Chapter 1 #2
“Come on, babe,” he pleaded. “These are nothing, just a few ludes. Have a couple. They’ll make you feel great.”
Cautiously, Maeve took one pill and looked it over. It was small, how much harm could it do she thought? Popping it in her mouth she glanced around and saw that most of the kids had paired off and moved beyond the light of the fire. Her world was beginning to spin when Tony eased her onto her back.
His kisses were sweet, she sighed. If another man’s face appeared in her mind, so what. This boyo was here now. She hardly felt his fingers sliding under her sweater. It wasn’t until she heard the snap of her jeans pop open that she tried to stop him. That tiny noise sounded as loud as a shotgun.
“No, Tony, stop,” she said faintly, reaching to capture his hand as it slid down the front of her jeans.
“Come on, it will be fun,” he promised, lowering his face to her breasts.
“No, I don’t want to.” Trying to push him away, she found her arms were about as strong as noodles. A tear slipped into her hair as she realized what she’d done. The O’Malley was going to kill her.
As though she’d conjured him, he suddenly appeared between her and the stars, his big body blocking out the light from the fire.
His face was completely in shadow, but there was no mistaking his sheer size, or the growl that came from his throat.
He picked Tony up by the scruff of the neck, shaking him as though he were a puppy.
“What did you give her?” he demanded in a voice Maeve had never heard before.
“Nothing, man,” Tony squealed, struggling to get away. “She just had a little cheap wine.”
“What did you give her?” Sean repeated, tightening his grip on the boy’s throat.
“A lude, man,” Tony whined as his hand clawed at Sean’s. “Shit, she only took one. It’s no big deal. She’ll be fine.”
“How long ago?”
“I don’t know, maybe ten minutes. She’s just drunk.”
Maeve lay sprawled on the ground watching the scene unfold between the boy and O’Malley. She hoped when he killed her he did it quickly because there was a very good chance she was going to vomit. If that happened, she’d have to lay in it because she sure as hell couldn’t get up.
* * *
Sean tossed the kid away, enjoying his yelp when he hit the ground.
Looking at Maeve, he went down on one knee, gently tucked her breast back into her bra, and pulled down her sweater.
He tried not to notice her lacey underwear as he zipped her jeans and snapped them.
Her expression was curious, but she neither moved nor spoke, something that worried him.
“Come on, darlin’,” he said, taking her under her arms. “Let’s get you up.
” He held her by her waist once he had her upright.
Her legs seemed to be useless. Moving her toward the light of the fire, he was just getting ready to stick his big finger down her throat when she began to retch.
Supporting her with one arm, he gathered her long auburn hair in his other fist.
It was over in a few minutes. When she looked up at him, she was white as a ghost and sweating profusely.
“Can you walk?” he asked after she wiped her mouth on the sleeve of her sweater.
She nodded, but when he took her arm to lead her away, she didn’t get three steps before she went to her knees. Scooping her into his arms, he carried her away into the dark, her head resting weakly on his shoulder.
“We’re not goin’ to discuss this tonight, darlin’,” he told her as he drove her home.
She looked both terrible and terrified as she leaned against her door with the window open and let the cool night air sweep over her.
“Tell your Ma you must have eaten somethin’ bad and that when you started gettin’ sick, you called me for a lift. ”
“I didn’t even know you were home.”
“They don’t know that.”
“So you want me to lie? To my own parents?” she asked with a touch of sarcasm.
“No, don’t lie. Tell them their daughter went off with some friends, met up with strangers and got good and drunk on cheap wine.
Then she took an illegal drug from one of them and almost got raped.
Don’t forget the possibility that you could be presentin’ ‘em with their first grand babe in nine months if things had turned out differently,” he snapped.
“Aye, you sassy little bit, I want you to lie.”
“Okay, I’m sorry,” she sniffed, a sob escaping.
“Don’t cry, darlin’,” he advised her. “There’ll be plenty of time for that later.”
“What do you mean?” she whispered.
“I think you know exactly what I mean, Maeve my girl,” he replied calmly.
“No, no I don’t,” she insisted, turning to face him.
“Well if you don’t, you should. I told you three years ago how things stood between us and don’t go tryin’ to deny it. I warned you not to be givin’ somethin’ away that belongs to me.”
“And just what do you think belongs to you, O’Malley? You haven’t called me, haven’t written and barely spoken to me when we saw each other at Mass. And from this I’m supposed to know I somehow belong to you?” she demanded.
“No, you’re supposed to know because I told you, right out and proper like. And don’t think I haven’t been keepin’ an eye on you, darlin’, because I have. The way I see it, you have quite a few things to atone for.”
“Oh, I do, do I?”
“Aye, you certainly do.”
“Like what?”
“Like the way you let Kelly Rourke kiss you in the sanctuary after choir practice.”
“How do you know about that?” she gasped. “And I didn’t let him kiss me, he just did it.”
“You should have slapped his face. I haven’t even kissed you yet, and I’m going to wed you.”
“Who says? What makes you think I’d marry you anyway?”
“I don’t think, I know,” he replied confidently.
Maeve snorted as Sean pulled up in front of her house.
“I’ll pick you up after school tomorrow,” he stated, turning to face her as he shut the car off.
“Don’t bother,” she shot back, opening the door.
“Little lass, you’re playin’ with fire and you’re goin’ to get scorched in more ways than one.
You’ve loved me since you were seven so don’t try to deny it, and I’ve loved you too.
I’ve been waitin’ for you to grow up, but it’s come to me that you might need a man’s firm hand in order to do that.
After tonight, I’m more convinced than ever.
I need to marry you before you get yourself into trouble you can’t get out of.
Now get up the yard before I forget you’re not feelin’ well. I’ll be waitin’ for you tomorrow.”
“There’s no law against waitin’, O’Malley,” she said with a smile. “I’ve been waitin’ for three years.” Slamming the door, she ran up the steps to her house.