Chapter 12 #2
His arms are stretching the fabric of his shirt, looking like they’re about to burst through the sleeves. He seems so much taller and larger than he was the last time I saw him. For thirty-three, he looks damn good.
“Come here, love. Give me a hug. I’ve missed ya,” he croons.
I snap out of it and rush into his arms. I’m overwhelmed with emotions as he crushes me in his embrace. His arms are so strong and comforting.
God, he smells good. He begins to sway with me in his arms and it’s like the dam breaks. I burst into tears and squeeze my arms around him tighter.
“I’m here now, love. I’m here. I’ve got ya,” he says into the top of my hair.
My brain kicks back into full operation, and it dawns on me he shouldn’t be here. Why now? Can I trust him?
Slowly, I take a step away from him. He looks at me as if he’s the one confused. I shake my head and wrap my arms around my middle.
“How are ya, love? Ya look good.”
“What are ya doing here?”
I want to let my guard down and rush back into his arms, but my mother’s voice keeps ringing in my ears. I need to get out of my emotions so I can think clearly.
Trust no one. Your life depends on it.
“I never break a promise. I’ve come to take ya to that dinner I owe ya,” he says.
I snort. “Ya’re eleven years too late.”
“Ach, I never gave up on finding ya someday. I’ve come all this way after having to have someone track ya down. I know yer not going to make me go to dinner by myself.”
“Why would ya have someone looking for me?”
He closes the small gap I’ve created between us and cups my face between his hands. I’ve missed those green eyes so much. I place my hands over his as if needing to, just to remain standing.
“I told ya before. Yer mine. No amount of time or distance will ever change that. When ya went missing, I thought I was going to go crazy,” he says as he searches my face with his gaze.
“Missing?”
I look back at him in confusion. His uncle was the one who picked me up from his parents’ home. Why would he say I’ve been missing? Better yet, why would he need to have someone search for me?
Couldn’t Uncle Finlay have told him where to find me? My hackles begin to go up. Something isn’t right.
“Aye, love. I was told ya were missing. If I had known where to find ya, I would have come for ya sooner.
“It’s good to see ya. How are ya? Are ya okay?”
“I’m fine. Although I’m not sure ya should be here.”
He makes a deep scoffing sound. “Who the fuck is going to keep me from ya?”
“Cole, I … maybe we need to back up a bit. I’m confused. Why are ya here now?”
“I told ya. I’m here to take ya to dinner. I want to eat and talk to ya.”
“I can’t. My gran is inside. I need to let her caregiver go home.”
“Then we’ll order in.”
“Ya can’t just show up here demanding I have dinner with ya, Cole. I don’t know ya. I haven’t seen ya in eleven years. How do I know yer the same person I once knew?”
“That’s why we’re going to have dinner. I want to know how ya’ve been and what’s been going on in yer life. I’ve missed ya.”
“No. No, no, no. This doesn’t feel right. Yer here out of the blue.
“No one said anything about ya coming here and now here ya are. I can’t afford to trust ya. I need ya to go,” I say and turn to head into the cottage.
“DJ. Deja, wait.”
I ignore him and continue heading for the front door. I still don’t know why he left the day after the bonfire or why he didn’t come to find me sooner. This could be a setup.
Nope. I’m not doing this. My gran has spent enough time without me today.
Brooklyn
I thought I was going to come out of my skin on the flight over here. It took way longer than it ever has to get from New York to Scotland. Not that the flight time changed in any way.
My mind has been telling me I need to be here. However, I was not expecting this when I arrived. Deja looks nothing like the eighteen-year-old I left behind in Ireland. Jesus, Mary, Joesph, all that ass. You can see it from the front.
She looks like the prototype for what women in America pay to look like. Small waist, big fat ass, and those thick thighs. Damn.
My mouth is watering as I watch her walk away from me. The leggings she has on leave nothing to the imagination. Her ass jiggles with each step. The zip-up sports jacket she has on hugs those huge tits like a loving friend.
A friend I want to be. I’m fixated on the globes of her ass as I try to figure out what’s happening. Why is she walking away from me? I’m not leaving here without talking to her.
“Deja, I need to talk to ya. Will ya stop walking away?”
“Why are ya here, Cole?” she bites out as she turns to face me.
I move to stand in front of her. She looks up at me with tears in her eyes. I cup her pretty face once again.
She’s still gorgeous as ever. Not a stitch of makeup on her face and her skin is still flawless. She still wears those bangs, which brings a smile to my face.
Her rich, deep, dark-brown complexion brings out the beauty of her face. Her lips, her nose, those long dark lashes and pretty brown eyes. I can’t believe she’s standing in front of me.
“I came to do this,” I murmur before I can think better of what I’m about to do.
I dip my head and capture her lips. I didn’t come here for this, but now that I have her in my hands, how can I not? Her lips are so enticing and having her in my arms is all I’ve ever wanted.
I start with a gentle press of our lips. It’s more of a cherishing gesture. I’ve always cherished this woman, from the time she offered me her ice cream cone after my older brother knocked mine to the ground and everyone else laughed about it.
She hadn’t licked it yet and her cone was the last one. It had been hot out and I was all sweaty. I wouldn’t take it, but she had insisted, going as far as shoving it in my face and saying I had to take it because I licked it.
Which I hadn’t. Not only did she keep me and Logan from getting into a fight, but she also brought a smile to my face. I had been so angry that day. Oland had made it known he didn’t like that Deja had tagged along with us for the weekend.
That shit pissed me off. Deja was Kate’s best friend and like a little sister to the rest of us. I became super overprotective of her after that day.
When she presses her soft lips back against mine, I begin to tease the seam of her mouth with my tongue. She releases a gasp, and I stick my tongue into her mouth.
I groan as she wraps her arms around my neck. Stepping in closer, I move my arms around her and pull her body into mine. Her soft body melts right into mine.
I deepen the kiss and palm her big ass. My heart swells with pride as I note that my woman isn’t a twig I can snap. I’m a big guy and DJ has all the right curves to handle me.
“Wait,” she pants as she turns her head to break the kiss.
“Don’t ya think we’ve waited long enough? It was only supposed to be two weeks. Two weeks turned into eleven years.”
“What?”
“Yer da had planned to bring ya to New York as a surprise. When I left, I thought I would see ya in two weeks. I planned to tell ya how I felt when ya arrived, but ya never made it.”
She takes a step back, shaking her head as if to clear it. I watch her closely as she reaches to touch her lips. I tilt my head to the side and fold my arms across my chest.
“If we were going to New York, why didn’t I know about it?”
“It was a surprise birthday gift from Angus. Ireland wasn’t safe for yer family anymore, so he had planned to stay once ye all came over. What happened to yer mum?
“Where is she? She can confirm what I’m telling ya,” I say.
“Ya should go,” she bites out as the shutters come down. Her facial expression goes completely blank.
“DJ,” I call as she storms away.
“I can’t do this, Cole. Just leave. If ya care anything for me, go.”
This time, I allow her to go. I can tell I’ve said something that has struck a chord. This isn’t going to be as easy as I thought it would be.