was leaving him.”
I pull in a breath. ”What?” I ask. ”She was?”
He nods. ”She confided in me that she was done. I”m not sure what the catalyst was, but she had made her mind up. She was divorcing him. She was leaving.” He runs a hand through his hair. ”Everyone hated Thomas. I will admit that making him my second in command was a mistake. Thankfully, Maverick joined the organization and I was able to give him the position.”
”But how is he broke?” I ask. ”He always has money.” The man was always flashing it around, making sure everyone knew he had it. So where the hell has it gone?
”With Maverick becoming second in command, Thomas hasn”t been given many jobs to do. I don”t trust him with the drugs, women, or guns,” Jerry explains.
”So he”s resorting to selling his fucking daughter?” Stephen fumes. ”Over my fucking dead body.”
Jerry nods. ”He”s a dead man. The moment that bastard surfaces, he”s dead. But how the fuck are we going to keep the O”Learys away from her?”
”Stephen marries her,” Maverick says simply. ”If she has the name Maguire, there”s no way they”d take her.”
I shake my head. ”Not happening,” I snap. ”A marriage should be based on love, not being forced into it. Why would you even suggest that?”
Stephen gets to his feet, pulling me up with him. ”We”ll be back in a minute,” he tells them as he drags me toward the bedroom.
My heart is pounding a mile a minute.
”You”re marrying me,” he states, slamming the bedroom door behind us and placing his hands either side of my head, his eyes dark and filled with so much anger.
”Stephen,” I whisper. ”There must be another way. I don”t want you to be forced into doing this.”
He stares at me, and my heart stammers at the look of adoration he has for me. ”I don”t do anything I don”t want to do. This is a fucking lot sooner than you”re ready for, but it”s always been the plan.”
I blink. ”What?” I ask, wondering if I heard him right.
”Have you been paying attention?” he asks, his voice hard. ”What did you think I was doing? You”re mine, Little Dancer, and that”s not going to change. Not fucking ever. My end goal was to always have you as my bride.”
I stare at the man I”m falling so very hard for and wonder... is it too soon for this?