Chapter Twenty-Seven

 

Kieran stepped from the shower and remembered Eilis had taken both towels with her. The little vixen knew she was taking not just his towel, but the only two towels in the bathroom. The rest of them were in an airing cupboard in the kitchen.

When he stepped through the door, he was met with an empty room. Eilis wasn’t in the bedroom and neither were the towels. Well, he’d just have to find her.

“Eilis,” he called, walking through the door into the living room, dripping with water and the beginnings of another erection. He couldn’t believe he could still manage one after an afternoon of lovemaking and a very cold shower. He chalked it up to love. This was a new feeling for him, one he was sure he could live with.

“I need a—”

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw three women in his living room. Eilis was seated on the sofa, wrapped again in the silky black robe. Her face was buried in the palms of her hands. He was sure she was embarrassed by the way she peeped through her fingers, then snapped them shut again.

Her friend Megan was seated beside her, eyes wide and looking him up and down. An appreciative grin curved her lips.

His sister stood up from the hearth where she’d been stoking the fire, her eyes wide in shock.

The women were stunned silent, and for a moment Kieran forgot he was wet, nude, and with an erection which was quickly fading.

He cocked an eyebrow, wondering what the women had seen or heard. By the look on Eilis’s face when she finally looked up at him, it must have been something quite substantial.

“Kieran, for God’s sake, put something on,” Gráinne finally said.

Megan waved Gráinne’s comments away. “No, no. It’s all right. It’s been a while since I’ve seen one of them.” Kieran wondered if the woman had even looked at his face since he stepped through the bedroom door.

Eilis shot a glance at him. There was pleading in her eyes, but she didn’t say anything. She was mortified enough for the both of them.

“What are you doing here?” He threw his fists onto his hips and glared at his sister.

“We were worried since we hadn’t heard from you in so long. When I couldn’t reach you on that mobile you bought, and Megan here couldn’t reach Eilis, we figured you must have kidnapped the poor woman. This is the only place I know of you’d bring her, so here we are.” Gráinne crossed her arms in front of her defiantly. “Really, Kieran. Put something on. Your bits and pieces are getting all shriveled.”

He ignored his sister and looked to Eilis. “Are you all right, love?” When she nodded, he shifted his attention back toward his sister. “How did you get here? I didn’t hear a car pull up.”

“In Eilis’s Mini. It’s no wonder you didn’t hear anything from what we heard coming through the door.” Eilis groaned and buried her face in her hands again. He thought it was impossible, but he felt a flush race up his own body. He wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment or anger.

“Isn’t it a bit late for making the drive up here?”

“We were worried, Kieran,” she said, raising her voice. “You’ve been unreachable for days. We thought something was wrong. If Megan hadn’t come over to say she hadn’t heard from Eilis, I would have left ye be. That was a week ago. What’s wrong with you? I never thought you one for kidnapping.” Gráinne was disgusted with him and it oozed from every word she spoke.

“I keep trying to tell you, he didn’t kidnap me,” Eilis burst out, but Gráinne ignored her.

“What did you think you were doing?” Gráinne railed.

“Eilis was sick. She couldn’t stay where she was and there was no way to get her home. She was in no fit state for the long drive to Dublin. Thank God I was still in Killarney or she’d be walking the streets,” he told her in no uncertain terms.

“You could have brought her to me,” Megan finally chipped in.

“You had enough on your hands with your sick son. Adult chickenpox is not something to mess with. She needed round-the-clock attention. I’m sorry, but you couldn’t have given it to her with your son also being sick. This was the only option. And Eilis consented to the arrangement. I thought when I rang you, Gráinne, it was enough.”

“You left a message on my machine. ‘Grá, Kier. I’m taking Eilis to the cottage. Ring you later’,” she said, deepening her voice and mimicking him. “I didn’t think much of it until Megan came over. She hadn’t heard from Eilis and was worried sick. It was only when I told her she was with you that she explained the situation to me. We gave you a couple of days, then came looking for you. We walk in to find . . . this.” She waved her hands at his nudity.

Megan wrapped an arm around Eilis. It was then he saw the tears rolling down her flushed cheeks. “Look what you’re doing to her, Gra.” He walked over to Eilis and pulled her into his arms. He was pleased she came to him so easily, wrapping her arms around him. Unfortunately, this was not the time to get an erection, which was just what he was doing. To save himself more embarrassment he pulled Eilis with him to the bedroom and closed the door behind them.

He turned to her once the door was closed and pulled her away from him, taking her face in his palms. “Are you all right, love?” She nodded and fell back into his arms. He stroked her hair and gave her comfort as long as she needed it. She wasn’t crying now, but was speechless and mortified beyond belief. She had to be. He was.

“I barely had the robe on when they came into the bedroom. They scared donkeys’ years off me. I had no idea anyone was in the house.”

He rubbed her back and placed a kiss on the top of her head before pulling her away from him.

“I’ll sort Gráinne out. I’ll leave Megan to you. First though, I think clothes are in order, aye?” He glanced down at his erection, then back to Eilis with a wicked grin. “Told you so,” was all he said before stepping away from her.

♥ ♥ ♥

Dressed, they stepped out of the bedroom. Her friend remained on the sofa, but Kieran’s sister was now sitting beside her. Both looked up as soon as they heard the door open.

Kieran rubbed Eilis’s shoulder briefly before saying, “I’ll make tea. Hungry?” She nodded then he disappeared into the kitchen. Gráinne was hot on his heels. She heard the woman’s berating the instant she disappeared into the kitchen. Eilis could tell she strained to stay calm so her words were muffled.

She met Megan’s gaze. She’d obviously been worried by the dark circles under her eyes. She rose instantly and Eilis enfolded her in her arms.

“Oh Meg, I’m sorry for worrying you.”

Megan pulled away and gazed into her eyes. “I’m glad you’re all right. You are, aren’t you?”

“Never better.” Truly, she hadn’t been.

She pulled Megan down to sit beside her.

“What’s been going on up here?”

What could Eilis tell her that wasn’t already so obvious?

“Kieran was right, Meg. This was the only option at the time. I was too sick. It hit me suddenly. I couldn’t take the train with so many people on it. There wasn’t a car to be hired. Mrs. O’Sullivan would have let me stay, but all her rooms were booked already, and she couldn’t find anyone to take me in. I was lucky Kieran came to my rescue.”

“Lucky? Seems like that man would do anything for you.”

“After you left, I checked my phone messages. Fergus rang. About a million times. My neighbor has already rung a number of times saying Fergus has been skulking around my house, so I finally gave in and rang him back. We argued. He wants me back in Dublin even though he’s the one who signed off on my holiday time. He’s trying to control me as usual. But I told him I was on holidays and wasn’t going back until the agreed date, then I hung up on him.

“When the phone rang right away, I thought it was Fergus and gave him an earful, but it was Kieran. It was strange. He said he sensed I was upset. Honestly, I half expected him to ring.” She still couldn’t understand their connection.

“What happened?”

“We talked. Then we argued. I said some . . . things, then hung up on him too. The next morning when I found myself in such dire straits, he came to my rescue. I thought he was bringing me back to Cork, but we ended up here. When he explained why he brought me here, I had to agree this was the only option.” She smiled remembering the day. “I had little choice, actually. I passed out and didn’t wake up for the better part of two days. When I did — well, it was just best to stay here and ride this thing out.”

She took her friend’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “I’m fine, Meg. Really. He’s been very good to me.”

Megan glanced towards the bedroom quickly. “And what was this all about then?”

Eilis blushed. “It just . . . happened.”

“Just happened? Right,” Megan drew out the word.

“He’s the one, Meg,” she said calmly. Megan’s eyes shot wide open. “I love him.”

Her friend’s voice was barely a whisper. “Are you sure, Ei? Don’t get yourself into a position like I did with Rory.”

“I’m not. I can’t explain how it happened so fast, but I love him so much it chokes me up.” Her smile brightened at the thought of him.

“What’s with those?” Megan nodded to the table where wilted blue flowers lay beside a crumpled box of teacakes now. “We found them on the floor when we came in.”

Eilis remembered the tears he’d shed for her. “He was apologizing for a misunderstanding.”

Megan giggled. “Well, then,” was all she could say.

♥ ♥ ♥

“Are you insane?” Gráinne fumed the moment she stepped into the kitchen, straining to keep her voice at a minimum. Kieran knew whatever she was going to say to him was for him only.

“Sometimes,” he admitted. “Tea?”

“Feck tea. I want answers.”

He filled the kettle and flipped it on. He went about getting out the things he needed for a cuppa while he talked with his sister. “I already told you, Gráinne. Bringing her here was the only option. There was nowhere else for her to go in her state.”

“How about home to Dublin?”

“And who would have driven her? She passed out not an hour after I got her here. If she was driving, she probably would have killed herself.”

“Maybe so, but do you have any idea what position you could have put yourself in? This woman is important. Don’t you think her boss might be looking for her? They could have called the Gardai already. You could be a wanted man, for all we know.”

As much as Kieran hated to admit it, Gráinne was right on one count. Someone would probably be looking for Eilis. He knew Fergus was just her boss, but he’d never thought to call the man to tell him how sick she had been. Frankly, he didn’t want to talk to the man. He didn’t want to even see him. He was afraid of what he’d do to that manipulative little bas—

“Kieran!” Gráinne snapped, drawing his attention. “What are you going to do now? Do you have a contingency plan in case you get arrested?”

“I’m not going to get arrested, Grá,” he chuckled. The kettle clicked off and he filled the teapot with water and let it steep as he pulled a few items from the fridge for dinner. “You staying for dinner?”

“Kieran,” she pleaded. “Will you not be serious for one bloody minute?”

Suddenly tired from all the drama of the day, he spun on his sister and caught her gaze with his own. “Gráinne, I am serious. Listen to me. I love Eilis. She loves me. We’re two consenting adults. End of. Are you staying for dinner, or are you leaving now?” He waited for what seemed like minutes before she finally crossed her arms in front of her and threw her hip against the counter. Her dark brows drew together so tightly a deep furrow creased her forehead. Her normally full lips were drawn into a fine line. “Fine. Take your aggression out on this head of lettuce. I’ll be right back.”

He took the tea tray into the living room and was pleased to note the mood was much lighter here than in the kitchen. Both women were smiling, which was a good start. He placed the tray on a small table beside the sofa, poured out the tea and asked, “Do you take milk, Megan?”

“As it is, is fine, thanks,” she said, looking up at him with a new expression, he noticed.

“You all right, love?” he asked Eilis. She smiled and nodded. His heart swelled. He bent to kiss her on the forehead, stroking her hair at the same time, then left them to continue their chat. Once back in the kitchen, Gráinne’s mood seemed to have changed direction.

He went to her side and put his hand on her shoulder. Softly he said, “I’m sorry if I worried you, Gra.” She was quiet for a moment before turning to him. Fortunately she put the knife down first.

“I’m sorry too, Kieran. I was just so worried.” She wrapped her arms around him and he took her into his embrace.

“What’s all this about then?” he asked when he heard her sniff against him.

She looked into his eyes. “I watched you out there just now. That was sweet. All these years you’ve just been my big brother. I never saw you as anything else. When you stepped out of the bedroom, everything changed. Suddenly you were a man. A very big man, I might note,” she grinned, lifting an eyebrow.

“Hey, you weren’t supposed to look.”

“Kinda hard not to.” Then serious. “The point is, it never really sank in you were more than my brother until now. I just put two and two together and it finally added up.

“I’ve always looked out for myself, had my own relationships, my own problems, and dealt with everything on my own. When I messed up, you were always there to pick up after me. I never thought you might be going through the same things I was. You were always there for me when I needed help, but I never thought you might need someone to be there for you, too. Sometimes when we’re together, it’s like we’re kids again and I forget you have your own wants and desires. I saw how lonely you were, but I didn’t recognize it . . . until now. I don’t see that anymore.”

“Don’t you, now?” He found himself looking at his sister through different eyes.

“No. I can see you love her.” Gráinne glanced back into the main room before continuing, “She is pretty.”

“She’s beautiful,” he corrected. “And I do love her. She’s the one.”

“I’m glad, Kier.” He hugged her to him again, then tussled her hair playfully before starting dinner.

♥ ♥ ♥

“Since you’ve been holed up here, I don’t suppose you’ve heard the news,” Megan told Eilis.

“News?” The tension had left the room and they’d all settled into comfortable discussion.

“Yeah, it’s all over the telly. The Gardai are looking for a man from Eireann Records. He’s being charged with date rape,” Megan told her.

“Oh my God!” Eilis gasped. “Who was it? Not Fergus?”

“Yep, the one and the same.”

“Oh, God.”

Suddenly, the room spun and Eilis clutched the armrest as her mind suddenly reeled. “Are you serious? Tell me everything,” she demanded.

“A few days ago one of the interns in your office rang the Gardai to say she had been raped. She said Fergus had taken her out that night. She woke up the next morning in a haze and bleeding. She was a virgin so there was no mistaking she’d been sexually assaulted.”

“Oh, my God,” was all Eilis could say.

“Her drink was spiked. They think it was rohypnol. It knocked her out almost instantly. He took her home and . . .” Megan left the rest unsaid. “Of course, he’s denied the whole thing.”

“I know he’s very pushy, but I never thought he’d stoop that low,” Eilis whispered, not wanting to believe it. “Are they saying who filed the report?”

Megan shook her head. “You haven’t heard it all yet. When other women from your office heard about the charge, a lot of them stood up to say similar things had happened to them with Fergus.”

“Oh my God,” she repeated. “I don’t believe it. I just don’t believe it.” Her eyes were wide with the realization that she could have been one of them. She remembered the pint he’d bought for her at The Little Man the night she’d taken him there to hear Kieran play. He’d kept trying to get her to drink it, and she recalled how he’d tried to insinuate himself into her house. Thank God she hadn’t taken the drink or let him in. She didn’t even want to think about the one time she had let him into her house. She shivered at the thought. She was almost sure he’d drugged her drink that evening because she had been quite ill.

“What’s the latest news? Has he been arrested?” she finally asked.

Megan shook her head. “No. He’s gone to ground. They can’t find him. They think he’s left for England, or further.”

“It’s so unbelievable. I know he played at being a ladies’ man, but I never . . .” She shook her head trying to fathom the news.

“I have good news though,” Megan offered. Eilis couldn’t help but notice the smile on her friend’s face.

“I could use some good news after what you just told me.”

“When I got home with Sean the other night, I called Rory to give him what for. I was so upset over Sean being sick and I thought he needed to know.”

“Is he finally taking some responsibility for his son?” she asked. If there was one thing she could never figure out, it was a man’s disregard for his own child.

“Actually, yes. He wants to give us a try again too. Not just for Sean’s sake either. He said he’s been thinking about me lately only he was too scared to ring. When I rang about Sean, he raced right over. We’ve talked. A lot.” Megan blushed and Eilis knew they’d more than just talked. She wasn’t sure her friend should have rushed headlong again into something with Rory, but she was hardly one to talk.

“I’m so happy he’s making an effort. I thought I was going to have to break his legs.” Eilis wrapped her arms around her friend. Neither noticed when Kieran walked into the room.

“Hey, what’s all this?”

Eilis gazed up at Kieran as he entered the room, his hands laden with dishes.

“Just saved myself a trip to jail.” The look on his face told her he didn’t want details and turned to put the items in his hands on the table.

Behind Kieran, Gráinne came out of the kitchen and put more things on the table. Before her eyes, the two set the table for dinner for the four of them. When she was done, Gráinne stepped over to Eilis. She had a serious look on her face. Eilis wondered if she should worried about the woman’s motives.

“Eilis,” Gráinne started. “What I have to say needs to be said face to face.”