Page 27 of After Indigo Irish Nights
The words seized his lungs and stole his breath. He couldn’t imagine what it would take for him to hold out that long, and Eoghan’s words about his internal battle affecting him as a man and a fighter rose unbidden in his mind.
Sorcha’s green eyes glared at him before she disappeared.
They both knew he would give her no answer.
CHAPTERSIX
The bold sunrise was rising over the verdant hills when Kathleen arrived at her studio.
She took a moment to admire it, hoping to change her mood. The reds and oranges were almost molten in nature, something she could appreciate even though it was butt crack early. The emerging sun was burning off the dew clinging to the tall grasses in the surrounding pastures, dotted with puffy white sheep.
She needed that heat. Her body was chilled after a troubled sleep. She’d failed to turn off thoughts of Declan, his bruised body, and their attraction. She wasn’t sure what was worse. Temptation or torture. They had both in spades right now, and she didn’t like the situation one bit.
Pulling the heavy shed door open, she let herself inside and flicked on the lights, walking toward the perfectly organized tools on her worktable. The sight of the ship frame she’d welded together didn’t lift her mood. While it showcased her progress, it didn’t showcase her vision.
Her work lacked passion.
Just like her life.
God, she was in a rut. She knew what would add passion. Hello, Declan. But they’d agreed not to go there.
All her brothers always said you don’t shit where you eat and getting it on with Declan would definitely be that and more. Thank God Ellie wasn’t pushing her. If her friend asked her about Declan, she wouldn’t be able to hide her emotional turmoil. Only, Ellie knew anyway… She was being a good friend, not saying anything.
She picked up a thin steel plate from her worktable and grabbed her pliers. She twisted it and twisted it until it looked like a crazy spiral of metal. That was how she felt inside.
When they’d agreed to fight the temptation of being together, she’d thought she was up for it. She was tough. She’d been trained by the best temptation trainers in the business—nuns at her neighborhood Catholic school—after all, and she’d fought temptation before. That last chocolate. That crazy expensive pair of shoes in the store window. She’d even stayed away from a few very tempting guys, knowing they were bad news.
None of that had prepared her for Declan.
She hadn’t imagined how much energy they’d have to devote to their decision to stay apart. The cost had been clear on Declan’s face. She’d concealed her own aches and bruises from pounding out her own frustration on the metal forming the frame for her pirate ship.
Temptation was getting the better of her. It was messing with her head. It was screwing with her art.
Usually the requisite parts came together easily in her hands, but since she’d started the project three weeks ago—right after her talk with Declan—she’d been all thumbs.
She’d never had this problem before.
Ellie knew she was struggling.
Kathleenknew she was struggling.
Even her brother Robbie knew she was struggling. He’d texted her a couple of days ago:You’re too quiet. What’s wrong with you?
She’d told him about everything but Declan. He hadn’t pressed. Yet. But he probably knew she was twisted up about a guy. Her brothers never asked her about guys, preferring to pretend their little sister didn’t date.
She touched the frame she’d built so far. She couldn’t feel the pirate ship, crashing through the Irish sea. It wasn’talive. That was a problem.
She couldn’t suck at this. Shewouldn’tsuck.
But her piece’s current suckitude wasn’t reason enough to give in to the temptation and dive into Declan’s hot, compelling arms.
Because after that, what would happen?
She’d found amusement in their banter. He’d told her twice now that she was beautiful. But those things only suggested she’d get attached to him, which would ultimately cause much more pain than she was currently feeling.
“Seeing as Declan is the first man to call you beautiful,” she heard a woman say behind her, “don’t you think you might reconsider the current way of things?”
Every nerve ending went on alert. She’d closed the shed door. How could someone be inside? And how did a stranger know exactly what Kathleen had been thinking? She turned around slowly and almost sagged to the floor as her knees gave out.
