He sits back and studies me. “You’re kin. My blood. Kin takes care of kin.”
I feel so uneasy every time he says that. “And where will I live?”
“Until you marry, with me,” he says astutely. “The family home in Astoria. There’s plenty of room. Ma will love having a wee one around to spoil.”
What happens when Ewan finds out I’m not of his bloodline? He’ll either hate me or do something about these looks he’s been giving me.
I didn’t stop him the first time. I doubt I’d stop him a second time.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Ewan
“Whatdoyoumeanit will take two weeks to get a visa for the wee one?” I bark to my brother, Griffin, the next morning.
I hoped to fly back to New York today.
Darcy has a visa from a trip to the Amalfi Coast in Italy last year, but Sadie’s never been out of Waterford.
“So come home, and when the visa is ready, I’ll book their flights.” Griffin makes it all sound so practical.
But the idea of going home without Darcy rips through me like shards of hot glass. The feeling sets me off balance. “No. She’ll change her mind. She’s on the fence as it is.”
Yeah, that’s the reason you don’t want to leave.
“Then stay. You have your laptop, right?”
“Aye, but there’s no fucking Wi-Fi here.” I pace naked in the bedroom Amelia gave me. I wasn’t sure if I should sleep this way, but I’m damn comfortable here.
“How’s Rian?” Griffin asks.
“Unbelievably cool.” I broke the ice over the phone weeks ago, and then we talked on and off while I made preparations for the trip. We immediately bonded over the mutual desire to give Darcy a better life.
I should be raging that he didn’t tell me she had a child. But deep inside, I knew I wouldn’t have come here, and I’m guessing he knew that, too.
If I come out of this with nothing more than another brother, I’ll be satisfied, as well. I just don’t know how Da will feel about it. We never told him what I’m doing. He may not even realize I’m gone.
“Am I extending the rental?” Griff asks like it’s on a checklist.
“Aye. I’ll need it if I’m hanging around.”
“I’ll find a place for you to buy a router. Or have Balor ship you one of his overnight. But honestly…”
“Honestlywhat, Griff?”
“Sealing our alliance with Kieran is the most important job you can do for us right now. Stay on top of her.”
The idea of being on top of Darcy rushes through me, and I grip my cock. Even though I’m here to broker a deal for her to marry Kieran, this buzz in my veins from being around her won’t quit. How can I explain this lust I have for my niece? I know it’s a meaningless shared bloodline. She’s a stranger. Yet, it came so easy to offer her a life in New York, even if she doesn’t marry Kieran. With all due respect to Rian, he let a man knock up his daughter and walk away. He can’t secure the right husband for Darcy. And a da for Sadie. I can keep an eye on her and make sure she finds the right man.
My throat goes tight, thinking of another man touching her.
“Ewan?” Griffin’s raised voice suggests he’s been calling out to me.
“Right.” I take a breath, knocked out of my thoughts. This young woman is a distraction like none I’ve ever faced. “I need to oversee Da’s city council work. Get me the router or find someplace local I can grab a strong signal.”
Stroking myself, I’m tempted to ask my brother about my feelings for Darcy. Either way, I’m fucked. Kieran may very well fall for her, and that will be that. Or he’ll reject her, and I still can’t have her because we’re related.
Plus, I have no plans to marry, so I’d just be banging my niece. Something that’s quite frowned upon.