Page 164 of Keeping 13

“That’s not because you’re not welcome,” he hurried to add. “It’s because my ma won’t let us have a minute’s peace otherwise.” Unbuckling his belt, he pushed the car door open and climbed out, gently closing his door before rounding the car. “You ready?” he asked, reaching for my hand when I stepped out and closing the car door behind me.

“Yeah,” I replied, keeping my voice low. It was raining hard again and the cold droplets were pelting against my bare skin, causing a shiver to roll through me.

“Bonnie and Cupcake should be in their run for the night,” he explained as we crept up the pitch-dark laneway. “It’s around the back of the house, so we should be good.”

“What about Sookie?”

“Sookie won’t bark at me,” he replied confidently.

“How will she know it’s you?”

“She’ll just know.” Sliding his keys into his hand when we reached the driveway, Johnny literally dragged me across the gravel to lean against the house. “You okay?”

“Should we be doing this?” I asked, breathing hard.

“Honestly? Probably not, but we’re going to do it anyway.”

“Okay.” I nodded. “We are?”

“I don’t know.” Johnny hesitated. “Are we?”

“Uh, I think so.”

“Fuck it—” Shaking his head, he kissed me hard and then dragged me toward the front door. Releasing my hand, he held a finger to his lips and then turned the key in the door, cringing when the door creaked open. “Go on,” he mouthed, inclining his head toward the hallway.

Kicking off my high heels, I bent down and snatched them up before hurrying inside. Johnny quietly closed the door after us, and for a few moments we stood in the entry hall with our eyes locked on each other. After a minute or so of complete silence, a slow smile crept across his face and I grinned back at him. “Bingo,” he purred, before hooking an arm around my waist and pulling me flush against him.

Feeling heady with lust and adrenaline, and smothering a squeal, I wrapped my arms around his neck, shoes and all, and pulled his face down to mine. Our kiss was warm, clumsy, and overloaded with an overwhelming need formore. Johnny made a deep, gravelly sound in his throat, and then we were moving, stumbling blindly down the hallway.

“You’re back early, love. Did your car break down?” Mrs. Kavanagh’s voice cut through my lust-filled thoughts, and I jerked away from Johnny like I had been scalded.

Mortified, I turned to stare at his mother who was sitting on the bottom step of their impressive staircase. She had a washing basket set on the floor at her feet as she paired socks. Sprawled out beside the basket was Johnny’s old black Labrador. The moment Sookie spotted Johnny, she clambered unsteadily to her feet and bounded toward him.

“Jesus,” Johnny muttered under his breath as he pushed both hands through his hair before dropping a hand to pet his dog. “I didn’t see you there, Ma.”

“That’s alright, Johnny, I saw you,” Mrs. Kavanagh replied with a smirk. “Great effort, though.” Turning her attention to me, she smiled warmly. “Hello, Shannon. It’s lovely to see you again.”

“Hi, Mrs. Kavanagh,” I choked out, mortified beyond belief. “H-how are you?”

“I’m grand, love.” Setting a pair of socks she had paired into the basket, she stood up and dusted down the back of her jeans, smile still firmly in place. “You look stunning tonight.”

“Uh, thanks.” Heat crept across my skin.Should I apologize for being here? Is she mad? Should I apologize again for my mother’s behavior? Should I just go?“So do you,” I wheezed out, feeling slightly sick now.What the hell should I do?

Making the decision for us, Johnny reclaimed my hand and pulled me toward the staircase. “We’re going to go watch a film,” he announced, watching his mother with what looked like great caution as we passed her.

“Oh?” his mother replied, arching a brow. “Nothing good playing at the pictures?”

“I have one in my room that we wanted to watch,” Johnny shot back, half dragging me up the staircase after him. “So, yeah. That’s what we’re going to do.”

“What film?”

“Jesus Christ, Ma, a film!” Johnny groaned, halting at the top of the staircase to look down at his mother. “What does it matter?”

“Love Actually.” I blurted out the first title that popped into my head.

Johnny nodded eagerly. “That’s right.”

“Gibsie lent it to us,” I added to my lies, realizing that I was a far better liar when put under pressure from an authoritative figure than he was.Years of practice.“He said it’s his favorite, and he was going on all week at school that we needed to see it.”

---