He snickered beside me, the wind blowing his dirty, blonde, shoulder length hair. “I’m sure you could find a new pilot, ma’am.”
Grabbing his arm, I forced him away from the clouds to meet my gaze. The wind picked up, but we just stared at each other. In that moment, his blue eyes looked just as broken as the day I met him.
“You’re in that dark place, Jinx,” I stated looking away from him, “Your daughter?”
“Yes. I should be proud, shouldn’t I? She doesn’t want or need my money.”
Smiling, I looked up to the sky. “Feminist then.”
“God forbid.” He spat over the cliff’s edge and I simply laughed, opening my arms and allowing the wind to blow past me again.
For miles, all I could smell was fresh grass and seawater. It made me want to fly…it was like I was flying.
“Careful, ma’am,” he whispered, grabbing onto my waist.
“Shh, Jinx,” I muttered, pushing his hands away. “I’m on top of the world.”
It was peaceful on the edge. My life was even more chaotic than I had ever imagined.
“Wife.”
And just like that, my peace was gone.
Turning, there stood my husband, in nothing but jeans and a white button down shirt. The wind blew through his hair, pushing it back, making his eyes look glazed over as he glared at Jinx.
“Go help Fedel. Now.” He snapped at him, nostrils flaring.
Jinx looked to me, eyebrow raised, before walking off toward the house. Liam watched him like a lion stalking its prey, cautious of any sudden movements. It wasn’t until Jinx was far out of earshot that he gave me his attention again.
“Have you slept with him?” he hissed through clenched teeth.
Seriously? He’s jealous? “I haven’t slept with him since you entered my life, husband.”
Brushing the side of my cheek, he hovered over my lips, stealing the air from the small bubble surrounding us. “That’s not an answer, wife.”
“It is an answer. Just not the one you want to hear,” I said before closing the gap between our lips. He pulled me closer to him, grabbing my ass and hair.
“You…”
“Let it go. Liam. My past is my past. Yours is yours. You don’t see me giving all the women you’ve slept with the evil eye.” If I did, my face would be stuck in a permanent scowl.
“With the exception of Natasha.”
“That wasn’t my fault, she came for seconds.”
“I don’t want you to be alone with him.”
And we were back on Jinx.
“Too bad,” I replied, breaking free of his arms and walking towards the house.
“I’m serious, Melody,” he hollered. He was just going to have to get over it. I could feel him stomping through the grass behind me. I could always feel him, even when I didn’t want to. The men of my past were none of his concern. He knew damn well I wasn’t a virgin when I met him. The stupid double-standard-having misogynistic asshole.
“Trouble in paradise?” Declan asked innocently, leaning on the frame of the cabin door, wiping his hands with an old rag.
“You call this paradise?” I asked, glancing around the home that had once belonged to Shamus. It was nothing but a three bedroom stone cabin parked on top of a grass cliff with a few sheep and chickens. I now knew why Coraline hated it here and wanted the castle. It wasn’t by any means glamorous; it was like stepping back into the dark ages, or becoming Amish.
All the furniture was handcrafted and the only light came from candles. This morning, Evelyn had milked a sheep, and I half expected Sedric to go hunting with some form of Irish militia. It was funny, you could always spot a cop or a mobster by where they chose to live. Shamus made sure he could see the town from his front door and nothing but open sky at his back.
“Sometimes, getting away from the city is paradise,” Declan whispered, taking a deep breath.
“For the weak maybe.” For those like me, the cities were paradise. The only place you could find heaven and hell on the same block.
He shook his head, gazing at his brother. “What have you done to him now?”
“Nothing, but remind him what decade we’re from.”
“Yes, the one where women fuck their employees and wonder why they don’t get any fucking respect,” Liam snapped, brushing past his cousin to get inside.
Declan glanced at me before walking away quickly. At least one of them was smart.
Deep breaths, Mel.
“What the fuck is your problem, Liam!” I snapped, following him.
“What the fuck is my problem?” he roared from the kitchen table. “I come outside to find my wife, MINE, laughing and smiling with another man like an airheaded teenage girl! Not your fake smiles either, your real ones. The ones you give me and me alone, not some homeless prick you hired years ago! It was disgusting—”