Chapter 15
fifteen
THE WATCHER
He had a decision to make. Stay and follow, or leave and meet her at the end. He’d listened to her speaking to her mother earlier, the windows in the bunkhouse weren’t double-paned, thank the Lord, and she confirmed what he already assumed—the final stage was a go despite the weather.
That’s why he loved her so damn much. She was fearless. He wanted to be fearless for her.
He didn’t want to chance getting stuck in a snowstorm, but there was no way he wanted her to be stuck in it by herself.
Follow it was, then.
He’d been dreaming of surprising her on her last night, and God willing, the weather would hold, and he would get his wish.
He knew from her journal that she planned on reading a letter her father had left her on her last night on the Snowdonia range. He wanted to be there for her when she did. It would be an incredible bonding moment.
Christ, but her father had been scary. He’d only met him once, but Hugh O’Faolain could scare the piss out of any man.
When she’d first moved into her house, Bébhinn had held a get-together for their Dublin hiking club, The Ramblers, and O’Faolain had shown up unexpectedly.
The rest of the group had been thrilled, but he’d almost been caught coming out of O’Faolain’s daughter’s room, where he’d been setting up a camera.
He disliked invading Bébhinn’s privacy, but it was the best way to observe her habits and tastes when she was at her most vulnerable. He hated the few nights her then-boyfriend had stayed over, but he would be lying if he denied how aroused he’d become watching their intimate moments.
Soon, she would only ever do those acts with him. He doubted she’d like the consequences otherwise.
The bunkhouse was silent, as it should be for the tired hikers inside at a quarter after midnight. Since he would follow her in the morning, he decided to cancel his alternate lodging in favor of staying close.
He let himself in as silently as he could and showered, finding an empty bunk. He pulled the curtain closed, cocooning himself in darkness. He loved being so close to her—he loved even more that tomorrow night would see them much closer than that.
Propping his hands behind his head, he stared at the bottom of the bunk above him and daydreamed about how his life was about to change.
He was the type of man who had always been overlooked. He was neither intelligent nor foolish, witty nor dull. His life was all about being in the middle, but all that would change with someone as magnetic as her at his side.
He wasn’t traditionally handsome, but he wasn’t ugly either.
He’d spliced enough pictures of him and Bébhinn to know that he was a perfect complement to the petite, dark-haired beauty.
Her hair was long and thick and hung to her tiny waist. He’d seen pictures of Bébhinn with her mother and two aunts in her living room and bedroom.
The four women were freakishly similar, though Bébhinn was the most beautiful.
Bébhinn was at least five inches shorter than he was, and he knew from previous group hikes that she was lean and muscular while still maintaining a round ass and mouthwatering tits.
He should know. He’d seen her naked in her bedroom many times.
He couldn’t wait to replace the camera lens with his own eyes.
Tomorrow would be the first day of the rest of their lives, he thought as he quietly parted his bunk curtain to peek at where his future was sleeping peacefully.