Page 14 of Tasting Sin

On the walk back to her room, Ida didn’t mention her grandson once. As soon as we got to her door, she looked up, first at Ronan and then at me. “I think you should let him take you on a date, Nellie,” she said loudly enough that I felt my cheeks warm with embarrassment. “I think he likes you.”

“What about your grandson?” I asked in a half-laced attempt to turn the suggestion into a joke, even though I knew Ida wasn’t joking.

“Oh, my grandson is great,” Ida cackled, throwing her head back, “but he’s a total loser compared to this hunk!” She pointed at Ronan with her thumb, wiggling her brows.

Ronan shrugged, agreeing with her, and when he smirked, I looked away. “Thanks, Ida, but I really don’t think so.”

“I’m just saying! He’s hot and obviously rich.” Ida was determined, and when she was determined, her voice always got louder. “He can buy you that bakery you’re so worried about losing!”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to say,” Ronan interjected, leaning his shoulder against the wall when Ida opened the door to her room. I took hold of the handles on her chair, pushing her through the doorway. “I can help.”

“I said I don’t need your help.” I thought about slamming the door in his face. We were already the center of attention—it wasn’t like I could draw more stares to us if I tried. “I don’t want it either,” I added, locking eyes with him for a moment.

When Ronan nodded, I thought it was over, but he didn’t budge. He stayed right where he was—shoulder against the door frame and arms crossed over his chest with a stupid smirk across his face. He wasn’t leaving. I groaned.

“What are you still doing here?” I asked when he followed me out of Ida’s room, closing the door behind me. Ronan’s stare was still intense, but it had softened. He looked more like the young boy in the pictures. Someone I used to know.

He fell into step next to me, and when he bumped into me with his elbow, I wasn’t so sure it was unintentional. “I’m going to change your mind.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” I said, checking my watch. My shift was over, which meant so was my only excuse for avoiding Ronan. “I meant it when I said I wanted to do it on my own. I’ve done everything on my own. This won’t be any different.”

Ronan cringed briefly before the stoic look he wore returned effortlessly to his face. “We’ll see,” he said. He didn’t know how stubborn I could be. “Let me walk you to your car.”

“Fine.” The sun was setting, and I knew Shady Grove wasn’t the safest area of town. “But that doesn’t mean I’m accepting your help.”

His laugh was loud, bouncing off the tile floors and beige hallway walls while we walked out of the front door. The smile on his face replaced the serious look of determination, and familiar butterflies raced toward my stomach. When we got to the lot, the beep of the horn interrupted the silence, causing me to jump as if I hadn’t heard the sound a hundred times.

“Thank you for walking me to my car,” I said, suddenly overcome with a rush of shyness.

“I was glad to.” He grinned, probably thankful for the lack of my usual snark. When I opened the door, Ronan put his hand on it, stopping me from opening it wide enough to climb in but keeping me from closing it at the same time. My breath halted, and I moved my gaze to meet his dark, steel-laced stare. “Nellie, listen. I’m sorry I wasn’t there…for everything. I—”

“Don’t Ronan. Not now.” I blinked back the tears that started to sting my eyes. I wasn’t going to cry, especially not in front of him.

Ronan opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but then he closed it. My hands shook, and I clasped them together when he narrowed his eyes. Then, he softened, and all the hardness left his frame. I clamped my hands together harder, scared to let down my guard the same way.

He nodded, lifting his hand and brushing the back of his middle finger over my cheekbone. The world started to spin when he hooked a strand of hair, wrapping it once around the digit before he tucked it behind my ear. If I didn’t leave, the ground was going to come out from under me.

I gulped, slipping away from his grasp and opening the door further. The leather seat felt familiar beneath me, and I leaned back against it, like it would swallow me and take me away from the situation. “Thanks for walking me to my car,” I said before I moved to slam the door shut. Ronan grabbed it, holding it open for just a moment longer.

“I’ll be in touch, Nellie.”

Chapter 10

Ronan

The Barley Stone. It didn’t look any more welcoming at noon than it did at midnight. Usually, I’d avoid the place—which is exactly what the Cassidys would prefer I did, but I couldn’t avoid it all the time. I grabbed the oversized handle, knowing before I pulled it open that as soon as I did, there would be a small army of armed and angry Irishmen behind it.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dimmer light before I saw Mickey and Luca Cassidy sitting expectantly at a table nestled in the corner. There were a couple tables occupied by obviously on-edge men staring at me, and three patrons sitting at the bar looked like they already knew to ignore the meeting that was going to go on behind them.

“Gentlemen,” I said, walking to the corner table where the brothers sat. The customers continued to mind their own business, eating the sandwiches in front of them. The bartender gave the men a fresh beer, but his stare followed each of my steps.

“You came alone?” Mickey said, sitting up and resting his elbows on the table. He looked over my shoulder, like he was waiting for my brother to come through the door.

Luca chuckled. “That’s brave of you.”

Mickey waved to the open chairs at the table. “You didn’t think you’d need back-up?”

“Why would I need back-up?” I pulled out the chair, sitting down and fixing my jacket. When I reached into the inside pocket, the men sitting at the other tables all straightened their spines and braced themselves to grab the weapons they had less than inconspicuously concealed. “I’m not scared of you or your friends.” I waved vaguely to the pub, and both Cassidy brothers laughed.

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