But I find myself nodding. "Yeah. I'll stay."
She stands, and I rise with her. She's unsteady on her feet, and I offer her my arm. She takes it, and we walk upstairs together in silence.
In her room, she disappears into the bathroom, and I hear water running. I stand by the window, looking out at the dark grounds, my mind racing. The bomb. The shooters. This wasn’t random violence. This is targeted. Professional.
Brennan.
It has to be, I think. The car bomb is too much of a fucking coincidence. He's coming after Maeve to get to me, and I brought this down on her head.
The bathroom door opens and Maeve emerges in a long nightgown, her face scrubbed clean, her hair loose around her shoulders. She looks younger like this. Fragile. That old guilt sweeps over me for wanting her, for ever touching her tonight. I can still feel the softness of her skin against my fingertips. I swear I can smell the scent of her arousal, taste her lips against mine. It’s torture being in here with her like this, but maybe it’s what I deserve, for wanting her at all.
She climbs into bed without a word, and I take the same chair I sat in before, dragging it closer to the bed. She's watching me, those soft blue eyes tracking my every movement.
"Sean?" she whispers.
I swallow hard. "Yeah?"
"Thank you. For protecting me tonight."
My throat tightens. "You don't need to thank me for that."
She's quiet for a moment. "That kiss... on the balcony..."
"Was a mistake," I finish for her, even though the words taste like ash. "It won't happen again."
I can't see her expression in the dim light, but I hear her small intake of breath. "Oh."
Fuck.That came out wrong. All of this is wrong.
"Get some sleep, Maeve,” I grit out, feeling my stomach sink. I’m not made for this. Not made to keep a woman like her closer, knowing what I could do to her.
She rolls over, turning her back to me, and I sit in the darkness, listening to her breathing gradually slow.
An hour later, Flynn knocks softly and cracks the door open. He jerks his head toward the hallway. I rise silently and slip out, closing the door behind me.
"Security is posted," Flynn says quietly. "Eight men on rotation. I've also got some contacts digging into what happened tonight."
"It's Brennan," I say flatly.
Flynn nods slowly. "That's my thought, too. The bomb... it's too similar. He's sending a message."
"He's going after her to get to me." Rage simmers in my gut. "Because I tried and failed to kill him."
"So what's the play?"
I run a hand through my hair, thinking. "I need to talk to the Council. But I'm not leaving her here unprotected."
Flynn shrugs. "So take her with you."
I shake my head. "Too dangerous. Take her closer to Brennan? I don’t think so."
"Sean." Flynn gives me a look. "She's not safe anywhere right now. At least in Dublin, you've got more of the Council's resources. You've got familiar territory. You've got me." He pauses. "And maybe you stop lying to yourself about why you really want her close."
I shoot him a glare. "Not the time."
"When is the time?" He shakes his head. "I saw you tonight. I saw how you protected her. That's not obligation, brother. That's?—"
"Don't." My voice comes out harder than I intend. "Just don't."
