Page 62 of Broken Blood Ties

Aoife was cute, as always, in her jeans and Keds, wrapped in her pink windbreaker. Her sunny disposition is hard to resist. Kieran’s a lucky man.

Trips in my family were always too few and far between. My father was too busy. If it wasn’t work related, we didn’t travel. When I first met Kieran, I practically accused him of the same. I know he works a lot, but he’s nothing like my father. I let my own experiences shade my opinion of him, and for that, I’m sorry.

Kieran taking her out on the water with him warms my heart. Not sure where this Finn fits into everything, but Aoife seems comfortable.

I relax deeper in the bed, the smell of clean linens wafting around where I’ve snow-angeled myself onto the bed. I’m pulled further and further into the cloud bed until?—

Two muscular arms wrap around my waist as the ocean mist sprays my face, and my toes curl against the thick wooden decking as his mouth comes to my ear. The sun sparkles off the resting water, and there’s not another vessel in sight.

“How do ye like me boat?” His voice is lyrical and rhythmic, lulling me.

I sigh, letting my head drift back onto his meaty shoulder. Light nips to my neck draw a moan from my lips.

“Ye can be as loud as ye want out here. No one will hear ya.” His mouth moves down over my shoulder, and I gasp, drawing in a mouthful of salted air.

“Kieran …”

A giggle sounds in my ear, and my eyelids fly open. I wipe at the wet drool gravitating down my chin and onto my neck before turning to see Aoife propped up on the bed next to me.

“Hi!” she says.

I blink at her, then turn my attention to re-familiarizing myself with where I am. I’m still sprawled out on my stateroom bed, and I internally groan—I must’ve dozed off.

“Aoife, hey,” I say, pushing up on my elbows.

“You were sleeping.”

I nod.

“Were you dreaming about my daddy?”

I freeze and offer her a nervous smile. “I, uh, jeez. No.”

That’s not the truth at all, but how do I tell one of my preschool students I was dreaming of her father?

You don’t.

“Well, it’s time for dinner.” Aoife hops off the bed to move toward the door. “Coming?”

I scrape a hand through my now almost dry hair and shake myself out of this flustered mind-warp my brain has thrust on me. I wasn’t asleep long enough to be invested, right? Jeez. Why do I want to know how this dream ends?

Aoife stares at me, grinning as I wrestle with myself. Obviously,shedoesn’t know this, but it’s still rattling all the same.

“I, uh, yeah. One sec.” I stumble out of the bed, moving to the bathroom. In the mirror, I fluff my hair and slap my cheeks to give them some not-so-dead color. Then, double-checking all the drool is gone from my mouth, I dab on some Chapstick I found shoved in my bag. “Ready,” I say when I come back out.

Aoife grabs my hand and leads me out my stateroom door. We go left down a short hallway before returning to the steps I was led down earlier. They must serve dinner on one of the upper decks.

Honestly, I could follow the smell because the whole boat smells divine.

We pass a crew member in uniform who holds his fist out to Aoife as she passes, and I offer him a light smile as he gestures to the front of the main level.

“Daddy loves to eat in the front. Best place to see the sun go to sleep.”

I pull my lips together. “He likes the sunset?”

“Uh-huh.” Aoife skips toward the front of the boat where several crew members are placing the final silverware on the table.

A beautiful wood table is set with wicker-like folding chairs pushed into the sides. I don’t think the table stays there, which means Kieran had this brought out for tonight. Special.