Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 101887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
CHAPTER 11
Irish Fun
Ronan
“You’re quite the ladies’ man,” Dean says as we walk hand in hand.
I shrug. “I’m a friendly guy; most want to know me, but don’t. I have friends here and there.”
“No commitments?”
“Not really. Business keeps me on the move. I’m never in one place for long. How about ya? Are ya single because ya don’t want the commitment?”
“It’s the same. I’m always busy with work. It’s hard to find a partner who will understand all that.”
“Ach, and then ya have me. The eejit who can’t pull off a romantic date to save his life.”
She laughs and wraps around my arm. I look down at her and smile. She’s taken the entire day well. This date has turned into a disaster.
“It hasn’t been that bad. Besides, we’ve had plenty of successful dates.”
I groan and shake my head. This one was supposed to be different. I planned to call her by her real name before the end of the night.
However, after all that’s happened, I’m taking it as a sign that this might not be a great idea. This day has been one big omen that this relationship is doomed before it even gets started.
Seeing the fear in Dean’s eyes when we were at Carrick-a-Rede made me second-guess what I believed to be true. Could a ruthless killer have such a fear? She looked like she had seen a ghost when she thought we were going to cross the bridge.
I wanted nothing more than to lift her in my arms and carry her across to show her she had nothing to fear.
I doubt they would have allowed it, but in that moment, it did cross my mind. I had thought it would be a great date. The view is spectacular. It happened to be a nice day for it too.
From there, we took the short trip to Dunluce Castle. Unfortunately, there were a bunch of tourists in, looking to have a look at the castle from GOT, both Dean and I lost interest in spending much time there.
I had planned to have dinner in Belfast and then go for drinks before heading to our room I booked for the night. The restaurant had a kitchen fire and some langered jerks had a brawl at the pub I usual go to—getting the place shut down for the night.
I’ll have to call in some favors for Jimmy. Fights happen all the time. I don’t know why they chose tonight to shut the place down. Jimmy runs the place by the book.
“That bar seemed cool, and your friend looked so happy to see you before all that shit broke out. People seem to know and love you wherever you go,” Dean says as we walk the street in no hurry to get anywhere.
I don’t tell her it’s because of my family. If you live in any part of Nor Iron, you know the McGowans and you know me and my brothers. Ladies know us and men want to be us.
Instead of telling her the truth of who I am, I go with talking about Jimmy and the pub. “It’s a grand place and Jimmy is one of the best of them. I wish ya got to have more of an experience.”
“Maybe another time.”
“Aye, next time.”
Again, I wonder to myself if I should be trying to make more of this. I’m never indecisive, so this whole thing makes me more hesitant. Anything I can’t be sure of, I tend to stay away from.
However, I can’t deny this pull I feel. It’s more than her beauty. Dean feels like a kindred spirit I need to be near.
“Yeah, okay,” she says softly and places her hands in her pockets as she drops her head.
I begin to berate myself. Like the eejit I am, I’m allowing my thoughts and feelings to show. My past is telling me this isn’t what I want but at the same time, it’s telling me she’s exactly what I want, but that’s only if she’s who her books say she is.
All this talk of settling in the States once and for all has boggled me brain. I think I read too much into that meeting with Hughes. Dean isn’t the hardened, part-time crime boss I’ve made her out to be in my head.
That was me wanting to have hope. I lost Sasha because of this world. I guess somehow, I hoped Dean was stronger, different. I can’t bring another civilian into this.
“Shit,” Dean bites out as her phone rings and she pulls it from her pocket and looks at the screen. A hardened look comes to her face that makes me pause. “I need to take this, you mind?”
“Not at all, do what ya need to do, love.”
She nods and walks a few steps away from me as she answers the call. I tilt my head to the side as I watch her this time. She speaks quietly into the phone, but it’s her cold expression that holds my attention.