I pop my head up from behind the counter, and Kerry smirks and arches a brow at me. I shrug at him and stand back up.
“They do good work, yes, but that doesn’t mean someone couldn’t get a jump on them. Besides, have you seen her?” Liam grumbles and points at me as Jack stands to the side. “She’s got at least two powerful mafia lords after her, and she’s just a cute, sweet little thing!” He almost says it like it’s an insult, but his words are also complimentary? I’m not really sure what’s happening here.
Kerry throws his head back and laughs. “Oh, I’ve seen her all right.” He winks at me. “I’m glad you two are taking your duty of protecting her seriously.”
Jack scoffs. “Neither of us have a death wish. If we let anything happen to her, you’d kill us.”
“Yes, I would,” Kerry confirms unflinchingly, without even a moment of hesitation.
I feel slightly outraged by that. “Why would you do that? They’re your friends! Like brothers, you said.”
Kerry gives a small shrug. “Yes. Which is why I wouldn’t doworseto them. They understand how it goes and what the rules of this arrangement are. That’s why they are my brothers. But I’d shoot my flesh and blood, too, if they did you wrong.”
Liam nods. “It’s the way of our world, missy. We’re not offended. Besides, we’d deserve it if anything happened to you.”
I furrow my brows, the thought still not sitting right with me, even if they’re okay with it. “I still don’t like it.”
“And that’s okay, leannán. It’s not for you to like. It’s just the way it is.” Kerry smiles at me before turning to look at Jack and Liam. “But I’m thankful I don’t have to worry much. My brothers are very good at their job. I have no doubt that they’ll make sure that not a hair on your head is harmed or die trying. Which is exactly why I think they should have the night off and go relax.” Both Liam and Jack’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, making Kerry laugh. “Yes, I mean it. Go. There’s things I need to talk about with my girl, and you two haven’t had a break since before we left for New York City.”
Jack chuckles and starts collecting his things. “Don’t have to tell me twice.”
I say goodbye to the boys and watch them leave before going to the fridge and seeing what Marjorie left for us. There’s a big pot of stew, a giant bowl of salad, all carefully wrapped up, and a bottle of champagne, just like she’d said there would be. The fridge is otherwise empty and clean, as if the appliance just got delivered.See what I mean about not seeming human? Like, who doesn’t use their fridge? It’s weird.
Kerry’s hand on my hip tells me he’s behind me. “Of course she’d make stew.” He chuckles.
“Is that a bad thing?” I turn to look at him, only to realize he’s much closer to me than I thought.
He shakes his head, a smirk on his face. “No. It’s just…a veryMarjoriething to do. She thinks it’s important Irish culture, so she raised me on it. All for the love of Guinness. Which, speaking of, I’m surprised she gave us champagne instead of beer. Clearly she doesn’t care aboutmytastebuds, just yours.”
I pat his arm, laughing softly. “She’s just trying to be thoughtful.”
He rolls his eyes, still grinning. “Thoughtful toyou.It’s not thoughtful of me.” He reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, voice dropping to a whisper. “But, in truth, I’m glad for it. It means she likes you and is welcoming you to the family, as she should be. If it was the other way around, and she was thinking of me but not you, I’d be pissed.”
I chuckle and rub my eyes, slowly realizing how tired I am until trying to talk with him. It’s slowly been getting harder the past hour or so, but I’m only just now realizing it. “Yeah.” It’s a lame answer, but my brain can’t come up with much more when it feels like mush.
He arches a brow at me and then turns me fully to face him. “How hungry are you?”
I shrug, furrowing my brows as I try to sense my body’s cues. Sometimes it’s a bit tricky for me to tell, especially when I’m this tired. But my body has given up on the idea of eating by now and is just begging for sleep. “Not super hungry, honestly.”
Kerry nods and pulls me into his arms. “All right, then. We’re putting you to bed.”
I raise my eyebrows but don’t complain as he starts shuffling me out of the kitchen and down the hall, towards the stairs. My brain couldn’t come up with an argument even if I wanted to. It’s like as soon as Jack and Liam left and it didn’t have to socialize as much, it started powering down.
Which is interesting, because that means my brain feels safe enough to shut down with Kerry. Even though I know logically that I’m safe with Kerry, my body seems to recognize it even more.
I look around his room again, taking in all the dark wood and art on the walls as Kerry bends down to take off my shoes. I hadn’t even noticed I was still wearing them all over his house. Maybe he found that rude and dirty, I don’t know, but he hadn’t mentioned anything about it.
I barely register that he’s helped me lie down and is tucking me in. I push a bunch of hair out of my face, frustrated by its existence. Usually I put it up when I sleep. “I’m sorry you’re too tired to do your nightly routine, love. I should’ve noticed earlier how exhausted you were,” Kerry says as he kisses my forehead.
I try to mumble a reply, but being snuggled into the blankets, sinking into the bed, is sucking away all of my cognitive abilities. I can hear Kerry chuckling and closing the curtains, chasing away the late afternoon light.
My last thoughts drift around how much this bed smells like him, even more than the rest of his room. It’s nice. His scent brings me comfort, more than I thought it would.
And when the bed dips beside me and a strong arm wraps around me, I know who it belongs to. His presence lets me fall into a deep, unyielding slumber.
12
Kerry
