5. Chapter Five #3
It’s partly Maeve’s fault that I ended my night in Cork early and came home instead of leaving with a willing lady.
All through the evening, my mind kept wandering back to the events of the day, especially to the part when I pulled an attractive, auburn-haired lady with fiery, moss-green eyes from the ground.
It felt like my skin burned when we shook hands, and I felt dizzy the longer I kept staring into her gaze.
Even with mud and dirt in her hair and on her mouth and cheeks, her confidence and air of authority intrigued me.
The longer I was in her company, the more attracted I became, and that’s inconvenient.
Not to mention dangerous territory given the fact that she’s a new member of my village.
So, instead of staying home, my mind circling back to Maeve, I got ready for a night at my favourite pub in Cork.
It’s been so long since I lost myself in the willing arms of a stranger, so finding someone to take my mind off her should’ve been exactly what I needed.
Even though the sex will always be better if you have a connection with the person you’re with, I’m no saint. When I need a release, I get it.
The pub wasn’t that busy, but that's not unusual for a Monday night, but I hadn’t been there long before the urge to leave instead of finding a fun fling was so strong that I couldn’t ignore it.
I started the drive home, and the closer I got to my home, to my village, the more settled I became, and peace the likes of which I haven’t felt in years settled inside me as I turned my old Land Rover down my lane and saw the welcoming lampposts come closer.
But now, the peace has disappeared again, and I’m left with an aching hollowness in my chest. I rub my knuckles over my heart and wince.
The pain has dulled over the years, but it’s still there.
I push it back to the far corners of my mind, only letting it out at times when I have the strength to handle it. Tonight, I’m not strong enough.
Instead, I focus on my walk with Maeve, and curiosity settles in my gut.
Even though I walked fast, I quickly realised that she couldn’t keep up with me, and I did my best to slow down without letting her know I did it for her.
She might’ve been out of shape, as she said, but even so, she shouldn’t have been as out of breath as she was.
She’s both trouble and mystery wrapped up in one shiny ribbon.
A ribbon I fear I’d like to untie bit by bit.
“Meow.”
I look down at the only female company I have left for tonight.
The cat blinks slowly once, twice…then moves back on her haunches before she launches up, claws out.
I hiss when they catch on my jeans, the fabric a poor defence against the feline’s talons.
Before she sends even more pain shooting up my thighs, I bend and snatch her up to settle against my chest.
“Bad cat,” I murmur, but there’s no real heat behind my words.
I’m used to her ways of showing her mere lackey that she likes me.
She tips her face against me and butts her nose on my chin, turning her head to the right, then to the left to rub against my scruff, marking me.
I sigh and turn down the light, and my thoughts veer off to the attractive detective again.
It’s been a long time since a woman has caught my attention like she has.
I might be a widower, but I’m not a monk. I have needs, ones I only see to when Katie has a sleepover with her grandparents or friends, and always away from the curious villagers who sometimes like to meddle in other people’s business.
And right now, I’d give a great deal to throw caution to the wind and get to know Maeve in the biblical sense. It won’t be a smart move. Not for her, and especially not for me and Katie, and my twelve-year-old daughter always comes first.
“Why don’t the two of us settle down to watch old reruns of Doctor Who, hey?”
The little devil clambers up on my shoulder and settles.
I crane my neck and shake my head at the satisfaction reflected in her eyes, but despite my talking to her from time to time, and never in front of my daughter, I’ve not gone mad-as-a-hatter crazy just yet.
Instead, I follow through on my makeshift plan and end up watching three episodes.
A pair of sharp, green eyes with fire and secrets hidden in their depths keeps distracting me, though.
As I rest my head on my arm, face on the flatscreen TV in my bedroom, my curiosity about the new member of the village won’t disappear.
In fact, despite my promises to myself, I’ve come close to concocting the perfect plan to see her again soon, because one thing is as clear as glass.
I have to get to know her better. I must find out if my attraction to her is as strong the next time I see her.
I need to know what I’m dealing with before I decide on the next course of action.
If there’s one thing life has taught me over the past few years, it’s that I can’t run away from anything.
Not the good or the bad. I might as well face the attraction head-on, weigh up my options, and then make my final decision.
The question that swirls around in my head just before I fall asleep, though, is which option will Maeve be?