Chapter 18 Aiden
AIDEN
It’s safe to say that Katie is not a fan of my bike.
She clung to me as we breezed down the motorway, her grip tightening with each passing second.
She squealed as we rounded bends, and her body leaned heavily into mine for support.
Instead of keeping her on it any longer than necessary, we stopped off at my house in Foxrock and changed the bike for the car.
She is now in the passenger seat, bunched up and clutching her hands to her chest.
I risk a glance at her after pulling onto the motorway. “You ok, bug?”
“Fuck off.” Her voice is low, her eyes darting around the passing scenery. She’s fidgeting like crazy, stimming—nervous. I didn’t think the prospect of meeting my mother would be this overwhelming for her.
Reaching over, I gently squeeze her hand. “She’s going to love you.”
“I hate you.”
I snort, shaking my head, and catch her bringing her nails to her teeth. Grabbing her hand, I place it on the gear stick under my own, squeezing it reassuringly. “It’s just going to be me, you, Robbie, and his boyfriend, Scott.”
“I don’t know these people,” she mutters, giving up on trying to wriggle her hand free and instead chewing the hell out of her lower lip.
“That’s why you’re going to meet them, bug, so you can get to know them.”
She finally pulls her gaze from the window and looks at me. “Your mam loves éabha; she went to her wedding.”
I nod in agreement.
“She’s going to hate me.”
“She is not!” I insist, gently stroking her hand with my thumb.
“I’m awkward as fuck. I can’t keep eye contact; I say the wrong things.”
“You’re autistic; you can’t help it.”
“I’m so autistic I can’t even look myself in the eye! Have you seen my videos on TikTok? Awful. No wonder I have such a small following.”
She hates recording herself, but in this day and age, the only way to get your business known is through social media.
She has herself so wound up that there are tears in her eyes.
I get that this is a big deal for her and she’s putting too much pressure on herself to try and be what she thinks my mother will want her to be.
Her entire body begins to tremble, and I can feel the heat of her body dissipate.
Her hand is already beginning to feel like ice, which is a trick in itself considering the car is warm and my hand is still covering hers.
She’s on the verge of having a full-blown anxiety attack, and I rack my brain for ways to try and calm her down.
“Here,” I pluck up the bottle of coke I picked up at the garage after leaving my house. “The sugar will help.”
She opens the bottle with trembling hands and takes a few sips, her breathing slowly starting to steady.
I gently rub circles on her back, trying to both comfort her and get some heat into her; the tip of her nose has gone red.
Anxiety will never fail to surprise me with how much of a physical toll it takes on someone.
“How about this?” I flip the indicator on and change lanes to merge onto the next exit. “We stay for dinner, and if you’re still uncomfortable after that, we can leave.”
“That’s rude…”
“So was Robbie interrupting happy hour, but you don’t see me complaining.” Probably because, despite the distraction, Katie still managed to suck the soul from my body. I can’t remember the last time I came so hard.
Her lips curve at the edges, as if she knows exactly what I’m thinking.
I reciprocated, of course, or at least I tried to.
I went down on her like my life depended on it.
She moaned, she shuddered, and her legs shook like she was a transformer in the middle of a power surge, and yet…
I couldn’t get her to reach her climax. I tried everything I knew, every trick in the book, but it seemed like she was just out of reach.
Katie tried to reassure me, all smiles, satisfied that she blew my fucking mind despite not being able to achieve orgasm herself.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: whatever prick put his hands on my girl is living on borrowed time because when I find out who did it, he’s getting flayed like a fish.
He not only violated and traumatised my girl, but he took the ability to experience pleasure with another person away from her.
Not only did he steal from her, he stole from me!
He stole the joy of watching her unravel.
He stole the glazed look of pure ecstasy that I long to see in her eyes.
He stole the sweet appraisals that I should be drawing from her lips.
I realise that there are multiple he’s out there, but that won’t stop me. I’ll kill them all. Every last one of them. I just need to figure out what to do about the girl. That “friend” who got my girl so drunk that she can barely even remember what happened.
My first instinct is to kill her too.
But I don’t hurt women.
Damn my mother for raising me to have such a strong moral compass. I’ll find some way to make her pay. She’s not off the fucking hook. I have two destinations: Tallaght and Tullow. I have no idea who, not yet. But I’ll bide my time.
Nobody steals from AJ Quinn and gets away with it.
Nobody.
I glance back at Katie as we approach Dalkey, the seafront view glistening in the sunlight.
I swear, if it’s the last thing I do, I will give her back what was stolen from her.
She looks so beautiful right now, with auburn hair falling softly around her face and deep chocolate eyes sparkling when we get a clear view of the seafront, her perfect silken lips pressed into a pout she doesn’t even realise she’s making.
Her roaming eyes meet my gaze, and she jumps slightly. “What?”
Turning my gaze back to the road, I smirk. “You’re coming back to mine tonight.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Since when?”
“Since right fucking now, bug.” I want to turn the car around, drive straight back to mine, and strip her bare.
I want to spend the weekend with Katie in my bed, where she belongs; this time, I’ll be there to enjoy every moment of it.
I don’t want to share her with anyone else. I want her all to myself.
Call me a selfish bastard; I don’t care. I want her attention on me at all times.
“You’re just hoping for another blow—”
I swing the car into the drive, yank up the handbrake, and grab her jaw, forcing her to look at me.
“Firstly, I won’t deny that that was the most mind-blowing blow I’ve ever had.
You have a very talented mouth, bug.” And now I need all the names of her previous partners so I can start digging a ditch to bury them in.
“Secondly, I don’t care if you spend all day in your little granny bonnet and housecoat; I want you, Katie, despite this.
” I swipe my thumb over her pouting lips. “Very naughty mouth.”
I press down on the buckle of her seat belt, freeing her from its constraints.
There is a flicker of hesitation in her eyes, like she’s doubting that I’d want her for anything other than what she can give me.
It’s ironic that she doesn’t realise that she has me by the balls.
Just say the word, bug, and I will do it.
You want me to kill for you? No problem.
You want me to go to the ends of the earth for you? I’ll be there without a second thought.
I will brand her name onto my skin, onto my soul—what’s left of it anyway—if that’s what she wants me to do.
Getting out of the car, I walk towards her, grabbing her hand and intertwining our fingers. “She’s going to love you.” Bringing her hand to my lips, I place a kiss on her knuckles and lead her towards the front door.
As soon as we step inside, I can hear my mam quizzing Robbie about Katie. “What’s she like?”
I glance at Katie, a smile forming on my lips as we both hear Robbie’s response. “She seems like a lovely girl, really pretty, quiet—”
“Here,” I interrupt, watching the three heads turn towards me.
Scott’s eyes jump from me to Katie and back again.
My mam’s gaze falls straight to our joined hands.
Robbie gives me a look that says he heard me blow my load over the phone, and he wishes never to discuss the incident.
“Let me introduce you properly.” I guide Katie towards my mother and proudly say, “Mam, this is Katie. Katie, this is—”
“Aiden James Quinn, how dare you hide such a beautiful girl from us!” my mother exclaims, all but shoving me away from Katie and taking her into an impressive bear hug. “I’m Sandra, but you can call me Mam.”
“Mam!” I warn. “Don’t scare her off.”
Scott gets to his feet, grinning from ear to ear. “I doubt she’s the type that scares easily given,” his dark eyes jump to me with a mischievous glint, “who her boyfriend is.”
“You want to keep this one?” I ask Robbie, who quickly guides Scott into the kitchen. Robbie’s pale hand is a stark contrast to Scott’s almond complexion.
Robbie stops at the threshold of the kitchen and asks, “Can I get you anything, Katie? Tea, coffee?”
“No thanks—”
“She’ll take a tea, two sugars, and a drop of milk.” Shrugging off my jacket and tossing it onto the coat hook by the door, I help Katie out of her coat and guide her into the open-plan living room.
Robbie turns to me, smirking. “How much of a drop?”
“The tea better match Scott’s skin tone, or you can fuck it down the sink and start again.” Guiding Katie to the couch, I notice her shoulders drop a notch by the time we settle against the vast array of plush cushions my mother has adorning her suite of furniture.
“Oh, I meant to say.” Robbie’s voice carries its way into the room. “We had another visitor at Dandelions.”
Walsh is really starting to piss me off. “Who?” I toss over my shoulder, not bothering to take my eyes off Katie, who is glaring at me, silently demanding answers.
“Moore.”
“Moore?”
“More!” I hear Scott sing, then come into view, dancing around the kitchen island. “How do you like it? How do you—”
Robbie levels him with a glare.
“—Bad timing? Ok then,” Scott deflates.
Katie all but slaps me. “Who’s Moore?”