Page 3 of Legacy Of Ashes
I have two hours to pack up six years of lies and become what I was born to be.
Two hours before facing the man I've wanted since I was old enough to understand desire.
Game on.
CHAPTER
TWO
I'm reviewingperimeter feeds when the radio crackles.
"Black sedan at the gates, boss."
My blood turns to ice. Only one person drives that car.
"Let her through."
I switch to the front camera and watch the Mercedes glide up the drive. When the door opens and she steps out, my world tilts sideways.
Holy fuck.
Saoirse Kavanagh isn't the girl who left for Oxford. She's a woman who could kill me with a look. Her coat hugs curves that make my hands itch to touch. When she moves, there's a predatory grace that shoots straight to my cock.
Twenty years I've kept my distance. Twenty years of cold showers and gritted teeth. One glimpse of her destroys every wall I built.
I force myself outside before I do something stupid like adjust my pants.
"Miss Kavanagh."
She turns, and those blue-green eyes hit me like a punch to the gut. Not the uncertain teenager who used to curl up in mylap during storms. This woman could bring me to my knees and make me beg for more.
"Conall." Her voice carries traces of posh English now, but underneath I hear whiskey and sin. "How is he?"
"Stable." I keep my distance because getting close means smelling her skin. Means remembering how she felt pressed against me when nightmares woke her. Back when it was innocent. "Your mother's with him."
She nods, and the movement makes her coat shift. I catch a glimpse of silk underneath, and my mouth goes dry thinking about what else she's wearing.
"Security changes?" she asks.
"Doubled perimeter. New protocols." My voice sounds rough. "Your safety is priority."
"My safety?" One eyebrow arches. "Worried about me, Conall?"
The way she says my name makes heat pool low in my belly. Dangerous territory.
"Always."
Something flickers in her eyes. Recognition. Challenge. The girl who used to test my patience grew into a woman who could test my control.
"I should see him," she says, but doesn't move.
Neither do I. We stand there like idiots, tension crackling between us. She's close enough to touch. Close enough to?—
"Saoirse!" Niamh appears in the doorway, breaking the spell.
They embrace, and I watch Saoirse's perfect composure crack. Just for a second, but I see it. She's still human underneath all that polish.
Inside, Tiernan lies surrounded by machines that keep him breathing. The most feared man in Boston looks small in that hospital bed.
