“You want to date my sister?” Keenan raises both of his brows, and a slight tug pulls at his lips.
My jaw tenses and my brows slam down. He’s doing this on purpose.
“No, Keenan. I don’t want to date your sister.” I sigh. “Yes. Sure. You can be my date, but you might want to try asking next time. A woman likes to be wooed a little. And I’ll have you know I’m going to be very busy because I’ll be working.”
“Oh, sorry, well then, I’ll be the chap by your side squeezing the pockets of the donors,” he says with a laugh. “But more importantly, Delilah, would you allow me to be your date at your charity event?”
I bite the inside of my cheek, trying not to let him know that he’s amusing me. It doesn’t work, so I let the smile loose. “Yes, Keenan. I’d love for you to be my date.”
Once the moment passes us, Keenan, who still has a hold of both of my hands, tugs me toward him gently. My chest hits his before he drops one of my hands and brings his up to cup my cheek.
All the humor is gone as his thumb traces my jaw, and our gazes lock. There’s that moment before a kiss when you know it’s coming that’s almost unbearable. It’s like a constant roller coaster drop in my stomach. The anticipation is too much, but finally, slowly but finally, Keenan leans in and presses his lips to mine.
At first, it’s like I’ve forgotten how to kiss someone, but the feel of his tongue on the seam of my lips gets me going. I part my mouth to allow him inside, and his tongue wastes no time swiping mine.
I bring my hands up to his shoulders to brace myself as he takes the kiss deeper.
Of all the things I thought might happen today, this isn’t one of them.
He keeps kissing me until I’m breathless, but my body is begging for more. More that he won’t give me just yet, and for now, I’ll take the kiss.
Because kissing Keenan is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before in my life.
I could get drunk on it and lose myself in him so easily.
CHAPTERTWELVE
KEENAN
On this rainy day, a hefty sense of dread settles over me. I haven’t been able to put my finger on it as of yet, but I simply know it’s there. Things have been going well with Delilah, and surprisingly Delaney is having a blast gaining the event planning experience. At dinner, Delaney’s been smiling from ear to ear, telling me about all the things she’s learned. She even said one of the contractors drew sketches of the area. When she told me, I didn’t understand why someone would need to sketch the rooms, but then again, I didn’t care. I still don’t. Delilah’s heading the operation, so I don’t have any reason to worry.
Walking into the sunroom with a cup of coffee in my hand, I sit back on the plush chair. As I bring the steaming liquid to my lips, my phone begins to ring, so I answer it. Upon seeing Eoghan’s name, a knot forms deep in the pit of my stomach. “Morning, Eoghan,” I say, struggling for my voice to stay as stoic as possible.
“Good morning, Keenan.” It’s all he says, and the nervousness creeps all over my body. I know what he’s calling to say, and I sure as hell know what’ll be happening shortly enough. If I was wrong, he would’ve started off our conversation with banter like we usually do.
“What’s up?” The silence is eerie. He gave me a heads up on what he knew about my case not too long ago. He mentally prepared me for what today would bring.
He sighs heavily, and I can imagine him leaning back in his office chair with a hand on his head. “The medical board made their decision about you today. Would you be able to come to the office so we can discuss what they’ve decided?”
“Sure. What time?”
“I’m free for the rest of the morning, so whenever you can get here would be great,” Eoghan comments. His voice is a tad bit calmer, and I can imagine he was anxious to call and ask for this meeting.
“Sure. Let me finish up a few things here, and I’ll head over within the hour.” I take a sip of my coffee, knowing I’ll need the caffeine to boost my mood today.
“Of course. I’ll see you around ten, then?” Eoghan questions.
“Yes, probably around half past,” I answer, and he tells me he’ll see me when I arrive. We both hang up the phone, and I put my cell down on the table next to the chair. Inhaling deeply, I settle back into the chair a bit more. I could head into the city right now, but I don’t want to. I need to let this sink in first. I have to get my wits about me before things really settle.
“Fucking hell, have you seen Keeva around here? Brat took my car,” Eamon hisses as he comes into the sunroom.
I turn to face him and his anger is evident. His entire face is blood red, he’s clenching his jaw, and his hands are balled so tightly his knuckles are white. “I haven’t, but you’re more than welcome to use mine. Where are you headed off to?”
“Need to go into Belfast for a bit. Have some errands I need to finish, but it’s merely an excuse to get out of the house. I’ve been in the same walls for far too often. Know what I mean?” Eamon asks, and I give him a nod almost instantly.
“Will you be out for a while? I need to stop by my sergeant’s office and have a chat with him. If you don’t mind driving, I’ll stick around and wait while you do whatever needs to be done.”
Eamon nods. “Sure. When were you looking to head out?”
