Page 28 of Secret Sin
If my heart inflated any more, I could have floated my way to the elevator.
He was quiet in the car all the way to Noemi’s building. I knew he worried about me, so I took out my phone and did something I’d been thinking about doing for a while.
“Let me see your phone,” I said once we were parked.
He raised his brows but complied, unlocking it before handing it over. I pulled up the Find Me app, then showed him where my name and location were now listed.
“That help any?” I asked softly. Considering I’d lived all my life with my parents watching my every move, I was more wary than most to give someone access to my movements. That was personal. Private. I didn’t want just anyone knowing what I was doing at any given time. But Bishop was different. After thinking about it long and hard, I realized that I wanted him to know. And it made me happy to give that security to him.
“You sure you’re okay with that?” He knew how much I prized my independence. The fact that he would ask was exactly why I was willing to share.
“Yeah. I actually kind of like knowing you can find me,” I admitted with a smile.
“Fuck, you’re cute.” His hand cuffed my neck and brought my lips to his. “And yes, it helps a lot. Thank you, baby. Now, text your girl and let her know we’re here.” Bishop had graciously offered to play Uber for the night. He would have liked to have joined us, even if only to skulk in the distance and observe, but I insisted that this party was girls only.
The three of us ladies unloaded in front of the club thirty minutes later. We looked HOT, if I did say so myself. It was a crisp October night, but that didn’t stop us from wearing our hottest clubbing attire. Besides, it wouldn’t be an issue once we hit the dance floor.
The club was alive with energy when we arrived—the pumping bass, the gyrating bodies, the flashing colored lights—an intoxicating cocktail for the senses.
“Let’s get this party started!” Shae called out, leading us to the bar.
We kicked off the night with shots. How else did you celebrate turning twenty-one? We danced, laughed, and gossiped about the guys with the occasional stop at the bar thrown in. When one hour bled into two, however, I noticed that Shae had grown quiet. And I might have just been drunk, but I could have sworn she’d been nursing the same drink for an hour.
“You okay?” I asked over the music.
Shae’s gaze flitted quickly to mine and away. “Yeah, but you two stay here. I’ll be right back.” She didn’t stick around long enough for questions.
Noemi and I turned wide eyes on one another.
“What’s up with her?” I asked.
She shrugged. “No clue.”
We both turned to watch her and almost fell out of our chairs when she pulled a WWE move that sent a full-grown man to the ground.
“Holy shit!” I blurted while Em stared slack-jawed. Then we both burst from our seats and rushed to Shae’s side where she held the man facedown on the ground with one of his arms pulled back at an awkward angle.
“Who sent you?” Her voice was cold as steel. I was so damn impressed.
The man winced but didn’t cry out. Instead, he peered up at her, eyes narrowing. “You wouldn’t happen to be a Byrne, would ye?” He had a decadent Irish accent that made him sound surprisingly carefree. I couldn’t see his features well, but he looked fit, though it had done him little good.
“Depends. Who the hell are you?” Shae shot back.
“Let me up, and I’ll tell ye. This isn’t exactly the place for a private conversation.”
At that moment, two burly bouncers made their way to the front of the spectators circling us. Shae eyed them, then reluctantly allowed the Irishman off the ground.
“Don’t even think of disappearing. I want an explanation. Over there.” She motioned to our table where our nearly full drinks had been left unattended. It was a shame. I’d have to throw mine out, and it had been nearly full. Though from the look of things, sobering up was a good idea.
The area settled back to its lively status quo. Our little scene, while harrowing for us, had only been a tasty morsel of entertainment for everyone else. The bouncers still eyed us, ready to escort us out, but everyone else’s attention had moved on.
“Who are you?” Shae repeated when we’d all gathered back at the table.
Now that I could see the man in full, I was shocked at how attractive he was. His curly brown hair was artfully messy on top, and the square cut of his jaw was masculine perfection, accented by a neatly trimmed layer of stubble. But it was the line of his angular brow, low over deep-set dark eyes, that stole the show. Together with that accent? There were no words.
“I was sent from Dublin,” he answered cryptically.
“And you expect me to believe you didn’t know who I was? You’ve been eyeing us for half an hour, not at all discreetly, I might add.”