Page 35 of Intimately Faithful

A what-if…?

Whatever it was, it shook something loose inside Danny and for the craziest minute he wanted to do more than kiss her.

The baby letting go of a yowl saved him from anything reckless.

“I should see if she needs changing. Can we talk tonight when she’s sleeping?”

He found himself agreeing even as a lump of emotion caught the air in his throat.

He didn’t know whether he wanted to hear what Aoife had to say.

What could she say other than dredge up a past neither of them needed to rake over again?

Her touch was airy at first. Walking over the fine hairs on his wrist before she traced his veins on the back of his hand.

What was he doing, allowing her to touch him like that?

He wouldn’t let anyone else.

Aoife had her own rules.

“I hope one day you’ll know how sorry I am that I was the one who broke us, Danny.” His eyes grew heavy-lidded, dropping to half-mast and an involuntarily clench in his mid-section made him reach down and grab her fingers before they explored his skin any further and sent him fucking insane.

He worked for God, but he was still a man with a healthy appetite for things that weren’t good for him.

“If I forgive you, will you drop it?” He rasped.

If he leaned forward he would be touching her lips.

“You’d only be forgiving me, so I’ll shut up. That’s not how it works, Danny.” She chastised with a sad look in her eyes.

She had so much to deal with, he didn’t know why this non-consequential part of their lives even mattered now.

They were a lifetime ago, when they were two different people.

But his begging heart disagreed.

They were yesterday.

They were today.

They were this very minute.

Nothing about him and Aoife was the past and he’d only just realized it never would be. No matter where their lives had taken them and would continue to take them.

The paths they walked were parallel and destined to always fork in the road eventually.

“We’ll talk tonight, and you can say what you need to, okay? Then it’s set aside.”

Her initial smile at his compliance dropped and her fingers stalled on his arm. He left it there, well aware she was touching him and how good it felt. Not only to be touched in a non-platonic way, but by Aoife.

He should be punched for the things rattling around inside his brain.

She’d come to him for help not to be mauled against walls and have dirty thoughts thought about her.

“Why are you persisting in trying to shove me away? I know I fucked up. I did it in a spectacular way, but I really want to make up for it. Please, you have to let me.”

He looked at her. Really looked deep into her eyes and saw so much sorrow it nearly choked him. Without self-censor he cupped the side of her face. Skin like satin, he rolled a thumb tip against her freckled cheek and watched how glassy her eyes sparkled.