I huff in exasperation and shake my head. “No,no.None of that is necessary. Stop with the pretty words. You literally told your aunt, if that’s who she really is, that you werecoddlingme in order to build trust so that I’d cooperate with you. Is this just more manipulation, more coddling? How am I supposed toknow this all isn’t bullshit?” I stand up and try to move away from him, but he grabs my hips, holding me in place, looking up at me with a soft expression that makes my head spin.
He smiles softly. “I knew the real you would come out eventually, the one I heard before…swear again, Amy.”
I look at him in complete confusion. “What? You heard before? I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
He groans, planting his forehead on my stomach, obscuring his face. “Fuck, baby, that sounds good when you do it.”
My throat feels tight as I start to feel overwhelmed.I don’t have a damn script for this! What the hell even is this?“Um…can you let go please? I think I need a break and to be done talking for the night.” He doesn’t say anything as his grip on my hips tightens. “Um? Alasdair?”
A dark laugh leaves his lips. “Alasdair, hm?” He leans his head back so he can look up at me again, his eyes are a stormy gray of lust and desire. The sight steals my breath away and makes heat pool in my lower belly even more. “You can possess that name, Amy, just as you’ve possessed me. After all, when we get married next week, it’ll be your name, just as I’ll be yours, in body, mind, and soul.”
“It’s just business,” I whisper.
“It’s not!” He suddenly shouts, shocking me. He stands, cupping my cheeks in his hands. “It’s not business. It’s never been business, not since I learned about you, not since I saw your gentle smile, heard the soft way you speak, your jokes with your friend Lily, how you care for others, your vast intelligence... Do you understand? My mind has been consumed by you ever since. My mind, my heart…my cock.” He growls the last one out and I shiver.
Heat floods through my body, and I’m not sure whether or not to be embarrassed or turned on. “Listen, um, Alasdair…like I said, until things are cleared up?—”
“Yes, yes. I’m sorry.” He huffs and pulls back, his eyes dilated with desire as he runs his hand through his hair. “I overstepped. I’ll not bring up such lewd things again, love.” He turns back to me. “Tell me what to do to prove it. Getting on my knees didn’t work. None of my previous offerings held any appeal?”
I shake my head, thinking of a solution for how he could prove himself. “No. They didn’t. They’re just words and shallow things that you’d do for anyone you were trying to manipulate.”
“I wouldn’t, but that’s beside the point,” he grumbles.
I tilt my head at him. “What do you mean?”
He takes a deep breath. “It’s the reason why everyone knows that you’re actually special to me, Amy. I’m not manipulating you becauseI don’t manipulate people to get what I want.I just take it. I’m like a bulldog, leannán. I charge in, I demand, I threaten, but I’m not subtle. Everyone knows it. Everyone except for you, of course. You saw my aunt’s response when I tried to convince her that I was doing it to manipulate you, she didn’t buy it. Why do you think that is?”
My mind races. I feel like my thoughts are spinning, going around in a spiral of disbelief and confusion.This is a lot to process.“Could you…could you call your aunt? Or text her? Refer to her as your aunt? I just…I need to know for sure. I need tosee, to have more than just your word.”
Alasdair doesn’t even hesitate. He pulls out his phone, opens the text thread titledMarjorie,making sure to show me so I can verify it’s the same person, and then presses the call button. It rings for a few moments, and then someone answers. There’s quiet for a moment, and then a woman’s voice comes through, hoarse and raspy, with a thick Irish accent. “Do you know what feckin’ time it is in Ireland, Kerry Michael Alasdair? After a day of not properly answering my messages? Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, where are your manners? Did they disappear when your mam died or have you just got something up your ass?”
Surprise courses through me, and then amusement. Honestly, I’m not sure I needed to hear more than that. Between her using his full name, the fact that she sounds a bit older, and then talking about him not having manners, it’s pretty obvious that this is a matronly family member, so it lines up with what he says.
Alasdair looks up at me with a grin, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Hello, Aunt Marjorie. Sorry to wake you up, but it’s a bit urgent.”
She scoffs. “You didn’t wake me up, thank god. If you interrupted my sleep, you’d be disowned.” Her answer seems harsh, but Alasdair chuckles, so I relax, realizing she’s just joking. “But youdidinterrupt girls’ night and a whiskey, so get to talking, boy.”
“Ah, say hello to the ladies for me. Are you all gambling again? Scrabble or poker?” Alasdair keeps his gaze on me, as if he’s enjoying observing my every reaction to this almost ridiculous conversation.
“I will do no such thing. The last time I brought you up, they all almost creamed their knickers. Bunch of horny old women,” she grumbles, and Alasdair laughs, his expression looking more carefree and delighted than I’ve ever seen him. Marjorie ignores him, though. “It’s scrabble tonight. And I’m winning, so hurry this up. What do you want? I thought you said it’s urgent.”
Alasdair finally finishes laughing enough to talk. “Well, then. I wouldn’t want to keep you from your win. I just wanted to apologize for my behavior and tell you what’s really going on, because, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, I haven’t been entirely honest.”
Marjorie barks out a laugh. “No shite, nephew. Acting all tough and disinterested when it’s obvious you’re obsessed with the girl. I’ve never seen you show a lick of interest in anyone andthen you want to pretend like you spoiling a girl is justbusiness? For feck’s sake…I’m old, not a dope.”
Alasdair grins up at me with an expression that readsI told you so.“Thank you for that, Aunt Marjorie. I needed to hear that. So did Amy. Say hello, you’re on speakerphone.”
There’s a pause and then a huff of exasperation. “Kerry! You could’ve told me before this! I’ve been cursing up a storm! That’s not a good first impression!” Her tone suddenly changes to something sweet. “Hello, Amy, was it? Hi, dear. A pleasure to meet you. Well, as much as a phone call permits a meeting. You must be something quite special to ensnare my nephew as you have. How are you, love?”
My brain stutters for a bit at the whiplash from her tone alone. “Um, hello. It’s nice to meet you, too. I’m not anything special, really?—”
“She’s the most wonderful woman alive, don’t let her tell you otherwise,” Alasdair interrupts me with a grin. I’m not ashamed to say that my heart feels like it's grown wings and is about to take off in the sky at his comment.
Marjorie laughs. “That’s my boy. Glad to finally see some manners from you, Kerry. I would’ve had to slap you upside the head if you let that go.”
His grin widens. “Yes, as you should. Pretty sure my mam would haunt me from the grave, too.”
“That she would,” Marjorie agrees. “Well, Amy, you’re sweet, I can tell that already. And if you’re as pretty as your voice, then I can understand why my nephew enjoys your company so much. When do I get to meet her in person, Kerry?”
