“Like take a dive in a fight?” I smirk.
Paddy flips me off. His pride took a fucking beating in that ring along with his face.
“Yeah, like that, I suppose,” he sighs.
I nod absentmindedly. So I’m not off slaughtering Hart fucking Remington.Doesthat mean I love Mellie? Seamus also told me not to. No, I need to think of something I’d do for her thatonlyshe’d ask of me.
I told her we could go to Ireland on holiday after I killed that son of a bitch. If she asked me to, I’d stay over there for her. Never come back to Boston. Walk away from this life. I’d do that for her.
Jesus fuck. I think Idofucking love her. But how could Mellie, someone who is fucking pure, innocentlightpersonified, how could she ever love me? I’d fucking suck the light out of her.Thisis why I never touched her before, even when it physically hurt not to.
“How’d ye make her love ye back then?”
Paddy blows out a breath. “I don’t fucking know, Niall,” he sighs. “She said she didn’t mean to, so I guess I did it accidentally.”
Well, that’s a big fucking help.
“Is this about your little bartender?” he asks suddenly, his lips quirking up. Fucking prick.
I grip the steering wheel harder. I haven’t fucking forgotten that he’s seen Mellie’s fucking tits.
“Did you tell her how youfeel?” the fucker teases me. I swear to God, I’m going to rip his fucking face off.
“Ye done yet?” I grunt at him, staring at the stoop, willing the fucking mark to walk out.
“Have you tried cuddling?” he asks, all innocent. Aye, I fucking have, cunt.
“Feck off, Paddy,” I snap at him, my voice coming out colder than I intended.
“Yep.” He nods quickly, shutting the fuck up, and we both go back to staring at the stoop.
I’ll have to figure out a way to make Mellie love me. Tiggy loves Seamus, and he was a fucking prick to her. Paddy’s little lass loves him, and he’s a fucking prickly arse, but I don’t want to be a fucking arsehole to Mellie, so that option’s out.
“He’s here.” Paddy nods at the stoop, breaking through my reverie. I glance over and see the mark walking up the stairs to his house. Exiting the SUV, we cross the street, slipping into his place behind him.
“What the fuck?” He turns on us, outraged. Paddy grabs him and slams him onto the sideboard while I kick the door shut behind me, clamping a gloved hand over his mouth, slicing down from sternum to pelvis.
As blood spills out of his mouth, and Paddy and I are sprayed with it, he gurgles up at us.
“Why?” His voice catches.
“Because ye pissed Gianni Manchetti off,” I growl back at him. We leave him there, propped up on the sideboard, as we hurry back to the SUV.
Paddy’s lass and Connor are waiting for us when I drop him off. I had intended to wash and change here before heading home to Mellie, but if the lass is still awake….
Her eyes are wide as they take in the blood, and Paddy talks to her like she’s a skittish puppy. But she blinks at him and starts rabbiting about soaking his shirt before the bloodstains set in.
My eyes are glued to her face as she tells him she loves him like he is, blood and all. Jesus fuck. I bail, needing to be out of here. Needing to bury my face in Mellie’s hair. I need apples and sunshine, and I need them now.
MELLIE
Niall showers in the main bathroom when he gets home, which is strange because he always uses the ensuite. Peeking out from underneath the comforter when he strides in, I catch a glimpse of a bloodstained shirt balled in his hand, which he buries deep in the laundry basket.
Sometimes, he does the laundry before I can get to it. I guess I just discovered why. If I were a betting woman, I’d put money on the fact that the laundry will be washed, folded, and put away when I get home from work tomorrow.
Niall slides into the bed, his arms automatically closing around me, tugging me into his arms.
“Ye should be sleeping,amhuirnín,” he murmurs into my hair. I snuggle up against him.