Redeeming 6 (Boys of Tommen, #4)

by Chloe Walsh

“Are you clean?” I closed my eyes and nodded weakly. “Yes.” “Since when?” “I haven’t touched anything since that night.” “Because you’re turning over a new leaf?” “Because I’m fucking ashamed of myself,” I came right out and told her. “Of what I exposed you to. How I treated you.”

“Is she?” he pushed. “Thinking about other lads?” “She should,” I muttered. “But no. I don’t think so.” “And if she does?” I bit back the urge to roar. “Then I won’t hold her back.” “Jesus, you really love her, don’t you?” More than life.

The fact that my sister was supposed to start school with these people on Monday morning didn’t exactly sit well with me. Especially the big blond fucker with a penchant for dope, debauchery, and his friend’s baby sister.

“Because he’s only using you,” I heard someone say, and I turned my attention to where Hughie was in a heated discussion with another familiar blond. This one wasn’t his sister Claire. No, this girl was Shannon’s other little friend. I couldn’t remember her name, but I had a feeling it was Lilly. Or maybe it was Izzy.

Either way, she was standing near the doorway, with her arms folded across her chest glaring up at Hughie Biggs, who was glaring back at her, while he flailed his arms around in obvious exasperation. “You can’t seriously be considering going upstairs with him.”

“I’m here for Claire.” “Bullshit,” I corrected with a snort. “You’re here for her brother.” Her eyes widened. “What are you—” “Let me guess,” I interrupted, amused. “You’re fucking Biggs, and he won’t commit, so you’ve gone off with one of the lads on his team to get back at him?”

“Lizzie.” Taking pity on her, I pulled a cigarette from my box, put it to my lips, and sparked it up before holding it out for her. “You keep an eye on Shannon when she starts at your school next week, watch her back and keep any assholes who think about targeting her in line, and I’ll forget everything you think I have all wrong.” “I was planning on looking after Shannon, regardless,” she replied, taking the cigarette and putting it to her lips.

“You’re thinking I’m a horrible snake to even consider going there with another girl’s fella, but you have no idea what’s really going on,” she mumbled, red-faced. “It’s really, really complicated. And messy.” She exhaled a ragged breath before muttering, “And a million other things.”

“Everybody knows Gerard Gibson.” Katie chuckled. “He offered Joey a condom in Biddies once.” “Sounds very Gibsie-like.” Katie bit back a laugh. “He’s, uh, well, let’s just say that he’s one of a kind. He sort of lives in his own world.”

“I’m guessing they’ve been together since forever, am I right?” “They’re actually not together at all.”

“You’re honestly trying to tell me that those two aren’t in love?” “I never said they weren’t in love.” Chuckling, she added, “Only that they’re not together.”

But she’s in sixth year and really doesn’t bother with anyone from third year, so Shan shouldn’t have any issues with her. Besides, none of the lads in our year are impressive enough to be on her radar. She’s more interested in the older lads, the big-time rugby-heads with godlike status.” “Like Johnny Kavanagh?” “Exactly.” Lizzie nodded. “Or Cormac Ryan. They’re both in the Academy.”

“Want to hear a fun inside scoop going around the rugby circle?” “Not really.” “Well, I was forced to hear it, so you can, too.” “Please don’t.” “Apparently, Bella’s been sleeping with Cormac since before Christmas, even though she’s meant to be with Johnny Kavanagh, but he’s out on injury.”

“But you seem like you’re doing a lot better, so clearly this breakup is working for one of us.” “Are you serious?” I took a step back, feeling like she had just knifed me in the gut. “You think I’m not hurting?” “I don’t know how you feel anymore.” “In love,” I bit out. “With you.”

“That is not how you treat the person you love, which goes to show that you never loved me the way I loved you.” “Never loved you?” I gaped at her. “Are you fucking crazy? You’re the only person on this planet I do love!” “No,” she snapped, shaking her head. “You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to come back and wreck me.” Placing her hands on my chest, she pushed me back when I reached for her. “You don’t get to tell me you love me and then go right back to breaking my heart!” She choked out another pained sob when I cupped her cheek. “You don’t love me, Joey.” Eyelids fluttering, she leaned into my touch and sniffled. “You don’t know how to love anyone.” “Maybe I do it badly,” I choked out, as my heart splintered apart. “But I do love you.”

To be fair, it didn’t take a genius to figure out why the girls from his school were looking. The boy was built like a brick shithouse, with both nipples pierced and more muscles on his body than he had common sense in his head.

While the rest of his friends had long since abandoned their girlfriends and dates, Gibsie hadn’t taken more than three steps away from Claire all night.

“They’re always like this. Like two weird little unicorn magnets drawn to each other.”

Our eyes met, green on green, and he winked at me from across the room. And just like that, I was ruined.

“You can’t tell me what to do, Joe,” I growled, feeling a combination of drunk and dizzy. “You don’t own me.” “Well, that’s bad fucking luck on my account, because you sure as shit own me!” Drunk or not, his words hit me like a wrecking ball to the chest. Feeling the air whoosh from my lungs, I glared up at him, feeling a torrent of emotions crashing through me. “Why would you say that to me?” “Because it’s the truth.” “Since when?” “Since I was twelve.”

Because every part of me loved every part of her. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Drunk on vodka and regret, I kept my hands clamped on her hips, feeling her curvy body press against mine as she ground her hips against me, while the melancholy sound of LIVE’s “Lightning Crashes” drifted around us. As my brain processed the lyrics, a horrible weighted energy settled on my shoulders. “What’s wrong?” Molloy asked, instantly noticing my discomfort. “Nothing.” “Joe?” “I just…” I shook my head again and blew out a pained breath. “It’s the song.” “What about it?” “Reminds me of her.” “Who?” Her green eyes softened. “Your mam?”

“Stop trying to protect me and start making me happy,” she countered, eyes locked on mine. “Because it’s time to pick your poison, Joey Lynch.”

“It’s you,” he repeated gruffly, fingers tightening on my waist. “I pick you. Every single time.”

“I’ll love you the right way this time,” he whispered, and his breath fanned my cheek. “If you’ll show me how.”

“What I did at Christmas? How far I went? It scared the shit out of me, and all I could think about was if I didn’t get you away from me, I would end up destroying my world, because that’s what you are to me, Aoife. You’re my whole goddamn world wrapped up in one girl. So, yeah, maybe I’ve gone about it entirely the wrong way, but all I’ve ever tried to do is protect you.”

“I’m not your mother or your sister. I’m not another girl who needs something from you. I’m the girl who wholeheartedly wants you. I’m the girl who wholeheartedly loves you. The hurler. The mechanic. The boy. The protector. The asshole. The lover. The addict.”

Snaking one hand up to cover the tattoo on my chest, she used the other to move the hand I’d been resting on her hip to her tattooed ass cheek. Leaning back, she looked me right in the eyes and whispered the words, “Ride or die, Joe.” Fuck me… A shiver rolled through me, and I couldn’t stop myself from grabbing her ass and dragging her body roughly against mine. “Ride or die, Molloy.”

“And I meant what I said about trusting you.” “Yeah?” “Yeah.” He nodded slowly. “This is my world. It’s fucking horrible, but I’m willing to show you, if you’re willing to stay.” “Always, Joe,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Always.”

Kissing me deeply, he growled into my mouth and rocked himself against me, causing the thick head of his cock to probe my clit. “Do it, Joe,” I encouraged, hooking my legs around his waist as I slipped a hand between us and fisted his shaft. “Take me.” “Have me,” he whispered against my lips as he slowly rocked into my touch. “Put me inside you.”

Today was Shannon’s first day at Tommen, and she had been locked inside the bathroom for so long that I was beginning to consider the possibility that she might have washed herself down the drain.

“I’m so fucking proud of you,” I said instead, struggling to keep my emotions in check. “You don’t even realize how brave you are.” It was the truth.

“I can do this, Joe,” she replied, turning back to look at me. “I can.” “I know you can.” I forced myself to smile back at her. “I just…” Blowing out an anxious breath, I said, “I’m here for you, okay? Always here for you.”

He played center back on the team and wore the number six jersey, but in all fairness, he could play in any position on the team and excel.

“And when we have babies—” “We’re not having babies.” “They’ll be blond and green-eyed and just like their dad.” “You’re insane.” “I’m in love.” “I’m not having babies, Molloy,” he whispered, giving me a lonesome look. “I can’t be a father.” “Joe.” “It’s a hard limit for me.” “Okay.” Giving him a reassuring smile, I said, “No babies. We’ll have a fur-baby instead.”

“You can have whatever you want from me,” he whispered, thrusting deep inside of me. “It’s yours.” Dropping down on an elbow, he leaned in close and crushed his lips to mine. “Because I’m only doing life for you.”

“Seriously, I was listening to Mazzy Star’s ‘Fade Into You’ on the drive over here, which, FYI, is our second song, and now I’m in the mood to get naked with you.”

Joey was, in my biased opinion, the best thing to come out of Teddy and Marie Lynch’s fucked-up marriage, and the fact that his own mother couldn’t see beyond his jagged edges made me furious.

“You’ve got this,” I repeated, imploring him with my eyes to both hear me and believe in himself. “And I’ve got you.”

“Don’t want to do this whole life gig without you, Molloy.” “You won’t ever have to,” I replied, reaching between our bodies to free his erection. “You’ll always have me, Joe.” “I’m going to hold you to that,” he whispered, pushing deep inside of me.

and as I listened to the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris,” I found myself considering something I’d never given much thought to before. The future.

Because I knew that once I told Joey, the moment I conveyed to him his biggest fear, then everything we had worked so hard to build would go clean out the window. His trust. His communication. His sobriety. No. Clenching my eyes shut tighter, I repressed the urge to sob. I couldn’t let this happen.

“Tell her she’s fifteen,” Tony mouthed with a thumbs-up. “You’re fifteen,” I heard myself say, feeling like a fucking hypocrite. If he knew the half of what I’d wanted to do to his daughter when she was fifteen, he would be shitting rocks.

If this hotshot fucker had taken time out of his rigid schedule to drive her home, then my baby sister had made more than just waves at Tommen. She’d summoned a goddamn tsunami.

The two glaring pink lines in the display box hadn’t faded one bit since their original appearance in the bathroom at work tonight. And there it was. Staring me right in the face. My life was over.

Smoothing out the page, I stared down at a picture of my sister with none other than Mister Rugby himself. “Well, shit,” I mused, reluctantly smiling at the sight of my baby sister tucked under the arm of the rising star of Irish rugby. “Maybe he has notions.”

“That doll you’re fucking around with is another one,” he told me. “Little blond whore, prancing around my house with her tits and legs and hole on full show. She’s looking for it, that one. I’m telling ya, boy, she’s looking for a good seeing to—” His words broke off when I leveled him with a fist to the face. “You keep your goddamn eyes off her!”

“If you look at my girlfriend again,” I roared, fists flying with a flourish. “If you fucking breathe too close to her, they’ll have to take you out of this house in a body bag!”

I could smell the bullshit a mile off every time she denied her very obvious feelings, and I smiled to myself as I listened to her ramble on about who I thought might be her very first crush.

I just didn’t want to see her get her hopes up on a fella with a future as bright as Johnny Kavanagh’s. I had no doubt that she would be watching him from the television in a few months, and call me a protective asshole, but I didn’t want to see my sister get hurt.