“Do you want to come now?” she whispered into their ear.
“Oh, God, please.” Joey’s muffled voice was thick with need and the sound made Marianne wet all over again.
When she ran a fingertip over Joey’s clit, they froze and let out a long moan. The door handle rattled and Marianne froze.
Joey, in a feat of superhuman effort, went from mid orgasm to locate the duvet, and flipped it over them both just before Denny’s tousled little head appeared in the doorway.
“Hey, sweatpea, what’s up?” Marianne got up and grabbed Joey’s shirt from the floor. He’d come into the bedroom when Joey was there before, but never at such an exposed moment.
“Mama? Denny dreamed.” He wandered into the bedroom, rubbing his eyes.
She lifted him onto her hip, and he snuggled in. “You had a bad dream? Let’s go and get you some milk and settle you back into bed.”
She mouthed “sorry” to Joey, who lay with the covers pulled up to their neck, still flushed and breathing heavily.
She warmed some milk for Denny, and he drank it down and wrapped his arms around her neck. She tiptoed back to his room, but as they passed her own bedroom he wriggled and shouted for Joey. She was too tired for this. She stuck her head around her bedroom door.
“Sorry, he wants you.”
Joey looked a little more composed. They’d pulled on their boxers and one of Marianne’s larger T-shirts. They nodded enthusiastically and held out their arms to take Denny. He sank down between their legs and leaned into them.
Marianne watched him settle into Joey’s strong, soft chest, a reassuring arm wrapped around him, and she couldn’t blame him for choosing Joey over his own bed.
She leaned in. “Sorry about the abrupt change of mood,” she whispered, her lips close to Joey’s ear.
“It’s all good.” They turned and kissed her gently. Denny was already dozing, his breath coming in little purrs. Joey’s eyelids drooped, and Marianne watched as they closed, and Joey relaxed into sleep.
Marianne went to the bathroom and poured herself a glass of water.
Back in the bedroom, she stood at the foot of the bed and watched Denny wrapped in Joey’s arms. Denny was in a safe place; she trusted Joey beyond doubt. But was it a good idea for Denny to get so close to them? Whatever the future held, she couldn’t see a version of it where she and Joey were together forever, no matter how desirable that concept might be. Even if she convinced Joey to give up their island life, she couldn’t imagine them following her around wherever her career took her. If she ended up back in the city, which was highly likely, she couldn’t picture Joey wandering the city streets in their woolenknits and hi-viz waterproofs. Joey was a child of nature. She could never expect to cage them in an urban life. So what did that mean for their future?
She shook her head wearily and got back into bed, tucking herself into Joey’s side. Joey murmured and moved their arm around her, as if even in their sleep they knew where they belonged.
But where did Marianne belong? Was this perfect island life just her way of avoiding reality? She wanted this to work, for all of them. But how could she make it happen? She hoped she’d find a way forward on her trip to Dublin.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Donal was dishingup breakfast as Joey stepped in the door. They’d been hoping for a discreet return home so they could get changed before starting work, but their brothers looked up with smiles plastered across their faces.
“Did you get a good sleep, Joey?”
“Yeah, you look perky.” Liam nudged Donal and they snickered.
“Yeah, thanks.” The less they engaged, the sooner their brothers would give up. “Give me some of those sausages before I go out on the boat.”
Liam handed over a plate and they sat at the table, while Donal loaded up a dish to take next door to their dad.
“Will I come out with you today? Make sure I know the ropes before you go off gallivanting.”
Joey flicked their eyes up from their meal, knowing he was teasing, but unable to suppress the surge of irritation. “Do you know how long it is since I spent more than a night away from this island?”
He held his fork up in surrender. “It was a joke. I know how tied you are to Dad and the business.”
“Come with me, then. I’ve got a shellfish safari trip this afternoon, though, so I’ll be out all day.”
Liam stopped eating. “Will I need to run trips next week?”
“Kasia has no advance bookings, but sometimes she gets ad hoc requests and calls to see if I can take them out. It’s up to you.”
