Shamrocks and Secrets (15 page)

“
Speaking of gifts,
”
I poked Patrick in the side with my index finger,
“
You bought your sister a car and then you added my name to the card.
”
Patrick turned to face me, his devilish eyes locked with mine. The cheeky fucker pulled out the crooked grin just because he could.

“
Amex wanted a Jaguar convertible she
’
d seen in a magazine. As far as adding your name, what
’
s the issue?
”

I rolled my eyes at him.
“
Well, a little heads up would
’
ve been nice. I
’
d already given her a place setting of her china.
”

He kissed my nose as he ran his hand along my thigh, slowly parting my legs and trailing his fingers between.

“
I like it when you
’
re feisty.
”

God, the things this man could do with his fingers
…

“
Oh, my love, you
’
ve not begun to see feisty,
”
I moaned. He kissed my lips as his fingers went even higher.
“
Patrick,
”
his name came out as a gasp.

“
I
’
m sorry, I
’
ll stop.
”

Unfortunately, he did. I knew Nora was at the table, but his fingers really did make my lady bits tingle.

“
Al
l right, you two, dinner is at our house. No excuses; and I expect you both,
”
Nora began as she stood from her chair. Patrick followed her and helped to gather her things. Once he had her out the door, he turned and came back to the table.

“
Well, so much for the plans I had for you later,
”
he stated rather gruffly.

“
Patrick, it
’
s just dinner, we can always go back to your house after.
”

The smile returned to his face as he helped me out of my chair.

“
I like the way you think.
”

“
Oh, you have no idea the plans I have for you later,
”
I stated as he took my hand in his.

“
I look forward to each and every detail, trust me.
”

Dinner with Nora and Thomas was surprisingly relaxing. Seeing Nora go from her typical dress-to-impress style to her lounge pants and zip-up hoodie was refreshing, and I had to admit it was nice to just sit back and enjoy the casual atmosphere.

Once the meal was over and I had insisted on washing the dishes, we all found ourselves settling in the family room and enjoying a bottle of wine.

“
So, how was the shower, ladies?
”
Thomas questioned as he shifted in his chair. He had not been able to attend and sit in the room next to ours.

“
Eileen didn
’
t give a gift, nothing,
”
Nora stated with no emotion in her voice.

“
Then it
’
s true,
”
Thomas responded, looking at Patrick.

I watched as Patrick nodded his head solemnly. No further words were exchanged and I was too nervous to question what they were talking about. I couldn
’
t help but wonder why this gift issue was so significant.

Patrick didn
’
t waste any time after we got back to his condo. I found my shirt on the floor and my bare back against his soft sheets. His strong hands were gentle on my skin. I made quick work of his shirt and ran my hand along his muscular chest, as his lips and tongue dominated mine.

I was so lost in his touch that I barely heard his cell phone ringing. Patrick ignored it and continued. It was seconds later that the house phone began to ring. Again, Patrick ignored it and continued. Barely a minute passed and the house phone rang again. This time Patrick jerked away from me, rolled to his side, and shouted into the receiver,
“
What?
”

I couldn
’
t hear what was being said on the other end, but Patrick
’
s face began to soften.

“
Brandon, she
’
s a small woman, bust the fucking door down and get her out.
”
Patrick was again quiet; his fingers found his hair and began to tug. I knew he was getting frustrated.
“
Fine, I
’
ll be there in fifteen. Find the motherfucker who drugged her.
”

Patrick placed the phone back in the cradle and then turned to hover over me again.
“
I
’
m so sorry to do this to you.
”
He lowered his forehead to mine,
“
Michelle has locked herself in the bathroom of some sleazy motel downtown. She refuses to come out for anyone else except me. Evidently, she went there with some guy and he roughed her up pretty good.
”

I knew Michelle had a drug problem. The situation made me think of my sister. If only Coleen could have had someone like Patrick to come save her, things would have been different.

“
Babe, don
’
t worry, go help her and then come back here
. I
’
ll be waiting for you.
”

He kissed me and then began to get dressed. With one final kiss and exchanges of
‘
I love you
’
, he was out the door.

I laid there for hours after he had left. I began to think about how often this would happen if we were to marry. Would he miss baseball games and dance recitals for stuff like this? I guess only time would tell.

I felt him as I slowly came out of my twilight sleep. I was certain I had just drifted off. He was fresh from a warm shower and I turned to face him.

“
Hey, you
’
re home,
”
I whispered, my raspy voice full of exhaustion.

“
Umm hmm,
”
he nuzzled his face into my hair and took in a deep breath.

I couldn
’
t help but giggle.
“
Can you please tell me why you
’
re sniffing me?
”

He let out his breath and nuzzled in closer to me.
“
Because your smell is so much better than what I
’
ve just smelled for the past few hours.
”

I hugged him tighter to my body. I knew nothing sexual was going to happen between us tonight, he just needed me to be here.

“
Did you get Michelle calmed down?
”

“
Yes, she
’
d barricaded herself in the bathroom. We never found the guy who roughed her up, but I have a few leads on him. I was able to check her into The Haven and get her some help for her drug addiction.
”

I smiled as I laid my head in the crook of his neck.
“
Allyson was right about you.
”

“
How so?
”

“
At the end of the day, you really are a good guy.
”

No further words were said as I drifted off to sleep, wrapped in his arms.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

W
hen I woke up the next morning, I noticed two things. First, Patrick had the most annoying alarm. Second, the man could make a cup of coffee.

His alarm was a combination of a loud annoying beeping sound followed by all of the overhead lights coming on. Not to be outdone by the curtains on the window being opened and the bright sunlight nearly blinding me.

All was forgiven and forgotten, though, as
soon
as he handed me a huge steaming cup of liquid happiness.

“
Mmm, good morning,
”
I said sleepily as I kissed his lips.

“
It is now,
”
he said, his voice rather husky this morning.

Patrick sat beside me on the bed, his well-defined chest on display for me, his pale blue sleep pants hanging low and giving me just a hint of his chiseled
‘
V
’
that made me cross my legs.

I set my mug on the nightstand and began to make my way over to Patrick
’
s lap. He had started a fire in me last night that he needed to extinguish. It felt like he was up for the challenge as he pulled my nightshirt off, tossing to the floor.

Before I could even get my lips on his neck, the loud banging of a door caused me to freeze.

“
Patrick!
”
Paige
’
s voice screeched down the hall.

I didn
’
t even have time to climb off of his lap before she barged into the bedroom.

“
Patrick, didn
’
t you hear me calling you?
”

Paige stood with her arms crossed and her foot tapping. She didn't seem to realize or care that I was sitting on his lap.

“
Um...kind of trying to get laid here, Paige,
”
Patrick stated as he continued to kiss my neck.

“
Oh, would you forget about your stupid dick for one second. I need your help!
”

Paige had no shame as she jumped into the middle of the bed.

“
Dear Penthouse, Ever have one of those dreams where…?
”
I began as I removed myself from Patrick
’
s lap and crawled under the covers, sighing as I pulled them up over naked breast
s
. Paige was totally unfazed.

“
Christi, I
’
m so glad you
’
re here. I need to talk too you.
”

Again, Paige had no boundaries as she picked up my cup of coffee and went to take a drink.

“
Hold it right fucking there...
”
I snapped as I took my coffee out of her tiny hands,
“
I
’
ll share a lot of things, my first cup of coffee, isn
’
t one of them!
”
I cradled my cup of coffee as if it were the Hope diamond.

“
Sorry, sorry, my mistake,
”
she held her hands up in surrender.

“
You said something about needing my help?
”
Patrick questioned, annoyance in his voice.

“
Yes, dear sweet, Patrick. Did you know that Queen Bitch didn
’
t give me a gift at my shower?
”

Patrick took a sip from his cup as he leaned his back against the headboard.
“
I did hear something about that.
”

“
No quilt, Patrick! No lace for my wedding...nothing.
”
Her hands flew into the air, emphasizing her point.

“
Trust me, Paige, that isn
’
t
all
she failed to deliver at your shower.
”

Patrick went on to tell her the story of how I had pulled out his credit card and paid the hotel bill. Paige
’
s eyes were huge as she looked first at me and then back to Patrick.

“
Paige, this only confirms what we warned you about.
”

“
She wouldn
’
t, would she? I mean Ma said that when she spoke with Caleb
’
s Aunt Audrey, the lace had been shipped weeks ago.
”

“
It confirms they
’
re broke, Paige; she took that lace and sold it to buy something.
”

Then it hit me. I felt so stupid for not catching this before. It was an old Irish tradition that when two families were being united by marriage, the mothers would get together and bind together pieces of their family
’
s lace. Each piece of lace was extremely old, having been handed down through the generations, a sort of tangible genealogy. They were usually very intricate and handmade, and thus very valuable. This would continue down the line, and if I had to guess, Paige
’
s piece of lace was hundreds of years old. It was done to symbolize the union of the two families. Many lace collectors would study these and could tell instantly where one family ended and another began. A really intricate, well-made and well-preserved piece could sell for thousands. With that being said, it made perfect sense why Eileen would have wanted to sell hers.