Unmarked: Sean's Story (Chosen #4) (10 page)

Driving up to Aoife’s apartment, I could hardly contain my excitement until I drove by her place to find a parking spot. The car’s horn behind me steadily blared at me and not even that annoying sound made Aoife turn from looking into Freddie’s eyes as he held her. My heart started to beat at an obscene rate and my short breaths were keeping me from making any logical driving decisions. I pulled up on the side of the road about three blocks from her apartment and double parked. Pulling up the emergency brake with more force than necessary, I contemplated what to do.

Why the fucking hell would Freddie be holding my girl outside her apartment when she
knew
I was going to be here? I looked at the dashboard clock and yes, I was a few minutes early but still. She knew I would be able to see her if I was driving passed. I thought back to when Lizzie explained that she walked into a bar – not too far from here actually – and saw the man she fell in love with basically groping the girl he would eventually marry.
Son of a bitch.

Maybe the night of Lizzie’s party, Aoife was actually with Freddie and they were having a fight? Is that why Lizzie had called to warn me? Aoife and Freddie were together and she got back at him by taking off with me for a few frivolous days of fucking. Nice. I smashed my hands against the steering wheel and threw my head back on my head rest.

I fumbled with the iPod and put on Fade to Black by Metallica. It was my go-to song for the “my life blows” mood that I seemed to find myself in regularly. I didn’t know what to do. I had made plans. I had to see her and at least tell her that the classes were available if she wanted to go. I had to at least tell her she fucked with my head and I had to thank her for being one more woman in my life to fucking destroy all hopes for trust and loyalty.

Chapter Seventeen

Sean

I found a parking spot about twenty minutes later. I didn’t grab the mattress or the dresser. I didn’t grab my duffle bag. I threw my phone and keys in one pocket, my wallet in my back pocket, and lit a smoke as I got out of the truck. Slamming the truck’s door didn’t help calm my nerves.

As I walked closer to Aoife’s house, I steeled myself and made sure my blank face was steady and holding. When I got to her door, I fully expected Freddie to be nearby or at the very least the one to answer her door after I rang the buzzer.

Nope. Aoife came out to open the door and through the window in the door, I saw her brilliant smile cross her entire face. She was genuinely happy to see me. I didn’t react on the outside but Jesus if that smile didn’t twist the knife in my chest.

“Hello,” she nearly squealed when she threw herself full force at my torso. I grabbed her so I wouldn’t fall back.

“Hey, Aoife.” Bland. Blank. No feeling. You got this, Sean.

She pulled away from my rigid hold and frowned up into my eyes.

“Something is wrong,” she recognized.

I shrugged. Taking another drag off of my smoke, I made my eyes run up and down the street, like I was looking for something. I was definitely looking for someone. How did Freddie get away so fast? I watched the T ramble by on the next street over and realized he was probably on it, heading back to his place.

“Sean?” Her voice was trembling. It made me cut my eyes to her fast. She looked scared, almost petrified. Was I coming off as too much of a dick?

I flicked my cigarette and took another drag, blowing the smoke to the side of her face. She wouldn’t see the pain that was buried behind my eyes, locked and waiting to burst. I had to get out of this confrontation. Aoife’s stinging expressions made me second guess what I knew was right and, most importantly, why I was furious with her to begin with.

“I looked into karate classes for you. I can’t make it, but tonight is the first night of the six week course. It’s called Kenpo Karate. It sounds like something you would like,” I suggested but my eyes couldn’t meet hers. I wanted to go. I wanted to watch her punch something. I wanted…well, her.

“You won’t come with me?” She asked, as her eyes toggled back and forth on mine. I could feel her anxiety pouring off her body as I realized she was clenching her fists.

I shook my head side to side slowly and assuredly.

“I…uh, came to take you, but The Ink Shop called. I figured I would come and give you the information to go, since I was already half way here.” I pulled out the piece of paper I had written the name and the address of the Academy on and handed it to her.

“You should go, though. They are expecting – uh, you. They have your name down and everything so…” I trailed off.

“Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll go. Thank you.”

I nodded. “No problem. I hope you learn some killer moves for the boys back home.” I faked a decent smile and pulled away from our conversation with my body. Her hand snapped out to wrap her small fingers around my bicep. I looked down at it – noticing her damn touch was making my skin sizzle and goose bumps flashed over the rest of my very hot tempered body. One touch and she had changed the balance of my body’s regulation. I looked up at her in question.

“Did I do something wrong, Sean? Was I supposed to ring you and didn’t because I was so busy at work and I wanted to ring but…” Her Irish rambling was so hard not to respond to. I could listen to her talk all day long.

“No, nothing like that, Aoife. You are great. I just – I don’t know. You and Freddie seemed pretty tight when I drove past looking for a parking spot.” I was a dick. Even I knew that I just sounded like a jealous dick.

Her face paled and that’s all I needed to know. I took her grip off my arm and turned around. Walking away wasn’t hard because she had given me the look of confirmation. I was nearly half a block away when I heard her voice scream after me.

“He doesn’t like that I like you, Sean. He thinks my da will be angry and he will hurt me. My dad is not a nice person, Sean. Freddie knows how I grew up, how a bunch of us girls grow up in the Estates. I left Ireland because I couldn’t watch him drink another bottle of whisky. I left because I needed a break from his demands on me. I work and work so I can keep us in the house. I would rather live on the streets, Sean. I can’t not take care of my family. People – they would talk and I would be more of an outsider in my town than I already am.”

I hadn’t realized that I had turned around and walked half way back to her as she walked the other half to me. We were facing each other on the bustling city street, staring at one another with wide eyes. Her chest was heaving. My breath was audible. I grabbed the back of her neck and drew her beautiful lips to mine. I devoured those lips. I gave them my hope, my promise, and my security. I didn’t care who noticed us or knew how much I wanted this woman. There was no choice to be made. Reason was a dead end road. My resilient heart was fighting for my body and mind now.
For us
. I resolved to sit back and let its pounding beat kick the shit out of anything that got between me and Aoife.

And as I kissed her, I loved on her lips like I loved her complete being. She wouldn’t be a victim to anyone anymore. She wouldn’t be told who she could or could not see ever again. She was mine to protect – if she wanted it. I waited for what felt like forever. Finally, her arms wrapped around my waist and fisted into my shirt, just like they had the other night. She needed me. I needed her. Our love for one another was fused.

I separated our lips and she let out a little sigh. “So you and Freddie aren’t a thing?”

Her look was priceless. “Sean, if I could just have your lips alone, I would break up the Prince of England.”

“My lips, huh?” I asked, smugly as shit because damn fucking straight. I wrapped my arms around her as she giggled into my lips once again.

“You wouldn’t want my queen sized mattress and dresser?” I asked into her ear in the throatiest voice I could manage.

“What?” When she pulled away, my body literally reacted. I needed her person on my person now. Maybe forever.

I motioned to the truck with my head and her hand flew over her mouth. I swear I saw her eyes well up but I stopped that shit right quick as I pushed her lower back towards the full bed of the trunk.

“Wow, you brought me furniture,” she said in awe. “And it looks very nice.”

“I brought us furniture. I don’t actually have to work,” I confessed, biting my lip and throwing my baseball hat on backwards. “I, uh, I am all yours through Wednesday morning if you will have me.”

Her nod was fierce. I smiled like a little boy getting a brand new puppy. I let out a huge exhale and kissed her forehead. Together, we moved my furniture into her apartment.

***

“Do you think they will teach us how to kick a guy in the nuts like that lady did the other night?” Aoife excitedly asked me as we were walking towards Maverick’s Academy. I chuckled. Somehow I knew that out of all the great things to be gained from learning karate, she would just want to know how to kick a guy in the balls. It wasn’t lost on me that she had scars – she admitted that her father was mean, and that she was so dedicated to learning karate that I don’t think anything would get in her way.

Did he hit her? Was he the one that put those scars on her stomach? She mentioned something about how being homeless was a luxury in Ireland. Wasn’t that what she said?

“What are you thinking about?” She asked, looking very curious.

“You.  All I think about is you. You are…very mysterious, Aoife,” I claimed.

“Mysterious? Pfttt.” She blew out. “What kind of mystery am I, Mr. Sean Ford?”

“You won’t tell me everything. I mean, why do you want to take martial arts?” My side glance was directed at her eyes with purpose and maybe a little antagonistic.

“In Ireland, some men are assholes, Sean. Just like here, yeah? Women are hurt all over the world. I live alone in Boston for the next few months. I should know these things,” she answered with a very well thought out speech. She didn’t fumble one single word. She was a genius. Of course, that answer would appease anyone else but I saw the scars. I saw her response to my reaction to seeing the scars.

“Yeah, you’re right. If you think I am being an asshole, would you just tell me to leave? I don’t want to lose my nuts this summer,” I laughed.

I opened the main door to the school and we stepped into a waiting area. It looked like Jenny – the girl I had spoken with – was still on her shift. Her eyes swept up to see the guests and then they did a double take back to me. I always got one of two reactions to my completely tattooed body. Either women were taken aback because it was too much to look at or they were instantly attracted to me and didn’t even notice the little details of my marks. I don’t think any girl that I dated has ever learned where certain tattoos are. I can tell you that Aoife definitely has my back memorized.

Jenny?

She just took in the entire body and was like “whoa.” Aoife didn’t miss it and started tracing the Celtic symbol for eternal love on my back, exactly where it was. How she knew, being that it was under a black tank top, I would never know. Maybe she woke up and stared at me while I was sleeping, too.

Jenny fumbled with some papers and Aoife rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, we are here for the beginner Kenpo Karate?” I said as I walked to the desk and put out my hand to shake. Her hand instantly went into mine and held on a little too long without any answer back.

Silent moments clouded the waiting room until my ray of sunshine cleared her throat and repeated what I had just said in a slightly bitchier tone.

“My boyfriend and I are taking a karate course here. Can ya tell us where we should be going to do that?” She asked. Okay, she wasn’t slightly bitchier – she was a bitch. I fucking loved it.

That somehow got Jenny out of her fixation on my tattooed sleeves to look up at the girl with the beautiful Irish accent. Jenny then smiled at her, like she may have gone both ways. Aoife caught on and looked over at me. When we both raised our eyebrows at the same time, we couldn’t help but laugh.

Poor Jenny didn’t get it. Silently, she motioned for us to follow her back to the hall on the left. The first door on the right had a sign that read Kenpo Karate.

“Wow, that was easy,” I said dryly as Jenny opened the door for us. There were about four other people waiting in a small circle. One very tall man stood out from the rest and thanked Jenny before coming towards us.

He wore sweatpants and no shirt and he was ripped. I felt like an idiot since it had been a little while since I had lifted. Why had I stopped? Work got in the way, I guess. Work got in the way of a lot of things. I had that epiphany as the man introduced himself as Michael, one of the masters of something with the Academy.

Was I supposed to bow my head? All of a sudden, I felt very self-conscious. I looked over at Aoife and she was clearly not. She was soaking up every word Michael was saying. Kenpo is the art of movement, using our body’s strength to defend ourselves in the case of being attacked.

He went on to say that we would learn about flash movements and how to balance our weight in certain ways to offset the balance of others. I heard was he was saying, but was I really listening? Nope. Aoife. I was listening to her silence. She told me, through the way she listened intently to Michael, that she was interested in this world. She wanted to experience as much as she could while she was alive. She also told me that self-image meant nothing to her. If it did, it didn’t affect her to the core of her heart. She was strong. She was inquisitive and she looked so bloody hot in those yoga pants and black tank top.

My hand went out to go around her waist because I
had
to feel her close to me. She was startled when I did, breaking the conversation that she was having with Michael. I guess it was then that he realized she was here with someone. Was everyone in this place horny? Was Kenpo karate class the new speed dating?

Michael excused himself and clapped his hands together to get the rest of the group to follow his lead. I would like to say that for the next forty five minutes I learned how to do karate. We stretched, we balanced on a foot, and we punched each other with gloves and mitt like things. We even tried to do a few kicks. All in all it was an interesting first class. For Aoife, it was something so much more. She was in love. Even after people were leaving the class, she was still punching into air while Michael showed her where to “draw her strength from.”

This girl had no problems remembering where to draw her strength from. She was the definition of strong. She had the word strong by the balls. When it was time for her to fight, every bone, every muscle, and every cell in her body would be rock-hard and begging for a release. She would unleash only on who deserved it the most - whoever that was.

That night, after we showered, again individually – at her request – we got take out and made up the mattress into a bed so we could make sweet love to one another all night long. Neither one of us slept a wink. It was glorious.