After I spoke, I nuzzled my face to hers and kissed her cheek a few times. I was so sorry she had gotten hurt because of my temper when fighting Gavin, and I wished I could take her pain away. I hoped she knew that I never intended her to get hurt because I would honestly rather die than cause her a moment’s pain. I cared about her too much not to.
A few minutes ticked by slowly when Bronagh suddenly shifted, sitting up to remove her cardigan. She draped it over her legs, and the action seemed a little odd to me.
“Are you warm?” I quizzed as she settled back against me.
She shook her head and held her injured hand to her chest.
“Then why did you—”
“I was coverin’ me legs.”
Why?
I was silent for a moment then said, “I’m probably going to regret asking this, but why did you cover your legs?”
She turned her head, and in my ear, she whispered. “‘Cause they triple in size when I sit down.”
Silence.
I tried to see from her point of view why it would be an issue, but I couldn’t.
“God save me from girls and their stupid way of thinking.”
She was about to tell me off as I nuzzled my nose against my neck.
“I happen to think you look fucking gorgeous tonight. I’ve never seen you wear clothes that actually fit you before. I must say, Bronagh, I like it a lot.”
She ducked her head as heat made its way up her neck, drawing a chuckle from me.
“Bronagh Murphy?”
We both looked up, then got to our feet when we noticed it was a nurse who had called Bronagh’s name. I followed Bronagh closely, and she didn’t say a word. I knew she would never admit to it, but she wanted me there with her. I made her feel better about the situation she was in.
“Bronagh?”
Bronagh nodded at the nurse, then the woman’s eyes landed on mine.
“Family or partners only—”
“I’m her boyfriend.”
Bronagh remained silent as the nurse smiled and gestured us to follow her into the triage room. It took only a few minutes for the nurse to check Bronagh over before she decided she needed an X-ray to see if her hand was broken. I prayed it would only be a sprain. I’d be sick to my stomach if she broke her hand because of me. When the nurse left the room, I focused on a silent Bronagh.
“What are you thinking about?”
She looked up at me. “I’m thinkin’ that you’re dangerous, and that havin’ ye’ in me life would be doin’ what Branna always wanted me to do, open up to someone. You’re a risk that I’m thinkin’ of takin’.”
I could scarcely believe what I was hearing, and before I knew it, I nudged my way between her thick thighs and stared down at her.
“You want me?”
I knew she wanted me, she had told me as much when she slept in my arms, but I wanted her to say it when she was sober.
Bronagh swallowed. “Ye’ have to work on not makin’ me so mad, but yeah, I want ye’.”
I lifted my hands to her cheeks and strummed my thumbs up and down all the while keeping eye contact with her.
“I’m not sayin’ I’ll be your girlfriend right away,” she added, a little breathless. “I’m sayin’ that I’m open to the idea.”
I raised an eyebrow. “So I’m on a trial basis with you?”
She bobbed her head. “Exactly. I just want to feel out how this could work with us before I put a title on us. Is that okay with ye’?”
On one condition.
“Can I kiss you whenever I want?”
She playfully rolled her eyes at me. “No kissin’ in school because I’m not ready to deal with any of that drama, especially after what happened with Destiny, which, by the way, I never want to talk about. We weren’t anythin’ over the weekend, so anythin’ that happened or didn’t happen is none of me business. Apart from that, though, yeah, ye’ can kiss me whenever you want to.”
She had nothing to worry about when it came to Destiny. I didn’t kiss her or have sex with her. When she hinted that we did things in the PE hall, I let her because I wanted to hurt Bronagh like she had hurt me by rejecting me, but when things weren’t so fresh, I’d explain that to her and make it clear that since I’d set my sights on her, no other girl had my body. I knew if I said nothing happened between us right now, she would think I was only saying it to please her, so I kept my mouth shut on the topic just as she’d requested.
“I’m fine with it then.”
With that said, I crushed my mouth to hers and forced my tongue between her parted lips. Bronagh gripped me with her good hand and groaned as I deepened the kiss and took what I wanted from her. It wasn’t close to what I needed from her, but it was a damn good place to start. I had barely had my fill of Bronagh’s lip when I was suddenly yanked away from her. I turned and tensed my body as I saw Branna Murphy’s fist hurdling my way.
Shit hit the fan after that.
The police were called, and once they got there, Ryder and Branna were separated from me and Bronagh. I was brought to a separate examination room to receive eight stitches thanks to Branna’s ring cutting through the tissue just over my eye. Bronagh had gotten an X-ray, and then the all-clear that she just had a sprain. She returned to my side to make sure that I was okay once the doctors discharged her. While I was being stitched up by a pretty nurse, a pretty police officer came in to talk to me about whether I wanted to press charges against Branna, which I found very amusing.
“He already told ye’ he doesn’t want to press charges against me sister. Why are ye’ bein’ so repetitive?”
Bronagh had been in a foul mood ever since the female officer came in to speak to me. I noticed straight off the bat that the officer was interested in me, and Bronagh seemed to notice it too.
The officer flicked her eyes to Bronagh. “It is me job to ask the victim of attacks these types of questions more than once to make sure they are solid on their decision.”
Bronagh leaned closer to me. “Is it also your job to flirt with said victim while his girlfriend is sittin’ right next to him?”
The officer looked from Bronagh to me, then back again, and her cheeks flushed. The nurse who was stitching me up also went silent upon hearing Bronagh’s declaration. I wanted to laugh my ass off, but I didn’t. She asserted herself as my girlfriend for no other reason than to get these women to back off, and I loved it.
“Listen here,” the officer narrowed her eyes at Bronagh, “I wasn’t flirtin’—”
“Yeah, ye’ were, but ye’ may as well give it up. He isn’t interested in ye’. Right?”
When she looked at me and found that my eyes were already on her, she licked her lower lip and blood rushed to my cock.
“Right,” I answered.
Satisfied, Bronagh looked back at the officer and snidely said, “See?”
My body was stiff from sitting down for so long, so when the nurse was finished with me, I stretched my arms over my head, which naturally caused my muscles to flex. I was shirtless thanks to Branna ripping my T-shirt during my beatdown, and as I stretched, I saw three pair of eyes on my bare torso. I wasn’t stupid. I knew what my body looked like, and normally, I loved the attention from women, but right now, I only wanted the attention of one woman, and I had it.
“Your tattoo is gorgeous.”
I looked at the nurse when she spoke, then at the officer, who was nodding in agreement.
“Thanks, ladies.” I smiled as I slid my arm around Bronagh’s waist. “My girlfriend agrees with you both.”
Bronagh tensed when both women pulled a face at the mention of her being my girlfriend, and to be honest, I got a little pissed off at their silent dismissal of her too.
“Is he finished here?”
The officer and nurse bobbed their heads to Bronagh’s question, though they looked saddened by their answer.