“Oh, Jesus.”
“Don’t do it, Bronagh,” I warned with a chuckle. “Don’t be embarrassed about what just happened. It was fucking beautiful, and I won’t let you play it off as anything but. Do you understand me?”
She didn’t speak, and she couldn’t look at me, so I put my fingers under her chin and lifted her head until my gaze found hers.
“Do you understand me?” I repeated. “Let me hear you say it.”
“How can I not be embarrassed?” she asked. “Ye’... ye’ just did that to me, and then ye’... ye’—”
“Licked your cum off my fingers?” I finished. “Yeah, I did. So what? It tasted great, and I’m already looking forward to seconds.”
If I thought her face was red before, it went beet red now.
“Dominic!” she scowled. “Don’t say stuff like that to me. I’ve never done anythin’ like this before, ever. Well, except for the times we almost had sex in your bedroom, but still, this is huge for me, and I don’t know how to process what I’m feelin’—”
“Baby, you need to take a breath and calm the fuck down. This is natural. You had an orgasm, an orgasm that I made you have. Big fucking deal. It made you feel incredible, so why should you be embarrassed about that? I’m your boyfriend; this is what I’m good for. It’s pretty much all I’m good for.”
I watched her process my words, and I knew that in her mind, she was talking herself down.
“Besides,” I continued, “I’m so fucking happy no one else has done that to you before. And I’m panting to be the first to have sex with you. I literally dream about it, pretty girl.”
Her eyes flicked to mine.
“Ye’ do?”
“Every night,” I responded. “Ever since you told me you were a virgin that day in my house after I fought Jason, I can’t get it out of my head.”
She swallowed. “Is it hard to believe?”
“Only because you’re so beautiful. I’m just surprised no one else has gotten here before me.” I winked. “I’m glad, though, because your virginity is mine.”
Her lips twitched. “It’s yours, huh?”
“I’m the boyfriend, so yep”—I grinned—”all mine.”
“I thought I said you’re on a trial basis with me before I put a title on us?”
I tugged her closer to me.
“Yeah, well, I’m promoting myself to boyfriend because I made you feel drunk on an orgasm. You’re welcome, by the way.”
She playfully rolled her pretty green eyes. “I don’t know why I bothered even sayin’ you’re on a trial basis with me. As soon as I said I’d take a risk with ye’, ye’ pretty much took up root that ye’ were me fella, right?”
I shrugged one shoulder. “Pretty much. I was going to let you think the ball was in your court and that you had all the power, but as you already found out, I have all the power in the world right here in my fingertips.”
Her eyes widened as I wiggled my fingers at her, which made me laugh. I hugged her to me, knowing we would have a lot of ups and downs in our relationship, but I had her now, and I wasn’t ever going to let her go. She fit into my life like a puzzle; she was a piece of me that I didn’t know I was missing. The thought of living my life with her by my side made the future that much more exciting, and I knew a relationship with her would be more than worth it.
Nothing could take her away from me.
Nothing.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Present day ...
“Daddy?”
I looked at the doorway of the living room where my daughter lingered. Her big green eyes were as wide as saucers, and her hands were clasped together. She was nervous, and I knew it was because her mother had sent her to speak to me. She rarely called me ‘daddy’, so I knew she was worried. I hadn’t sought her out all day, and that went against everything she knew about me as a father. Usually after an argument, I would go and clear the air with whoever I argued with because I hated fighting with my kids. But I didn’t do that today because I wanted Georgie to know just how much trouble she was in.
“Come in, baby.”
She entered the room, her eyes locked on the glass of whiskey in my hand. It was almost six in the evening, and I felt like a needed a drink. I had never been a big drinker—I was usually the one who watched other people get drunk—but tonight, I needed something to calm my spiked nerves. I heard people say parenting drove parents to drink, and never realised how true that statement was until my babies grew into teenagers.
“Are ye’ drinkin’ that ‘cause of me?”
I set my glass down on the side table.
“No, but I’m not gonna lie, it helps.”
“I’m sorry I lied to ye’ about goin’ out with Indie,” she said, her big green eyes glazing over with unshed tears. “We’re only goin’ out a couple of months. It’s just ... ye’ love me to death, and I know it’s hard for ye’ to let me grow up.”
“While that’s true, Georgie, you didn’t tell me about Indie because deep down you knew your relationship with him is not what it should be for kids your age. You’re fifteen, and Indie just turned thirteen.”
Most people probably wouldn’t thirteen-year-old had an interest in sex, but having lost my virginity at that age, I knew all too well how possible it was.
My kid cringed. “It’s just a two-year difference, not even a full two years, just twenty months.”
I stared at her, and Georgie sighed.
“I talked to Ma, and I understand everythin’ that both of ye’ have said, and I agree. I don’t know why Indie bought those condoms because they weren’t for us to use. Maybe he just wanted to be prepared. I’m not stupid, Da. I’m too young for sex, and I know that ... I don’t even know how it all fully works. I mean, I know how it works, but at the same time, I don’t.”
Her face was burning red as she spoke, and while I knew she was embarrassed, the relief in my chest made me almost cry. She wasn’t having sex, and she didn’t want to have sex. That was all that mattered to me.
“Look.” I sighed as I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my arms. “I know you get angry about how differently I treat you compared your brothers sometimes, but you have to understand that the world for a boy and girl are very different places. It’s unfair, but that’s the way it is, and to protect you from the fallout, I’m going to be overbearing.”
Georgie nodded. “I know. I accepted that years ago that all of ye’ were goin’ to drive me crazy.”
Me, my brothers, her brothers, and all her cousins adored her.
I managed a smile. “We all love you.”
“I know,” she said. “I love ye’ all, too.”
“Even Jax?”
Georgie looked up at me with raised brows. “Of course, I love Jax, Da.”
“You told him you hated him today.”
My daughter lowered her head in shame. “I was so mad at ‘im, but I didn’t mean it. I really didn’t.”
“I know that,” I said, “but you’re still to go over to his house this evening and apologise. He adores every hair on your head, and it hurt him when you told him you hated him today.”
Georgie swallowed. “I’ll make it right with ‘im. I promise.”
I leaned back in my chair. “I’m sorry that I reacted with anger earlier when Jax told me that you had a boyfriend. I never want to make you feel like you can’t talk to me. All the secrets were exactly why I got angry, but I shouldn’t have, so I apologise for that.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I’m sorry for keepin’ Indie a secret. I just ... it was just nice to have someone like me even though they know a bunch of lads would kill ‘im for lookin’ at me that way.”
I tilted my head to the side. “He doesn’t care about your brothers and cousins?”
“Since some of them are his cousins, no, he’s cool about it. He’s worried about Locke, though. They’re best friends, and he didn’t tell ‘im we were datin’ because I told ‘im I wanted no one to know. They might fight over it, and then Indie might fight me over that.” She put her head in her hands. “You’re right. Relationships are too much to deal with.”