Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

G iovanni opened the door to the pub, nudging Erin inside. But the moment she saw all his cousins filling the tables, she pivoted, ducking under his arm and shooting back into the cold.

"Come on, Erin."

"I can't. They hate me."

"They don't know you."

"They know they don't like me. Let's go somewhere else."

"You promised you'd come to O'Malley's with me. I want to hang out with my family."

Her stomach churned. "Then stay. I can go home. I was going to clean out that cabinet in the garage and I need to go through the paint samples. The carpet guy is coming in a few days and?—"

He cut off her words, sealing his mouth over hers with a hard kiss. Her breasts smashed against his chest as he hugged her to him, giving her no room to escape. When he pulled away, her head was spinning.

"Are you done now?"

"No," she whined. It wasn't fair when he used his body to confuse her. "Please don't make me go in there."

He kissed her forehead. "Come on. Hold my hand. We got this."

He laced his fingers with hers and pulled open the door. "Rivers And Roads" played from the jukebox, and the air smelled of fresh cut wood.

O'Malley's looked completely different since the girls bought it. There was a huge addition getting added to the back, but the front had also been transformed.

Raw wood tabletops and rope-hung chandeliers gave the bar a fresh feel. Candles added an amber glow, and mason jars stuffed with baby's breath and yellow daisies dotted hidden corners.

"Hey, guys. Anyone sitting here?" Giovanni said by way of introduction and several of his cousins smiled until they noticed Erin by his side.

Erin shrank into his arm, hiding like a little kid, behind the bulk of his coat.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kelly asked, a look of confusion on his face.

Giovanni ignored him and pulled out a chair for her. "You guys remember Erin, right?"

Several confused faces stared at them.

Luke snickered into his beer. "You know Finn's on his way?"

Her mortification grew. Giovanni practically stuffed her into the chair and sat by her side. His hand tightened around hers as if he sensed she might bolt.

Sue appeared with a drink order.

"Can we get two rum and cokes, Sue?"

Sue did a double take. "Uh, sure. Coming right up. Anyone else?"

"I think we could all use a round of shots."

"I'll bring the bottle." Sue tucked her tray under her arm, skirting the table, but not before Erin caught her shooting a meaningful look at Sheilagh that made Erin shrink deeper into her chair.

"So, what's new?" Giovanni asked, and she cringed at his blatant refusal to acknowledge how terribly awkward this was.

A cool breeze cut through the bar and everyone's heads turned toward the door. Several of the guys chuckled and smiled into their fists. Erin's eyes widened as a heavy hand landed on her shoulder and squeezed.

Spine stiff, she turned to find Finn behind her, wearing a big grin. "Hey, good to see you two out." He leaned over and shook Giovanni's hand. "Mind if we sit here?"

Without waiting for an answer, he pulled out the chair beside Erin and Mallory was suddenly next to her.

"Hey, Erin." Finn's wife smiled as if they were gal-pals from way back. "Ooh, I love your earrings." She touched the topaz clasps hanging from Erin's ears. "Blue looks so good with your hair."

Erin blinked. "Thanks?"

Giovanni's hand moved to Erin's thigh and massaged gently. Finn took a seat to Mallory's right and everyone else stared. Sue returned with their drinks, several shot glasses, and a bottle of Tully.

"How do you know when a cannibal's had enough?" Giovanni asked no one in particular, reaching for his rum and coke. "They throw up their arms."

Someone tossed a napkin in his face and booed, but Erin laughed. He sent her a smile and winked.

"Is your drink okay?" He slid it closer to her and she took a sip, welcoming the calming effects of the rum.

Shots were passed around and they all said something in Gaelic and tossed them back with a cheer. Giovanni slung his arm over her shoulders as if there was nothing strange about her presence. The conversation slowly picked up and then they were basically ignored, which was a relief.

Every now and then, Mallory leaned over to include her in a bit of conversation, but Erin was too self-conscious to say much back. She was blown away by how incredibly nice Finn's wife was and regretted all the nasty things she might have thought about her over the years to make herself feel better.

Finn's sister Sheilagh held everyone's attention as she told a story about her parents. Her siblings and their spouses laughed, falling into each other even though some of them claimed to have heard the story before.

"You should have seen her, carrying on like a banshee. Sheilagh, where are my dolls? You better not have lost them! I told you not to play with them," Sheilagh imitated her mother's Irish lilt to perfection. "She looked for those damn Russian nesting dolls for two hours!"

Erin stared as Finn laughed, smiling at Mallory, as he casually brought her hand to his lips for a kiss.

"I hate Russian nesting dolls," Giovanni whispered in Erin's ear, startling her and stealing back her attention. He grinned once he had her full eye contact. "They're so full of themselves."

At first she thought he meant Finn and Mallory, but then she realized he was making a joke. Once she got the punch line, she laughed. "Buh-dump-bump."

He lifted her hand, much like Finn had lifted his wife's, and pressed a kiss to her fingers. Only, at the last second, he licked between her fingers and bit her knuckle.

Her breath hitched at the promise in his eyes. Leaning closer, he brushed the hair away from her ear. "Did I mention I'm the jealous sort? I like to be the focus of your attention."

She had been watching Finn a lot. Mostly because she envied his connection with his wife, but also because she realized she felt nothing aside from platonic friendship for him after all these years. She was truly happy for him.

Giovanni tugged her under his arm, keeping her back to his chest and a loose grip on her hand as they sipped their drinks and listened to the conversation at the table. She leaned into his body, appreciating the support.

Some of the girls got up to use the bathroom and the boys took the break as a chance to squeeze in a round of darts.

"Do you dance?"

She glanced at Giovanni. "When I'm at a wedding."

"Only weddings?"

She shrugged. "Where else do people dance?"

He angled his head toward the open floor. "Let's pick a song."

She twisted and pressed her back into the chair. "No one's dancing."

"So?"

"So, I don't like being the center of attention."

"No one's looking at us."

"They will if we start dancing in the middle of a bar when no one else is."

"So let them. Come on."

He tugged her up from the table and dragged her to the jukebox. "We need to pick a good song since it'll be our first dance. Then we can say cute shit like ‘aw, honey, they're playing our song.' " He sorted through the suggested listings.

Erin stared at him, unsure if he realized how much the permanence he assumed about their relationship terrified her. Little by little, she'd been trying to open herself up, but it wasn't in her nature to care for others. The truth was, the more her feelings grew, the more she feared him walking away. She didn't like having so much to lose.

She often wondered what he might say next or how he might think or feel about something she said. It was exhausting investing so much into someone else. There were a lot of sticky emotions to process and she didn't want those feelings sticking around if he chose to leave.

But what if he chose to stay?

She shut the door on the thought, refusing to get ahead of herself. Right now, this was where she was. Giovanni made her feel good. When the good feelings went away, so would she. That was it.

"Perfect," he said, sliding a dollar into the machine and pushing a few buttons.

He pulled her toward the open floor and she dug her heels into the wood. He ignored the tension in her limbs and lifted her arm to his shoulder, holding her other hand hostage in his.

"I don't know if you're ready for these moves. My Nona made me dance with her every Sunday when I was a kid."

A slow violin preened and a flute twittered as Frank Sinatra's crooning voice filled the bar, purring "My Funny Valentine." Giovanni pulled her in a circle, slowly twirling her with an expertise she couldn't match. He wasn't lying when he said his grandmother taught him to dance.

"Relax. Let me lead."

She looked down at her feet, trying to keep up with him when the beat sped up.

He caught her chin, lifting her head. "Don't look at the floor. Look at me."

When he pulled her closer, her stare coasted over the bar, spotting the guys at the back and the girls returning from the restroom trip. Mallory caught her stare and smiled.

" Stay, little valentine, stay ," Giovanni sang into her ear, his breath teasing her neck.

He whispered to her much like he did when they were in bed, and a familiar tickle filled her chest, fluttering softly like the wings of a butterfly. Leave it to Giovanni to make something as simple as dancing feel as intimate as making love. People were definitely staring at them.

The more they moved, the more she got the hang of it. Giovanni danced like he was walking on air. No one had ever danced with her like that.

As Sinatra belted out the last line, her body dipped back and she laughed out of sheer nervousness that he might drop her, but he held her tight and looked into her eyes and she knew she was safe in his arms.

He smiled, pulling her slowly out of the dip until their lips met. The music faded away, as did the other patrons, and for a moment, it was just the two of them.

He kissed her softly as if tasting the most delicate, decadent dessert. He moaned into her mouth and dragged his hands into her hair, gracefully holding her body flush against his as he pulled them back to standing upright. She was dizzy when his mouth finally left hers.

Hoots and hollers broke the silence, followed by one sharp whistle and their bodies broke apart. Erin flushed as Giovanni shot a grin over his shoulder to his cousins as they bounced around like primates. He took a theatrical bow.

Her skin burned as the women all gaped at her. It was as if she could hear their thoughts and feel their venom. Every woman but Mallory scowled at her as if she'd done something terrible like brainwash Giovanni and force him to join a cult that worshipped Satan.

Erin couldn't bear their scrutinizing stares. She rushed out of the bar, hearing Giovanni curse the second he realized she was on the move.

"Erin, wait!" He caught her arm as soon as her feet hit the pavement of the parking lot. "Don't go. I was only playing around."

"I told you I didn't want to dance! I don't like being the center of attention!"

"I'm sorry. I thought we were having fun."

"They were laughing at me!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You heard them." She pressed her face into her palms. "Did you see how they were looking at me? They hate me."

He frowned. "No, they don't. The guys were just being guys and the girls…They're just trying to figure out your motive."

"I don't have a motive!"

"I know that. And, soon, they will, too."

She hated feeling like she needed to prove herself to them.

"Hey." He pulled her close and kissed her hair. "Forget about them."

She leaned into the shelter of his body and frowned. "I told you I don't like being the center of attention."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you."

She wanted to storm off, but for a moment when they were dancing, she'd been having fun, too. "It's embarrassing."

"What is? We didn't do anything wrong."

She couldn't explain it to him. He didn't understand what it felt like to feel so universally disliked, to know that they talked about her and never had anything kind to say. "All the women were staring at me."

"Maybe they were jealous."

"Hardly."

He scoffed. "Did you see my moves? Fred Astaire would have been green with envy."

She chuckled and shoved him. "Don't make me laugh. It's cheating. I'm mad at you."

"But I like your laugh, even when it's that little pitying one that follows my lame jokes." He stepped closer, turning her so her body pressed to his. He slipped a finger under her shirt and tickled her side. "Come on, let me hear you laugh."

She giggled and shoved his hand away. "Don't."

"Come on," he cajoled, searching out that little spot where she happened to be extra ticklish.

She squirmed, but not before he found that tender slope just above her hip and dug his fingers in. She spun away, but he caught her by the waist, hauling her back to him.

He cupped her breast and growled. "You're mine."

"We're in a parking lot." She shivered, realizing she left her coat inside. "And it's freezing."

"Come back inside."

She wanted to, but she was still embarrassed from the dance and now from making a scene. They all saw her run out. "What will we tell them?"

"Whatever we want. Tell them I farted and you needed fresh air. Who cares?"

"I do."

He turned her face and kissed her. "Don't tell them anything. Just go back in because you want to have another drink with me. We're too cool to give a shit about what anyone else might think." He took her hand. "Please."

She couldn't resist that coaxing look in his dark eyes, so she reluctantly followed him into the bar. Everyone was back at the table and Sue was taking another order of drinks.

"Two more rum and cokes," Giovanni ordered.

His cousins praised his fancy footwork and bitched that if he kept it up their wives were all gonna make them take dance lessons, but other than that, no one mentioned anything.

The conversation circled around family and work, the occasional celebrity gossip cutting in. By her third drink, Erin was starting to unwind.

Mallory got up to use the restroom and Finn leaned close and asked, "Did you do anything for your birthday?"

Giovanni stiffened beside her. Erin looked at Finn with wide eyes and stiffly shook her head. Finn's gaze lifted over her shoulder and regret flashed in his eyes. "Sorry."

She pressed her lips tight. What could she say? Slowly, she leaned back and glanced at Giovanni. He wasn't smiling anymore.

He wasn't even looking at her. Pulling a few bills out of his pocket, he tossed them on the table and stood. "Talk to you guys later."

She had more than half her drink left and wasn't ready to leave, but as he stared down at her expectantly, she figured it was best to go. Without a word, she stood and pulled on her coat. Giovanni's jaw was tight as he walked her to his car.

"When was it?" he finally asked once they were driving home.

"Two days ago. But I hate my birthday and I never celebrate it." Mostly because no one else did. She'd gotten a text from Harrison, but that was it. "I don't know why you're upset. It's not a big deal."

"Did you ever think maybe it should be a big deal? You should have told me. I mean, I look like a shmuck and there's Finn, fully in the know as usual."

"Is this about my birthday or some stupid rivalry you have with your cousin?"

"It's about secrecy. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't know you'd care!"

"That, right there," he snapped, pulling into her driveway. "From now on, assume I care."

"Fine. I'll just spend my day sending you text updates on every little boring thing I do, so I don't screw up and forget some other inconsequential detail you might get upset over." She climbed out of the car, but he didn't turn off the engine or move to unbuckle his seatbelt. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going home."

Her chest chilled, the familiar bite of rejection ripping away any sense of security she stupidly assumed. She hated herself for assuming they were somehow bulletproof. She knew it would only be a matter of time before she disappointed him, she just didn't expect it would be something as stupid as a birthday.

"Fine!" she slammed the door, furious with him and her foolish heart.

When his car backed out of the driveway and the headlights fanned over the house, her throat tightened and her eyes burned. Do not cry.

Her hands shook as she unlocked the door. As soon as she was inside, she threw her keys at the wall and ripped off her purse. But when she saw the empty driveway, a signal that she was alone again, she lost her battle against her tears and slammed the front door shut on her heart.