Saving a Legend(50)
“My date, but she’s quite stubborn, so I have no idea what kind she’d like.”
He stepped around the counter to corner her against the wall behind it. He leaned in and nipped gently at her jawline before leaving a small wet trail of kisses down her neck. She moaned, and he felt the vibration rumbling beneath her skin.
“Kieran, I’m at work.” Her cheeks were rosy and her lips swollen as he stared at them. “We can’t be doing this here.”
“All right, let’s do it somewhere else, then.” He brushed a few strands of her dark brown hair behind her shoulders from where they had been draped on her chest. He saw her chest rising and falling faster as her eyes followed the movement of his hand. “I asked you something last week, and now I want an answer.”
Fiona tilted her head. “What?”
His fingers trailed down her shoulder, to her arms, slowly caressing her skin. “Will you go out on a date with me, flower girl?”
“Kieran, things are much more complicated between us now than when you first asked me that.”
“What’s complicated about two people being attracted to each other? That’s the most natural thing in the world, and that’s all that matters.”
Fiona nibbled on her lower lip, pulling a corner between her teeth before releasing it. “Is it all that matters, though? You work at the center where Shea goes, and we’re living at your mother’s house. That’s all kinds of worlds colliding and tangling—what if something goes wrong? What if you end up changing your mind once we go out and then it’s awkward for Shea at the center, or she and I suddenly don’t have a place to stay?”
“You think that’s why I helped you? To make you go out with me?” He laughed at the absurdity of it.
“I didn’t mean that, I just meant…” Fiona trailed off, blushing.
He pulled her back against him and focused on her blue eyes. “Fi, whatever does or doesn’t happen between us, I’ll never stop trying to help you. I’ll never treat Shea any differently, and my mother would never toss you guys out. That’s a promise, and I don’t break my promises.”
Her eyes glistened as she stayed silent, and he could tell she was fighting back tears. The last few days had been very emotional for her, as if giving in to the idea of him was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. He couldn’t understand why, though, because she was amazing. She deserved to be cared for, and he wanted to be the one to do it. She seemed to be the only person who didn’t believe that.
“I can see you’re overthinking this, flower girl. Don’t fight this so hard: I know you want to say yes as much as I want you to. I’ve been telling you how much I want you since the day we met, and I can tell from the way you kiss me that you feel the same way. We’re around each other all the time; our lives are meshed together. The fact that we’re not officially dating already is absurd.”
She huffed. “It’s not absurd.”
“It’s complete nonsense, and I won’t let another day go by for you to think of more excuses why we should put this off. I’m not going to bail on you like your dad, Fi. No matter what you tell me. Nothing about your past, present, or future would change how I feel about you.”
“Don’t be so sure,” she said, her fingers clutching his shirt as a shiver went through her body.
“I am sure. And now I want an answer,” he reminded her.
Her eyes flickered up to his, and despite her nervousness, a tiny smile played on her pink lips. He was used to her initial hesitation, as if she needed him to prove to her again and again that he wasn’t going anywhere before she finally gave in to what she wanted. It didn’t bother him, though, because he knew she was worth the effort. He’d continue to prove to her how much he wanted her for as long as she’d let him.
“Yes,” she finally breathed.
“Fuck, yeah,” Kieran exclaimed louder than he’d meant to before crashing his lips against hers and dipping her backward as his arms held her steady. “About freaking time, flower girl. You certainly know how to keep a man waiting.”
She blushed as he pulled her upright again. “When did you want to go out? What are we going to do?”
He had no plans on waiting. “Right now. Let’s go.”
“What? I can’t right now. I’ve got the shop to take care of.” She gestured around them at the store. “Plus, I need to find a babysitter for Shea if it’s going to be in the evening, which isn’t an easy task.”
Kieran shrugged as he began walking toward the front door. “It’s almost closing time now, Fi. My mom is great with Shea; you know Shea’s already comfortable with her. Plus, I already asked her if she’d watch her tonight, and she said yes.”