“You’ll wait for me?” I ask, needing him to know he is welcome in my home.
“I’ll be here, milseán,” he promises. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Okay.” Going to Mikayla, I gather her up in my arms and take her to the bathroom for a quick wash. It doesn’t take long to have her in her pyjamas and tucked into bed. One story later, and she’s fast asleep.
Standing, I tuck the blankets around her before bending to kiss her forehead. For all that she’s like a whirlwind during the day, when she’s asleep it would take a bomb going off to get her moving.
Hearing the floorboard in the passage creak, I turn and see Andy with his hands tucked into his pockets, leaning against the doorjamb watching us.
“You want to kiss her goodnight?” I ask.
Surprise lights his face for a minute before he pushes away from the doorway and walks over to the bed. He stands looking down at her for a bit, and the pure love on his face makes my heart clench.
God this man slays me with the depth of his love for us.
Slowly he bends and gently presses a kiss to her forehead, running a gentle hand over her curls before he turns and looks at me. Wolfie pushes past me and takes his place at the foot of her bed.
Andy raises an eyebrow, looking from me to the dog who is studiously ignoring him. I bite back a chuckle, reaching for his hand. I tug him from the room, pulling the door until it’s only open a crack.
“It’s best to leave sleeping dogs and babies in peace,” I grin up at him. “When you’re gone then he's her dog.”
Andy reaches out and cups my cheek, “I can live with that, milseán, if you can.”
Lifting a hand, I cup his hand to my cheek. “I can live with anything as long as you’re in my life Andy O’Shea, don’t you know that?”
“You say that nowa chroí,” he hesitates. “But if you knew.”
“I know enough Andy. I’ll be here when you’re ready to share more.” Turning my head, I press my lips to his palm, curling his fingers over the kiss I leave there. I tilt my head up to look at him. “Will you stay with me?”
Andy’s eyes hold mine as if searching for something before he gives me a short nod. “I’ll stay.”
Smiling, I turn and pull him through my bedroom door, closing and locking the door.
Turning back to him, I hold his gaze as I start to unbutton my blouse one button at time. Heat flares in his eyes, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides as he follows every move I make, every button I open until I reach the bottom and my blouse falls open.
“Fuck me, milseán,” he growls, and his nostrils flare as he rakes his gaze from the top of my head to my toes. Not a single inch of me is left untouched. “If you knew how long I’ve waited for you.”
I slip my blouse from my shoulders, letting it fall to the floor as my hands go to the button on my jeans. He moves fast, his hand on mine stopping me. “Let me, milseán.”
My breath stutters in my chest at the need in his voice, and I allow my hands to drop to my sides as he flicks open the button on my jeans and sinks to his knees in front of me, taking them down with him. I’m left standing in the silky new ice blue underwear I bought after he kissed me. I hoped that we’d be here one night, and I’d wanted to be ready.
“Jesus,” he groans as he looks up at me from where he’s kneeling at my feet. “So fucking gorgeous, milseán. Can I touch you?”
“Anywhere you want, Andy. I’m yours, have been for a while. Show me what it’s like to be loved.”
I’m not sure what it is about my words, but he wraps his arms around me, pressing his head to my stomach. I nearly miss his words, “Loved you foreverastór,will always love you.”
Running my fingers through his hair, I tilt his head back so that he not only sees the truth in my eyes but hears it in my voice. “Love you too, have done for years and will love you for many more to come.”
Standing, he wraps his arms around me and takes my mouth in a kiss that curls my toes and leaves me panting for more. Bending, he slips an arm behind my knees and lifts, carrying me bridal style towards the bed, his mouth never once leaving mine until he kneels on the bed and places me gently on it.
“Need you naked, Andy. Need to feel your skin on mine, need you to love me like I know you want to and I need you to let melove you like I’ve been wanting to for months,” I whisper against his lips.
His eyes soften before darkening with desire. He places a kiss on my lips, a kiss that starts out slow before getting harder as he pours everything he feels for me into it. With one last soft kiss without uttering a word, he stands and pulls his shirt over his head, tossing it to the end of my bed.
My eyes widen and my breath catches when I get my first good look at him shirtless—more muscular than I’d expected, broader with a six-pack and a trail of dark hair that tapers off the closer it gets to the waistband of his jeans. And the tattoos—so many tattoos.
One in particular catches my eye. It’s on his chest, right by his heart—the only one with colour. A sunflower with a bright yellow butterfly hovering over it, and mine and Mikayla’s names scrolled to look like the stem. My chest tightens and tears burn my eyes at how much he cared for us without ever saying anything.
