Page 20 of After Indigo Irish Nights
His voice held a rueful note. Yeah, she was becoming a person to him too. “Are you over her?”
The humor drained from his face. “Hard to answer. Do I still love Morag? No.”
Morag? That was a name for the ages. “But?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “The wreckage she left isn’t completely gone, and that makes me terribly cross.”
“Scar tissue takes a while to heal—”
“It’s always there,” he finished with quiet determination.
“Sometimes it fades.” She said it for herself as much as him. “Time. Vitamin E. You know…”
“Vitamin E?” His dark chuckle stirred something within her. “Another bit ofcraic. You’re full of them. It’s compelling, and I’m not easily compelled.”
“Is that why you’re not sure you want to kiss me again?” Best get it out there. “Because I’m not sure either.”
His mouth twisted. “It’s good to be on the same page. We’re both conflicted.”
She put her hand on his chest. “I want you, and I seem to be starting to like you, but I have wondered if this is a good idea. I’m not looking for a relationship or anything serious.”
“That’s a man’s line.” His mouth tipped up on the right. “You’re as honest as they come, aren’t you?”
Honesty wasn’t just a word to her. It was a way of life. “I hate lies and liars and don’t have time for drama. I don’t see why people dick around or hurt others when they can just put it all on the table. It’s pretty simple.”
He rubbed the back of his neck again. “I want you as well, and I am starting to like you. But there are other factors, and that’s why we must be friends. You’re Ellie’s best friend. She’s marrying my brother, whom I love even though he’s going to probably drive me mad after last night.”
“What happened?”
He was silent a moment before saying, “Brady wants me to be happy. He might think you’re part of that for reasons best left unsaid.”
His grimace might as well have been a death mask. Oh, he was mysterious. She couldn’t read him now. “I see.”
“Beyond that, everyone knows your business in this village, and if we get together, they’ll be thinking things again about me that I don’t want resurrected. The man I used to be with Morag is dead.”
She swallowed the tightness in her throat, suddenly sad for him. “I understand rising from the phoenix ashes and becoming someone new. I prefer to think it’s a better version, personally. I also get that there are drawbacks to tight communities.”
They were stacking up every obstacle, and if she were to weigh it all, they were coming down on the side of not going there.
“I can withstand the temptation of seeing you for four months, especially now that I’ve starting my boxing training.”
Withstand the temptation of seeing you.
The words stole her breath. Yes, that’s exactly what they’d have to do. “And I have an installation to build. We should be able to resist each other.”
He looked her dead-on again. “Especially if I don’t see you in those shorts again.”
Her belly tightened. She made herself laugh. God, it was too bad they couldn’t launch themselves at each other just once and then forget it happened.
Only she knew neither of them would be able to forget. Memories like that stayed with a person a long time.
“This outfit won’t leave my little cottage, I promise.” She crossed her heart for good measure, making him smile. “As of right now, I’m flipping the switch and will only treat you as a friend. Shall we shake on it?”
He held up his hand as if blocking her. “No. Better not to have any contact, I think.”
Apparently his skin sizzled too. “Yes, you’re right.” She nodded briskly, trying to look at him like she would one of her brothers.
She couldn’t do it.
