Chapter 23
23
AGE 20
D amn, her arse looks good enough to eat in those leather trousers. I’m frothing at the mouth as I take a few moments to appreciate the rear view when Vivien speaks in a clipped tone. “What do you want, Dillon?”
I bend down, planting my lips against her ear as she faces the bar, refusing to look at me. “You to look at me, for starters.”
She shivers, and I silently fist pump the air. Round one to O’Donoghue. Twisting around, she looks up at me, and my breath falters in my lungs.
Fucking hell.
How is it she gets even more beautiful every time I see her?
Electricity crackles around us as we stare at one another. Her tongue darts out, licking her lips, and I’m transfixed by her mouth. The craving to taste her is riding me hard, and my body is reacting in all kinds of interesting ways being this close to such perfection.
“What?” she says, averting her eyes.
Nuh-uh. I know I’m not the only one feeling this. She doesn’t get to ignore the chemistry we share. “Look at me,” I command, tilting her chin up with a finger. Fiery tremors skate up my arm from the touch, and it’s like being zapped by lightning. This has never happened with any girl before.
“Why?” she snaps.
“Because apologies should always be made face to face. Only cowards apologize when someone is looking at their feet.”
“Okay. I’ll bite.” She cocks her head to the side, eyeing me curiously.
I lift a brow, fighting a lip twitch. “Didn’t peg you for a biter.”
“I’ve been known to bite,” she says, deliberately tugging her lower lip between her teeth.
Oh, princess, you are so out of your league with me.
“My sister and Jamie tell me I’m wrong about you.” I purposely move in closer until there’s barely any space between us. “Maybe they are right.” I touch a few wispy strands of hair framing her face, tucking them gently behind her ear. The same magnetic zap coasts over my hand and up my arm when I touch her, proving it wasn’t an isolated incident.
Another little shiver goes through her, and I know she’s feeling it too.
We stare at one another, and I get lost in her pretty eyes. She’s so close I feel her warm breath fanning across my face. Delicate floral scents tickle my nostrils, and I inhale a fruity smell from her hair. The atmosphere sizzles with tension, and I’m real close to saying fuck it and throwing caution to the wind. I need to kiss her so badly it feels like I might die if I don’t get to taste her lips.
“Dil.” A familiar voice ruins the moment, and we jerk back from one another in sync.
What the fuck is with other girls trying to spoil things with Vivien? “Not now, Aoife,” I say in a tightly controlled voice, keeping my gaze trained on Viv.
“But—”
I grind my teeth to the molars as I whip my head around. “I’m trying to have a private conversation here. I’ll talk to you later.”
I refocus on Vivien, not caring to watch Aoife walk away. Just as I’m about to speak, the bartender snags her attention, and she leans in to place her order. Her arse is all up in my space, and I’m practically melting into a puddle as I stare at it. My fingers twitch with the need to dig into those sculpted cheeks and knead them hard. My dick is straining against my zip, jerking with the need to thrust and conquer and claim.
Fuck me. I sound like one of those trashy romance books Ash reads.
Viv crosses her arms and narrows her eyes at me. I don’t care I’ve been caught drooling over her. “What?” I shrug. “If you don’t want guys staring at your arse, you shouldn’t wear tight leather trousers.”
“Was there a reason you accosted me?”
Oh, princess. You are priceless. “ Accosted ? That makes me sound like some pervert.” I can’t help laughing because she has hit the nail on the head. I’ve lost count of how many nights I’ve pulled her stolen knickers out from their hiding place and jerked off with them covering my nose or wrapped around my dick.
Vivien full-on glares at me. “Aren’t you?”
I seem to have a special knack for annoying her. Don’t think that will help with the obvious wooing I need to do, so I lose the grin and plant a serious look on my face. “I’m sorry for acting like a giant bag of dicks.” My lips twitch, my mouth transforming into a smile when I see her fighting amusement too.
“Why did you?” she asks.
“I have my reasons.”
“And you’re not going to share those with me?”
“If it was something I felt you needed to know, I’d tell you.” I drag my gaze from her to pay the bartender before she can.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Call it a peace offering.” I flash her one of my signature flirty smiles, trying not to preen when a dazed looks appears on her face.
“I think I preferred it when you were mean to me,” she whispers before covering her mouth.
“Be careful what you wish for.” I wink to lighten the mood because she doesn’t understand how prophetic her statement is.
“Stop being so weird,” Ash whispers as we work side by side in the kitchen of the apartment she shares with the princess on Wednesday night.
“How am I being weird?” I lift a brow as I chop onions for the chicken curry. We’re using Ma’s recipe. The one handed down from her grandmother. It was an O’Donoghue family staple growing up, and we all know how to make it from scratch.
“You have barely spoken to Grace since you arrived.” She pours a tablespoon of oil into a saucepan on a low heat.
“Did you or did you not tell me a few weeks ago to be on my best behavior?” I drop the onions into the saucepan and stir them with a wooden spoon as Ash chops up chicken.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean ignoring her either.”
I look over my shoulder, frowning as I watch Vivien laughing at something Ronan has said as they set the table for dinner. “Doesn’t look like she’s missing me any.”
Ash sets the knife down on the chopping board and stares me straight in the eye. “I see the way you look at her, Dil. It’s the same way she looks at you.” She casts a glance behind her. “She doesn’t look at Ro that way.” She resumes cutting the meat, and I mull over her words while adding the finely chopped apple to the onion mix in the pan.
Truth is, I’m not quite sure how to play this with Vivien. I’ve never had to romance a girl before, and I don’t know where to start. I wish I had someone to ask. Conor and Jamie are as clueless as me. Ro has relationship experience, but I don’t want to ask his advice for obvious reasons. I could call Shane, but he’ll only give me shit and annoy me. Ciarán could help, but we don’t have the kind of relationship where I can just pick up the phone and ask him.
So, I’m stuck.
Ash and I finish dinner and call the others to the table. I sit beside my sister, across from Vivien. Ro is sitting beside her because he’s tenacious and he’s not giving up. I wonder if he feels the electricity charging the air between Viv and me or if it’s all in my head.
It’s kind of freaking me out. I don’t think this is normal. It’s like my entire body is plugged into a live socket and every nerve ending is sparking with awareness. I’m quiet as I listen to the others talking, studying Viv when no one is looking. How she can make leggings and an oversized jumper attractive is beyond me. I think the girl could wear a black sack and I’d still be attracted to her.
If I don’t get to touch her soon, I might self-combust.
I remind myself, not for the first time, that I can’t get attached. I’m not overly worried. I don’t catch feelings. I just need to fuck this freaky chemistry out of my system while sticking to the program.
“Are you in, Dil?” Ash asks, and I come back to the moment.
“What?”
She rolls her eyes. “I knew you weren’t listening. Grace got us all tickets to see The Frames at Kilmainham on Saturday.” She pops a forkful of curry into her mouth.
“Why would you do that?” I eyeball Vivien across the table.
She sets her cutlery down. “I’ve heard The Royal Hospital Kilmainham is an iconic venue, and The Frames are an underhyped band. I want to see them, and I thought it’d be fun to go as a group. Consider it my way of saying thanks for welcoming me so warmly.”
Ro snorts out a laugh. “If that’s the criteria, Dillon doesn’t deserve a ticket.”
Fact.
“Don’t be mean. He has apologized, and they’re starting over.” Ash is quick to defend me, as always. “Plus, it’s meant to be. You guys normally play Bruxelles on Saturdays, but they’re closed for renovations, so you don’t really have any reason to turn it down.”
“I was suggesting we make a day of it.” Ro slides his arm along the back of Vivien’s chair. “We could meet for brunch, do the GPO and a few other touristy things before heading to the venue.”
“We should book the Skyline and Kilmainham Gaol,” I say, because the view of Dublin city from the Skyline Tour is spectacular and every visitor should see it. Kilmainham Gaol is steeped in history and not far from the venue, so it makes sense to include it in the itinerary.
“Does that mean you’ll come?” Ash asks.
My gaze meets Vivien’s, and her brownish-green eyes instantly suck me in. “Yeah. I’m in.”
A faint blush steals over her cheeks before she tears her eyes from mine and smiles at Ash. “I’m super excited to do all the things. I can’t wait.”