Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 171450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 857(@200wpm)___ 686(@250wpm)___ 572(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 857(@200wpm)___ 686(@250wpm)___ 572(@300wpm)
“Okay,” he breathed against her hair. “Okay. You can cry. Just be here right now.”
And so she cried. Not with any expectation. Not with any recourse. Just let the anger and sadness and fear drain away from her. She hadn’t cried since the first night with Gen. Hadn’t known she’d needed it until Lorcan had looked at her with all the empathy in his too-blue eyes.
Finally, she was spent and the tears stilled and her breathing evened out. And she stood there with a soft sniffle as she tried to regain her composure.
“All right now,” he said, slowly peeling them apart. His thumbs came to under her eyes, and he carefully wiped the tears away. Her mascara was likely smudged, but he treated her with such tenderness that she was sure he’d fixed it. “Do you feel better?”
She shook her head. “Not really.”
“Maybe drunk isn’t the best thing for you right now if me asking, ‘Are you okay?’ will make you burst into tears.”
She swallowed back a choked sob. “I couldn’t even do a triskel.”
“Those are hard on the best days,” he said easily. “Do you want to talk about what this is all about?”
“Not really.”
“Do you want some pancakes and coffee? I think sobering you up and getting some food in you would be a better option.”
“I shouldn’t go anywhere with you.”
He held up his hands. “Just taking care of you. Nothing more. I promise.”
“That doesn’t sound like you.”
“Love, you have no idea what I’d do for you.”
She hiccupped and pulled out of his embrace. Because that certainly didn’t sound like nothing more.
“Lorcan,” she warbled.
“Please,” he said on a sigh. “I don’t like seeing you like this. It’s physically killing me not to take care of you. It’s just carbs and caffeine.”
“Everyone knows that coffee doesn’t sober you up.”
“Kierse,” he said, low and imploring.
She sighed. Did she really want to go back into a nightclub and see all of her friends happy with their significant others? Did she want to navigate their minefield relationships? Did she need another shot to try to dull the pain of Graves? Because none of that was working or helping.
“Fine,” she said. “Carbs and caffeine.”
His smile was brilliant. The kind that she’d first assumed meant he’d never known pain. But it was the opposite. He had known so much pain that he’d learned when to take the joy for himself.
“But what about my friends? I don’t have my phone.” His eyebrows rose at that confession, and she had to look away to keep from blurting out what had happened.
“I’ll take care of it,” he said, pulling out his phone and sending a quick text to Niamh. He showed her his screen so she could see the conversation.
Lorcan: Kierse isn’t feeling well. I’m taking her to sober up. She doesn’t have her phone, but you can text if you need her.
Niamh: No you fucking are not!
Niamh: Lorcan Flynn, that girl needs to be far far away from you. Don’t you fucking do anything! I will kick your fucking ass!
Kierse almost laughed at Niamh’s response.
Lorcan glanced down at it and shook his head. “Fucking hell.”
Lorcan: She’s fine. She’s reading my texts. Tell Gen and Ethan, too. Or give them my number.
Niamh has added Genesis and Ethan to the chat.
Gen: Is Kierse all right? We can totally leave right now.
Ethan: We do not condone friends going off with strangers.
Lorcan: I’m not a stranger.
Niamh: You’re worse.
Ethan: We do not condone Kierse going off with anyone when she’s sad.
Gen: Kierse, just give us a minute. We’ll come get you!
Lorcan arched an eyebrow at her. “A stranger,” he grumbled. “I was the one who trained him.”
Kierse nodded. “They just care.”
Kierse took the phone out of his hand and texted back.
Lorcan: This is Kierse. I’m fine. Enjoy your night. I’ll be back before you’re even done partying. Love you.
Kierse handed him the phone as the thing blew up again. Lorcan pocketed it without checking the texts. Then he gestured down the sidewalk. “Shall we?”
Kierse had a moment to wonder if she’d regret this before falling into step with him.
“Where are we going?”
“I know a place. We can get there without Amberdash’s goons trailing us,” he said. “You need to walk anyway.”
They headed away from Five Points and Chelsea. The fresh night air did help her pounding head. And she loved to see her city at night. It had always been her favorite time.
“So, are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
She released a long breath before admitting, “Graves and I had a fight.”
Lorcan stilled, and she was a few feet in front of him before she turned around. “About what?”
“What do you think?” she said when he caught up to her.
“There’s so many options,” he said with a glimmer in his eyes.
“Lorcan,” she warned.
He held up a hand. “That’s why you’ve been in Brooklyn.”