Page 14

Layla

“Oh my god, Norah. That’s so scary.”

On our way towards the exit of Airlie Gardens, my phone chimes at the same time as Teagan’s. We glance at each other before opening the message. It’s a group message to the two of us from Norah and Eamon, telling us that Eamon’s sister was found unresponsive and is currently in a coma. They are leaving for Ireland tonight. I immediately call Norah.

“What do you need me to do?” I ask worriedly.

“Just keep an eye on the house, I guess?” She suggests, her voice quiet. “I don’t have anything pressing going on over the break.” She sounds so tired.

“You got it, chica. Anything you think of that you need me to do while you’re gone, just let me know. And keep us updated.”

“Thanks, Layla,” she says over a yawn. “You’ re the best.”

When I hang up, Teagan is looking at his phone with a furrowed brow.

“This is awful,” I say, thinking he’s having a similar conversation with Eamon.

“Oh, absolutely, but Eam sent me a separate text.” He angles his phone towards me.

Eamon: Hey mate, Norah and I booked a place up in Avon for a short holiday, but with us going back home for Caity, we can’t keep our reservation. I’m putting it in your name. Take Layla.

I stand there dumbfounded. Is he suggesting we take a vacation together? Just the two of us? “Um…” I begin.

“You’re going home to see your family, so I know you can’t go.”

It takes me less than a second to make a decision.

“I’ll cancel.” I blurt out.

“What?”

“Seeing my family. I’ll tell them I’ll visit during Spring Break. I need to be close by to watch Norah’s house anyway.” I shrug.

Teagan’s green eyes light up. “Yeah? You want to go?”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

This is not only what I want, but what I need. I need to do something that’s just for me, that makes me happy. And spending time with Teagan at some beach house away from normal day-to-day living is perfect. Nerves flutter through me at what this trip implies, but it feels right.

“Alright. The reservation is for tomorrow through the rest of the week. Will that work for you?” he asks.

“I was going to be heading back to Texas anyway. I’ll have Mami change the flight for a later date.”

* * *

“Lo siento, Mami. I know, I know. But this is important. I need to stay here for Norah. She doesn’t know how long they’ll be gone.”

“Layla, this is so unlike you. Are you sure there’s not something going on?” My mother asks suspiciously.

“No, Mami. I’m not canceling, I’m just rescheduling. I could try for a weekend visit if you absolutely cannot wait until Spring Break. Or, like I’ve said a million times, you are always welcome here!”

I know that will fall on deaf ears, but really, why is she allowed to be upset about me rescheduling when my family never comes here?

“Ugh, mija, we’ve talked about this,” my mother says in frustration which has me rolling my eyes so hard they might get stuck that way.

“I know, just offering.” I sigh heavily. “Anyway, let me see what Norah says once she arrives in Ireland, and then we can go from there, okay? I promise I’m going to come home to see you soon.”

“I’m holding you to that, chica. I’ll get your plane ticket taken care of.”

“Gracias, Mami. Kiss Papá for me?”

“Sí, sí. Hablamos pronto, carino.”

“Talk soon. Love you.” I tell her, feeling only slightly guilty for not telling her the whole truth.

After leaving Airlie Gardens, I took Teagan back to his apartment but didn’t go inside this time for fear of jumping his bones. The goodbye kiss he gave me was long, deep, and sinful. Leaving me breathless, he promised he’d pick me up in the morning and drive us to Avon for our getaway.

Now I’m stuck staring at the pile of clothes on my bed, trying to decide what to pack. It’s cooler on the East Coast this time of year, so I’m not expecting us to be beach bums, but I’ll still bring a swimsuit. I’m well aware of my figure, having come to terms with the fact that I will always be considered plus size. It took me a long time to learn to love myself and my body, and while I’ll never get to live out my ultimate sexual fantasy of being picked up and slammed against a wall, I love the way I look—in and out of my clothes. So I pack the white bikini with high-waisted, lattice-side bottoms.

I start a load of laundry before making my way to the shower. It’s safe to assume that Teagan and I will be up close and personal, so shaving and exfoliating is a must. My heart races every time I think about the possibility of sleeping with him. The last time I had sex was three years ago, and other than my vibrator, I’m out of practice. But the drive is in no way missing. Kissing Teagan has proven that.

* * *

?Carajo!.

I overslept and forgot to put my clothes in the dryer last night, so the underwear I was going to wear won’t be dry in time. Teagan will be here in about thirty minutes and I’m not fully packed. Looking into my underwear drawer, the only clean panties and bra I have are a red, lacy set I bought on a whim. Whatever. It will have to do.

There’s a knock on my door just as I’m zipping my bag. Taking a deep breath, I glance in the mirror hanging in the hallway and give myself a reassuring smile. I’m an independent woman capable of making decisions, of taking control of my life. With that, I open the door confidently.

“Morning, Lovely,” Teagan says in a low voice, eyes roaming from my head all the way down to my feet.

“Buenos dias,” I murmur as I check him out in return. Why is a tight, black t-shirt so hot? And that ball cap?

“Like what you see?” His lips pull up into a knowing smile and I don’t even want to deny it.

“I do,” I tell him. “You look good in a hat.”

“Fan of the cap, are ya?” When he lifts a hand to pull on the bill of the hat, his shirt raises, showing off a sliver of skin. “I’ll wear one every day if you want me to.”

“I might let you.”

He chuckles before asking, “Ready?”

“Yeah.” With a nod, I say, “Let’s do this. ”

Teagan

It’s late afternoon by the time we reach the rental. The drive took about five hours, but passed by in a blur thanks to easy conversation with Layla. We talked about nearly everything, except that we are spending nearly a week alone together—and the elephant in the room that is our physical attraction to each other. I want her. Christ, do I want her, but the last thing I want is for her to feel like the whole reason we’re taking this trip is so I can fuck her. She’s calling the shots. If she wants to spend the entire time binging her favorite TV show, that’s fine with me. I’m delighted just to be able to have a conversation without Rowan interrupting.

Following the prompts from the SatNav, we find the rental with relative ease. The property sits right on the beach, with a small wooden walkway that leads from the porch to the water. I park the car in the drive and we exit, stretching our limbs from the long drive.

“This is adorable,” Layla says, eyes roaming over the sage green exterior.

“Aye, looks really nice. Well found, Eamon.”

She turns her eyes towards me and smiles sweetly. “I hate that they weren’t able to come here. Norah would have loved this.”

I nod in agreement, though I don’t think I know Norah well enough to make that assumption.

“Shall we?” I gesture towards the door.

“Sure. I think I’m going to walk the beach as soon as we unload though. Would you like to join?”

“‘Course I would,” I tell her as I unlock and open the door.

The space is clean and cozy. A big, over-stuffed couch and chair with soft-looking pillows and blankets fill most of the living area. There’s a small fireplace in one corner, and an entire wall of windows facing the ocean. Connected to the living area is an eat-in kitchen and a small, round table with two chairs. On the other side is a short hallway with three doors. The first turns out to be a linen closet, and the second is the bathroom, which leaves the last door—the bedroom. One bedroom with one bed. I’m just about to call out for Layla when she comes to stand next to me .

“Oh.”

“I’ll take the couch,” I say quickly, not wanting to put any pressure on her.

“Teagan, neither of us is sleeping on the couch,” she tells me firmly, crossing her arms over her chest. I definitely do not notice the way her breasts are pushed together like that.

“But…” I start, then she places a finger on my lips to silence me. Chills race down my spine at the contact.

“Come on, let’s go take that walk,” she murmurs.

* * *

It’s December, but the temps are in the high sixties, so we remove our shoes when we reach the end of the boardwalk. The air is warm, but the water is frigid. When the waves wash over our feet, Layla squeals and jumps a little, grabbing onto my arm to keep from falling. She’s fucking adorable.

“Ach, come on. It isn’t that cold.” I tease her, relishing her touch on my skin. “The Irish go skinny-dipping in water like this!”

“Then you’re all loco!” she says, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Shall we take a swim?” I suggest, wagging my eyebrows at her.

“Abso-fucking-lutely not! I’m from South Texas, remember? A day in the eighties is considered temperate!”

Chuckling, I say, “That’s a scorcher where I’m from. And we’ve no cooling units there.”

She stops in her tracks, looking at me like I’m crazy. “What? You’re not serious.”

“Aye, I am. The average high temp in the summer is what we’re walking in right now. No need to own one when we can just open the windows.”

“I can’t even imagine a world without air conditioning,” she mumbles.

Linking our hands, I give her a tug. “C’mon then, Lovely. Let’s stroll a little more.”

We walk for about ten more minutes before turning back towards the rental. I drape an arm around Layla’s shoulders, pulling her close to my side. No words are spoken, but I can physically feel the electricity charging between us. All it will take is one small spark. When we reach the place where we left our shoes, we slip them on silently before ambling back up the boardwalk. Opening the door, I gesture for her to go first, but I don’t move out of the way. Her shoulder brushes against my chest as she passes, and she pauses to glance up at me, eyes dipping to my mouth for a brief second. She licks her lips, then bites down on that bottom one. The tension thickens around us. I want nothing more than to lean down, claiming that lip between my own teeth.

“Teagan…” she whispers in a pleading voice, big brown eyes full of invitation.

Then my fecking phone rings. We both inhale deeply, creating some space between us.

Clearing her throat, she says, “Go ahead and take that. I’m going to take a shower.”

Holy god. My brain is flooded with the image of Layla naked under the spray of the shower, rivulets of soapy lather and water cascading over those luscious curves. And I’m fucking jealous. When the bathroom door clicks, it brings me out of my stupor, and I answer the call without looking at the caller ID.

“What?” I growl.

“Whoa, mate. Everything alright?” Eamon asks, worry lacing his words.

“Shite. Sorry. Yeah, everything’s grand. How are you? How’s Caity?”

“Hanging in there,” he breathes out. “No change in Caity’s condition. We just got back to Mam’s. Norah is resting, so I thought I’d check in to see if everything is okay with the rental.”

“Right, yeah,” I grunt, turning my hat backwards on my head. “We got here not long ago. Just getting back in from a stroll on the beach. The place is great. Thanks again for letting us take your reservation, mate.”

“Aye, it’s no problem. Glad you and Layla could go. How’s that situation, anyway?” Eamon asks. I can hear the amusement in his voice.

Cheeky wanker.

“Oy. That’s none of your fecking business, Kennedy. Mind your own mot! ”

He laughs. “Sure, yeah.”

“Actually,” I sigh heavily. “There’s nothing to report, but damn if I don’t want it to. I’m letting her call the shots though. I don’t want her to think all I want is a quick fuck from her.”

“Remember what Norah said. Layla hasn’t really dated anyone, so this is all new to her. She’s probably waiting for you to make the first move.”

Fuck me. He’s right.

We talk a few more minutes, but I’m anxious to end the call. It’s time I claim my lass. The bathroom door opens, and Layla steps out in a puff of steam, her skin flushed, and wearing a tank top and these skimpy silk shorts. She must see the hunger written all over my face because she stops, her eyes going wide. Fuck it.

I prowl towards her.