Unsettled (Chosen #1) (8 page)

Twelve

Shots

Two weeks later, I had literally moved in with Teagan, Cian, Freddie, Kellan and Aidan.
Most of my clothes were now in the walk-in closet and the textbook I was attempting to read lay beside Teagan’s bed. The guys seemed happy to have me around because I was a female, after all. I washed up after meals and cleaned up after parties. I thought it was a far better way to pay rent than with money. Besides, when I tried to give Teagan rent money, he was insulted so I didn’t push too hard. Apart from showing off every morning with eggs and coffee, I always had the beers stocked and ready for them when they came home.

The weekends were my favorite times. Every Saturday, we headed to the
park near their apartment, where I was engrossed in their hurling practices. I still didn’t understand how the game was played, but hell, there were a lot of sexy, sweaty guys, whose shirts may or may not come off, depending on the temperature. From behind my sunglasses, I not only appreciated my Irish boy toy, but the rest of the beautiful scenery. The scrimmages were intensified by their determination, choice words in their thick accents, and the occasional mud that spread across their sexy chests. Most times, I sat and worked on homework, and since I had blown off the interview that Wednesday due to the worst hangover ever, I decided my lot in the present time was to be their American token female. Most people would label me their bitch, too, but I didn’t really mind. The fun outweighed the chores by far.

There were
hardly ever other women at the apartment but when they did come over, the guys included me as a roommate, always pointing out that I was Teagan’s girl. Teagan never protested that label and his eyes never strayed far from me. Even when we were across the room from each other, we spoke with our eyes. We could hold hour long conversations about what we wanted to do to each other’s bodies that night. His hands, his lips, and his body became like my second skin and it was amazing. The only problem with the living situation is that I was discomforted by Freddie. He was weird around me. He and I never got past hello and goodbye. I often wondered if I was especially intruding on his space. When I mentioned my concerns to Teagan, he immediately discounted my thoughts. He said Freddie was a private guy and I shouldn’t worry so much. The discomfort level shifted one Saturday when Freddie got hurt in the shin at a practice and was sent to the sidelines.

Instead of sitting with his team, he came over to the blanket I brought out and sat next to me without saying a word.
Immediately, tension coursed over me. I couldn’t figure out what to do. Part of me wanted to bolt to the apartment. Part of me wondered if he came to my blanket for a reason. I decided to wait it out, trying to read my book. Finally, I was going to jump out of my skin if one of us didn’t say something.

“Hey
, Freddie,” I said with a concerned look. “Feeling okay?”

“Ah, yeah. No
problems. My head wasn’t really in the game today. I probably drank a little too much last night.” He smiled.

“I
’m there with you. I have a killer hangover. This morning, I was forced to have a little hair of the dog that bit me. Except, I’m not sure what type of dog bit me, so I had to sample quite a few drinks this morning to get it just right.” I laughed.

“So what are you up to tonight
? I heard that Teagan is going out.” he asked.

“Huh? Aren’t we all going out?” I
asked.

“Yeah, well
, no. Teagan has some business thing tonight. He didn’t tell you about it?” he asked with a slight grin on his face.

“No,” I said with a frown. “I guess I
’ll just head back to my house for a quiet night.” I shrugged my shoulders and acted like I didn’t care. But, fuck, I really did care. Teagan and I were inseparable. Besides, Teagan always told me what was planned for us every evening. Maybe he had told me and it slipped my mind.

“Jesus, the guys and I can’t get him to stop talking about it. I guess it has something to do with him getting a job in Ireland when he gets back home. I
’m really surprised he didn’t say anything,” he said before chugging an orange Gatorade.

“Hmmm
,” I murmured nonchalantly, looking back down at the paperback of Pride and Prejudice. I mentally ignored the image of Teagan having a job anywhere but Boston and his upcoming return to Ireland. The looming date of his departure started to bring dread into my heart. Maybe I’m getting in way too deep with Teagan if I already hurt that much when I thought of his leaving. There was no sense in getting upset with something I couldn’t control.

“Do you want to go out with me and a few of my other friends in town
? Today is actually my birthday,” Freddie said.

“Freddie! Your birthday? Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked
. I shouldn’t have been surprised because he actually hadn’t spoken more than two words to me since the first night we met. I immediately threw down my book, wrapped my arms around him, and gave him a smacking kiss to his face. He flinched.

“It isn’t a big deal, but it
would be fun if you came along,” he said and shrugged.

“That would be fabulous
, but first, I have to go out and buy something special for your big day!” I said as I pushed away from him and started to collect my things. Dad’s allowance was still going in weekly so I knew I had enough for a fantastic present.

“Lizzie! I
t really isn’t that way. Please don’t make it a big deal. It is just a few friends. No need to go out and get presents,” he protested.

“Too bad, Freddie,”
I said as I thumbed my nose at him. Freddie got up and started to chase after me as I ran down the street, laughing. After slowing down, I side kicked him on the ass and he wrapped his sweaty arm around my shoulder as we walked the five blocks back down to the guy’s apartment. When we made it to the steps, I watched him walk inside and smiled.

“What time do I need to be back for the night
?” I asked as I looked at my watch.

“We
’ll be ready to leave at six. Dinner first, then the club.”

“Okay! I
’m off to find my second most favorite Irishmen the best American birthday gift in the history of mankind,” I said as I headed off to my car.

“Lizzie
,” he called after me.

“Ye
s?” I asked.

“What should
we tell Teagan? I mean, we just left him without a word. You didn’t even say goodbye,” he said.

I shrugged.
I didn’t really care about Teagan at that moment. I felt offended by him. Why didn’t he ask me to go to dinner? Was he just going to leave me behind?

I waved
it off and said, “Oh, he’s fine. If he has that dinner thing tonight, I’m sure he’ll be really happy about me hanging out with you guys. No biggie. Just tell him I needed to go get a gift, okay?” I asked.

“Umm…yeah sure,” he said hesitantly.

Thirteen

Presents

I
was normally very good at picking out presents for friends. Always very in tune with other people’s desires, I tried to find gifts that were solely for the person’s enjoyment. However, shopping for an Irishmen, especially one that I wasn’t intimate with, turned out to be a little difficult. Knowing that Conner was away on a tour with The O’Malley Band and my parents were up in Maine on Peak’s Island for the weekend, I set out to my house in Wellesley to quickly compose a funny birthday jingle on my guitar.

W
hile I ate a California sandwich, I silently thanked my parents for always keeping the house stocked with good food, because damned if I wasn’t sick of bar food and take out. As I sat at the table, writing and laughing to myself, I was startled by the loud ringing of the telephone. Normally it wasn’t that loud, but for some reason, it seemed to shrill. Before I answered, I lowered the volume of the ringer.

“O’Malley residence,” I said quickly.

“Lizzie! You’re home? I didn’t know what happened to you!” Teagan said, franticly.

“Teagan? Aren’t you supposed to
still be playing?”

“Well, yes
, I was. But during the break, I noticed you were gone and when I asked around, no one had seen you leave. Why are you at your parents?”

“Oh
, so you didn’t go back to your place yet?” I asked while taking the phone from my ear to double check the caller ID. Yes, he was home.

“Yes, I
’m here but you aren’t,” he replied stiffly.

“Didn’t Freddie tell you I went off to go shopping?” I asked
, confused.

“No. Freddie isn’t at hurling or h
ere. What’s going on, Lizzie?” he asked impatiently. “I thought we were going to spend the rest of the afternoon together.”

“Well… I ran into Freddie on the sidelines at the hurling
game and he told me today is his birthday.” I said with a cheer. “So, after he explained you had plans tonight with your work or coworkers or whatever, he asked me to join him for his birthday dinner with some of his other friends in town. I came home to grab my guitar and I’m writing a funny jingle for him. Hey, what do you think I should buy him? I only want to spend about fifty bucks but I have absolutely no clue what he is into.”

Teagan sighed heavily. What the fuck?
Why was he sighing at me? The phone went silent and I brought the phone back from my ear to see if we were still on the line. We were.

“Teagan? What’s up?” I asked
, frustrated with his silence.

“Lizzie, I told you about the dinner last weekend.
Remember? I only have to go for two hours then I was planning on spending the night with you alone. Why are you going to hang out with Freddie?” he asked.

“I dunno. I just thought it would be fun. I didn’t realize you wanted to see me after the dinner. In fact, you never told me about the dinner at all or I would have called up one of my girlfriends to hang out with.
Was I drunk when you told me about it? No one is home here and I’m actually eating something nutritious for the first time in weeks,” I said, laughing.

Teagan didn’t laugh back. He was silent. I could literally feel him brooding through the receiver.
Moments passed and I couldn’t take it anymore.

“So,” I said, “why don’t you go to your dinner then come join us at Freddie’s party? I don’t think anyone would mind
.”

“I wasn’t invited. None of us were, Lizzie.
It’s a little weird that he invited you out of all of us,” he said.

“Oh
, well, maybe he felt bad for me or something,” I said, popping a fresh green grape in my mouth.

“So when am I going to see you?” he asked.

“I’m just about finished up here and it’s what, two thirty? So I should be there about four,” I said. He exhaled loudly and murmured something under his breath that I couldn’t comprehend. Were we having our first argument? This shouldn’t be a big deal. Teagan wasn’t my keeper and, Jesus, he had plans anyway. I mentally told him to calm the fuck down.

“Teagan, I
’m not doing anything on purpose. I came home to grab the guitar then I’m heading to get Freddie a present, and then I’ll be there,” I said.

“Okay. I have to leave by
four thirty to get downtown on time, so hopefully I’ll see you before I leave.”

“Yes. I
’ll put a move on it. Hey, don’t worry about it. We have tomorrow to hang out and I’ll be in your bed tonight, making sweet sexy noises in your ears,” I said with a grin.

He laughed, seeming to relax a little bit
, and told me I better be prepared for our wicked night ahead.

Half an hour later, I was standing in Ben’s Liquor Store in Waltham, ringing up the biggest bottle of Crown Royal they had.
I would make it to that apartment before Teagan headed out so he wouldn’t be worried during his work dinner.

When I arrived at the apartment at
three forty-five, I headed towards Teagan’s room to put my guitar and present for Freddie in the walk in closet. Hell, we weren’t going to be demonstrative. Teagan was standing in the closet, looking perplexed while he held out two ties. When he looked up at me, he smiled wide. God, I would never get enough of that smile. He was simply perfect for me.

“Hey there
.” He held up the two ties, silently asking for my opinion, and I pointed at the blue pin striped one.

“It goes with those beautiful Irish eyes,” I said.

He came up close to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I leaned my forehead on his. I breathed him in and felt that sense of comfort once again. I would never get enough of his touch either.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yes. I’m just a little nervous about this dinner, and I didn’t know Freddie was going to invite you out. I just talked to him and it’s fine. You’ll have a good time with him and his friends. They’re good people,” he said stiffly.

We kissed sweetly and he patted my butt as I started out of the closet to get ready. I hadn’t had time to get changed at my house. I closed Teagan’s door and locked it. When he came out and saw me topless, he froze.

I laughed at him while I threw on my strapless bra and new blue satin tank. Then I shimmied out of my jeans and threw on a khaki skirt with buttons up the front. When I bent over to put my heeled sandals on, Teagan was right behind me.

“Jesus. You
’re getting really dressed up for the party. You’re so sexy,” he said while kissing my neck.

“Well,
you don’t look so bad yourself.” I smiled. We sat on the bed and talked about how to meet up later and he assured me that he’d see me in the next few hours. I hugged him, inhaling him in. God, couldn’t we just skip the night and spend it in the sleep pad? Ugh, the thoughts I had from just his scent. I squeezed his ass. He jumped then turned into me, sliding his hands up my thighs.

“Oh no,” I said. “We are already dressed
.”

“Dressed? You look naked
.” He laughed while nibbling at my ear. He coaxed me into an intense make out session, like we wouldn’t see each other for weeks.

Teagan kissed me
sweetly and I started out of his bedroom, guitar in hand to go to the living room to play until it was time to go.

Freddie walked in and I went still. He was dazzling.
No, he was downright delectable. He wore a black polo shirt that looked brand new and jeans that hugged his long toned legs. His inky black hair was styled in some gel and his eyes were brilliant as he looked at me. He gave me a knowing look like he understood that I was happily drinking him in.

“Hey
,” I said, sounding a bit squeaky.

“Hey. What are you playing? I didn’t
know you’re a musician,” he said with his thick Irish accent.

I laughed. “I
’m not really. My brother, Conner, is in a band and I kind of got hooked on his music. He taught me some chords and I play around. I don’t know much more than a little Pink Floyd, and don’t laugh, Happy Birthday.”

He smiled me and nodded, as if to tell me to go on.

“Okay, see if you can name this tune. You really have to listen because I’m not that good,” I said hesitantly.

I propped up the guitar over my bare thigh, since my khaki skirt was kind of hitched up a little too high
, and started to strum.

“Ah, Tom Petty. American Girl,” h
e said with a wicked smile.

“Yes
, I am. I mean, I’m an American girl. Not Tom Petty,” I looked at him pointedly.

“No, Lizzie, you
’re not. You sound pretty good,” he said as he sat down next to me. He took the guitar out of my hands and looked down at my leg before quickly darting his eyes away from me. As he started to pluck strings like he knew how to play, which he obviously didn’t, I laughed and stood up.

“Hey, where are you go
ing? I’m not that bad, am I?” he asked.

“No. Not at all. You
’re a natural,” I said with a wry smile. “I’m going to get your birthday present. We might as well get it out of the way now,” I said.

A few minutes later, I came out with the purple and blue Crown Royal box and handed him a card.
His eyes looked up to the box then he gaped at me. Something wild was in his eyes. I shrugged it off like it wasn’t a big deal.

“We have to take a few shots of th
is then you can have the real present. I need some liquid courage,” I said.

“Lizzie,” h
e said, astounded. “This must have cost you a fortune.”

“Nah,
” I said, waving my hand. “Plus, you’re going to share so it’s really a present for the both of us.”

He went into the kitchen and grabbed some shot glasses. When I
looked around the apartment, I scanned in on Freddie and asked, “Where are the rest of the guys?”

“The
re were some college girls they wanted to party with tonight,” he said with a laugh.

I giggled at the thought of Kellan pulling off his pants and standing on tables.
Those college girls were in for a show from the wild Irish boy. I wondered if any of the girls would run for their lives.

Freddie sat down next to me and poured us both shots. I raised my glass to his and said, “To getting older!” He laughed and we downed them. I
darted off the couch, the burn almost scorching my throat to shreds, and he darted the other way, gasping and cursing.

“Well, maybe I should have gotten something smoother
,” I said with a scowl.

Freddie looked at me as my face flushed from the shot and said, “No, this is perfect. This is the best birthday present I
’ve ever received.”

I laughed at him while he poured
our next shots. We linked our forearms around each other and took the shot. Not too bad the second time around. I nodded my head with an appreciative face and picked up the guitar that was leaning up against the couch.

While he poured the next two shots, I played songs for him to guess
then I started singing along. Eventually, Freddie got into it too and we sang until our voices were strained. It was official. We were on our way to drunk.

Before our next shot, Teagan walked out and came straight to me. With his eyes glued to mine, he took the glass out of my hand and threw it back, barely flinching at the burn. He leaned forward and gave me a deep kiss, filling my mouth with the taste of his shot.

“I’ll be back soon.” Teagan said.

I nodded, unable to speak.

He walked out the door without looking at Freddie once.

“Hey
,” I said as I cleared my throat. I turned to Freddie and slapped him on the chest. He mocked hurt and I gave him a look that clearly said, “Bullshit.” He laughed at me then put his hand on my thigh. I looked down to it and then up to him. He looked happy, probably the happiest I’d ever seen him. But suddenly, I was uncomfortable with his subtle touch.

“When do we leave for your birthday dinner?” I asked.

He glanced down at his watch and his eyes widened. “Oh shit, we were supposed to be at Downtown Crossing ten minutes ago
,” he exclaimed, jumping off the couch.

I ran down the hall and stashed the
bottle of Crown and my guitar in the walk in then ran out with my purse slung over my head. I was definitely wobbling already. Okay, Lizzie, sober up. There’s a whole night ahead of us. Shit, getting drunk early was not the best recipe for a night out on the town.

Luckily, we hit the next green line
train downtown quickly, and as we sat, we laughed and hummed all the songs we had just been playing. Freddie was so easy to talk to. He was like hanging out with Conner back when we were shitfaced together and had no cares in the world. People stared at us but we didn’t care. When we got off at the downtown station, he grabbed my hand and headed over to two guys waiting by a cart outside of a CVS pharmacy.

Freddie quickly introduced us
then apologized about our tardiness. I couldn’t remember their names if I tried, however, both eyed me and Freddie with knowing looks. Obviously, they could see we were drunk. They were amused more than anything. Our arms were linked and we kept the secret of the Crown Royal to ourselves. His touch was nice. It was friendly and his cologne was almost as intoxicating as the whiskey. I thought about Teagan and what he was doing at that moment. Was he thinking about me? I hoped to see him soon. In the meantime, it was Freddie’s birthday and we were having a blast.