Page 72 of The Apprentice
He flicked his gaze to the side, then back to me, like he was considering what to say. Finally, his smile grew bigger. “If I don’t listen, will you spank me?”
I smirked. “Test me and find out, boy.”
“I might take you up on that.”
15
FIONN
I traced my finger down the middle of Daire’s chest, nail scraping through the tuft of hair between his pecs. As I dragged my digit over the ridges of his abs, I studied every microexpression that passed over his face. Although Daire was still asleep, it was clear he felt everything and enjoyed my touch.
It was hard to believe I was here again, in his bed, and finally, in his heart. His resolve had shattered, and the only thing that mattered was us.
And Sloan.
The thought made me wince. What I walked in on this morning was my worst nightmare. I’d expected Sloan to pull the trigger because when my uncle threatened something, he followed through with it. I’d never seen him point a gun in Daire’s direction, and the sight had nearly made me vomit. I’d reacted on an impulse, getting between the gun and Daire before offering Sloan an ultimatum. If he was going to shoot Daire for keeping Aodhan’s visit a secret, then he should do the same to me. Sloan would relent. It wasn’t that I thought Sloan wouldn’tshoot his own blood, because he would if he had a damned good reason, but not over this.
At least, that’s what I had told myself.
Now, I truly wondered what Aodhan had done to Sloan to make him so furious. Sloan was calm and collected. He didn’t get angry, yet Aodhan had brought out a reaction in him that I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen in the past.
I frowned.
“I can hear you thinking, boy,” Daire murmured softly without opening his eyes. His mouth curled into a smile, and after a few moments, his inky lashes fluttered and he turned his head to stare at me.
We’d spent the day fucking before having a small afternoon nap. Aodhan hadn’t come home to the penthouse yet, and Daire had tried to call him, only to get sent to voicemail every time. I saw the irritation rise with every call Daire made. I tried to soothe him the best way I could—by giving him one amazing orgasm after another. Well, at least as many as his dick could take.
Now I lay with my head on Daire’s shoulder, cuddled close to his side.
“Why does Sloan hate Aodhan so much?” I asked.
He exhaled loudly and closed his eyes again, tilting his chin back as though he’d fallen into a memory. I waited, fingers dancing across the many lines of his tattoos, the Celtic symbolism distinct and proudly inked into his skin. “He slept with one of Sloan’s pets.”
I blinked, stilled, then blinked rapidly again. “Howis he still alive?”
Daire laughed. “It’s only because by that point, Sloan didn’t care for Adrian.”
“Adrian?” I scrunched up my nose in distaste. I’d never really met Adrian prior to Sloan shipping him off to Mexico. Adrianhad only been around for a couple of months, but the few interactions Ididhave with him had ended with Adrian looking down on me as though I was nothing more than a fly to swat. It might have been around that time that I started to hate the idea of Sloan having a pet. “He was an asshole.”
Daire hummed in agreement. “Can’t argue with that. Part of me thinks Aodhan knew that Sloan was done with Adrian and he wanted to make a point.”
“What point is that? How to get his brains blown out?” I drawled with a snort. There were no words for how lucky Aodhan was. I honestly didn’t expect Sloan to let anyone get away with something like that.
“He enjoys playing with fire, choosing the riskiest plans and seeing where it gets him.” He nuzzled my hair and inhaled deeply, dragging me in closer. His grip on my shoulder tightened. “He’s always been like that, and it’s what makes him a good hit man, but it also put him in a lot of danger. Can’t tell you how many times he’s had someone try to kill him for something stupid he’s done.”
I kissed Daire’s shoulder, the warmth of his skin a sensation I never wanted to forget. “It’s not like Sloan to let Aodhan go for something like that.”
“Aodhan got lucky.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “It helped that he was your dad’s friend. Eoin and Aodhan grew up commiserating over being the oldest sons.” The corner of his mouth quirked into half a smile. “It used to be Sloan and me against them in a lot of the games we played growing up.” His eyes slipped open again and his expression hardened, mouth pressed into a thin line. “When Eoin died, Aodhan never went to his funeral. Never checked in on you or your family. It was almost as though he didn’t know Eoin.”
I frowned. “Yeah, well, I’d never met him until last month.”
“Your mom knows him.” Daire reached up to rub his eyes. “I guess Sloan always had an attachment to Aodhan. When he fucked Adrian and Sloan found out, I begged your uncle not to kill him. Other than me and Sloan being friends since we were young, he owed me for all the things I’ve done for him. That was the only time in our relationship I asked for anything, and I only did it for my parents.”
“Your parents?” I shifted until I could rest my chin on his chest and wrap an arm around his waist.
Daire’s teeth clenched, a tic working through the muscles in his jaw. He focused on the ceiling. I’d hit a sore point. “They have so many dreams for Aodhan. They think he’ll make them proud, even though theyknowhe’s trouble.”
I studied his face carefully, taking in the tension lines and the way his eyes hardened. “And what about you?” I whispered, finger stroking down the middle of his chest again. “Are they proud ofyou, Daddy?”
