Page 151 of Sins of Innocence

Pushing her glasses up again, Neeve sidles closer to Kieran. "Will it scar?"

"Probably not," he says, not sounding very concerned about the possibility.

Considering how many scars he has on his beautiful body, that's not a surprise.

I tape the gauze down. My thumb drags slow along the inside of his arm as I smooth the last edge.

Unintentionally. Probably. Maybe.

Okay, not so much unintentional as inevitable.

He inhales a deep breath.

My heart beats a faster rhythm. I don't look up. If I do, he'll see what I'm feeling all over my face. I smooth the tape along each side, deliberate now, taking longer than I need to.

I feel his gaze heavy on me the whole time.

"Hmm." Mom picks up her knitting. "Looks good from here, Áine."

I quickly drop my hand away from Kieran's arm. "Right. It's all good."

Kieran looks at the dressing and there's a look on his face I don't like.

"Don't," I say.

He looks at me.

"I can see what you're thinking. You are not taking that off before I replace it with a clean dressing tomorrow."

"I always listen when Mom sounds like that," Joy offers helpfully.

Sadie is quiet for just a beat. Then, with studied casualness says, "Yeah, you better listen, dad. If you know what's good for you."

The word lands in the room like a boulder in the middle of a pond, sending ripples of reaction outward.

Sadie goes pink from her collarbone to her hairline. She looks down at the first aid kit and starts putting things away with careful movements.

Kieran is still, his expression flummoxed. Then he clears his throat. "Good to know." His voice is level but there's a pleased undertone he doesn't bother to hide.

Sadie doesn't look up, but her mouth curves.

The girls aren't about to settle down for their normal bedtime tonight, so I start a movie they've all seen before.

Tilted sideways on the couch with her mouth open, Joy is out before the princess climbs down from her tower. Neeve lasts until the palace guards start chasing them. You know she's tired because that's her favorite part of the movie.

Sadie looks at her sleeping sisters and asks, "Can I turn it off?"

My answer is to grab the remote and press the power button. "Ready for bed?" I ask her.

Yawning, she nods but doesn't get up. After several long seconds, she asks, "You sure they were just muggers? Not the dads of the boys who hurt me?"

"Positive. I already dealt with those arsewipes." Suddenly, Kieran's talking with an Irish brogue I've never heard him use before. "Sure as certain, the fools who tried to mug us aren't mobbed up. They're gang bangers."

"How do you know?" Sadie asks, but she's smiling now.

"They were wearing gang colors," I offer.

"I know our men, zemra e vogël," Kieran says, his brogue even thicker. "It's my job."