Keeping 13 (Boys of Tommen, #2)

by Chloe Walsh

“Think he’ll represent me, too?” Gibsie asked. Shrugging, he added, “When you’re embarking on hell, it’s always good to have a buddy.”

“The girl you remember is gone, Darren. I’m not her anymore. Whatever I used to be, he beat it out of me a long time ago.”

Do you hear me? I’m here, I’m in, I care, and I’m not going the fuck away.”

“I’ll always be careful with you, Shannon like the river.”

“Well, she needs to step the fuck back from my son,” Mam growled, visibly trembling with anger. “I won’t have it, Johnny. Do you hear me? I won’t have it! She’s a very lucky lady that it was your father with you tonight and not me!”

I adore Johnny's mom lol

“Don’t you get it yet?” he spat out, backing away from me. “Haven’t you figured it out by now? We are all alone.” He shook his head and glared at me. “All of us. On our own. By ourselves. And that’s that.”

“Hi, Johnny,” she whispered, tumbling off the door step as she clung to me. “You came back.” “Hi, Shannon.” My crutches fell to the ground as I wrapped my arms around her body, holding her in place. “I promised I would,”

“I’ve spent days waiting for this,” he quickly hurried on, his words coming fast, his accent thickening as he spoke. “To get time with you. To just be with you, and now I have you here?” His hand snaked out and entwined with mine. “Where I know you’re safe? All I want to do is just…” Shaking his head, he pulled me closer. “Keep you right here with me and never give you back.”

“You love his sister, and I love his sister’s best friend,” Gibsie replied, scrubbing Joey down with a sponge. “It’s safe to say that pussy got us into this, Kav.”

“That’s it,” Gibsie coaxed, dabbing his mouth once more. “Puke out all the expensive Class A drugs. Good job. Let the water wash your sins and wages down the drain.”

Lmao

“Hi, Shannon,” he said with an awkward half shrug, giving me his full attention. Feeling shy, I tucked my hair behind my ear and smiled back at him. “Hi, Johnny.”

“Your eyes,” he said, tone gruff. “I need them on me.” I blew out a shaky breath. “You do?” Johnny nodded slowly, tightening his hold on my waist. “How else am I supposed to know what you’re thinking?”

“I’m going to buy you dinner, Shannon.” Closing the space between us, he lowered himself down on the couch and turned to face me. “Sometimes we’ll eat here and sometimes we’ll go out, but it’s going to be a regular occurrence, so don’t overthink it, okay?”

I just wanted time with her. Away from her family and rugby. Away from everything. Just me and her. I wanted to hit pause on my life and just keep her.

“It’s hard to explain,” she said and grinned. “But I never wanted to leave that bathroom, because I felt safe. I feel safe with you.”

“You’re safe.” I felt his lips brush against the back of my head and a shiver rolled through my body. “I promise.”

“I don’t just like you. I fucking—” Shaking his head, Johnny rubbed his jaw before looking back at me. “Shannon, I love you.” I stopped breathing. “You love me?” He nodded slowly, blue eyes locked on mine. “Like, a crazy fucking amount.” “Really?” “Really,” he confirmed.

“I love you,” he went right ahead and rocked my world by saying again. “Present tense—as in I mean it now. And maybe I shouldn’t be saying that, maybe I’m fucking everything up by telling you that when you’re in the middle of your family stuff, but it’s the truth.” He shrugged helplessly. “I’m in love with you. I think I’ve been that way for a while now—a long fucking while, if we’re being totally honest.” Exhaling shakily, he added, “And that scares the shit out of me worse than the thought of not making the U20s. You scare me more than anyone I’ve ever come up against on a pitch.”

“I love you back,” I blurted out, feeling a flood of heat rush through my body. “Like, a crazy fucking amount,” I added, giving his words back to him. “Yeah?” Johnny’s smile was a breathtaking, full dimpled one, and it took the air clean out of my lungs. “Really?” I nodded solemnly. “It’s true.”

“And going back to your earlier question, I like you because you’re you, Shannon. I’ve never met another girl like you.” I scrunched my nose up. “You mean another girl as screwed up as me.” “No, I mean a girl as kind, and caring, and trustworthy, and loyal as you,” he countered gruffly. “And beautiful. Jesus Christ, you are so fucking beautiful that it’s painful to look at you. I’ve never seen anything like you in my life.”

“It’s like you see me—and I see you. Christ, I think you saw through me that very first day on the pitch at school, because I sure as hell haven’t been the same since, Shannon. You don’t give a shite about rugby. It never fazed you and that threw me because I’m not used to that. I’m not used to having someone want me for…well, for me—but you did. And you took the time to notice me. To see things that no one else was seeing, things I didn’t want to acknowledge to myself.”

“And I was scared, Shannon. I was so fucking afraid of how I felt for you. I still am. You scare the absolute shite out of me—for reasons I’m still not entirely sure of, because in all honesty I don’t know what the fuck is happening here. My head is in pieces and I’m so far out of my comfort zone that I feel like I’m balancing on thin ice, but I know that there’s no other person I would willingly put myself out there for like I have with you.”

“What do you need from me, Shannon?” he croaked out, voice thick and husky. “I’ll give you anything you need, baby.” Shaking his head, he groaned like he was in pain. “I just…I want to make you happy.” “You,” I whispered. “All of you.” “I’m already yours,” he groaned, before covering my lips with his.

“Shannon Lynch?” I called out, ignoring the rest of her fucked-up family. “I love you back.” Sniffling, she lifted her chin from Joey’s chest and looked at me all red-eyed and blotchy. “S-still?” “Still.” I nodded in confirmation. “Like, a crazy fucking amount.”

“She’s my wife,” he mused. “Your mother can whip me in whatever way she wants—”

“I’m a lot of trouble.” “I like your trouble,” he countered, stepping closer. “My life is complicated.” “I want your complications.”

“But you didn’t have to do this for me—” “I’m going to do a lot of things for you, Shannon.”

“Hi, Shannon.” “Hi, Johnny,”

“It’s like a Great Dane and a Chihuahua trying to mate, but they somehow make it work.”

“You’re safe with me.”

“You make me happy,” he whispered. “I want to stick with that. I want to stick with you.”

“I’m here for Johnny the boy,” I told him, cupping his face with my trembling hands. “Not Johnny the rugby player.” Exhaling a shaky breath, I leaned closer and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth before pulling back to look in his eyes. “I’ll stay for both, but I’m only in love with one.”

“I’m on your team,” he added huskily. “Do you get that? I’m totally with you, Shannon Lynch. One call, that’s all you need to make, and I’ll come. I won’t let you down, and I won’t leave you alone in this. I promise.”

“I’m not in your corner, Shannon,” Johnny replied in a gruff tone. “I’m standing right beside you.”

Hi, baby,’” she began to read, only to stop and clutch her chest. “Oh sweet Jesus, he called her baby!” Flopping back down on the bed, she added, “And he gave her two kisses at the end.” She sighed in contentment. “I think I just had an orgasm.”

“You look so fucking beautiful.” You said that already, lad. “Seriously, you’re gorgeous.” Shut up, Johnny. “Uh, thanks.” Under the streetlamps, I could see the blush on her cheeks. “It’s the clothes and makeup.” “It’s the girl,” I corrected, giving her hand a squeeze.

“Fuck, you’re so wet, baby.” Trembling, I clung to him, bucking my hips excitedly. “So fucking tight… Shite, is this okay?” “It’s okay, Johnny, it’s okay,” I practically screamed as I dragged his lips back to mine, bucking my body in encouragement. “Just stop asking stupid questions and keep going!”

“You like that, Shan?” he whispered in my ear, pumping his fingers in and out, prolonging the seizure-induced pleasure wrecking me. “Coming on my fingers?” He kissed me again, harder this time. “Because I fucking love it.”

“I love you, Johnny Kavanagh,” I choked out, clenching my eyes shut as I grabbed his arm and held it to my chest. “Most in the world.” “I love you back, Shannon Lynch,” he said quietly in my ear and I felt the connection I had to him in the deepest part of my soul. “Most in the world.” “For keeps?” I breathed. He kissed my shoulder. “For keeps.”

“You have serious fucking issues with taking things that aren’t yours. You’re like a kleptomaniac but with humans!”

“Yeah…so, this is my dick,” I stated and then mentally kicked the shite out of myself for saying something so fucking stupid. Like I needed to label a cock and balls. Jesus Christ.

“So, I’m your first first?” I asked sleepily. “You’re my everything.” Whoa.

“Je veux lécher la chatte de ma copine.” I frowned. “What?” Johnny grinned devilishly. “I said, je veux être à l’intérieur de toi.”

Kiss me, touch me, hold me, love me,’” Tadhg mocked in a girlish voice. “‘Mwah, mwah, mwah. Yes, I love your rugby balls—

“I like your trouble,” I told her. “I want your trouble and your complications and everything else that comes with you.” Leaning closer, I stroked my nose against hers. “I want you.”

“You smell like home.” Shivering, I curled my body around hers and pressed a kiss to the curve of her jaw. “You are home.”

“What can I say other than he’s a whore?” Gibsie confirmed with a grim nod. “He’s an abusive, one-bollocked bastard on a mission to impregnate every pussy he gets his claws into—but I’m only standing over Cherub,” he added with a huff. “That’s it. I’ll father them. I’ll do the night feeds with you, Claire. I’ll be there at the birth. But that’s it. Yours are the only babies I’m claiming. I know nothing whatsoever about Mrs. Lovell’s tabby or any other woman’s pregnant pussy. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

“I love you, Shannon like the river,” he whispered, and the heat of his breath on my flesh caused a shiver of pleasure to roll through me. “And I’m coming home to you.” He was breathing hard, his heart racing almost violently in his chest as he drew in short breaths. “I promise.”

“You’re my little darling,” he slurred. “My whole heart’s inside of ya.” My heart hammered in my chest. “Johnny…” “You’ll never be her,” he continued to ramble. “And I’ll never be him.” “You promise?” He nodded. “I promise a million billion promises.” Shivering, I slowly relaxed against him. “I love you, Johnny Kavanagh.”

“You’re so smart, baby, with your science and your way with all the animals. My dog loves you. Brian loves you. My dick loves you. Fuck, you’ll be the sexiest vet I’ve ever seen.”