“Rude.” I feign offense and kiss the tip of his nose.
“I love you, Acushla.”
I snuggle closer, sighing contentedly. “I love you too, handsome.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Norah
The last week of the Fall Semester has finally arrived, and luckily for me, I only have two finals, and they’re both later this week. I’ve spent the last two days studying, but today, I’m taking a break to have lunch with Alicia. After Thanksgiving, we didn’t really have a chance to talk about whatever happened between her and Ro, so when the opportunity became available, we took advantage.
“So, are you going to tell me what happened between you and Ro, or am I going to have to beat it out of you?” I ask, folding my arms on the table.
Alicia groans and hangs her head. “Ugh, Norie, do we haveto talk about this?”
“If you really don’t want to, then I respect that, but you might feel better if you get it off your chest.”
“You’re right, I guess. It’s just…it’s kind of embarrassing,” she confesses.
Eamon relayed Ro’s side of the story to me already, but I need to hear it from Alicia.
I place my hand over my heart and vow, “I won’t laugh or make fun of you. I promise.”
She hesitates, then points a finger at me. “Fine. But this goes nowhere, understand? I don’t want Pat to know. I’d never hear the end of it.”
Alicia divulges the story of running into Rowan at a club. They participated in their regular banter, but as their alcohol levels increased, the banter turned more suggestive. Alicia begged Rowan to dance with her, so between the booze and the physical proximity, one thing led to another, and they found themselves locked in the bathroom.
“I was fully aware that this was going to be a one-time hookup. I know Ro. He doesn’t do relationships, and I know better than to expect more,” she tells me. “I just wanted to live in the moment, you know? How often do you get to hook up with a sexy Irish soccer player?”
I shrug and say, “Well, I don’t know about you, but I…”
“Okay, well we can’t all be Norah Grady, and I doubt that you want to share.”
I laugh and say, “No, I really don’t. But I can speak from experience that one time will never satisfy that craving.”
God, isn’t that the truth? Just thinking about Eamon has me feeling hot and bothered.
Alicia gapes at me, “That’s not helpful. Especially since he stopped us before anything happened.”
She scowls while stabbing the food on her plate with a fork. Note to self, Rowan denying her makes her stabby.
Acting like I don’t know anything, I gasp incredulously, “You’re joking! Rowan Gallagherstoppeda hookup?”
“Yes,” she whines but continues, “he said it wasn’t right and that we’d had too much to drink. Which is true, but I knew what I was doing. He wouldn’tbelieve me when I told him that. I was so embarrassed and pissed off that I stormed out of there, and I haven’t spoken to him since. He’s tried to talk to me a few times at the pub. I try to ignore him, but I’d love nothing more than to throw a beer in his face.”
“It’s hard to believe that Ro has a gallant bone in his body, but it sounds like he was trying to keep from taking advantage of you. I’d say that’s a sign of respect, which we all know is not something he’s known for,” I say soothingly.
“Did you know he cornered me at your place on Thanksgiving?” Alicia asks, setting her fork down.
“Yeah.” I nod. “I saw him follow you back there, but that’s all.”
“He basically said the same thing. That he respected me too much to make me one of his casual hookups. I’m not sure if I believe him. He’ll sleep with anything that has a vagina, but not me. Clearly, there’s something wrong with me if even Rowan Gallagher won’t touch me,” Alicia says, picking her fork back up and spearing her food as if it were Ro’s face.
“Hey,” I say softly, stretching my hand out to stop her from breaking the plate. “I can guarantee you that there isnothingwrong with you.” She rolls her eyes in answer, and I hesitate before asking, “What if I told you that he talked to Eamon and Teagan about that night?”
Her head pops up, and the fork clatters against her plate. “You already knew?”
I nod and tell her, “I did, but I wanted to know your side since Ro is known for his tall tales. I’m sorry if that feels like trickery.”
