Page 60 of Beneath the Quiet

I look down, touched that he remembers their names. “Yes.”

“My mum does them, too.”

Aidan’s words bring me back to the present, and I blink the blurriness away from my eyes and look at him. He takes a sip of his pint.

“Really?”

He nods and looks at me briefly. “Yup. Maybe she knows the word you’re after.” He grins. “Though I kind of hope she doesn’t, because that’s a little icky for me.”

I snort and flatten my hand on the newspaper. “Icky? Since when does a grown man use the word icky?”

“I have an impressionable twelve-year-old daughter. I have to watch my language.”

“Of course.” I let my eyes roam the busy pub. “Where is Katie, by the way?”

“She’s with my parents most Wednesday afternoons, and they’ll probably join us soon.” He turns and flashes a charming smile. “We should both be prepared for an ambush, I’d say.”

I clap a hand over my eyes. “Oh, no…”

His body shakes, sending delicious vibrations through me. “Relax. I’m just teasing you.”

I spread my fingers, shooting daggers at him through them. “Not funny.”

“I thought you weren’t afraid of anything?”

My hand falls to pick up my own drink. “What makes you think that?”

“You’re the Gardai. Capable. Tough. Dependable.”

I weigh my words carefully. “That only makes me sound boring, not courageous.”

“Hey.” He places a hand on my arm that’s resting between us. I raise my eyes at him, my breath catching at the intense warmth staring back at me. “I didn’t mean it like that at all. I can’t imagine what being in the force takes out of a person, but it’s one of the toughest jobs on the planet. And the fact you’ve chosen it for your career speaks volumes about your character.”

I blink rapidly. “What does it say about me?”

His eyes roam my face as he takes his time to answer. So much time that my breathing picks up, and I can’t look away from his probing eyes. I lock my body in place, challenging the rush of adrenaline sending shivers down my spine.

“You’re passionate, brave, kind. Always willing to help someone in need. Not boring at all.”

Wow. My heart thumps in my chest.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

“You’re welcome.”

“Maeve!”

I wrench my eyes from Aidan’s and look up towards the bar. Our moment is broken by the familiar voice of Roísin, and I spot her waving, urging me up to her.

I tap Aidan’s hand. “I’ll just go check what Roísin wants, okay?”

“Sure.”

He stands up to let me through, but the tight space forces me to brush his body when I pass him, pushing my chest into his. I bite my lip at the sound of his low groan that whispers across my skin and close my eyes briefly, almost hugging the sound to me.

I want to savour the sound even though I shouldn’t.

But I also know that I’ll think of him later tonight, when I’m alone, because I’m so needy that I won’t be able to fall asleep until I make myself come from the thought of him.