Chapter 9 Cherry
Cherry
Cherry should have known news would travel as fast as it did. When Sean arrived home from the cooperage, he already knew about the incident in the shop.
‘Evening.’ He threw his bag down by the door and moved into the house. She lifted her head from her poker game and immediately registered her hand as lost.
Fuck!
This husband of hers.
He was standing there in battered work boots, dirty denim jeans, an equally ragged and filthy blue polo shirt with grime and oil stains on it, tattoos creeping out from under the sleeves onto his forearms. He filled the space between them with his energy.
My God, he was absolute, edible, masculine drive incarnate.
If not for the annulment, she’d be up there in an instant, tearing her hands through his mussed-up hair and kissing the face off him, sweat, grease and all.
‘What’s up, Paradise? I hear you’ve had quite the day.’ Sean’s voice was rough, but there was a matching spark in his emerald eyes.
‘What have you heard exactly?’
Play it innocent. You don’t know what he knows.
‘I thought you could tell me.’ Sean toed off his boots, sights on her the whole time, before taking a step into the room. When she didn’t answer, he looked over to the kitchen island, where the mountain of condoms sat next to the pasta ingredients.
For what felt like forever, he examined them as if he were counting each packet.
Cherry was back at school, waiting to see what the teacher’s reaction to her misbehaviour would be.
Usually, a turning the other way. She’d heard the whispers.
‘Such a shame her father dying like that; she’ll never get those A-grades now.
’ Well, she’d raised them that challenge, won, then gone and become a poker player. Her dad would be smiling.
Walking towards the island, Sean sunk his hands in his pockets, biceps pulsing, stirring something deep inside her.
‘That’s a lot of condoms,’ he said.
‘It is.’
‘And I see you’ve got all the types. Large, ribbed, glow in the dark, fucking candy floss flavoured. All except regular size, right?’ His mouth lifted ever so slightly.
He knew it all! Oh, Jesus. Was he amused? She couldn’t say for certain. ‘How did…? How did you know?’
‘It’s a small village, Cher. Very small. And if you draw attention to yourself, everyone is going to know about it by teatime – including your husband.’
Cherry glanced at her poker game. Her new hand was seven-two offsuit, the worst pairing in the deck, the flop making it even more of a goner. She cashed out and closed the laptop. This needed her full attention.
‘You know,’ Sean picked up a packet from the condom pile. ‘Anyone would think that you were trying to send your husband a giant hint.’ He flicked the packet with his finger like a nurse flicking a syringe they were about to inject you with. It was a disarmingly sexy gesture.
‘I was trying to teach the women in the shop a lesson. They were talking about us – you – and…’
‘Aye, as I said, they’re gobshites, those two.
Which is why I recommended ignoring them, but I appreciate you have your own unique approach.
’ Sean peeled the security seal off the packet, placing the cellophane wrapper on the counter.
He ran his thumb over the opening of the small box.
‘I can’t help feeling there’s a subliminal message here.
’ Drawing his eyes back up to Cherry, he waited for an answer.
‘Is there?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know.’ His gaze never deviated from hers. ‘Is there?’
Cherry swallowed. She hadn’t considered it that way at all, but now that Sean pointed it out, it was glaringly obvious.
It was possible to act as she had in the shop today for more than one reason.
Sure, she’d been trying to teach those women a lesson, but there were other ways to go about it.
She could have stuck it to them without buying the village’s supply of sexual protection whilst implying that her husband was hung like a horse.
‘I’m sorry for not ignoring them,’ she said.
‘Aye, ignore me instead, eh?’
‘Again, sorry. I should have found a middle ground. Maybe said, “Excuse me, but I’m the new Mrs Butler, so could you stop being so nosey, and may I please have one box of extra small condoms and this pasta sauce? My husband and I are going to have a nice meal, and then he’ll see to me with his teeny tiny penis. ”’
Sean burst out laughing. Fixed on her with electricity nearly sparking from him, like he couldn’t quite believe her. He placed the condoms down on the counter and leaned against it.
‘Aye. That might have worked. Although, I prefer the original version.’
‘You do? Ah, I didn’t think you were mad.’
‘Of course I’m not mad. I’m impressed. I’ve no idea what we’re going to do with all these fucking condoms, though. Guess you’ll have to take them back to the shop tomorrow, so the village birth rate doesn’t spike dramatically.’
Cherry brought her feet to the couch and crossed her legs into the lotus position, a little disappointed he wasn’t suggesting they start working their way through the supply.
With him looking like he did and being so chivalrous, they’d be through them in no time.
‘Okay, I’ll do that and tell them I’m dreadfully sorry. ’
‘Aye, make sure you do.’
‘Seriously, though, Sean, I can understand now why you want us to pretend the marriage is fine. I get it.’
His face lit with surprise at her understanding. ‘Aye, this place is no fun when you’re the grain the gossip mill is grinding. But seeing as the current outcome is that I’m a sex god and my wife has my back, we’re good for now.’
‘I appreciate that. Listen.’ Now seemed like the right time to mention the elephant in the room. ‘I printed off an annulment application. It’s over by the printer.’
‘Righto.’ Sean didn’t even glance at the printer, choosing instead to keep staring at Cherry.
‘I’ll check later. I’m off to get changed for a ride.
’ He pushed off the kitchen counter. Then, out of nowhere, he pulled off his t-shirt, revealing possibly the most beautiful body she had ever seen in her life.
My God, the man was sculpted six ways to heaven.
Biceps that swelled like the ocean he surfed on every day, a stunning Celtic knot tattooed around one of them, countless other tattoos and a natural firmness that was borne of solid hard work building whisky barrels, rather than hours spent in a stale, sweaty gym.
He practically gleamed. And the abs. Oh, the abs.
She could bury her face in them and lick them forever.
Sean Butler was pure perfection.
And she’d married him.
Cherry must have been gawping.
‘Oh, sorry.’ Sean noticed her expression. ‘I forgot you were there. My bad.’ He winked and threw the t-shirt over his shoulder. ‘I’ll see you for that pasta when I’m back.’
It was hard not to laugh. ‘Forgot’ her arse. And ‘changed for a ride’. The man knew exactly what he was doing.
And boy did it ratchet her right up to boiling point.