Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
I turned his way. “Yes.”
His eyes darkened when I didn’t give any further explanation. “Not appropriate to take gifts from another man when ye’re with me, Fiona. Give it to someone else.”
I clutched it tighter. “No.”
Brian’s nostrils flared. “Fi—”
I wasn’t listening. My head swiveled, scanning the crowd where Tommy had disappeared, and something snapped inside me.
I couldn’t do this anymore.
Not to myself.
Certainly not to Tommy.
I took a step back, my decision made. “Brian, I can’t see ye anymore.”
His chin jerked inward. “What?”
“I don’t want this. I never wanted this.”
Before he could respond, I spun on my heel and ran. I had no idea where Tommy went, only knew I had to get away from Brian and all he represented.
I weaved through the crowd, nudging past people, looking left and right. My heart hammered, my legs moving faster than my mind.
And then I saw him, taller than the others, that dark head of hair. I found Tommy just as he was reaching another stall, his head turning in surprise as I threw myself into his arms.
He caught me, steadying me, hands gripping my waist. “Fi—”
“I choose ye,” I blurted breathlessly, my fingers twisting into his shirt. “I choose ye.”
His arms tightened around me but they didn’t feel like a cage. On the contrary, for the first time, I felt free.
And then, I felt trapped again as a hand clamped around my arm.
“We’re leaving,” Brian growled, and I was stunned to see him there, trying to pull me away from Tommy. My heart lurched against my ribs. The world seemed to narrow, the laughter and music of the festival dulling beneath the raw, simmering tension.
Tommy moved fast—faster than I’d ever seen him move before. In a blur, his hand shot out, shoving Brian hard in the chest as his arm went around my waist to steady me. The force sent Brian stumbling back several steps, nearly colliding with a group of festivalgoers. A few gasps rippled through the crowd as people turned to watch, murmuring in interest, glances darting between the two of them.
I exhaled a shaky breath, my arm still tingling from Brian’s grip.
Tommy took a step forward, placing himself squarely between us, his broad shoulders blocking me from Brian’s reach. His voice was low, lethal, his Southern drawl razor-sharp with warning. I leaned to the side so I could see what was going on.
“Touch her again,” Tommy seethed, “and I’ll knock your teeth down your throat.”
The weight of his threat crackled between them like an electrical storm. The easygoing, flirtatious Tommy I had come to know was gone, replaced by someone who was dangerous and unyielding.
Brian blinked, his chest rising and falling heavily, still off-balance from the shove. But his shock quickly turned to indignation. He straightened his jacket, smoothing a hand over the lapel as if to restore his dignity, his irritation evident as he looks to me.
“Fiona,” he snapped, his voice clipped and commanding, a tone I was suddenly very tired of hearing. He sounded just like my da. “Get over here. Now. Or I’ll go straight to yer father.”
The words landed like a slap but the sting wasn’t as sharp.
For so long, that threat would have terrified me—the mere mention of my father’s disappointment, his anger, had always been enough to keep me in line. It was the invisible leash that had bound me, the one that dictated every choice I made, every step I took.
But not anymore.
I stepped around Tommy, lifted my chin and squared my shoulders. “Go ahead,” I said.
Brian’s brows snapped together, confusion flickering across his face.
“I don’t care,” I continued, finding my voice, finding my courage. “Tell him whatever ye want. But I’m not going out with ye again.”
Brian stared at me, his mouth slightly open like he couldn’t quite process what was happening. Like I had somehow slipped through his fingers, and he had no idea how to get me back.
I didn’t give him the chance.
I reached for Tommy’s hand, lacing my fingers with his, anchoring myself to something real, something I wanted—not something that was being forced upon me.
Tommy’s grip tightened, solid, reassuring, and when I glanced up at him, his brilliantly blue eyes were already on me, flickering with something undeniably possessive, undeniably proud.
Brian barked a harsh, bitter laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. “Ye’re making a mistake, Fiona.”
“Maybe,” I admitted, glancing back at him. “But at least it’s my mistake to make.”
He exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair, anger simmering beneath the surface. Then, without another word, he turned and disappeared into the crowd, swallowed by the sea of people.
I released a long breath, my entire body suddenly buzzing, weightless, free.
I exhaled shakily, looking up at Tommy.
“Damn, darlin’,” he murmured. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”
I laughed.
And then he kissed me.
CHAPTER 15
Tommy
Fiona’s hand fit perfectly in mine, her fingers soft and warm as we walked through the festival. The night air had cooled but the energy of the celebration still thrummed around us.