“I’m only feckin’ wit ye.” Racer holds up his hands in surrender.
“Eejit,” Monster grumbles, while Miren leans in to whisper something in his ear that makes him smile.
The rest of the lunch is just as rowdy, and when we finally settle in after tidying up, I’m exhausted. The fire crackles, warming the lounge. There’s gift wrap everywhere, but even in the mess, I’ve never felt more at ease.
“Can we talk?” I whisper to Tye when everyone is in conversation.
He nods before taking my hand and leading me into his office. Earlier, we found out so many brutal truths in this room, but that’s not what I want to talk about right now.
“What’s wrong?” he asks me before I have time to say anything.
Honestly, I’m tired. Exhausted when I think about what has happened over the past few years, so instead of answering, I step closer to Tye. We’re inches apart, and for the first time since I can remember, I’m sure of what I want. I stare at his chest, unable to look into his eyes, because I know the moment I do, I’ll be lost in them.
“I-I was th-thinking,” I mumble, knowing I need to get the words out.
Tye grips my chin gently and tilts my head so I finally meet his questioning gaze. There’s a gentleness to him that’s always been there. Even now, as strong as he is, his touch is tender.
He leans in until his lips brush against mine. “If this isn’t all right, tell me.” His words are a warm salve on a wound I knew I had. I never once thought I could be healed, and it will take time. But when his lips find mine, I know I’ll everything will be all right.
Heat soothes me when I moan, and I open my mouth to allow his tongue to sweep across mine. It’s intimate. I want it. My heart thuds wildly. My stomach flutters like birds taking flight. It’s like our first kiss, only softer, more tentative. But, it doesn’t lack any of the passion of the first one.
I find confidence when I hear Tye groan, and I wrap my arms around his neck to pull myself closer to him. Our bodies fit together like they were built to slot into place. Like two pieces of the same whole, an image that was torn apart but is now glued back together.
His hands trail over my arms, strong, yet gentle. Then, Tye grips my hips and he pulls me against him, and I can feel how much he wants me. There’s no question about it. I don’t have a doubt in my mind he’s going to finally claim me physically as his.
But then he breaks the kiss. Our breaths are heavy, coming in short spurts. His eyes have darkened, lashes hooded as he regards me. I don’t let him go, I can’t, not yet. The corner of his mouth tugs into a smirk, one I’ve come to recognise over the years.
“Ye need to be sure,” Tye says in a low, gravelly tone. His voice thick with desire, dark with a promise that, if I say yes, there’s no going back. Not anymore, but I don’t want to.
“Yes,” I whisper. “I’m sure.”
His mouth crashes against mine once more, and his hands grip my butt, lifting me against him. We spin around until my back hits the door, and I’m pressed between him and the smooth wooden surface. The thickness of his erection soothes the ache between my thighs when he rolls his hips. I can’t stop the moan of bliss that falls from my lips.
“Please,” I beg him, looking into those dark eyes. Those orbs filled with need and desire. He wants this as much as I do, and it gives me the confidence to finally voice my needs. “Please, let me forget. Make me forget. I want to think about nothin’ else but ye.”
“We’re leavin’,” he says suddenly.
Dropping me to my feet, Tye takes my hand and leads me out to the party. He announces to everyone that we’re off, but he doesn’t wait for the goodbyes. He practically drags me to his bike.
“We didn’t say goodbye,” I mumble when he hands me the helmet I wore yesterday when we arrived here.
“Aye,” he responds. “They’ll understand. It’s time I took ye to my home.”
I look at him in surprise. “I thought you lived here.”
He helps me onto the bike, and I wrap myself around him. I have a feeling he isn’t going to be riding slow.
“If ye decide ye want this,” Tye says as he glances at me from over his shoulder, “ye’ll have to live with me. I won’t let ye out of my sight.”
I don’t have time to reply, because he starts the engine, which rumbles to life, and soon, we’re pulling out onto the road that leads us back into Belfast. I hold on tight, and I know that no matter what happens from now on, I’ll always have Tye.
NINE
EININ
Walkinginto his home feels like coming to a place I longed for. It’s as if I had seen it in my dreams time and again, and now, it’s a reality. When I was younger, I would imagine what it would be like to have Tye love me, to be with him forever. There wasn’t a moment in my life I didn’t want to share with him.
He was my best friend.