Becoming the Whiskey Princess (28 page)

I just couldn’t imagine.

I had such an easy life, shielded from all the bad people. But then again, while I didn’t have to battle the demons Lena does, and even Declan does, I have my own. Stupid drunk drivers and cancer. Two things that I have no power getting rid of.

“That gobshite will go away, no doubt about it. Good show, yous did wonderfully,” Mr. O’Callaghan says, sending us big, happy grins. I look toward Lena to find that she is looking out the window, completely ignoring her father’s happiness.

“I loved the part where Amberlyn talked about your honor, so sweet.”

“And true,” I say, taking my gaze from Lena. “Everything I said was true.”

“Still so beautiful!” she coos with a wave of her hand.

“So tomorrow, Burke gets on the stand—”

“Probably lie through his teeth,” Declan adds and Mr. O’Callaghan nods.

“Of course, and then the jury decides. After today though, there is no way they wouldn’t go in our favor.”

I look out the window and let out a breath. I feel good about today. I told the truth and believe he should go to jail, but looking into his eyes really did gut me a bit. It was like he was reading his letter out loud to me, begging me not to testify, but I couldn’t let him get away with this. His mom will be fine, and surely he won’t do too long. Hopefully, time in jail will fix him, and he’ll come out a good, upstanding citizen, meet a sweet girl, maybe have some kids, and grow old. I can only hope, but still, I feel bad for his mom.

Leaning on my shoulder, Declan kisses my cheek. “Ya okay?”

I nod. “Fine, just a lot.”

“Yeah,” he agrees, gathering me into his arms and kissing my cheek again. Cuddling into him, I look to where Lena is staring out the window, Micah silent beside her. Usually he is playing on his phone, but he hasn’t touched it since Declan knocked it to the floor. Maybe he broke it?

When the car stops, the doors open and we file out. I assume we are heading inside, but Declan stops me, pulling me to him and in the other direction.

“Declan, honey, where are you off to?”

Glancing back his mom, he says, “We’re gonna go on a walk, clear our heads a bit.”

“Oh, you don’t want to eat?”

He shakes his head but then looks to me. “Ya hungry?”

I shake my head. “A walk sounds great.”

“Grand, we’re good, Ma. Be back later.”

Lena looks at us longingly, and I can’t help but feel that she’d rather walk with us than go inside. Since I’m not sure why Declan wants to go for a walk, I don’t say anything as she heads back inside while his mom says, “Okay, see ya later.”

He puts his arm around me and we head out toward the lake, walking in a comfortable silence, the warm sun shining down on us. When we don’t go where I thought we would, the dock, I look up at him.

“Where are we going?”

“Just walking,” he explains as he holds me tighter. “You were amazing today, my love.”

Wrapping my arms around his waist, I smile. “You too.”

“I’m sorry ya had to get up there and do that. You shouldn’t have been involved at all.”

Rolling my eyes, I let him go and look up at him. “Even if I wouldn’t have stepped in front of you and taken the bullet, I’d still have to testify because I saw what happened.”

He shrugs. “Sure, but still. I wish none of this would have happened.”

He hasn’t said anything like this in a while, and I know it’s because I told him to let it go. It was bound to come back up with the trial and all.

“It’s not your fault.”

“Eh, I don’t know. I sometimes feel it is.”

“It isn’t,” I remind him. “I made my own choice. Took my own risk to save the man I love.”

He smiles down at me and nods. “Yeah, but I should be doing the saving, ya know?”

I grin back at him, wrapping my arms around him. “But you have. You have saved me in every way possible.”

“How so?” he asks, confused.

“I could be a puddle of tears, doing nothing but crying and being sad because I’m an orphan,” I say, holding his gaze. “But instead, I’m happy and I’m excited for my life. You bring out all the good in me.”

“As you do for me,” he answers, kissing my nose. “I do love ya.”

“I love you too,” I say back as we reach a hill that a large stone building sits on. “Oh wow,” I gasp, taking in the beauty of it.

“Yeah, this is the old church that most of my ancestors got married in. It was built in 1790. Pretty, yeah?”

I nod as he leads me in through an entrance that I’m pretty sure had a door at one time. Everything is very old, but it has good bones; I feel like they could still hold a service here. It’s beautiful, but the windows are gone and there is only one pew.

“Why doesn’t it have windows and a door? It could still be used.”

“Eh, no one has kept up with it. The only reason it isn’t infested with animals and dirty is ’cause my ma has people to come clean it out every other month.”

“Why, though?”

“She was born here.”

“What?” I ask, my eyes wide.

“My ma’s ma worked on the grounds and was pregnant but didn’t want anyone to know because she’d gotten knocked up and wasn’t married. So she worked all through her pregnancy, had every intention of leaving my ma in the church for someone to come save or something, but she looked into my ma’s eyes and couldn’t do it.”

“Oh my goodness,” I say, covering my mouth. “That’s so crazy.”

“Yeah, so she raised my ma the best she could, very poor, but my ma was and still is a very pretty lady. My grandma used to say she was born on this land because she was meant to rule it and more shite. She married my da and here we are.”

I smile. “That’s sweet that she keeps the church clean.”

“Yeah, it makes sense. I come up here some, just to sit and to get back to me,” he says, and then he falls into the pew, looking up at me. “After Lena was found, they couldn’t locate me for hours ’cause I sat in here, crying and throwing myself a blaming party. It was bad, but I dusted myself off and went back, ready to stand by my sister.”

I sit down next to him, taking his hand in mine. “You are the most amazing person I know, Declan,” I say, kissing his palm.

“No,” he says with a shake of his head. “Ya know yourself, right?”

I grin but shake my head. “I’m not that amazing.”

“You’re right,” he says, cupping my face. “You’re damn well spectacular, yeah?”

He kisses me as my heart just flies out of my chest and into the clouds. Wrapping my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss, I fall onto him. Holding me, he devours my mouth, both of us playing and enjoying the great splendor of kissing each other. When his hand goes up and under my shirt, I arch my back, wanting his hands on me. Trailing kisses down my throat, he nibbles at the valley of my breasts before slowly pulling away, looking at me with those intoxicating blue eyes.

Pushing my jacket down my arms, he takes my shirt off before kissing my neck again, my chest, and then very slowly trailing kisses along my bra. Tangling my fingers into his hair, I let my head fall back as my bra slips down my arms and his mouth is on my breast. Swirling his tongue and nibbling at my nipples, he has me crying out and arching into his mouth. Squeezing my eyes shut, I hold on to him with everything inside me as he slowly marks his mouth down my tummy to the button of my pants.

Pulling his head up, his eyes burn into mine as he stands, removing his jacket and then his pants along with his boxers.

“Take your pants off,” he demands, and I don’t question him or even protest. I stand up, pushing them down my legs along with my panties before standing bare-ass naked in front of my fiancé. A grin pulls at his lips as he reaches for me, cupping my breast, his eyes scalding as he drinks me in. “You’re stunning,
mo stór
.”

I’m breathless as he takes me into his arms, our mouths meeting in a hot embrace. I am humming with awareness of his hot, hard body against my soft one. His fingers dance along my skin, molding and kneading me as his mouth just drives me out of my damn mind. When he bends down a bit, taking me by the back of my thighs, I hold on as he lifts me, sitting himself down before bringing me down on his lap.

His dick presses against my belly, my wet center dripping for him as he continues to kiss me senseless. When his fingers find my wet spot, swirling his finger along my clit, I cry out against his mouth, riding against his finger, wanting my release. Holding me by the back of my neck, he kisses me intensely as he flicks my clit, sending me into space. Soon my body is trembling, shaking, and I’m sure I’m going to spontaneously combust.

This man gives me everything my body was missing before, and I have the rest of my life to get my fill of him.

Closing my eyes, I ride my orgasm as he nibbles down my neck, whispering how much he loves me. When he pulls back, I look at him through hooded eyes as he smiles.

“Love, can you reach my slacks? I don’t want to move ya,” he says softly, his hand molding my breast.

I look behind me and I’m sure I can reach them. Leaning back, him holding my hips, I take ahold of his pants, but as I’m about to come up, his mouth is on my vagina, and I go languid. He holds me and my head dangles as he sucks my clit into his mouth and I cry out, my heels digging into the pew.

“Oh God,” I cry out, and I’m sure that is wrong on so many levels.

But I don’t have time to think of that before I am flying on pretty little pink orgasm clouds, my body seizing up before I go completely limp, my vagina throbbing with want for this man. Pulling me back up by my arm, he takes my mouth with his before he takes his pants from me. I really don’t know what happens next, but soon, he is lifting me and then I’m coming down onto him. He fills me completely, my whole body squeezing him as my fingers dig into his shoulders before he starts to move my hips, showing me how to ride him.

“There you go, my love. A little faster, yeah,” he coaches in my ear, holding me tightly as I move my hips faster, his dick going in and out of me, deeper and deeper with each stroke. “Fuck yeah, love, yeah,” he says, his fingers biting into the small of my back until he takes control. Or maybe loses it because he takes my hips and thrusts up into me, his body slapping into mine, his dick going so deep, it takes my breath away. Holding on the best I can, I cry out with each thrust, loving the feeling before he stills, gathering me close before he slowly thrusts inside me. When he stops, he squeezes his arms around me before nuzzling his nose into my neck.

I suck in deep breaths, trying to breathe, but I’m sure that won’t even happen. He’s taken it all. All of me. Every single bit. When he pulls his face out from my neck, he looks me deep in the eyes and smiles.

“Ya blow my mind,
mo stór
. Completely, ya know that?”

I smile back, running my finger down his shoulder to his elbow. “I don’t even think I can breathe right now,” I admit, and he laughs.

“But ya are,” he says, pressing his lips to mine.

I get lost in his kisses. I don’t have to think when I am kissing him. I can just vanish.

Pulling away, I cup his face, loving him with every fiber in my body. A grin pulls at his lips before he presses his lips to my chin. Still smiling, I ask, “Do you think we are going to hell for having sex in a church?”

He laughs, pressing another kiss to my bottom lip. “After that, I’d take a one-way ticket, as long as I get to do it again,” he says before kissing me again. “And again,” he whispers against my lips before kissing me once more. “And then some more. I can’t get enough of ya, and I’m not going to try.”

“Please don’t,” I beg as he lays me down on the pew, kissing down my throat. “I don’t ever want you to try to.”