Page 49 of Destructive Truths

TWENTY-NINE

SAOIRSE

Arms raised above my head—drink in hand—I sway to the heavy beat as it courses through my ears. Liam’s hands grip my hips, and his hard, toned body grinds against me, making me wish we were anywhere but the middle of this makeshift dance floor.

Unfortunately, the Devereux gate-lodge is wedged wall-to-wall with people here to celebrate my eighteenth birthday.One thing is for certain, Beibhinn sure knows how to throw a party because I’m having a blast losing myself in the normality of a Friday night session. So much so I don’t even care that I know practically nobody other than the few Killybegs Kings.

Parched, I drop my hand to my mouth, and lift my cup to my lips, then pout when I find it’s empty. Twisting in Liam’s arms, I rise to my tippy toes and bring my mouth to his ear so he can hear me over the thundering bass. “I’m gonna go get a refill. Do you want anything?”

His head dips. “I’ll come with you.”

Taking my hand in his, Liam and I make our way through the throng of people towards the kitchen.

“Ah, there’s the birthday girl.” Aodhán pushes himself off the kitchen counter and stalks towards us with Beibhinn hot on his heels. Suddenly, his arms wrap around me, and he lifts me off my feet before spinning me around. The smell of hard liquor radiates from his pores, and one look at his face lets me know he’s fucking wasted. “Where have you been? I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages. You know, now that you’re too busy riding Devereux’s monster cock.”

“I saw you twenty minutes ago, you big goof.” I slap at his chest as his grip tightens.Shouting over the music, I beg him to put me down before he drops me or falls over, trying to keep me up on his unsteady feet. “Aodhán, please put me down.”

After he drops me to the floor, his hands come to my face, and he cups my cheeks. “Happy birthday, gorgeous.” Next, he plants a big, wet one on my lips before he stalks off to find his next victim. But not before he tosses “Behave yourselves, you beautiful bastards” over his shoulder.

“What’s up with him?” My gaze falls on Beibhinn. “He’s hammered.”

“No idea.” Her eyes follow Aodhán as he strides across the makeshift dance floor. “He’s half-cut. Never even noticed I’d been feeding him water for the last twenty minutes. I think it might have something to do with the girl Keelan Reilly is dancing with.”

“Who?”

“Keelan… he’s Lorcan’s nephew.” My eyes snap to the dance floor at the mention of a cousin I knew nothing about—not that Beibhinn is privy to all the branches of my family tree. “That guy in the grey shirt.” Beibhinn points. “Not sure who the girl is, though, but she arrived with him.”

My gaze falls back to Aodhàn, who is now standing up against the wall, glaring daggers at the couple in question. Following his line of sight, I catch Keelan staring right back at Aodhàn over his date’s shoulder, his whiskey eyes blazing with murderous flames.

Interesting. There’s obviously a story there, but I need to be a lot less drunk to read it. Which reminds me…“I need a refill.”

Liam’s hand appears out of nowhere, a water bottle dangling from his fingers. “I’ll get you one, but first, drink this. I need you to be conscious for everything I have planned. Peeling you out of that dress is at the top of the list.”

Beibhinn raises her hand to her face and sticks two fingers in her mouth, imitating a gag. “That’s my cue.” She tosses a wave over her shoulder as she heads towards the living space.

Turning my focus back to Liam, I raise the water bottle to my lips and gulp it back, quenching the thirst.

“You know, watching you with that bottle reminds me of the first time I fucked you.” His arms skirt around my waist, pulling me into his chest. “Let’s get back to the dance floor before I bend you over the countertop and re-enact how many times I made you come that day.”

“I wouldn’t be opposed.”

I flash him a smile, and he closes the space between us, lowering his mouth to my ear. “As much as I’d love to, there are far too many eyes watching.”

“Party pooper!” I stick my tongue out, enjoying the buzz flowing through my veins.

He shakes his head, but I don’t miss the teasing smile that curls his lips. In the next breath, he’s taking me by the hand and guiding me through the crowd. We come to a stop in the middle of the dance floor, and Liam twists me in his arms until my back moulds against his chest. One song bleeds into another, and I lose myself to the beat, enjoying how Liam’s hands roam over every inch of my body as we grind to “Dress” by Charlotte Sands.

Liam lowers his mouth to my ear, and his deep vibrato brushes against the exposed skin below my ear. “Keep moving like that, darlin’. Your boy is watching our every move.”

My eyes spring open, landing on Rohan. He’s standing at the edge of the dance floor, cigarette resting between his painted black fingernails as he sucks in a drag. “He... is not my anything.”

Just like Liam said, Rohan’s eyes are on me, watching as Liam slowly teases his hands up my bare thighs. Doing as Liam asked, I grind my hips against his cock, pretending to be unaffected by the hate-filled, penetrating gaze Rohan is shooting my way.

“No?” Liam goads. “Well then, I guess he won’t mind me doing this,” he sneers, loving every minute of this devious game. His hands slide over my stomach, raising higher until he cups both breasts. My head falls back against his shoulder, and when he squeezes down, my body reacts by releasing an audible moan.

His breath sweeps across my collarbone as he grazes my skin with his teeth. “Tell me, Free Bird, have you thought about what it would be like to submit to the two of us together?”

The sensation his words evoke forces my spine into an arch, pushing Liam to take this little game a step further. His mouth flattens against my neck, and he bites and sucks, marking my skin. “I know I said I was willing to share you, darlin’, but have you thought about what that really means?”

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