Chapter 11

Kildare, Ireland – Sunday.

Edmund.

When I wake I slip out of my bed, head to the kitchen and get the coffee going. I know Rae will sleep if I let her, while the coffee brews I head up to the main kitchen in search of freshly baked goodies for breakfast.

“What are you poking around my kitchen for?” My grandmother’s voice fills the room when I peek into the oven, she wasn’t here when I arrived but she has something baking and I couldn’t help but sneak a peek.

“Looking for breakfast.”

“For Rae?” She raises her eyebrows at me.

“Do you know everything?” I ask, my tone accusing.

I watch as she shrugs and nods. “Most things,” she agrees. “So how is it going?”

“It’s going.” I shrug. “Except now she is moving out.”

“She isn’t going anywhere, Edmund. Trust me. Here, or in the cottage, your mate will still be your mate.” Contemplating her words as she pulls the tray of piping hot biscuits from the oven I shrug.

“I don’t know.” I flex my hands, shifting from foot to foot.

“I do,” she reassures me, places a few of the biscuits on a plate and hands it to me. “Take these, tell her how you feel.”

“I tried that last night, it didn’t go well.” Shaking my head, I take the plate.

“Then try again.” She kisses me on the cheek, then pulls me to her by the counter. “Take these too,” she says, handing me another plate filled with jars of jellies. I smile and head back to my apartment.

Rae is still sound asleep when I get there, no signs of her waking up soon. I head to the couch and grab my phone from the nightstand. I have another message from Carley, I read this one through twice, attached to it are naked pictures of her and me together and I cringe at having them out there in the world.

Edmund: Carley, we aren’t doing this again. We are through. Please don’t keep texting me.

I shoot her my response and hope it does some good. Every few months she does this, shows up out of the woodwork, and tries to get back together with me. Now, with Rae in the picture, the last thing I need is this woman trying to sabotage our relationship.

I’m scrolling through my phone when I hear her sleepy voice fill the room. “Good morning.” Rae yawns out the words and I smile at her.

“Morning. I stole us some fresh biscuits,” pointing to the kitchen, “they’re on the counter next to the coffee.”

“What has you so distracted on your phone over there?” Rae nods to me and my scrolling as she heads to the kitchen. I’m just trying to clear out all the old pictures on my phone, realizing that is probably a more endearing thing about me, than shady, I decide to be honest.

“I was getting rid of old photos in my phone. From… before.” I shrug, hoping she gets the message.

“Ah, so like naked pictures of other women? That’s what you’ve been looking at all morning?” Her tone is teasing, but I tread lightly.

“Deleting, all morning.”

“If it has taken you all morning there must be a lot.” My shoulders drop at her words.

* * *

Rae.

“I’m not looking for a fight, Edmund, I’m just saying.” I make my way to the kitchen and grab a biscuit and a cup of coffee then head to the couch and sit down next to him.

When Edmund leans over and kisses me on the cheek I glance at his phone, the screen is filled with pictures of him and other women. I have no right to be jealous, we all know what I have been out doing every night. His past is no different than mine and I have to accept that.

“Don’t pout,” he tells me, kissing me again. “What do you want to do today?”

“Oh, I have to go with Ciara and pick out furniture for the cottage.” I scrunch up my face when I say it because I know it is a sensitive subject for us right now.

“Gotcha. Well then, I guess you have a busy day ahead of you. Want to meet me at the pub later? The three of us can have some drinks and plan your new place?” I smile at his attempt to include himself in this, I know he is trying to let me know that he isn’t still angry about it.

“Yes, that sounds good.” Nodding I turn my attention back to my breakfast and we sit in silence, Edmund still working to clear out his phone and me contemplating how long it is taking him to do so.

* * *

Rae.

“Do you really think that couch will fit?” I ask Ciara for the fifth time as she sits on the couch in the middle of the department store. We have had this conversation over and over again. I think it is too big for the cottage, she thinks it is fine.

“It will fit!” she whines at me and I just shrug, giving in. She can be the one to return it and pick out another one if it is too big.

“Fine,” I drop it. “Hey, Ciara?”

“What’s up, Rae?”

“How much do you know about Edmund’s exes?”

“What? What kind of question is that? Why do you care about who Edmund is sleeping with, or rather who he has slept with?”

I bite my tongue, realizing there is no way to have this conversation without being honest with Ciara about what is going on.

“Oh, no reason. Don’t worry about it. Did you want to look at a matching chair?” I distract her with the promise of more furniture and she lets the subject drop.

* * *

Carley.

When I hear her ask her friend about his exes I know she is thinking about me. That I’m having an effect on him with my messages and pictures this morning. He must be talking about me to her. I smile at the thought.

I continue to follow the two women throughout the day, I am waiting for the perfect time. I don’t want to be too obvious and get caught, so I stay as far from them as I can but still be able to hear their conversation.

She doesn’t bring up Edmund again and it irritates me, if she loved him half as much as I do she wouldn’t be able to stop talking about him.

When they finally pull up at the pub and I see Edmund’s car there, it irks me. I know he is going to spend the night with her again and I can’t help what I do next. Waiting until they’re inside the club and it is dark I make my move.

Bitch. The word looks good on the side of her car. I smile as I head into the pub, staying to the shadows, I scan the room for him.

* * *

Rae.

Sitting at the bar between Edmund and Ciara isn’t as awkward as I thought it would be, that is until he runs his hand up my thigh and cups my pussy. I breathe out steady breaths through my nose, trying to listen to Ciara talk about drape colors and throw pillows, but my mind is other places.

When I glance over at him he winks at me, and then whispers in my ear, “Let’s go home.” I nod slowly at him, it is late. We have been here all night alternating between listening to Ciara chatter excitedly about the apartment and pout over Rian, I’m over it. I’m ready to be in bed with Edmund.

“Hey, Ciara. I’m beat, ready to head home. You ready?” I pull her attention to me and watch her shrug.

“Seriously, Rae? I expected you to leave us for some guy hours ago, or head off now, and not show up until tomorrow.” Her words sting, but they’re true, a week ago that’s exactly how this night would have gone down. Now, the only man I want to go home with still has ahold of me under the bar like he is guarding me from the other men in the pub and I smile at the thought.

“Yea, I guess I’m just kind over that right now.” I shrug at her.

“Okay, then let’s head home.” Ciara stands from her barstool and wobbles a little bit. I catch her as I stand and feel Edmund’s hand brush over my ass. The blush spreading over my cheeks feels hot and tingly.

“What’s that about?” Ciara points at me.

“Oh. That guy over there,” I point in a random direction and shrug her off. “Let’s get you out of here. I think you’ve had enough.”

Ciara lets out a small burp and then giggles in my face, I roll my eyes at her. “I’ll take her,” Edmund tells me as he grabs his sister’s other arm and leads her out of the pub. “You go ahead and I’ll follow you home. Meet me downstairs,” he growls the last instruction low in my ear before we make it to the front door and I see him head to his car parked a few spaces from mine.

“What the fuck!” I shout, stomping my foot. I’m pissed when I see my car, scratched into the paint down the driver’s side is the word bitch. Across the hood it says slut.

“What’s wrong?” Edmund calls from his car as he loads a now passed out Ciara into the front seat.

“Come look at this shit!” Closing the door and heading to me he puts his hands on his hips and purses his lips.

“It looks like you pissed off someone pretty good. Perhaps one of those fellas of yours was actually with someone else and now you have an angry girlfriend coming after you.”

“One of those fellas? Is that a dig, Edmund?” Letting my eyes flame silver at him I raise a brow.

“No,” he holds his hands up to me. “I’m honestly just saying it looks like you pissed off someone’s girlfriend, pretty bad.”

“What am I going to do about this shit? The whole car is going to have to be painted. This is bullshit.” Stomping my foot again I run my hand along the marred paint.

“I’ll see if I can buff it out for you. Maybe it’s not that deep and we can get it taken care of fairly easy. But, yea, it looks like you may need to get a new paint job.” Edmund rests his hand on my shoulder.

“Damn it!” I shout. Fully aware I’m on the verge of a full-blown temper tantrum.

“That will teach you to piss where you eat,” he laughs.

“Seriously, Edmund! You find this funny?” I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from yelling.

“A little, I’m not going to lie.” He looks back over his shoulder at his car. Ciara is slumped over drunk in the front seat. “Come here.” Holding his arms out to me, he grabs me quickly and pulls me against his body. “You’re my slut now.” His words against my ear followed by his tongue trailing down my neck send a shockwave of pleasure through me and I am ready to be back at the keep with him, in his bed.

I need more of what he has given me and I need it now. “Yes, sir,” I purr back to him. Him smacking me on the ass suddenly makes me flinch, still sore from our antics. But I pay it little mind as Edmund opens the driver’s door and helps me into the car.

“Downstairs, naked, waiting for me. Understand?” His instructions are clear.

“Yes, sir.” I smile at him as he closes the door.

I wait for him to get into his car and I pull out in front of him as he pulls away from the curb, following me home.

Pulling up to the keep I see the headlights behind me and expect Edmund to park next to me in his usual spot. But the car pulls sideways into the driveway and headlights are shining in my window as I get out of the car.

Lifting my hand up to shield my eyes, I see the figure get out of the car and know instantly it is not Edmund, this night is just getting worse and worse.

“Can I help you?” I ask the stranger in the darkness.

“He is mine you filthy slut!” the woman yells at me, as she gets closer to me she slaps me in the face and I pull back from her hand.

Anger washes through me and I want nothing more than to take her head in my hand and smash her face into the hood of her car. Then lick the blood from her, but I know that would be damning for me.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was with someone.” I put my hands up to defend myself, I’m not even sure who this he we are discussing is, but I’m pretty sure this is the woman who keyed the hell out of my car.

“Well, you do now so leave him alone!” She reaches for me again and I step back quickly, quicker than she was expecting me to be able to and she falls face first in the gravel of the driveway.

Serves her right, I think to myself as I chuckle. “While this has been eye-opening, and rather confusing, this is private property and you need to leave.” I step over her and head for the front door, looking down the driveway as I go to see if Edmund’s car is there, I don’t know where he is. I could really use his backup right now.

I watch the strange woman get into her car, I try to get another look at her, but I’m sure I don’t recognize her. Even if I had seen her before, I wouldn’t be able to identify her in the darkness.

She speeds down the driveway past Edmund’s car as he finally pulls in next to mine.

“Who was that?” he asks, his head out the window as he parks the car.

“I don’t know! I suspect she has something to do with my car, though.”

Edmund gets out of his car and takes a few steps toward me, I descend the front steps to help him with Ciara.

“The bitch slapped me,” I say when I get closer. “I almost ate her!” I wink at him, only slightly teasing, mostly serious, the internal struggle was real.

“Rae,” he says my name in a warning tone.

“Well, where the hell were you?” Pushing the blame onto him for not being here to back me up.

“Ciara puked, I had to pull over so she didn’t get it all over the car. How many beers did she have?” Edmund wipes his hands on the front of his pants, clearly annoyed.

“I didn’t think she had that many, only one and a half of the second one.” I shrug as I open the passenger door. The sour smell of throw-up fills my nose, but there is something else, something sweet that is out of place.

“Something isn’t right, come on, let’s get her inside.” He moves to lift her from the car. I put my hand on his arm, stopping him.

“Edmund, do you smell that?” I ask him, I know he has a stronger sense of smell than I do for some things, but this I would have thought he would have mentioned if he'd noticed it.

“What is it?” Leaning into the car he takes a whiff and turns to look at me, his eyes glowing.

“Did someone drug her?” Scrunching my face at the funny smell, and her reaction to very little alcohol, I start to connect the dots.

“Like roof her? We were with her all night.” He scratches his chin and tilts his head to the side.

“We went to the bathroom. Did you watch our drinks while we were gone?” I try to keep the accusation out of my voice, but it is still there.

“I don’t know,” he shrugs. “Let me get her inside.” Edmund scoops Ciara up and I close the car door behind them then make my way to the front steps and open the door for him. As he carries her up the stairs, I follow, still trying to make sense of it all.

When he settles her in her bed and then meets me back in the hall, my eyes go wide. I make the connection and realize why the woman seemed so caught off guard by my reaction to her here at the house.

“It was meant for me. I bet the bitch who keyed my car and then showed up here meant it for me. What were you doing while we went to the bathroom and left our drinks unattended?”

“Honestly?” Edmund asks as we make our way down the hall and descend the stairs. “I was just chatting with the guy next to me, but I only turned my back for a minute.”

“Well, it looks like she got the wrong drink. Poor, Ciara. She is going to feel like shit.” I stop dead in my tracks. “I should stay with her, Edmund.”

I watch him nod at me, but the sadness in his eyes makes my stomach twist into knots. I wish I could go with him.

“You should.” He pulls me to him by my hand and kisses me on the lips gently. “Tomorrow.” His murmured words against my lips are full of promises and I smile at him, nodding. “Go take care of her.” He points up the stairs behind me to Ciara’s room and I turn, when he smacks me on the ass as I go, I giggle, looking down at him over my shoulder I stick my tongue out at him.