Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79232 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79232 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Chapter 15
Nolan
I’ve never been the brother that follows the rules like everyone else. I’ve never been the one who does what’s expected, what’s tradition.
Keenan brought home a woman, a captive, as it were, but he was heir to the throne and needed a wife.
Cormac bowed to the will of The Clan, the expectations and code we adhere to. As such, he agreed to an arranged marriage.
They did things the way they were expected to.
Figures, then, that I’d fall in love with our enemy. The men of The Clan don’t do this, not even close. Anyone who threatens the livelihood of The Clan faces certain and severe punishment. I’ve known this since I was little, still clinging to my mother’s skirts. Though she sheltered me from some, I knew even then that we’ve laws we abide by.
But I can’t help but love Sheena. Hell, I think I’ve been attracted to her since the first time I met her, years ago at The Craic. I can still remember how she looked, her gorgeous hair all twisted in some sort of up-do, dangling silver earrings hanging at her ears, dressed in a shiny black dress that could’ve been painted on her.
It seems so long ago.
I watched her from a distance at the club, unable to take my eyes off her. A man came up to her, said something in her ear, and she turned her back to him. He reached for her shoulder and yanked her over to him. I was on my feet, ready to break his neck, before any of the security officers even knew what was happening.
She shoved him off, and I could see it happening before it did. Pricks like him get angrier when women get aggressive. He came at her again. Before I even knew what I was doing, I’d decked him so hard he flew backward onto the bar, glasses crashing to the floor.
“Come at me, motherfucker,” I told him, taking the stance I was taught, prepared for the attack. He did. We fucking brawled, but my brothers were there, bore witness. He was hauled away, and Sheena bought me a drink.
We made small talk, and I liked her at once. Witty and intelligent, beautiful and intriguing. Then she saw my ink, something hidden under my shirt sleeve until I reached for the bar tab.
“I know who you are,” she said, and everything changed.
And so it began, years of her pursuing us and my keeping her at bay. Years of her angering me so much it felt like an answer to my prayers when I finally got my hands on her. Years of sexual tension that throbbed between us like the beating of a heart.
But I knew… somehow, I knew that if I got behind that tough exterior of hers, I’d strike gold. And I have. Christ, but I have.
The days pass quicker than I expect. I watch her with Tiernan, giving him the guidance he needs and the space to be himself. She was angry with him for his involvement with the O’Gregors, but also realized that he only did what she did herself—compromised her values to protect her family.
I watch her with Fiona and Sam, the doting sister who loves them so much she’d give all of herself to them if she could. And she tries. I pull her back some, under the guise of her being my prisoner. We both know it’s only an excuse.
I call her to me because I like when she submits, not because I expect it. I keep her by my side not only to protect her, but because it’s where she belongs. It feels right. And any man who’s won a woman over knows that when a brilliant, feisty, headstrong woman relinquishes any part of herself to you, you’ve earned it. The gift of submission from a woman like Sheena is the crowning fucking victory.
We’ve been watching for news of the O’Gregors uprising, and until recently, we’ve heard nothing. It’s not a good silence, though, and it doesn’t put us at ease. We’re all skilled enough to know that it’s only the calm before the storm.
We keep as close an eye on the most vulnerable among us as we can. The women and the little ones are kept under constant guard. No one goes to the shops or beyond the cliffs that overlook the sea right outside our windows. A solid week’s gone by without a word from the O’Gregors when Keenan calls a meeting.
I leave Sheena with Fiona and mam in the garden. Sheena’s taking a call from her employer. She’s eager to get back to work, and has been doing her research just like she promised us, but she’s extended her leave for a bit while she prepares.
The inner circle assembles inside the meeting room. Boner meets me at the door, bouncing on the balls of his feet with pent-up energy. He grins when he sees me.