Page 5 of River
“Yeah, yeah, but we can still dance and have a bit of craic, can’t we?”
“Certainly. I’m not flying home until tomorrow anyway.”
Maximum pushed up from the grass and offered me his hand. “Then let’s go.”
As soon as I clasped my hands with his, he pulled me up and with his strength I almost flew through the air until he steadied me on my feet.
“Thank you.” I brushed my yellow dress and craned my neck to see my backside. “Did I get all the grass off?”
Liam was quick to lean down closer to my tush. “No, but I’ll be happy to help you get it off.” He lifted his hand close to my behind and looked up at me with a hopeful smile.
Maximum pulled me away and shot Liam an annoyed glance. “Keep your hands off my sister.”
“I was tryin’ to be helpful,” Liam defended himself.
The group grew larger as more people came from the changing room. With several of the players bringing friends who’d cheered during the game, we were enough to make for a large party at the pub.
It was only eight in the evening, but the dance floor soon filled up. With the energy the men exerted on the dance floor, it was impossible to see that they were tired from an exhausting rugby game. Since I loved dancing and the music was excellent, I accepted the many offers to dance. After what felt like hours, I insisted on a break and went to find my brother. He was surrounded by two young women who were flirting with him. One was touching his biceps and begging him to flex.
“Hi.” I lifted my hand to greet the two women, whom I hadn’t met before, and instantly got the feeling that they saw me as competition.
“Ladies, let me introduce you to my sister, River.”
As soon as Maximum said the word sister, their faces relaxed, and they smiled at me.
“I just wanted you to know that I’m going outside to get some fresh air,” I told him and smiled at them.
“Oh, so it’s legit then.” One of them giggled. “We were just asking Max why he speaks with an English accent when he says that he grew up here, but it’s the same with ye.”
“Yes, I’m afraid it was drilled into us from an early age.”
“I’ll come with you.” Maximum was quick to get up from his chair and gave the women a quick “Excuse me.”
Walking through the noisy pub, I muttered over my shoulder to him. “I didn’t want to come between you and them.”
“That’s okay. They were too young for me, anyway.”
“How old were they?”
“One was twenty, and the other was twenty-two.”
“And that’s too young? You won’t be twenty-seven until October, so what’s the big deal?
“I don’t know. I just prefer women my own age or older.”
My eyes narrowed. “How much older?”
Maximum shrugged and held the door open for me to exit. “It depends. I just don’t find youth as enticing as most men, I guess. I prefer my women to have maturity and experience.”
A handful of people were smoking outside, and that made me walk to the other side of the street. “Are you talking about life experience or sexual experience?”
“Both.”
“Wow, so you’re not into virgins?”
“Nope, that’s not my thing,” Maximum said and leaned against the front of an apartment building.
“Are you saying that you’ve never been with a virgin?”
