Page 19 of Pints & Potions

Cocking his head to the side, Alastair observed him like he was the rarest of species. “Are you truly going to questionme, O’Malley?”

Well, no, not if he’d have given it any amount of thought beforehand. But after blustering like a fool, he had no choice. He had to bluff his way through. “Maybe she shouldn’t be moved. It might cause more damage.”

“More damage than you knocking her out and carrying her here? That type of damage?” Alastair asked dryly, but he eased Piper back down on the table.

Cian didn’t know why he argued against the inevitable, but he knew if they took Piper now, he’d never see her again. He positioned himself next to her and stared down into her serene face. With one finger, he trailed her jawline where the knot had been. He felt the slightest movement.

Had she flinched?

“I’m sorry,cailín, I didn’t mean to hurt you, love,” he told her softly. “I’ll be prayin’ you find it in your heart to forgive me one day.”

Leaning in, he kissed her forehead, and as he drew back, her eyes fluttered open.

Relief flooded his heart a second before her fist connected with his nose.

There was no mistaking the laughter in Alastair Thorne’s voice as he said, “Ah, your darling Piper is awake, son. And it looks like she’s not ready to forgive quite yet.”

7

Piper had been conscious the entire time. Or almost. Cian had repeated the tale correctly, if a little outrageously, and she had indeed connected with his fist on accident. After the initial blackout, she knew she was at a disadvantage. To determine his intent, she’d channeled an opossum and pretended to be out cold.

But Cian had surprised her when he called Ryker, and her curiosity got the better of her, so she remained silent to see how everything played out. Of course, it wasn’t to her liking, and having her family arrive en masse was annoying. Not one of them believed she was capable of taking care of herself.

The reason she “woke” now, was to prevent Alastair from turning Cian to dust. Her fake-out had gone on too long, and she figured Alastair had seen through the ruse anyway.

Piper shifted to a sitting position, level with Cian’s face. Even with his eyes watering and his nose bleeding, he was attractive, damn him!

“So sorry. I was lifting my arm to defend myself and you ran into my fist.”

As she watched, his eyes narrowed but a grudging smile tugged at his lips. Those same all-knowing eyes settled on her mouth for a long moment before they met hers. “No harm was done that can’t be undone with one of your spells, darlin’. Now, if you don’t mind, you can wave one of your beautiful wee hands and heal my broken nose. I wouldn’t be opposed if you removed the cut caused by your rock. If you’ve a mind to, that is.”

“As much as I’d like to, I only use my abilities in emergency situations.” She gave a false sympathetic smile.

Cian’s brows shot up. “And my life’s blood isn’t an emergency?”

Reaching a hand out, she grasped his chin and shifted his head one way, then the other. “Looks like you have the flow under control.” She couldn’t prevent her fingers from lingering in a soft caress of his strong jaw. It was as if they had a mind of their own.

Cian stepped forward and cupped his hand over hers, pressing it to his cheek. His voice was husky as he said, “I was right about you, Piper me love. You’re a cruel woman.”

Once again, his gaze dropped to her lips and liquid fire seared her insides. With a jerk of her hand, she pulled away. Making eye contact with the room’s inhabitants was uncomfortable. She cleared her throat and rotated to throw her legs off the opposite side of the table. Her knees were decidedly weak—and not from the knockout.

The silence dragged on, and she shot a tentative glance Alastair’s way. Gentle understanding shone in his sapphire eyes, and Piper had an overwhelming desire to cry. As the Thorne family patriarch, he kept tabs on the comings and goings of the family, and she was in no doubt that he was fully aware of her past relationship failures.

“Thank you for coming all this way, Cuz,” she said to him in a low but firm tone. “I…” How did she confess to him she was a faker and had worried them all for nothing?

“No need to apologize, child. Ireland is lovely this time of year.” He sent a speculative look Cian’s way. “Perhaps Rorie and I should check into this little inn and enjoy the landscape.”

Dread filled Piper’s heart. She’d picked this place to escape her family’s influence, not rain down more trouble on the residents of this small village.

Liz recognized her panic and spoke up, bless her. “Alastair, I think Piper came here to get away from all of us for a while. She won’t tell you that because she doesn’t want to offend you. She wants to play at being a mortal for a few weeks.”

“She plays at being a mortal constantly,” GiGi scoffed. “I don’t understand why you deny your heritage, child.” After giving her an arch look, GiGi relented and patted her hand. “But unfortunately for you, you’ve landed in the middle of a mess. Ryker and I aren’t leaving until we know you’re safe.”

“GiGi, I can handle anything that comes my way.” As protests went, it was lame. Not twenty minutes before, Piper had fought and lost to Cian. Mainly, it was her own fault. Her softer nature wouldn’t allow her to hurt him, so she’d left magic off the table and resorted to martial arts.

Who knew he’d be proficient at fighting?

Ryker, it seemed.

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