Page 69 of Her Irish Treasures
Doran set me on my feet. “Take a nice long soak, love. There are a couple of other showers in the house, so no one’ll bother you and there’s no rush. When you’re ready to sleep, there’s a bed just outside this door.”
Keane winked at me. “It’s the biggest bed I’ve ever seen.”
Now that sounded promising indeed.
17
Iwasn’t sure how the guys had managed to buy a house so quickly, let alone one that was furnished. But I was too tired and grimy to care. I stripped out of my clothes and took a nice steamy shower, though I did spare a longing glance at the tub. Another time. I’d light some candles, maybe add some salts or a bath bomb. That sounded heavenly.
I wrapped a fluffy towel around my head. A thick terrycloth robe hung on the back of the door. It looked brand new. Maybe this place had been an Airbnb before the guys had bought it. If so, it was a high-end place. A pang of guilt struck me. It must have cost them a fortune.
I had nothing to contribute. I hadn’t been to my job in weeks, and I’d only made a few lousy bucks in tips. Without Vivi’s help, I didn’t know what I would have done after leaving Jonathan. Disregarding the changeling complication, just leaving him had left me penniless. I’d made good money—I thought. But I’d been buried in debt.
Just another way he’d been controlling me, I supposed. A way to keep me dependent on him and my job in case I ever did think about leaving him.
I kicked my dirty clothes into the corner and opened the door to the master bedroom. I froze, taking in the scene.
Keane and Aidan made sense, for the most part, but they were both naked. Which short-circuited my brain. Both of them were covered in tats, which made me want to push them down flat on the bed and lick every single one of those ink marks. Ivarr and Doran were also in the room, though they were both at least partially clothed. Or I really may have spontaneously combusted. Ivarr stood with his back to me in the corner of a large window. He glanced over his shoulder at me, a warm, golden light flickering in his eyes. But he quickly turned back to staring outside into the dark.
Bare-chested, Doran filled up the doorway, one shoulder casually leaned against the doorframe. He gave me a slow once-over, his heavy, dark gaze hot enough to singe the terrycloth.
But it was the sight of Warwick sitting at the foot of the bed that made my throat tighten with emotion. They’d brought him—or allowed him to join us, at least. He wasn’t excluded. Rightfully so, he was here. With us.
With me.
Doran made a low, rumbly sound that drew my gaze to him. “No expectations or pressure, love. If you want to sleep, you’ll sleep as safe and snug as a bug in a rug. Ivarr and I be on guard duty tonight. We’ve had time with you already, and they have not.” He pinned that formidable stone gaze on each man one by one. “What she says, goes. Don’t make me come back in here and knock heads together, or I’ll bar you from the bedroom until she specifically asks for your return. Understood?”
“Aye,” each man replied.
Aidan, of course, wore a formidable scowl. He sat propped up against the headboard, arms crossed over his chest. Though he didn’t spare a single glance at Warwick sitting so close. A few minutes ago, I’d been afraid they’d try to kill each other.
Now they sat on the same bed. Waiting for me.
A squeak escaped my lips which made a huge grin soften Doran’s stony features. “Indeed, love. Call me if you need assistance.”
Before I even thought about my next move, he shifted into his gargoyle. Impossibly wide, thick shoulders. Broad chest. Heavy brow, a large crooked beaked nose. Talons clattered on the floor as he turned and headed down the hallway, black wings brushing the ceiling and walls on either side.
“I’ll be outside if you need me.” Ivarr ducked out of the window and shut it before I even felt a draft.
My gaze hopped from Aidan’s scowl. To Keane’s sultry smile. To Warwick’s innocent aw-shucks dimples. “Um. Not that I’m upset at all, but why are you here?”
Casually, he slung a long, silky curtain of black hair over his shoulder, drawing my attention to the heavy weight of his hair. Making me think about how incredible it would feel gliding over my skin. “Aidan and I have come to an understanding.”
I dragged my gaze back to Aidan. “Is that true?”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m a right bastard, aye, but I wouldn’t keep a man you love away from you. Besides, he saved you when we failed you.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and moved closer to the bed. “You didn’t fail me.”
“Aye, we did. You were in danger. Your treasures were unable to penetrate the trap. You were alone and vulnerable. Without the leprechaun, you’d be worse than dead.”
His words rang with fury, his voice cracking with emotion. I crawled up onto the bed and slid up against him, dropping my head to his chest. “I’m okay. I’m safe.”
Aidan rubbed his mouth against my hair. “Only thanks to him. So aye, Warwick Greenshanks be welcome wherever you are, as long as you care to have him.”
I pulled back enough to look up into his face. “I love you too, you know. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable or upset.”
He huffed out a breath and reached up to loosen the towel holding my hair up. “I’m wrapped around your pinky finger, Riann Newkirk. Twist me into a pretzel, put my balls in a vise, whatever it takes. What’s left of my heart be yours.”
