Page 24 of Bargain with the Irish Devil

Once she’s gone, I go upstairs to Miranda’s room. I don’t bother knocking because I have no doubt she’ll tell me to go away.

“Hi,” it’s soft, almost timid from her.

She’s lying on the bed with a book clutched to her chest. With her tousled blonde hair and soft eyes, it’s clear she slept. Her beauty almost overwhelms me. Every time I see her again after being away from her, I wonder how she becomes more beautiful than I remembered her. Soft moss becomes a question.

“How are you feeling? Are you good to join me for dinner? If you want, I could bring yours up here.” I don’t move from the doorway, not trusting myself to get close to her. The last thing I want is to give her the option to hide from me…but Aoife’s caution of treating her gently sends the words out of me.

Blushing, she stands. “I’m hungry. I was able to get a nap. I feel better. It’s embarrassing. Aoife was acting like I’m an invalid.”

“Everyone was given the order to see to your needs. Some women need a little more coddling during this week. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

I see the three large stacks of books at the foot of the bed. Curious, I study them. The library was started by my father. More than half of it is Irish writers of every genre. The rest are other authors of his preferred genre: mystery. She has a broad selection herself. Most of them are mysteries, with a few classics and a memoir.

“Is it okay, Aoife, let me pick some books out?” The question is concerned.

Nodding, I step back. “Yeah, of course. If I had known, I would have shown it to you before I left today.”

Going downstairs, I follow her.

Colm appears from the library. “Everything good, Dec?”

“No,” I wait until Miranda disappears into the dining room. “I want you to get with Liam and have him keep an eye on Tommy. I don’t trust him.”

Concerned. “Yeah, but Liam?”

I understand his worry. Liam is completely psychotic. He’s benched right now for killing someone he was only supposed to beat so badly they wished they were dead. While he’s benched from getting paid by me, he’s loaned out and earns money taking hits in the city and into New York and sometimes in Ireland and England. As much as the old men didn’t like me ordering a death, they liked having Liam as an option and bargaining chip in the underworld.

“Tommy won’t be expecting Liam. Because he knows Liam is supposed to be benched.” It’s that simple. We don’t have nearly as many men as I would like. While I hoped to add a few more, others are more cautious.

Colm nods and leaves.

Aoife had removed everything from their package and placed it on plates before she left. Miranda is waiting at the dinner table in front of her plate.

“How are you doing on the audit?” I ask as I sit down. More to fill the silence than because I care.

She sighs. “It’s slower than I would like. I was hoping to finish last year today, but I’m nowhere near it. Since you said you think it’s been happening for the last two months, I’m going to focus on three months prior to this time last year. They aren’t going to match even if there wasn’t any theft, but it gives me a kind of baseline to gauge. After dinner?—”

“You’ll go back upstairs and rest.” I cut in.

“The sooner I finish, the sooner I can go home. I’m not going to be able to relax.”

“I can think of something to help you relax.” I tease her.

Hazel eyes roll. “You’re such a man. And…”

“For the record, it doesn’t bother me in the least. If you’re up for it, I will always be.”

A blush sweeps up to her ears. “That’s gross.” She shakes her head.

“No, it’s not. Also, a strong orgasm will help your cramps. I’ll be happy to show you. Unlike your ex-husband. I’m still wondering how much money he had for you to marry him?—”

“It wasn’t about his money.” She’s spits out at me. Eyes flashing with hurt and anger. “Yes, I was attracted to the life he lived as it was the one I wanted to make for myself. But it wasn’t only his money. Like I said, he was persistent in getting me to date him?—"

Shit. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. You’re just so beautiful you could have waited for a man you did care for.”

“I don’t know. What you said today about hoping you didn’t love someone like your dad loved your mom…” She blinks fast as she looks away. “I felt that way too. For years, I told myself boys and all that stuff would wait until after I got the full-ride scholarship to college I would need to get there. Then, it became after I finished college. A part of me was looking at Michael as we were getting married and wanted to run because I was thinking I didn’t want it. Not because of him but because it was marriage. It was supposed to be forever.”

“Did it end badly?” I would kill him with a smile on my face if he hurt her.

---