Page 6 of Celtic Dragon
“You are so sure it is going to be a boy, aren’t you?” she asks.
“I am. It is a feeling in my gut that I can’t explain,” I reply smugly.
She just smiles and shakes her head. She isn’t buying it. “Aren’t you gonna be surprised when I give birth to a girl?”
“Nope, I won’t be, ‘cause we ain’t having no girl!”
She rolls her eyes and says, “Whatever.” She then adds, “What can I do to help you get ready to go?”
“Nothing, really. I’m not expecting us to be there very long, so I am just going to throw some things in that duffle over there and I’ll be all set.”
“Ok. Well, let me know if you need anything.”
“I will, babe.”
Chapter 2
Rebel
Everyone else has gone to bed, but Ari and I remain in the kitchen. I look over at her and I can see that she is about to cry.What’s that all about?I hold out my arms, inviting her into my embrace, which she curls into gladly. “Come sit with me for a bit.” Putting my arm around her, I walk us over to the couch.
“Are you gonna be ok?” she asks as she snuggles up against me, resting her head on my chest.
“Of course I am. We’re gonna find them, babe. Ice won’t let me down,” I reply.
“You’re putting a lot of responsibility on my brother.”
“You and I both know what he’s capable of. If anyone can get Mam and Da out, it’s Ice.”
Ari lifts her head from my chest and looks at me worriedly and says, “But what if he can’t? There aren’t any guarantees, Rebel. And what if you both get hurt?”
I can tell by the tone in her voice and the look on her face that she is really worried. Hell, I’m worried too. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in Ireland, but I know the violence didn’t stop. I know we’re walking into a shitstorm. I know it won’t be easy. But I also know that if I sit back and do nothing, if I rely on my brothers to fix this, I’ll never be able to forgive myself. Although there were times that I felt my parents had abandoned me by sending me to the US, I know they probably saved my life. It’s my turn to give back. I need to find them. I owe them that much.
“Babe, everything is going to be ok. I know there are no guarantees in anything—from my going to Ireland and coming home alive to walking across the street and making it to the other side alive. There is risk in everything we do. The question is, do we die by not taking any risks at all or do we live and take a chance? I, for one, want to live!” I kiss the top of her head as she snuggles closer to me. “Besides, you need to get back to school and graduate,” I add.
“I know. I just don’t want to leave you right now. Maybe I can go with you. You can show me where you grew up.”
“Ari, as much as I would love to take you to Ireland and show you where I grew up, now is not the time. Go back to school, get your degree, and we can move forward with our life together after all this shit is settled.”
“But …” she starts, but I quickly jump in.
“Before you go any further, I’m not the only one who wants you to stay here and get your degree. Even if I had said yes, Ice would never let you go with us,” I remind her. “I don’t even think he is allowing Emma to go, and you know he’ll feel the same about you.”
“Oh, I didn’t think about that,” she says. I can hear the disappointment in her voice. She’s quiet for several minutes and I relish in the quiet and the feeling of having her in my arms. I don’t know what lies ahead for me, so I make it a point to enjoy this moment for as long as I can.
I look down at her and take her chin in my grasp, forcing her to look up at me. The vulnerability in her eyes has me mesmerized and I bring my lips to hers. I kiss her slowly at first, but then, not being able to control myself, my mouth begins to ravish hers. Her moans are muffled by my continuous assault and I growl as I continue to kiss her. She shifts her body and her own hand drifts up over my arms, encircling my neck. We continue kissing for several minutes and I eventually realize that I have to stop or I will take her right here in her brother’s living room, which would be nothing short of a death wish.
Coming up for air and breathing heavily, I say, “Babe, we have to stop. If we don’t, then I won’t be able to stop … and this isn’t the place.”
“And my brother will kill you.” She giggles.
“Exactly.”
I pull her in tight against me and she snuggles up close. We sit there in silence for a few minutes, then she asks, “Is there a girlfriend in Belfast?”
“Nope, you’re my girl,” I reply.Where is she going with this?
“Old girlfriend?”
