“Should I be worried? And does she go to Trinners, or does she just hang around Jamie there all the time?” I ask, needing to understand how big of a threat she poses.
“She isn’t a student. She works full-time in Dunnes.” Dunnes Stores is a leading Irish grocery chain. “I’d watch my back if I was you,” Ash adds. “But she’ll probably just switch her attention full-time to Jamie now.”
“I’m sorry.” I know Ash is staying away from Jamie, but that doesn’t mean he’s not occupying real estate in her head.
“Thank fuck.” Ash sighs, glancing over my shoulder.
“What’s wrong?” Dillon asks, and I whip my head around, grinning as our gazes connect.
“Your ex-fuck-buddy over there didn’t get the memo you’re off the market. She’s been sending daggers at Viv all night.”
Dillon lifts me out of my chair, frowning. “I didn’t see anything, and I’ve been watching.” Sinking down on the seat, he pulls me into his lap. His arms band around me, and he brushes my hair to one side, pressing a kiss to my neck. I lean back against him, my chest humming in satisfaction as I melt into his arms.
“She’s only doing it when you’re not around, dumbass.” Ash rolls her eyes. “Honestly, men are so fucking thick. Of course, her claws aren’t going to come out in front of you! She wants you to think she’s all sweetness and light. I expect she’s biding her time, waiting for you to return to her skanky ass.”
“Ash.” Dillon’s tone contains censure. “You shouldn’t call her that.”
“Why not? If the cap fits,” Ash retorts, gulping back a mouthful of beer.
“Weren’t you the one who lectured me about not labeling women who enjoy casual sex as sluts?”
“Groupies are different. It’s not that I have an issue with her sleeping with multiple guys, or even multiple guys at the same time”—she drills him with a pointed look, referencing the threesome she saw him having with Jamie and Aoife—"it’s the fact she has an agenda. Aoife has dollar signs behind her eyes. She sees you as her ticket out of here. That’s why I called her a skank.”
“Fair enough,” Dillon concedes, nodding. “It’s not like I don’t know that, and I’m done with her now anyway, so it doesn’t matter.” He turns my face slightly, pressing his mouth to my ear. “I don’t care about Aoife unless she’s making you uncomfortable. Is she?”
“She is.” I look him straight in the eye. “Her nasty looks are forcing me to relive my past. I know I’m probably more sensitive than most, but I agree with Ash. She has an agenda, and I don’t want to be caught in the crossfire.”
“I’ll talk to her and make sure she cuts it out. Next time, you need to tell me. If anyone pulls any crap, you come straight to me, and I’ll handle it, okay?” I nod. “I won’t let anyone disrespect you.” Resituating me on his lap so we’re face to face, he drills me with a solemn look, and I get the unspoken message—He’s not Reeve, and he won’t let his groupies treat me like shit.
A layer of stress lifts from my shoulders. “Thank you.”
He cups my cheek. “Show me how grateful you are?” His eyes shimmer suggestively, and I need no further encouragement.
All week, we’ve been kissing and making out like demons, and I’m on the verge of spontaneous sexual combustion. A few of our sessions have grown very heated, and there’s been plenty of groping over clothes, but we haven’t taken it further, and he hasn’t put any pressure on me. Dillon is letting me set the pace, like he promised. I’m growing more and more relaxed with him and finding fewer and fewer reasons to hold back from taking our relationship to the next level.
Tired of waiting for me to show him, Dillon grabs my face and slams his lips to mine. My arms snake around his neck, and I angle my head, opening my lips to welcome his skillful tongue. The small circular ball of his ring gently scrapes against my tongue, and I can’t help imagining what it would feel like if he went down on me. That thought heightens my arousal and elevates the anticipation every time we kiss, and this is no different.
He kisses me deeply and passionately, uncaring we have an audience, until all my worries have flittered away.
“Get a room!” Ro shouts, and we reluctantly break apart.
“You get a room!” Dillon retorts, gesturing to where Ronan’s new girlfriend is presently draped all over him. Thankfully, everything is great between all of us, and Ash was right. Ronan has moved on, and he doesn’t appear to harbor any grudges. I haven’t seen much of him, as I’ve been spending a lot of time with Dillon alone, but any time he has been around, it’s just like always. I’m hugely relieved.