Page 39 of Dylan
“Can I get you anything else?” he says close to my ear, sending my pulse racing.
“Um … uh … I mean, n …n … no. Thank you.”
He chuckles and moves his hand to the back of my neck, then begins to massage my skin. I make the mistake of turning and looking at his torso. I swallow hard as my mouth runs dry.
He doesn’t just have abs. His abs have abs. I bite my lip as I imagine running my hands along his smooth-looking skin.
He reaches beneath my chin with his free hand and lifts my head for me to look into his eyes. There’s a sexy grin on his lips as usual.
“Eat up. We’ll talk and I’ll answer those questions for you,’” he says and winks down at me. He then calls over his shoulder. “Ciarán, I’m going to take you up on that offer to use your bathroom.”
“No problem. Take your time, this is so good, bro. Thanks.”
I sit frozen as I watch him saunter over to grab his bag and then stroll down the hall to Ciarán’s room. I don’t think I take a breath until he’s out of sight.
“I think you like him,” Ciarán whispers.
“Eat your food.”
He giggles and continues to devour the bacon, eggs, and hash in front of him. I shake my head clear and tuck into my own breakfast. I moan around the fork.
The eggs are so good. Quickly, I dive into the hash. The potatoes are seasoned and cooked to perfection. I was not expecting this at all.
I tear this plate up. Ciarán belches beside me, causing me to realize I’m eating like a savage. I slow down, but finish it all. Ciarán sits chatting happily as I eat.
“Hey, you should get dressed when he’s done in your bathroom. We’re going to the gym to sign you up.”
“Yes,” he croons, and fist pumps the air.
I can’t help the smile that comes to my lips. With the money from last night, I’ll be able to do more than sign him up for the gym for his birthday.
I can’t wait to see his face when his new computer arrives. I plan to order it next week. I know he was just grounded, but he’s a good kid, other than this one incident. Besides, he needs it for school.
Dylan appears dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. His hair isn’t styled, causing him to look more like the boy from my memories. I shoot Ciarán a look and he jumps up to run to his room to get ready.
Dylan takes the seat Ciarán abandons. I fidget on my stool, wishing I had gone to shower and get ready for the day. I reach up to finger my braids from last night.
“Where would you like to start?” Dylan asks with an open smile on his lips.
The expression allows me to relax. My thoughts are moving so fast, I don’t know where to begin. I chew on my lip and take a deep breath.
“You know me. I mean, really know me. You called me by my birth name,” I say, searching his eyes, which I haven’t seemed to have forgotten.
The one thing I do know is that he used to be important to me. So much so, I still remember his face, although I can’t seem to remember anything else from my past.
“We were friends. Your family lived next door to mine. I spent a lot of time on you guys’ farm, and you spent a ton of time at my home when you were in Ireland.”
I lick my lips and scoot to the edge of my stool. The more I search his face, the more I feel familiar with his presence. Something about his smile tickles my brain.
“Okay, we both lived in Ireland once,” I say. “And we were friends.”
“We were best friends. We did everything together. We were the smallest kids in our neighborhood. We sort of bonded over that.”
I snort and look him over. “I have a hard time believing that.”
“Trust me, it’s the truth. I’m the youngest of six and thought I’d never grow as big and tall as my siblings. I hit high school and it’s like I shot up overnight.”
He smiles wider, showing all his white teeth and his eyes sparkle with the gesture. It’s like a match is lit against my brain. I see him lined up with five others. However, none of them has his blue eyes and blond hair.
