Page 17 of A Temptation Too Great

“That’s the key, though. You wouldn’t think twice about providing for me with illegal activities. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over that.” I roll away from him and start to get out of bed.

“Where are you going, baby?” He reaches for me, but I dance away from him.

“I think I need to go check on Giselle and the other girls. Arianna will be off shift soon, and she won’t understand what’s going on. She craves consistency and doesn’t handle change well, especially with working in the ER and her past.”

I don’t want to say more about her. It’s her story to tell, not mine. It’s kind of crazy how all of us girls have our little eccentricities.

Fiona was craving a family and connection, and she’s found both with Aidan. Arianna wants family and stability. I’m not sure any man can give her the kind of unwavering steadiness she needs. She’s so particular. She struggles with some OCD tendencies and needs consistency to feel safe.

Giselle, I think, just wants to hide and belong to a group. Maybe Shane is giving her things she doesn’t want us to know about, like protection. I never knew about her past. None of us did. Those pictures still make me cringe. She looked practically dead in them.

Brigid craves acceptance for who she is. Her family has never been able to accept that she doesn’t want to just stay in school or that she’s not traditionally book smart. She’s smart in her own way, but they don’t like that she’s not a prodigal child.

Then there’s Deandra and Ronan. They’re newer to our group and don’t live with us, but they’re part of our chosen family. Ronan, like her sister Brigid, wants to be loved for who she is, not just what she looks like. Where Bridgid was expected to be the smart one, Ronan was always labeled the pretty one. She’s studying fashion design, and she’s stunning. Her parents think she gets away with things because of her looks.

Deandra craves a family too, I think. Someone who will stand up for her.

And then there’s me.

I don’t even know what I want anymore. I used to think I wanted to be a police officer, to find justice for my mam, to get closure. But now, I just want someone to see me. To understand that I’m strong and not a bitch. That I’m strong and beautiful. I’m me. A girl who wants to be loved. I want a family. I want peace.

And I don’t know if I’ll never find that with Brody.

He’s got a loud club, and he doesn’t believe in the kind of justice I used to fight for. His form of justice is personal. An eye for an eye. Can I see past all that?

I don’t know.

I’m grabbed around the waist and thrown onto the bed. Brody looms over my body. He just looks at me. I can’t hide when the tears start to fall. I expect Brody to push away from me, but instead, he cages in my body and holds me. When he rolls us, I wrap around him and just lie there with him holding me.

“I know what you’re doing, Moira. I’m not going to let you run from me again. I’ll always find you. I’ll always be there for you.” He moves slightly, and his erect cock slides between my folds.

I can’t hold in the moan, and before I know it, he’s inside me, and we are making love this time. Slow, steady, and just us.

Brody

* * *

The next day, we’re dressed up. I’m in a black suit similar to what Aidan always wears, and Moira is in a long-sleeve green satin wrap dress. It hugs her curves, hinting at her cleavage, and every time she moves, her leg slips through the slit. It’s driving me crazy. I’m tempted to pull her into my brother’s guest bathroom and fuck her, but I know Fiona and Aidan wouldn’t appreciate that. I had her so many times last night, she’s probably sore, so I’m doing my best to hold back.

I think about the fact that I took her bare every time. I wish she wasn’t on birth control. She even jumped out of bed last night when her alarm went off, reminding her to take the pill. I want her round with my child, like Fiona is with Aidan’s. I want to know that Moira will always be mine. I have this unwavering fear she’s going to run and push me away again.

Shane and Giselle got married in front of all of us. He believed this was the best way to protect her from the man in her past who’s still after her. All the girls are here, and for the first time, I notice that several of my brothers can’t take their eyes off them. Arianna is fawning over Lex, making sure he’s not doing too much. She’s wearing a slim-fitting dress that Lex clearly can’t look away from. When she leans over, he doesn’t even try to hide the way he stares at her cleavage. But it’s not just those two. Seamus, who’s usually unfazed by everything, keeps a close eye on the very flamboyant Brigid. They’re complete opposites. She attracts attention, while he does everything he can to avoid it.

All the girls are giggling and talking while I sit at the table, trying to figure out how to keep my girl beside me. I know I can’t marry her like Shane and Aidan did with theirs. My eyes drop to the table where Moira’s mobile lies. A sick, twisted thought enters my mind, and before I can stop myself, I palm it. I slip into the house and try to unlock her phone. When I can’t figure out her password, I decide it’s time to call in the expert. I pull out my mobile and text Lex.

He steps inside and walks over to me.

“What’s up, bruv?”

“I need you to mirror this phone and unlock it.” I hand it to him.

He looks down at it before turning to look out at where the girls are all huddled up.

“This is backhanded and not how you’re going to win her over.” He holds the phone out to me, but I arch an eyebrow.

“Kind of like how you always have eyes on Arianna?” I know my guess is correct when he huffs and sits down.

“It’s not what you think. She’s not safe. There is something going on at that hospital.”

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