Page 85 of Stolen Rival
“Oh!Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” I stop dead in my tracks. The house was so quiet I went for a wander to make sure I hadn’t been left alone. The three brothers are sitting in the front room around a card table. There are tumblers of scotch in front of Liam and Darragh—along with Patrick’s ever-present glass of water—crumpled bills, and for a change they’re all in casual wear instead of various stages of undress from business attire.
I make it a half-turn to leave before my husband speaks.
“What is it,mo mhuirnín?” He no longer barks at me like he did only weeks ago, instead there’s a warmth in how he speaks to me that I haven’t heard when he addresses anyone else.
I ignore the questioning looks of Darragh and Liam when I turn back to talk to Patrick. I shake my head. “I’m okay. It was just…” I hug myself with my arms, a chill rolling through my bones. “It was so quiet, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t… you know…”
The more words fall from my lips, the more foolish I feel, and the hotter my cheeks get.
“You weren’t by yourself?” Patrick finishes my sentence. There’s no trace of mockery in his voice.
I shrug. “Guess I got used to having a house as busy as Connolly station with my brothers and people Da used to have over.” A ripple of sadness sweeps through my chest. “I’m not really used to it being so quiet.”
Translation: I’m lonely as fuck and can’t face reading another book just yet.
“You should join us.” Liam shifts in his seat and stands, offering me his chair. “I’ll grab one from the dinner table.”
Despite all my instincts to say yes, if for no other reason than I crave the company of another human being, I wave him off. “It’s okay. I shouldn’t. My husband tells me I have a terrible poker face. And I’m far too inexperienced to play sharks like you three.”
Despite having played with my family, and being a decent player, I’m not at the level of sport these three seem to play at. I offer him a gratitude-filled smile. “Thank you, though.”
Patrick reaches out and takes my hand. “He’s right, Sorcha. You don’t need to be alone here. Sit. Join us. Play a hand.” He squeezes my fingers like he’s giving me silent reassurance that it’s really okay.
I roll my lips. “I don’t have any money to play with.”
Darragh snorts. “That’s okay, you can take some from Mr. Moneybags here. Your husband is a wild cheat, Mrs. Mahoney. Come on, Sorch, sit and play with us. It’ll make me look good if you lose instead of me for a few hands.”
I feel weird every time someone uses my title. I’m not sure if I like it or loathe it. Perhaps it’s both. Perhaps it’ll always be both.
Liam ducks into the dining room to grab a chair.
“I’m not sure that it’s Patrick’s fault you suck at poker, Darragh.” I pat his shoulder. “But nice try.”
Patrick chuckles as Liam sets the seat down between Darragh and Patrick. “She’s not wrong. I’m not normally one to give Patrick a compliment, but you don’t make it hard for him to win, Dar.” Liam pushes the seat underneath me as I sit, and Titan takes up residence at my feet, lying her heavy head on top of my slippers.
“Thank you.”
Liam tips his head to me before making his way over to the bar. “Drink? Since your lout of a husband has no manners.”
“Please. Gin and tonic would be lovely.”
Patrick’s face is more relaxed than I had expected. I lean over to him. “I don’t have to stay. I appreciate it, but I know how important time with your brothers is to you.”
They play cards damn near every night when they’re all here.
Patrick pats my hand resting on the table. “That’s enough. I’d like you to stay and play some poker. Okay?”
When I nod, so does he. “Good. It’s also not true that you don’t have any money of your own, either.”
I snap my eyes to meet his. “Does that mean you’ve given me back my go bag?”
Patrick nods. “In a manner of speaking. The account went live today, the documents and cards are in the study. I just haven’t given them to you yet. There’s a phone, too, although it’s pretty basic. Security reasons.”
Security reasons my arse. He just doesn’t want me contacting my friends. I search his face, looking for a hint as to why he’s giving me back some of my freedoms, but I can’t get a read on him. “I don’t understand. I’m never by myself.You said so yourself. If you’re not with me, one of your lackeys is, and theylove itwhen I ask them to buy me an ice cream.”
Darragh snickers.
“Aye. It must be great for the self-esteem having to ask this arsehole for a tenner every time you want to buy something.” Liam hands me a drink, refills his and Darragh’s tumblers, and retakes his seat.
