My cousin had no idea what I’d been caught doing, although I suspected it was nothing worse than anything he might get himself caught up in. He also had no idea why our finals were cut short, and judging by the way he had simply put his ear buds in and covered his head with the hood of his school sweatshirt, I doubted that he cared.
Dread filled me on the flight from Newark to Ireland, and when the plane finally touched down in Dublin, there was a nagging sensation I couldn’t shake. Call it intuition if you must, but I would never regret being there with my Anamchara. And Reagan was my soulmate. I’d never connected with someone theway I had with her, and I never would either. We’d talked about our futures, and one which included the other, so whatever my grandfather had to say wouldn’t change a thing between Reagan and me.
Still, my steps grew heavier after my cousin and I collected our bags and headed out to the transportation area. It didn’t take long to find our grandfather’s right-hand man, Oscar, in a black Audi RS Q8 SUV. The Branningtons owned several of them, and I usually took one of those out for drives through the country.
“Hey, Oscar,” Princeton said in greeting to him.
“Princeton,” he replied, then looked over at me. “Cillian. I trust the flight was good for you both.”
“Eh,” Princeton said before he placed his palm in front of his mouth to stifle his yawn.
Just like at school, he would party all night then try to sleep all day. Hell, we all did, except my parties had changed from his. While Princeton was out with the others getting drunk and acting a fool, I would spend all my time with Reagan, usually doing something that involved my cock deep inside of her. I let out a sigh at the thought of not seeing her all summer.
“That bad?” Oscar asked me as he took my two bags.
“It’s nothing like that. I’m just tired as well.”
“You’ll both be home shortly,” was all he said as he finished stuffing our bags into the trunk. We all got in the SUV, and as Oscar made his way to our family estate, I looked over at Princeton. He smirked at me, and I arched a brow.
“Is what I just heard true?” he mouthed to me.
“What did you hear?” I mouthed back.
Grinning, he handed over his cell phone, and I saw the message which stated I’d been caught with the headmistress’s daughter. I hated that she would be subjected to those rumors, especially because they were certainly not unfounded. The worst kind of gossip was that which was true.
“Whatever,” I muttered.
Princeton chuckled before texting our friend back. He would look at me from time to time as he did, and I could tell by his shit-eating grin that they were still talking about me. With Reagan’s and my relationship out in the open, it would be interesting to see how next year went. With it being my senior one, I hoped to stay in the States and attend college. Reagan could join me, and we’d eventually make all of our future dreams come true. As long as she was with me, the only one of mine that mattered would be recognized.
The vehicle came to a stop, and after Oscar input the code into the keypad, the gate opened and he quickly drove toward the house. My grandfather had always secured this place like it was Fort Knox, but as I had gotten older, I could somewhat understand his paranoia. After all, Princeton, Kingston, and I were all old enough to know what he did and not naïve enough to not understand we would carry on the family business one day ourselves.
Princeton got out of the car before it was fully in park. He didn’t even wait to grab his things, which I knew Oscar would now have to bring inside. Showing a bit more manners than my cousin, I did help the man with all of the bags. It was partly due to upbringing, but a much larger part was dread. I had nothing to feel guilty about, or even ashamed, but I suspected I would be made to feel them anyway.
“Your grandfather would like to see you right away,” another of his men said to me as soon as I stepped into the foyer.
Knowing I wouldn’t even have time to bring my things to my room, I left the bags there and followed Cian down the hallway to my grandfather’s study. Three brief knocks later and I heard his voice. At the word “enter,” I nodded at Cian before slipping inside the office.
“You wanted to see me, Daideó,” I said to him.
Piercing blue eyes stared up at me, then he pointed to the chair in front of his desk. “Sit down, garmhac.” I did as he asked, then let out the breath I had been holding inside. “I’m very disappointed in the phone call that I’d received.”
“I can explain,” I said, before realizing there actually wasn’t much I could say.
“Certainly continue,” he said to me as his gaze bored down on me. His expression was unyielding, and I was surprised that his hardened jaw hadn’t fractured yet from the strain.
“It was sex, and I...” My voice trailed off as I tried to explain, but couldn’t quite find the words. Finally, I just shrugged. “As I said, it was just sex.”
“And you won’t see her again when you do return to New York?” he asked me.
I should’ve lied, but I didn’t want to have to keep sneaking around. I loved Reagan, and as bad as our getting caught might be, it was also a relief. “I can’t promise that,” I responded truthfully.
“She’s beneath you, and you won’t see her again. Brannington men do not busy themselves with whores.”
I couldn’t stop the growl that escaped at his words. I also couldn’t stop myself from jumping up from my seat at the sound of them either. My grandfather’s disapproval grew more, but I didn’t give a damn. I’d always been the most well-behaved one. Kingston normally would try to buck authority, and Princeton gave no fucks. Not me, though. I had tried my entire life to make the man in front of me proud, but as the seconds ticked on, I no longer desired to do that anymore.
“Reagan is neither a whore, nor unworthy of me.”
“You have a title to live up to, garmhac.”
