Page 54 of The Companion Love Trap

“Uh, yeah. I always need to go through the presentation a few times to ensure I’m ready, and then I run through the product test. I’m not great in crowds, so the more I role-play, the better off I am when it comes time to show the investors.” He smiled over at me sheepishly, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

Why did the words role-play sound so sexy coming from him? Focus, Everly!

“That makes sense. I used to have to do that with school. I hated public speaking. It would take me twice as long as my classmates to write and give a speech. The words never seemed to want to come to me in the order I needed them. My mom didn’t understand since I had no issues performing or talking, for that matter. I tried to tell her it was different, but she didn’t want to accept I had ADHD and struggled to do things she could so easily,” I admitted, then realized how much I’d just dumped on him. “Oh wow, sorry, I didn’t mean to burden you with all of that.” I cringed and dropped my eyes to the ground.

“You didn’t. I’m glad you told me. Don’t get me wrong.” He chuckled, my eyes lifting up to see him. Kieran’s smile was soft and warm. “I love discovering your favorite food and which Golden Girl you’d be, but this feels more real. The true Everly, and I selfishly like that you’re not perfect at everything. It makes me feel like I have a chance.”

My cheeks heated as I tried to form my thoughts.

“I’m nowhere near perfect, and you’ve always had a chance, Meerk.”

“You’re pretty close to perfect to me, lass.” His eyes warmed my face, and we gazed at one for a second before we both looked away with smiles on our faces. This man! We eventually made it to a shuttle, walking in silence the rest of the way as we tried to recover from our emotional outpouring.

“If you want to know more real things, I’ll tell you,” I said, once I didn’t feel like my face could fry an egg.

“Yeah?” he asked, his blue eyes bright and soft as they scanned my face.

“Mm-hmm. What do you want to know?”

“It’s harder when put on the spot to think… um, you said your degree was useless. What’s it in?”

“Oh. Um. Bachelor of Fine Arts. My parents wanted me to join an orchestra. I thought I did, too, at one point. But I hated playing by the end; it was a miracle I didn’t fail out of the program. There’s not much to do with it other than perform.” I shrugged my shoulders, waiting for his disapproval.

“Have you ever thought of giving lessons?” he asked, shocking me.

“Lessons? What do you mean?”

“You mentioned you like to volunteer, so I thought it might be a way to incorporate two things you love that are not performing as part of an orchestra. Could you use your degree to teach others? Would that take away the joy of playing in the same way?”

“I… I don’t know.” My forehead creased as I thought about what he was asking. I’d never considered it before. I ran so far away from anything to do with music, assuming I could only use it for what I’d trained for. Before I could think more about it, the shuttle stopped, and everyone stood to climb off.

Kieran went off to rent the snorkeling equipment and a WaveRunner, leaving me to perv on him. He was in his element here, confidence oozing out of him as he spoke with the instructor about a place he’d researched. When he had our route mapped out, he stored our belongings in the space under the seat and assisted me in putting the life jacket on. It was sweet, and I enjoyed seeing Kieran in this new light.

“Hold on tight,” he instructed as he climbed on and waited for me to join him. Following his command, I wrapped my arms around his muscular body and inhaled the scent of his sunscreen, giving a whole new take on coconuts for me.

Kieran drove us out, turning and bouncing with the waves as he took us to the spot he’d asked about. It was an enjoyable ride, with my body pressed up against his, doing nothing to soothe the ache between my legs.

When the engine shut off, tranquil bliss surrounded us. A tiny island with a covered cove was to the right, but everywhere else I could see was the blue ocean. I didn’t know if this was a remote area only locals knew or if Kieran had paid to keep it private, but I would gladly take the solitude.

“It’s gorgeous,” I whispered, feeling the need to revere the space.

“Wait until you see what’s underneath.” Kieran gave me a boyish smile; the act of snorkeling had changed him from the grumpy suit to carefree beachgoer.

After helping me secure my mask and snorkel, Kieran anchored the WaveRunner and dove into the water. He gave a quick demonstration on how to snorkel, but it was basically self-explanatory—keep your noodle above the water. Slipping into the ocean, I took a few seconds to enjoy the feel of the water on my skin before I kicked my feet and joined him.

Placing my mask in the ocean, the beauty I encountered would’ve taken my breath away if I wasn’t underwater. Bright coral and a multitude of fish were only a few feet from us. Kieran pointed ahead, swimming in the direction he wanted to go. Swimming in a lazy pattern, I took in the beauty that was under the surface amazed at how close it was to us. I could understand Kieran’s fascination with snorkeling and discovering the hidden worlds. It was a form of magic right at your fingertips.

We swam for a while before Kieran pointed up, so I took that to mean he wanted to go topside. When I emerged, I was shocked to find we’d entered the cove, a cavern covering our heads. The air was cooler here, the sun not able to heat the water this far in.

“Wow, this is… I don’t even have words,” I gushed. Kieran beamed at me, the smile so big I didn’t even recognize him for a second.

“I’m so thrilled to share this with you, Mo Chuisle. Care to join me out of the water? We can rest here before we look some more.”

“I’d love to.”

I checked myself for drool when he pushed himself up on the ledge of the cove, his muscles flexing in his back. Kieran was leaner than the other two; most of his time spent hunched over a piano or lab. But the man had back muscles that were doing things to me.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the same grace as I got out of the water, flopping onto my belly and rolling over as I gasped for air.

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