“You’re welcome,” he said. “I’ve been on that boat more times than I could count, but I’ve never enjoyed it as much as I did tonight.”
She smiled then, a real, honest smile. God, how he wanted to kiss her. The urge to do so was nothing less than a fever of need coursing through his blood. Without even realizing he was doing so, he leaned over and brushed his lips over hers.
They were so soft, felt so good that he did it twice more. Light little brushes that only heightened his need. He deepened the kiss, slanting his mouth against hers, coaxing her with his tongue to open for him.
She did, and Kieran was lost. If there was any lingering trace of doubt about exactly who and what she was to him, it was laid to rest in that moment. The feel of his croie’s lips upon his, the exquisite taste of her, grasped him with velvet-sheathed talons and refused to let him go. His heart, his mind, his soul – they belonged to her now.
“Mom! You still out there?” Matt’s voice rang out from inside the house. Faith gasped and ended the kiss; Kieran reluctantly pulled away. Even in the dim porch light he could see her lips, red and slightly swollen from his kisses, a look of dazed astonishment in her eyes.
“Yeah,” she answered, having to try twice before the word made it out.
Matt poked his head out, oblivious to what had just happened. “I’m making myself a snack. You guys want anything?”
Faith shook her head, amazed. “Only a teenage boy could be hungry after eating half his weight in food a little while ago.”
“That was hours ago,” Matt informed her with an air of martyrdom.
Kieran snickered knowingly even as the new awareness thrummed and vibrated beneath his skin. “He’s a growing boy, Faith.”
“So he is.” She stood up. Kieran followed her lead. “It’s late,” she said, avoiding his eyes. “Thanks again for tonight. We had a wonderful time.”
Kieran narrowed his eyes at the obvious dismissal, but said nothing. If he could only see her eyes... Faith spoke volumes with her eyes.
Had she felt it, too? Given the way her hands were shaking, and her refusal to look at him, probably. But unlike him, she didn’t understand. Just one more soul-searing kiss might explain it to her more than any words possibly could. Before he could test his theory, Faith stepped toward the door.
“Goodnight, Kieran,” she said over her shoulder.
He sighed inwardly. There would be no more kisses tonight. “Goodnight, Faith.”
Chapter Eleven
Those stolen kisses turned out to be even more powerful than he’d thought - just not in the way he’d hoped.
Over the next few weeks, it became clear that Faith was avoiding any situation that might place the two of them alone together. Under different circumstances, it might have been amusing.
She was spooked, he got that. Faith had yet to open up about her past, but given what he did know, he could guess that she’d had a difficult time of it. Kieran wanted her to trust him, to believe in them, and just telling her wasn’t going to cut it. She had to come to that conclusion herself, and the only way to convince her that he wasn’t going anywhere was simply to be there for her, no matter what.
It wasn’t easy. Kieran did his best to give Faith the time and space she needed, but there was no way he could stay away entirely. While he might be able to suspend his baser urges, he needed to be near her. To see her. To hear her voice. To simply be with her. Thankfully, she didn’t object too vehemently as long as someone else was around. On some level, he suspected that she needed the contact just as much, even if she had trouble admitting it to herself.
He had hoped the situation might improve by the time Shane and Lacie’s wedding came around in the middle of August. It was a small, intimate ceremony held in the gardens of Lacie’s parents’ home. Faith didn’t seem too keen on attending (which he didn’t understand since the two women seemed to get along so well), but feared hurting Lacie’s feelings.
Faith selected seats for her and Matt far in the back on the bride’s side, staying as far away from the Callaghan side as she could, presumably to avoid any contact with his family. Clearly, she hadn’t forgotten the incident at the County Fair. Throughout the ceremony, she kept her gaze fixed on the couple, ignoring his repeated attempts to capture her attention. It didn’t help that his sisters by marriage were shooting curious, furtive glances back at her, either.
“You look beautiful,” Kieran said quietly after the vows were spoken, catching her hanging back in the shadows, alone. His eyes scanned the yard, spotting Matt talking to another boy about his age.
“You look pretty good yourself,” she said with a soft smile, the one she seemed to reserve just for him.