Having Faith (15 page)

Elsa tut-tutted and clucked her tongue in mild admonishment.

“No, of course not,” Faith improvised.  “I’m afraid I just lost track of time.”

“Well, of course you did, Faith dear,” Elsa said, pleased, before turning to Kieran.  “She’s had the attention of quite a few young bucks, I daresay,” she said, obviously for Kieran’s benefit.  Her eyes twinkled mischievously.  Elsa Campbell was enjoying herself immensely.

“Did she now?” he murmured.  The look in his eyes still held a hint of amusement, but there was something else there, too.  Something dark and carnal that made Faith go all liquidy inside.

“Everyone has been very nice,” she said demurely.  His look darkened further, sending delicious little shivers up and down the base of her spine.  Surely Kieran wasn’t jealous?  That thought – as pleasing as it was – was crazy.  What could he ever have to be jealous of?  The man was masculine perfection personified.  And a hell of a good guy to be using his Saturday afternoon to come all the way out here to rescue her.  Best she play along, lest she blow the chance he was giving her. 

“But I’m afraid we did have other plans for this evening, Mrs. Campbell.  I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, my dear, not at all.”  Elsa was nearly giddy with excitement.  Kieran flashed her a devastating grin and winked, making the older woman blush like a school girl. 

“Let’s grab Matt and we can be on our way.”  Kieran placed his hand possessively on the small of Faith’s back (it was a nice touch, she thought), and led her over to where the younger crowd had congregated.  Fifteen minutes later, they were back at Faith’s cottage.

“I can’t thank you enough,” Faith said, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

“Well, actually, maybe you can,” Kieran hedged, looking adorably boyish yet again.

Faith raised her eyebrow in a silent question.  No doubt she owed him big time for the save, but how could she possibly help him?  Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait long to find out.

“There are supposed to be some meteor showers tonight,” he said slowly.  “I was hoping to take the boat out on the lake to watch, but it’s a lot easier with two people, easy as sin with three, and everyone else is busy...”

––––––––

I
t had been spectacular.  There was no other way to describe it.  The “boat” was actually a 60-foot custom built houseboat privately docked at the lake in nearby Birch Falls, complete with an open-sky deck for viewing.  Kieran maneuvered the craft expertly, anchoring at a secluded area far on the uninhabited side of the lake. 

At twilight, they sat in the windowed cabin and ate a sumptuous meal out of the fully-stocked picnic baskets Kieran had provided (and filled by Lexi with Celtic Goddess fare).  When it got dark, they laid upon the deck and watched the meteor showers.

It was then that Faith first realized that despite her best efforts, she was desperately, hopelessly in love with Kieran Callaghan. 

“When you rescue someone, you really go all out,” she observed quietly, as she and Kieran sat on her front porch later.  Over the course of the evening, it began to dawn on her exactly what he had done.  He had gone to great lengths to make it look as though they were together.  “Why did you do it?”

Instead of answering, he posed a question of his own.  “Does it bother you?”

Did it?  No.  Except maybe to the extent that she wished it were true.  “No,” she answered honestly.  “But it doesn’t seem fair to you.”

“Yeah? How’s that?”

She looked at her hands folded neatly in her lap.  Words didn’t come easy to her, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t come up with any that would accurately convey her thoughts without making it sound as though she had a tremendous inferiority complex. 

Faith O’Connell was a realist, however, and any way she looked at it, Kieran was well beyond her reach as anything but a friend.  While she could see how a perceived romantic relationship between them would elevate her in the eyes of others and keep unwanted male attention at bay, she couldn’t see how it benefitted Kieran, beyond the fact that it might have kept some unwanted female attention away from him.  It certainly hadn’t won any brownie points with his family; the night at the fair had driven that point home rather painfully.

With nothing to say, she simply shrugged. 

* * *

K
ieran cursed softly under his breath.  She still didn’t get it.  How could he explain it to her without scaring her away?

“I like being with you, Faith,” he told her finally.  “I don’t feel like I have to be anything more than myself when I’m around you
.”  And you are the other half of my soul.

She sighed, a soft, almost sad sound.  A sound that had Kieran clenching his hands at his sides so he wouldn’t scoop her into his arms and show her exactly what she meant to him.

“I like being with you, too,” she said quietly.  “And for the record, I think you’re a pretty great guy when you’re just being you.” 

Kieran was slightly appeased.  At least she’d admitted that much.  It was a start. 

“Thank you.  For rescuing me and taking us out on the lake.”

“You’re welcome,” he said.  “I’ve been on that boat more times than I could count, but I’ve never enjoyed it as much as I did tonight.”

She smiled then, a real, honest smile.  God, how he wanted to kiss her.  The urge to do so was nothing less than a fever of need coursing through his blood.  Without even realizing he was doing so, he leaned over and brushed his lips over hers.

They were so soft, felt so good that he did it twice more.  Light little brushes that only heightened his need.  He deepened the kiss, slanting his mouth against hers, coaxing her with his tongue to open for him. 

She did, and Kieran was lost.  If there was any lingering trace of doubt about exactly who and what she was to him, it was laid to rest in that moment.  The feel of his
croie
’s lips upon his, the exquisite taste of her, grasped him with velvet-sheathed talons and refused to let him go.  His heart, his mind, his soul – they belonged to her now.

“Mom!  You still out there?”  Matt’s voice rang out from inside the house.  Faith gasped and ended the kiss; Kieran reluctantly pulled away. Even in the dim porch light he could see her lips, red and slightly swollen from his kisses, a look of dazed astonishment in her eyes.

“Yeah,” she answered, having to try twice before the word made it out. 

Matt poked his head out, oblivious to what had just happened.  “I’m making myself a snack.  You guys want anything?”

Faith shook her head, amazed.  “Only a teenage boy could be hungry after eating half his weight in food a little while ago.”

“That was
hours
ago,” Matt informed her with an air of martyrdom. 

Kieran snickered knowingly even as the new awareness thrummed and vibrated beneath his skin.  “He’s a growing boy, Faith.”

“So he is.”  She stood up.  Kieran followed her lead.  “It’s late,” she said, avoiding his eyes.  “Thanks again for tonight.  We had a wonderful time.”

Kieran narrowed his eyes at the obvious dismissal, but said nothing.  If he could only see her eyes...  Faith spoke volumes with her eyes. 

Had she felt it, too?  Given the way her hands were shaking, and her refusal to look at him, probably.  But unlike him, she didn’t understand.  Just one more soul-searing kiss might explain it to her more than any words possibly could.  Before he could test his theory, Faith stepped toward the door.

“Goodnight, Kieran,” she said over her shoulder.

He sighed inwardly. There would be no more kisses tonight. “Goodnight, Faith.” 

T
hose stolen kisses turned out to be even more powerful than he’d thought - just not in the way he’d hoped.

Over the next few weeks, it became clear that Faith was avoiding any situation that might place the two of them alone together.  Under different circumstances, it might have been amusing. 

She was spooked, he got that.  Faith had yet to open up about her past, but given what he did know, he could guess that she’d had a difficult time of it.  Kieran wanted her to trust him, to believe in
them
, and just telling her wasn’t going to cut it.  She had to come to that conclusion herself, and the only way to convince her that he wasn’t going anywhere was simply to be there for her, no matter what. 

It wasn’t easy.  Kieran did his best to give Faith the time and space she needed, but there was no way he could stay away entirely.  While he might be able to suspend his baser urges, he needed to be near her.  To see her.  To hear her voice.  To simply be with her.  Thankfully, she didn’t object too vehemently as long as someone else was around.  On some level, he suspected that she needed the contact just as much, even if she had trouble admitting it to herself.

He had hoped the situation might improve by the time Shane and Lacie’s wedding came around in the middle of August.  It was a small, intimate ceremony held in the gardens of Lacie’s parents’ home.  Faith didn’t seem too keen on attending (which he didn’t understand since the two women seemed to get along so well), but feared hurting Lacie’s feelings. 

Faith selected seats for her and Matt far in the back on the bride’s side, staying as far away from the Callaghan side as she could, presumably to avoid any contact with his family.  Clearly, she hadn’t forgotten the incident at the County Fair.   Throughout the ceremony, she kept her gaze fixed on the couple, ignoring his repeated attempts to capture her attention.  It didn’t help that his sisters by marriage were shooting curious, furtive glances back at her, either.

“You look beautiful,” Kieran said quietly after the vows were spoken, catching her hanging back in the shadows, alone.  His eyes scanned the yard, spotting Matt talking to another boy about his age.

“You look pretty good yourself,” she said with a soft smile, the one she seemed to reserve just for him. 

“Dance with me.”  Without waiting for an answer, he tugged lightly on her hand and guided her toward the area where several couples were moving together to a slow ballad.

“I can’t dance,” she murmured in protest, but he knew instantly that it was a lie.  She moved easily, gracefully against him, fitting in his arms perfectly, as he knew she would.  Yet there was no denying the tension in her body.

“Relax, Faith,” he breathed, pressing her closer.  “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Her sigh was barely audible as she melted against him.  Kieran held her close for as long as he could, wishing there was some way to keep her there, bound to him indefinitely, but the moment the song ended, she began to pull away. 

“I have to go,” she murmured, avoiding his eyes.  Placing his finger beneath her chin, he lifted her face so he could see her eyes.  What he saw there made the breath catch in his throat – sadness.  And a soul deep longing that had no place in the eyes of his heart.

“No, you don’t.”

* * *

B
ut she did.  Because when she was this close to him, it was too easy to forget what might happen if she allowed herself to acknowledge the feelings she had for him.  The feelings she was finding it increasingly difficult to hide. 

Held safely in his arms, she could almost believe that everything was right with the world.  He felt so strong, so solid, so certain.  Yet there were some things even he was powerless against.  Her ever-growing certainty that she was in love with him for one.

It was why she had been trying so hard to avoid being alone with him.  Because she feared that she would not say no if he wanted to kiss her again.  Or more.  If not for Matt’s timely interruption that night, who knew how far she would have allowed things to go?  When it came to Kieran, her natural defenses were useless.  But here, with his family watching closely, she could find the strength she needed to leave before those defenses were needed.

“Kieran!” Shane’s voice called from nearby.  “We need you for some pictures.”

Kieran made no attempt to move.  “Go,” she encouraged with what she hoped was a convincing smile.  “They’re waiting for you.”

After a few more shouts and a couple of creative threats, Kieran gave her a martyred look.  “I won’t be long.  Please wait for me.”

She reached up to adjust his tie and smoothed down his lapels.  “You clean up pretty good, you know that?”  It was an understatement.  In everyday clothes, Kieran was gorgeous.  In a wedding tux, he was devastating.

He smiled, then leaned down and brushed a quick kiss across her temple.  “Please be here when I get back, Faith.”

Without giving her a chance to respond, he was gone just as quickly.  She muttered a near-silent curse as she watched him cross the lawn to join the others for the obligatory wedding photos.  She couldn’t leave
now
.

“Faith, right?”  The low, raspy voice startled her.  She turned to look at the lean, blonde man who had spoken.

“Right,” she said, recognizing him.  “You’re Brian, Lacie’s brother.”

“You have a good memory,” he observed.

“I could say the same for you.”

One corner of his mouth quirked.  “You could, but it’s not quite the same.  You are far more memorable than I am.”

Faith couldn’t tell if he was teasing her or not, but the mischievous glint in his eye hinted that he was.  “I doubt that.”

He chuckled softly.  “You look like a woman in the grips of a fight-or-flight battle.  Can I ask which one is winning?”

“At the moment, it’s a dead heat.”

“Then permit me to sway the odds.  Come and have a drink with me.”

Faith glanced over toward the flower-laden arch where the photographer was positioning the wedding party.  “I’m not really much of a drinker.”

“All the better.  Won’t take as much to get you nice and liquored up.”  Her eyes widened, and he winked.  “Trust me.  It’ll help.”

For some strange reason, she
did
trust him.  With another quick glance reassuring her that Kieran was occupied and Matt was engrossed in conversation with his friend, she dutifully followed Lacie’s brother across the yard, through the sliding glass patio doors and up to the fully stocked bar.