Page 40 of The Apprentice
I frowned at the black shower tiles. I didn’twantMichele. I didn’t know him, for one, and he wasn’t Daire. Dating never hurt, though, right? The only man I’d had inside me didn’t want me for more than sex, and I was clueless when it came to other men. My obsession with my uncle’s best friend was ridiculous, but I couldn’t get Daire and our wild, passionate nights out of my head. If getting Daire out of my wet dreams involved letting Michele date and fuck me, then so be it.
With my mind made up, I finished my shower and turned off the shiny knobs. I opened the glass door and stepped out, grabbing a fluffy black towel off the rack, then wiped myself down until I was nearly dry. Wrapping the towel around my hips and tying it in a knot, I stepped over to the wide mirror above the vanity and wiped away the condensation from the heat of the shower. I stared at my reflection, taking in the narrow face and high cheekbones that looked back.
The more I worked out at the gym, the more my abs became defined, but I was still lean and sinewy. My hair was a dark brown again. Like my father’s. A soft dusting of light brown hair covered my chest, but it was barely visible, and my nipples were tiny on my pecs. I laid a hand across my right nipple and sighed. Pointing out everything wrong with myself wasn’t going to help. To hell with Daire. It was his loss.
Mentally holding on to my decision, I dressed in the pajama pants and T-shirt Daire had given me, then hung the towel on the rack before finally exiting the bathroom. He wasn’t anywhere to be seen, so I took the liberty of sliding under the comforter on the right side of the bed and flopping on my back. I huffed, staring up at the dark gray ceiling. The only light left on in the bedroom was the lamp sitting on the nightstand beside me.
I didn’t know how long I lay there, staring at that high ceiling, before I heard two people outside the door. Aodhan’s and Daire’s voices filled the hallway, and even though Daire tried to shush his brother, Aodhan’s words seemed to grow louder until I could finally hear what was being said.
“I’m tellingyou, go into that room and fuck that sexy ass. He’s a feisty little kitten with claws that Iknowyou want to scratch up your back. You know you like fucking him.” Aodhan laughed.
My breath caught and I stayed as still as I could, listening to every word my ears could catch. Did Daire’s brother know we’d been having sex for years now? Clearly he knew something.
What did that say about this entire situation? Why did Daire tell his brother? Fuck. This was all so confusing.
“Shh. Aodhan, keep your voice down. He’ll hear you.” Daire sounded irritated.
“Oooh, here, kitty kitty.”
“Stop it.”
There was a scuffle, and Aodhan howled in laughter. “If you don’t keep riding that ass, someone else will. That Italian was certainly interested in sticking his cock in your precious boss’s nephew.”
Daire whispered something I couldn’t hear, and before I could decide to get to my feet and walk closer to the door to listen, he spoke louder again. “Leave it. I mean it. Fionn’s the future of the Company, and he deserves respect.”
“So, respect him with your spunk filling that tight little hole of his,Daddy.”
More scuffling. A hardthumplike someone had been thrown against a wall.
I stiffened, hoping Daire didn’t get hurt, because it didn’t sound like a friendly fight.
“Keep his name and everything about him out of your dirty fucking mouth,” Daire snapped loudly. “He’s better than you and always will be.”
“Touché.” Aodhan laughed again. “Now get your hands off me before I break every one of your fingers. Brother or not, you know I’ll do it.”
“I don’t care what you do, but if you say one more word about Fionn, I’ll kick you out and tell Sloan you’re here so he can send his trusty little assassin after you. Mom and Dad will be upset with me, but don’t think for one second that I wouldn’t.”
“Well, well, well. You do care about him.” Aodhan laughed. “Color me not surprised after all. You’re too loyal to the Killoughs.”
“Sloan’s been more of a brother than you.”
I sucked in a breath and held it, listening carefully. The silence that fell was tense, and I could feel the high emotions from where I lay. If they said anything else, I couldn’t hear it. The door to the bedroom opened. I shut my eyes tightly, pretending to be asleep.
Daire muttered under his breath, and even though I couldn’t see him, I could pick out his scent in a room of a thousand men. I peeked through my lashes and watched as he walked straight to the bathroom. A moment later, the shower turned on. I relaxed and pondered the conversation I’d overheard.
He’d been quick to defend me, but I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. Maybe he’d been pissed and embarrassed about Aodhan suggesting he fuck me, even though he already had—numerous times. Daire had a considerable amount of respect for Sloan, and if he’d shown me anything, it was that hewasn’tinterested in anything deeper. Instead, he pushed me away every time I attempted to make a connection. So, what was the sex? A quick way to get off? Of course it was. I was a willing hole. Nothing more, nothing less.
I groaned. I was such a child about this. Lovestruck, like a fourteen-year-old.
The sound of shuffling against the carpet made me frown, and I sat up in bed. What I saw nearly had me flying to the ceiling. Two dogs the size of bears—okay that was dramatic, but they certainly seemed like it—stared at me with dark eyes. In the shadows, they looked like hellhounds.
“Hi?” My voice wobbled and I stared down at them when they stayed frozen. “Don’t kill me please.”
The bathroom door opened, and I jumped in surprise because I hadn’t heard the shower turn off again. Daire stood in the doorway in only a towel wrapped around his waist, beads of water trickling down his rippled and tattooed chest and stomach.
The dogs were forgotten as my mouth watered at the sight of Daire.
I loved his tattoos but had never had the chance to explore them all. Our sex was quick and dirty, and he left as soon as he was done.
