Page 86 of Tender Temptation

“Yeah…” Cillian doesn’t finish.

“To be clear, I don’t feel the need to hide anything. But I also don’t owe him an explanation or require his permission. It’s none of his fucking business. He tore me apart yesterday and I’m not sure how we come back from it.” I trail my hand across Cillian’s arm.

“Yeah…I have to say, I feel the same way.” His eyes blink closed. I realize he must be exhausted.

I rest my head against his chest, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breath. “It’s our time now.”

We lie in silence, savoring the moment of calm. I can’t help but believein fate.

Meeting Cillian changed the trajectory of my life. He showed me how to love. Taught me to believe in myself. No matter how we got to where we are today, I think he and I would have always found our way to each other.

Mo shíorghrá.

It was always meant to be.

I’m where I belong and I’m never leaving again.

thirty-eight

Cillian

The Next Morning

Holy shit.

What the actual fuck has happened over the past couple days?

Yawning, I roll over toward the window. I slept hard. Ivy’s warm body is pressed against mine, which means she’s where she belongs.

I’m glad we both got some rest. It was probably inevitable. I fucked her so many times yesterday, we eventually collapsed with exhaustion.

Christ.

Until the day I die, I’ll never forget the look on Stan’s face when he spotted Ivy’s panties under the couch in my office. His reaction was exactly what I’d feared. I wish to God he hadn’t found out about us the way he did—but there’s no turning back time. At least there’s no more sneaking around.

We’re free to be together.

Finally.

I gently kiss Ivy’s forehead before slipping out of bed to let her sleep a bit longer.

Stepping into the hallway, I check my phone. I’ve missed quite a few texts from my da and I really need to speak with him—I can’t abdicate my responsibilities forever. I briefly glance back at Ivy—who stirs slightly but doesn’t wake—then quietly slip downstairs to make the call.

“Morning, Da.” I sink into my recliner to prepare for the worst. Considering all the logistics, pulling off this particular jobsite won’t be easy, there are too many components to the whole operation.

Except, he seems almost cheery. “Morning, son. How’s Ivy holding up?”

“She’s sleeping. Yesterday things seemed to stabilize. At least as far as she and I are concerned.” I realize my anger has dissipated slightly, if not completely. “We’re heading to her house so she can pack. She’s moving in withme.”

“Good man yerself,” Da encourages. “Now, then. It might be a bit premature, but tomorrow is family dinner. Everyone’s in town and I think you should bring Ivy. Might as well jump into the deep end.”

“I’ll ask her.” Ivy’s been through a lot, adding a dinner with my entire family may not be something she’s up for yet. “Anyway, I’m calling for a reason. Tell me how things went down yesterday.”

My dad takes a deep breath. “Business as usual.”

“Da! Stan fired me.” I clench my teeth. “I don’t want to rub salt…”

“Cillian, listen. Let cooler heads prevail. I met with our lawyer, Joe Finney, who walked me through the contract.” Da describes the analysis. “Bright Shipping can’t fire McGloughlin Construction without us breaching our agreement. Dating his daughter is not a breach, so he has no legal authority to fire us. Technically, the contract doesn’t allow us to walk off the job either. For now, I’ll take over and try to talk to Stan once he’s released from the hospital.”

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