Protector (The Brannock Siblings Book 4) (14 page)

"Will he be alright?" Izzy asked, worry saturating
her voice.

"Aye, he's smarter these days and I imagine he would
rather spend the day with ye than in his bed with a headache."

They watched Liam swing through the air and release the rope
at the perfect moment as he twisted his body. He made two full rotations before
diving head first back into the water.

Colin jeered when Liam came back up. "Yer form was all
wrong!"

Liam laughed and shook his head, making his way back to Izzy
before calling back to his brother. "Form doesna matter when ye can make
the double flip."

Colin went running to the rope swing, determined to try
again. Liam swam right up to her and stood in front of her. Her feet were
barely touching the bottom so she had to keep her arms moving to balance.

"That was quite impressive," she said.

Liam's shoulders were well out of the water and he grinned
down at her. "Ye look like yer strugglin'."

She shook her head, only to let out a yelp when Liam scooped
her up in his arms and tossed her through the air. She came up sputtering for
air and glared at him. He was already swimming towards her and she screamed,
trying to swim away. He was too fast, though, and she was laughing too much to
really concentrate on swimming.

He grabbed her ankle and tugged her back through the water,
turning her in the process. She shrieked again before he pulled her against him
and without thinking, Isabelle wrapped her legs around his waist as he kept
them above the water.

 It could have been the dead of winter and she wouldn't have
felt the cold. The heat of Liam's body against hers threw her stomach into a
fluttering frenzy.

"That's better," Liam whispered.

Their faces were inches away and Izzy could feel his breath
on her chin, cooling her wet skin. One of Liam's arms came around her and he
kept them afloat with his legs, treading the water and ignoring everyone else
around them.

Izzy could barely breathe.

"I don't think I can stop myself from kissing ye,
Isabelle, so if ye don't want it, tell me now. Because there's no turning back
if I do."

Isabelle's mind went completely blank. She couldn't quite
process the rest of the words after he said
'kissing'
and it was in that
hesitation that Liam came closer. His lips touched her chin so gently, waiting
for her permission to move higher.

A loud splash from someone dropping into the water finally
broke through her empty thoughts. Maggie's words came rushing back to her once
more and with it, a devastation she didn't think was possible to feel.

She pushed away from Liam so slowly, unwrapping her legs and
praying he didn't take the rejection badly. "I'm sorry, Liam. I just
can't..."

He let her go an instant later, but the playful grin on his
face wasn't natural. He was playing it off as nothing and she felt a piece of
her heart jaggedly split.

"I better go make sure Ma doesna need anything,"
he stated. His accent was almost too thick for the first time since she'd met
him. He spoke quickly and swam away, not looking back as he climbed out of the
water, gathered his clothing, and stepped through the trees.

Isabelle was still treading the water when Cara swam up to
her with a sympathetic frown. "Do nah worry, Izzy. He's a strong man. Yer
reasons will be plenty."

She faced Liam's sister and knew right then that she would
not be leaving Ireland with her heart intact. This family had each taken a
piece of it and Liam had the rest.

"That's just it. I shouldn't
have
a
reason."

Cara nodded solemnly. "True. But we all have reasons.
Some a little stronger than others. The secret is to decide which of them
actually matter."

Cara stayed right next to Isabelle and Finny swam circles
around them as they watched Jerry and Colin compete more on the rope swing.
They only stayed in the water for about ten more minutes before Mary called for
all of them to come inside.

"I'll wait for ye to be dressed and then I'll show ye
the puppies," Finny said excitedly as they all walked back to the house
drenched and out of breath.

"I'm completely foundered," Colin stated, shivering
as he moved past them and bolted for the house. Finny was right on his heels.

There was no sign of Liam as Cara led the way through the
house to her bedroom.

It wasn't a very large house and for having five kids
inside, she could imagine there wasn't a lot of room to move around some days.
But it was cozy and warm and felt like a home. The walls were covered in
artwork; most of them were children's work. Izzy smiled as she passed by the
different memories each of them represented.

Cara quickly changed into some dry clothes and Izzy thanked
her for letting her borrow something to swim in. Cara waved it off
dismissively. "It's the least I could do. Ye've made my brother a happy
man these last weeks and I thank ye for it."

Another blow to the chest.

It was getting harder and harder to
not
cry and she
was so tired of crying.

Cara gave her a quick hug and stepped out of the room,
shutting the door behind her. Isabelle could hear everyone in the house talking
and laughing and she just couldn't bring herself to go out there. How was she
going to face Liam now?

Would he hate her or would he change his mind about spending
time with her?

She had come to Ireland to be on her own and see a place
she'd always wanted to see, but those plans quickly changed when she met Liam.
The need to be with him was so strong and her entire world disappeared when she
was next to him.

In just a short while, Liam Brannock knew more about
Isabelle than her own mother did and he had just dived into her life blindly.
There was no deal to be made, no benefit to either one of them except a new
friendship that she would cherish forever.

So why then did she suddenly feel like that was the answer
to all her questions?

"Oh dear Lord, I'm a fool."

She stripped out of the wet clothes and slipped her favorite
yellow sundress over her head. The dress she was wearing the first time she ran
into Liam. That day changed everything for her.

She reached for the door, but stopped when she heard deep
voices on the other side. She didn't realize she'd been sitting in that room
for several minutes longer than necessary and hoped they weren't waiting on her.

"I see it in ye, boy. We all see the way ye look at
her. Yer days of wandering around are over now. Why not grab onto it?"

"She is nah staying, Da. She's supposed to marry
another man."

Isabelle gasped at the sound of Liam and his father's voice.
That little bit of information was out there, but she hadn't expected his
parents to really find out about it. Liam hadn't said anything to Maggie and
she assumed this was the first time he had even said it out loud.

"Is that so?"

"Aye, one that doesna deserve her."

"No man deserves a woman like that, son. They earn the
right. But
supposed
to and
going
to are two very different
things. She's
going to
marry the man she loves, of that I've no
doubt," his father stated. "That woman isna going to let
anyone
tell her what she is
supposed
to do."

She heard Liam sigh, knew it was him since she was now
pressing her ear against the door.

"That I don't know, Da."

"But ye do, son. Why do ye think ye can nah keep yer
eyes off her for longer than three seconds?"

Silence.

It dragged on until Isabelle was sure they had walked away.

"She has another life."

"Aye, she does. Doesna mean she wants that life."

Isabelle pressed closer to the door, hearing them start to
walk away. They kept speaking, but she couldn't make out the words. She stomped
her foot and raked a hand through her still wet and tangled hair.

Once again, she had lost her chance to make a choice.

Fool and coward were not strong enough words to describe the
way Izzy was feeling about herself right then. She was no different from the
woman who left her family and Christopher behind two weeks before.

"Time to accept it, Izzy."

There was too much baggage on her shoulder and too many
issues. It was better this way.

She'd made the right decision by avoiding Liam's kiss. She
kept telling herself that over and over as she made her way to the kitchen
where the entire Brannock family was waiting for her.

Then why do you feel like you just lost yourself
completely?

Izzy

The drive to Dublin the next night couldn't have been more
awkward.

Izzy sat between Liam and Brian in the cab of Liam's truck
for over an hour while they made their way to a pub in Dublin. Brian's friends
were meeting them to celebrate his birthday and the anticipation of conversing
with new people didn't help Izzy's nerves.

They had to go to Dublin because it was the closest pub
around that would let the women in to have a drink, according to Brian, and
he'd invited a few women.

That wasn't helping either.

She and Brian made pleasant conversation, asking plenty of
questions back and forth. He wanted to know if she had ever been to New York,
which she hadn't. He went on to tell her all the stories about his friends and
their trip to New York two years before.

Liam stayed quiet almost the entire time they were sitting
in that truck, his shoulders tense and his expression blank. The distance he
was mentally putting between them felt like a lot more than a couple of inches.

The night before was torturous. Once Finny was satisfied
that Izzy had seen enough of Gwinny's small puppies, they all sat down to eat.
Mary and Cara asked her question after question while the men talked about
anything else. Liam sat beside her, but she may as well have been in a
completely different house. He was pleasant to her, but it wasn't the same.

She couldn't help but feel like she'd completely destroyed
any kind of friendship they might have kept and it distracted her so much that
Mary and Cara had to pull her aside to find out what was wrong. Of course, Cara
already informed her mother about what happened in the river, to which Mary
said, "He's a man, dear. He'll certainly try again."

Izzy tried to explain herself, but it was impossible to do
without telling them every dark secret she carried with her. Secrets that Liam
had kept for her this whole time.

Sleep eluded her the entire night and she didn't see Liam
all day until it was time to leave. Nausea crept up on her the moment Liam came
to her door with Brian, and it was only getting worse. Every attempt she made to
speak to Liam was met with a head nod or grunted answer.

His leg would brush against hers and her entire body would
go on alert. Her leg would brush against his and it was as if he was away in
another world altogether. He just drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and
kept his eyes point forward.

He was distracted and upset and he had every right to be.
She should have kept her walls up from the very beginning, but he had a way of
making her forget everything else and in those moments, he inched his way
closer and closer to the center of her heart every day.

It was when - in order to fill the silence - Brian asked her
about her social life back home that Liam finally spoke up. "Tis none o'
yer business, Brian." Then his jaw set and that was it.

 Brian glanced skeptically at his older brother before
looking to Izzy for an answer. When she looked just as clueless as he was, he
shrugged and propped his chin on his hand to stare out the window.

Once they arrived at the pub, everything just became more
awkward.

Brian made an attempt to find out what was wrong with Liam,
but Izzy told him she didn't know and was wondering the same thing herself.

"I have a feeling it's because of something I
did," she admitted, watching Liam make his way to the back of the building
where the live music was playing.

"Don't worry yerself o'er much, Izzy. If it was
something ye did, it will be resolved quickly. Liam is easy to forgive and can nah
hold a grudge even if he wanted to," Brian explained. "Would ye like
a drink? I'm fixin' to get bolloxed before the night is through."

"I'll just have a water, please."

Brian gawked at her for a moment before shrugging and going
in search of a glass of water for her and a pint for him. She didn't see Liam
until Brian returned and it was only for a brief moment. She was desperate to
try to get through to him and apologize for possibly leading him on.

God, she wanted him, but it just couldn't happen. Not like
this. Not when there was no guarantee they would ever see each other again
after she left in two weeks.

And she
had
to leave. Didn't she?

Liam stopped by their table on his way to the bar and Brian
asked him something that Izzy couldn't quite hear. Liam shook his head angrily
and walked away.

Her shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry if I've caused trouble
on your birthday."

Brian gave a dismissive wave of his hand and said,
"It's nah a birthday without some trouble. It's just usually a different
kind of trouble."

Moments later, a group of young boys and girls ran up to
their table and surrounded them. Brian hugged each of them before introducing
his friends to Isabelle. She would never remember their names, but she
certainly made an attempt.

Two of the girls bombarded her with questions while the
other, a blonde with way too much make up, eyed her like she was a piece of
garbage in the middle of everyone. It was the same way her old friends back
home looked at her now and it made her want to shrink away, but she refused.

They don't know me and I don't know them,
she kept
telling herself and straightened her shoulders. She tried to make pleasant
conversation with all of them but the blonde, she soon found out was Hannah,
brushed her off easily and fazed her out of every topic.

Izzy wasn't sure what to think, but she didn't really get a
chance to do anything about it because Brian and his friends started whatever
party they'd been planning for his birthday. She couldn't help but smile at
their celebration. They were all close and seemed to have a lot in common. Even
though Brian seemed a bit more conservative and bookish, he could sure let
loose when he wanted to.

When Liam finally sat down with them, everyone was lost in
conversation and Izzy didn't have a chance to talk to him either. He barely
even looked at her. Hannah certainly got some attention from him, however, and
Izzy wanted to throttle her. The girl looked like she wasn't even out of school
yet and she was all over him. He talked to her and that was it, but her
advances grew stronger for every minute that passed.

It would only take a matter of time before a girl like that
got through to a man. They could only take so much. It made Izzy wilt, but she
told herself it was for the best. It would just make it easier to leave knowing
he had everything and
everyone
he needed right here.

The two flirted mercilessly, but Liam gave Izzy a passing
glance now and then and she just couldn't watch it any longer. She leaned over
to take Brian's third pint away from him and gulped it down.

What have I gotten myself into?

Brian snorted and gave her a lopsided grin before sliding
another mug her way. All the while, her eyes stayed away from Liam and the
wench, whose constant giggling was starting to make her see red.

How dare Liam do this to her? She was only trying to protect
him when she didn't let him kiss her. She was only trying to do the right thing
by not taking their friendship too far, and it almost destroyed her. He was
being childish with no regard to how badly he was hurting her. Izzy had felt a
piece of her heart rip out of her chest every time he looked at her these last
two weeks, every time he touched her, every moment they'd spent together since
the beginning.

Until now.

Now there was nothing left to give him and he was carelessly
stomping on that heart with every crooked smile he gave to the witch.

That smile was supposed to be
hers.

She nibbled on her bottom lip a little harder than normal
and breathed through the pain. The minutes dragged by and all the initial
excitement to spend time with people her age and have some fun, was a forgotten
concept. Fun just wasn't something she ever had a chance to do back home,
especially since Christopher came into her world. This would probably be the
last time she ever did anything for herself and she tried to make the most of
it.

She ignored the giggling and the flirty comments from the
other side of the table while trying to talk to one of the other girls in the
group. Jenny? Audrey? She couldn't remember her name, but she needed the
distraction.

But she was weak and in the midst of listening to this girl
talk about only God knows what, she couldn't stop herself from glancing over at
Liam on occasion.

It was when he was finally looking back at her that her
blood boiled. He had the audacity to look confused by her behavior and Izzy
couldn't take it anymore. She shot up like lightning, her chair flying back and
slamming into the wall. She ignored the questioning looks from the few who
weren't quite drunk yet and walked away from all of them.

Liam's eyes were on the back of her head, she could sense it,
and her cheeks flamed with frustration.
Forget about him, Izzy. Let him
watch
you walk away.

She needed to leave. She couldn't sit there and try to act
like nothing was bothering her and she was horribly embarrassed by her behavior
in the first place. She had no right to be jealous. No reason to get so upset
when Liam wasn't even hers to have.

Pushing through the now crowded pub was difficult and by the
time she'd made it to the empty back hallway, she was out of breath. Her head
pounded and her lungs were on fire. As she leaned against the wall and pinched
the bridge of her nose, it was clear to her that she was out of her depth.

That tight feeling of guilt and remorse twisted in her
chest. This pain was the answer, wasn't it?

"Izzy?"

God, please no.

Liam stood behind her. She could practically feel his warm presence
just a few feet away, and she didn't dare turn around. He would see the
humiliation all over her face and call her out on it. She didn't have the
strength to argue or try to explain herself.

She squared her shoulders and without turning around, said, "I
think I'll find a taxi and head back to the house."

"Why?"

The bitterness in that short question took her by surprise.
He'd never spoken to her with any animosity before. It was almost vengeful, as
if she'd wronged him... which she had.

"I'm tired and I don't feel comfortable here. I don't
belong here."

"Then where do ye belong?"

"I don't know."

"Where do ye belong, Isabelle?" he asked more
insistently.

She whirled around to finally face him and shouted, "I
don't know! Anywhere but here!"

Her outburst didn't shock him in the least. He didn't even
flinch. In fact, it looked like he was expecting that exact answer from her.

His expression closed up until he looked completely
impassive to anything and everything she had to say. "I understand.
Anywhere but where I am."

"No, that's not what I meant." Her head was
throbbing and everything shimmered in front of her eyes from the building
emotion she just couldn't push back.

"Then what did ye mean? I've got to be honest, I
thought we were headed to the same place, but we weren't. Were we?"

"Liam. You don't understand. I need to... I just need
you to..." She had no idea what she needed from him. For him to give her
space? To be patient with her? To somehow understand that she was helpless to
stop what was about to happen to her in the next couple of months? What could
she
possibly do that she hadn't already tried?

He wouldn't believe it because Liam Brannock could do
anything
.
He could have
anyone
.

In a flash, he was gripping her upper arms and his face was
mere inches from hers. "What do ye want me to do, Izzy? Ye arena here for
long and ye said yerself ye didna want me. Was I wrong, love?"

She took a deep breath and looked up into his heated blue eyes.
Eyes she would never forget. Those were eyes she would see every night in her
dreams. "I never said that I didn't
want
you."

He tugged her closer until their chests were almost touching
and Izzy's breath caught somewhere between her throat and lungs. It was stuck
in a place that kept her heart beating and her head swimming.

If she could only get the words to come out right, she could
tell him exactly what she wanted. She could tell him that she wanted his arms
around
her
, not some floozy that just wanted a night. She could tell him
that she wanted more than one night, that she wanted a lifetime. A lifetime she
just couldn't give. Not yet.

And
there
was the reminder. The slap in the face that
made Izzy keep her distance from the one man that had made her live again.

Liam's fingers wrapped around her shoulders and held her
steady. His deep blue eyes swirled with questions. God, if she only had the
answers.

 "Izzy..."

She couldn't catch her breath. He was too close, too warm,
and she needed some space to think. "I can't, Liam. I just..."

"What is it, Izzy? Tell me what ye need and I swear on
my life I'll give it to ye."

His words hit her like a freight train. It was an
overwhelming feeling and she didn't know what to do with it. Never in her life
had someone actually taken care of her the way he had, made her smile the way
he could. It was as if Liam was made for her, but he was just put thousands of
miles too far away, making their meeting a one in a million chance.

She wanted to tell him that she would stay here with him and
never go back to her home. That all she could think about was being with him,
right here, right now.

But she didn't tell him. Instead, she turned away from him
and started running through the crowd of people dancing and drinking and having
a good time.

This is the life she should have had back home. Carefree and
full of friends and lust and love. She should have been able to act her age
instead of being
given
to someone for a business deal. Instead of being
tossed around like an object for the benefit of everyone else but her.