me back closer. “Relax, Cady. You’re a grown woman,
and you can make your own decisions. You and I had a great time last
night. We both knew what we were getting in to, and you don’t
answer to anyone but yourself. I sure as fuck don’t answer to
Linc.”
“I know you
don’t answer to Linc,” I say quietly as my fingertips dig
into his chest muscles with anxiety. “But you are teammates.
Buds. Friends. This is just awkward.”
“Awkward for
you? Because it’s not going to be awkward for me to have him
see me walk out of your bedroom.”
I’m silent,
digesting what he says. I am an adult. While it may not be
something I’ve ever done before, if I’m truly honest with
myself, I really don’t have any regrets about sleeping with
Zane last night. I can’t explain it, but I’ve never had
such an intense and chemical attraction to someone before. Yes, the
alcohol may have lowered my inhibitions, but I was completely sober
by the third time we’d had sex last night, and I knew then—as
I know now—this was not an experience I could ever regret.
I have been in the
States for the last two weeks, visiting my family here. My trip
started in New Jersey, staying with my aunt and uncle, Nora and Nick
Caldwell. My dad, Keefe, is Nora’s older brother, both siblings
having been born and raised in Dublin. But Aunt Nora moved to the
States going on close to thirty years ago and stayed because she
married a Yank. That would be my Uncle Nick. I spent a week there,
hanging out with them and my cousin, Flynn, who I don’t get to
see enough of as I live across The Pond in Dublin, where I was also
born and raised.
It was a whirlwind
week. Flynn is a firefighter just across the river in Brooklyn and
along with his girlfriend, Rowan, took me out in the Big Apple a few
times, showing me all around the touristy sights. I also spent some
time with my other cousin, Nix Caldwell, and his wife, Emily. Nix is
sort of my cousin… by marriage anyway. His dad, Hank, is my
Uncle Nick’s brother, and the Caldwell kids all grew up
together. Nix, his brother Linc, and my true cousins, Flynn and
Renner Caldwell. We came to visit the Caldwell clans every few years,
and since we were all close in age, I was just as close to Nix and
Linc as I was to Renner and Flynn, although being as Renner was the
only girl, I was obviously much closer to her than I was the boys.
Which works out nicely for me now that she lives in Dublin with her
rock star boyfriend, Cillian, and I get to see her all the time.
Nix and Emily live
in New Jersey and my nights with them were quiet, consisting of
family dinners and lots of catch-up talk. I had a great time with
them, but before you knew it, I was flying out west… to
Phoenix, to visit, Linc and his fiancée, Ever Montgomery. He’s
the star goalie for the Phoenix Coyotes and because it’s the
off-season, he had nothing better to do than hang out with me during
my visit, which was a wonderful end to my vacation. We mostly chilled
out at his home, and I soaked up the hot Arizona sun by lounging
outside by Linc and Ever’s pool. I read books, listened to
music, and was basically a slug. It was the most relaxed I’ve
ever been, and it was just what I needed before returning to Dublin,
where I’d be entering into my second year at Trinity College,
working toward my master’s in Education.
“You’re
thinking too much,” Zane says, and I raise my gaze to his. His
brow is furrowed in worry. “I see regret in your eyes that you
promised me wouldn’t be there.”
“No,” I
hastily say as I smooth the anxiety out of my face. Giving him a
smile, I say, “I don’t regret last night at all. It was
amazing. It’s just a little awkward for me facing the ‘morning
after’. I thought one-night stands usually ended with one party
slinking out of the other’s bed to make a hasty escape.”
Zane laughs, his
green eyes sparkling, and he lays a swift kiss on my lips. “You
crack me up, Cady. It’s one of the
and you can make your own decisions. You and I had a great time last
night. We both knew what we were getting in to, and you don’t
answer to anyone but yourself. I sure as fuck don’t answer to
Linc.”
“I know you
don’t answer to Linc,” I say quietly as my fingertips dig
into his chest muscles with anxiety. “But you are teammates.
Buds. Friends. This is just awkward.”
“Awkward for
you? Because it’s not going to be awkward for me to have him
see me walk out of your bedroom.”
I’m silent,
digesting what he says. I am an adult. While it may not be
something I’ve ever done before, if I’m truly honest with
myself, I really don’t have any regrets about sleeping with
Zane last night. I can’t explain it, but I’ve never had
such an intense and chemical attraction to someone before. Yes, the
alcohol may have lowered my inhibitions, but I was completely sober
by the third time we’d had sex last night, and I knew then—as
I know now—this was not an experience I could ever regret.
I have been in the
States for the last two weeks, visiting my family here. My trip
started in New Jersey, staying with my aunt and uncle, Nora and Nick
Caldwell. My dad, Keefe, is Nora’s older brother, both siblings
having been born and raised in Dublin. But Aunt Nora moved to the
States going on close to thirty years ago and stayed because she
married a Yank. That would be my Uncle Nick. I spent a week there,
hanging out with them and my cousin, Flynn, who I don’t get to
see enough of as I live across The Pond in Dublin, where I was also
born and raised.
It was a whirlwind
week. Flynn is a firefighter just across the river in Brooklyn and
along with his girlfriend, Rowan, took me out in the Big Apple a few
times, showing me all around the touristy sights. I also spent some
time with my other cousin, Nix Caldwell, and his wife, Emily. Nix is
sort of my cousin… by marriage anyway. His dad, Hank, is my
Uncle Nick’s brother, and the Caldwell kids all grew up
together. Nix, his brother Linc, and my true cousins, Flynn and
Renner Caldwell. We came to visit the Caldwell clans every few years,
and since we were all close in age, I was just as close to Nix and
Linc as I was to Renner and Flynn, although being as Renner was the
only girl, I was obviously much closer to her than I was the boys.
Which works out nicely for me now that she lives in Dublin with her
rock star boyfriend, Cillian, and I get to see her all the time.
Nix and Emily live
in New Jersey and my nights with them were quiet, consisting of
family dinners and lots of catch-up talk. I had a great time with
them, but before you knew it, I was flying out west… to
Phoenix, to visit, Linc and his fiancée, Ever Montgomery. He’s
the star goalie for the Phoenix Coyotes and because it’s the
off-season, he had nothing better to do than hang out with me during
my visit, which was a wonderful end to my vacation. We mostly chilled
out at his home, and I soaked up the hot Arizona sun by lounging
outside by Linc and Ever’s pool. I read books, listened to
music, and was basically a slug. It was the most relaxed I’ve
ever been, and it was just what I needed before returning to Dublin,
where I’d be entering into my second year at Trinity College,
working toward my master’s in Education.
“You’re
thinking too much,” Zane says, and I raise my gaze to his. His
brow is furrowed in worry. “I see regret in your eyes that you
promised me wouldn’t be there.”
“No,” I
hastily say as I smooth the anxiety out of my face. Giving him a
smile, I say, “I don’t regret last night at all. It was
amazing. It’s just a little awkward for me facing the ‘morning
after’. I thought one-night stands usually ended with one party
slinking out of the other’s bed to make a hasty escape.”
Zane laughs, his
green eyes sparkling, and he lays a swift kiss on my lips. “You
crack me up, Cady. It’s one of the
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