3 Seconds (Time for Love Book 6) (4 page)

I had my
brothers and my friends, and that had been enough for me … until
now.

I don’t know
what it was about Bronagh, but I wanted to get to know her better.
To find out what this pull that I felt toward her was, to see what
it meant.

Good. Just
having drinks with my friends. What are you up to? I think we need
to talk…

I’m at my
brothers’ right now, but can meet you in a bit, so we can
“talk”.

I smirked as I
pressed send, but I had to admit, I really hoped she wanted to get
together tonight. Whatever she wanted to talk about, I was sure I
could convince her to give me a shot.

Come by
Callaghan’s when you’re done.

I’ll be there
in thirty.

“Bren’s got a
girlfriend,” Brady called in a singsong voice when Brock and
Victoria walked outside, Brock cradling Declan in his arms.

I punched Brady
in the arm, then sighed when Victoria gushed, “Yay! It’s about
time. When can we meet her?”

Brock just
looked at me, his skepticism apparent.

“She’s not my
girlfriend. I don’t know what she is yet. It’s complicated.”

“Well, you’re
welcome to bring her by for dinner, anytime, once you figure it
out,” Victoria said as I stood and gave her a kiss on the
cheek.

When I’d met my
gorgeous, sophisticated sister-in-law, I’d had little faith that
she was the right woman for my lumberjack of a brother, but she’d
quickly erased my fears when she’d stood up for him against our
teasing.

“Thanks, Tori,”
I replied, then turned to kiss my nephew’s chubby little cheek.
“See you later, Big Man.”

“See you
Friday.” I clapped Brock on the back, gave Brady a chin lift, and
took off, eager to hear what Bronagh had to say.

I walked into
Callaghan’s, looking around to take it all in. I’d been in a couple
of times before, but now that I knew it was Bronagh’s place, I was
seeing it in a new light.

Having been to
Ireland, I was pleased to note the traditional feel of the place,
and realized that although I didn’t know her all that well, I could
see Bronagh in the details. It suited her. The rich wood tabletops
commented the long, well-used bar. There were signs indicating
which beers were available on tap, and bottles of more whiskey
labels than I could name lined the wall behind the bar. Rich greens
and browns were woven throughout the room, giving it an old-world
feel, which was only magnified by the old Irish music that played
in the background.

My eyes landed
on her at the end of the bar, hugging first one woman, then
another, a huge smile lighting up her face. I took a moment to
register the punch in the gut I felt at that look, wanting that
smile all to myself, then moved through the happy patrons to join
her.

“Hey,” I said
as I drew near, alerting them to my presence.

The pretty
brunette shot me a pleased grin, but the beautiful Asian woman’s
gaze was more ascertaining, and I knew she’d be harder to convince
of my sincerity where her friend was concerned. Bronagh’s face
still held a smile when she looked at me, but I could see there was
some concern there, as if she wasn’t quite certain she’d made the
right decision by asking me to come.

I decided my
best chance at an ally was the brunette, so I turned to her first
and laid on the charm.

“Hi, I’m
Brendan, and I’m hoping I can get you to help me convince your
gorgeous friend here to give me a shot,” I said with a wink,
causing the brunette to laugh happily.

“Thanks, but
I’m not interested,” the raven-haired woman said dryly, causing me
to chuckle with surprise and look at her in a new light.

Bronagh laughed
and made introductions. “Brendan, these are my best friends in the
world, Cass and Ming. Ladies, this is Brendan.”

“You and your
brothers were awesome the other night,” Cass said.

“I’m glad you
enjoyed it.”

“Yes, you are
all actually very talented,” Ming conceded, then turned to Bronagh
and said, “Follow your heart, not your brain for once,” in a low
tone, then turned to Cass and said, “Let’s give them some
space.”

Cass nodded,
then leaned in and whispered loudly in Bronagh’s ear, “Forget your
brain,
and
your heart, do what your vagina wants.”

“
Cass
!”
Bronagh hissed, her milky white skin turning molten.

I choked back a
laugh while Ming just rolled her eyes and dragged their friend
toward the door and out of the bar.

Bronagh’s face
was still red when I turned back to her, unable to keep the grin
off my face.

“Those are my
friends,” she said sheepishly, to which I responded, “I like
‘em.”

She laughed and
shook her head, then said, “C’mon,” and led me toward a booth in
the back.

Once we were
seated I said, “I’m glad you texted me tonight.”

“Well, I wanted
to talk, and I didn’t think the school was a good place to do
that…”

“Yeah,” I
responded, then looked around. I didn’t want to get right into all
of the reasons she thought we shouldn’t see each other, so I asked,
“So, you own this place with your dad?”

Bronagh pushed
her hair back from her face and looked around the pub with
pride.

“Yes. We always
talked about opening a restaurant when I was younger, something to
remind Da of his homeland. Then I went to culinary school and lived
abroad for a while. When I came back here, it seemed like the
perfect transition, to open a place of my own … and I knew I didn’t
want to do it without my da. We’ve been open for two years now, and
so far it’s been great. It’s a lot of work,” she amended. “But it’s
really been better than I’d imagined.”

“Is your father
here tonight?”

“No,” she said
with a shake of her head. “He’s actually back in Ireland visiting
family right now.”

“And your mom?”
I asked, curious.

“My ma died
when I was just a little girl. I never really knew her.”

Bronagh’s face
took on a look of longing, mixed with sadness that I understood all
too well. I placed my hand on top of hers and said, “I’m sorry, I
get how you feel. I lost my parents too.”

She brought
eyes, wide with sympathy flashing in their green depths, to mine
and asked, “Both of them?”

Now it was my
turn to feel sadness creep in.

“Yeah,” I
responded, needing to clear my throat to get the lump out. “They
died in an accident when I was fourteen. Both died on impact. My
oldest brother Brock took us on and has been our father figure ever
since.”

Bronagh made
sympathetic sounds and turned her hand under mine so that she was
holding on.

“It’s crazy …
They’ve been gone now for twelve years. I’ve been without them
almost as long as I was with them.”

“You were lucky
to have had your brother,” she said softly, then asked, “How old is
he?”

“He just turned
thirty,” I answered, so caught up in thinking about my brother, and
how much he’d sacrificed for Brady and me, that I didn’t notice the
change in Bronagh’s demeanor right away.

“Wow,” she said
softly, and I realized that her hand had stiffened beneath mine,
right before she let go. “That’s a lot of responsibility for
someone so young.”

“He was barely
eighteen at the time, so, you’re right, it was, but Brock’s the
most headstrong, hardworking, loyal man I’ve ever met. He never
made us feel like having us depend on him was a chore.”

“No, of course
not,” she said, lost in thought. “It’s just hard to fathom. I’m
thirty-five, and I’ve never had to deal with anything like that;
it’s hard for me to imagine. Your brother must be an incredible
man.”

“He is,” I
replied, then frowned at her. “What’s going on in that mind of
yours, Freckles?”

“I don’t think
this is going to work,” she said, her eyes a little wild.

“Why?”

“
Because
… You said it yourself, your father-figure is a thirty-year-old
man, and I’m thirty-five, so what would that make me?” My eyes
narrowed as she spoke, and I had to clamp down the anger that was
threatening to overcome me. “And you’re, what … twenty-six? Still
in culinary school and playing in a band on the weekends. We just
don’t make sense … We’re in different places in our lives.”

“Are you seeing
someone?” I asked, my mind working overtime as I tried to figure
out the best way to approach this.

“No,” she
answered, then blew out a deep breath. “But that’s not the
point.”

A customer
called out and waved to her. I watched as she waved back and waited
until her attention was back on me.

“Then what is
the point?” I asked, my frustration evident. “I think we have a lot
in common, and I’ve never felt a pull toward someone the way I do
with you. I’d like to explore that and see where it goes. I know
you feel it too, can’t you give it a shot?”

“What could we
possibly have in common?” she asked, throwing her arms in the
air.

The music had
changed and gotten louder, so I leaned in, crowding her a bit as I
gave her a minute to calm down and bring her focus fully to me. I
could see I had her attention when her pupils dilated and her
breathing grew heavy.

I ran one
finger down her forearm, thrilling when her pulse jumped beneath my
touch.

“We have this,”
I said, leaning down to nuzzle her slightly. Her breath caught and
I leaned back, pushing her hair back behind her ear as I looked her
square in the eyes. “Chemistry. Heat. A natural reaction to each
other that’s hard to come by … But that’s not all, it’s just the
foundation.” I knew I only had one shot to convince her, so I laid
it all out. “We both love food. Regardless of what stage of our
careers we’re in, we share a passion for cooking, for creating … We
both love great music,” I added with a smile, pleased when her lips
turned up, then I grew more serious. “We both know what it’s like
to lose parents. To grow up feeling like something’s missing, and
being envious of people who had both parents at their birthdays,
graduations, and holidays.”

Bronagh’s eyes
filled. Unable to help myself, I touched my lips softly to hers,
wanting to offer us both comfort.

When I pulled
back I added, “And that’s just what I know after being with you for
a handful of hours over a couple days … Give me a shot. Give
us
a shot. Age doesn’t matter, don’t let it stand in our
way.”

“But my job,”
she argued.

“When we’re at
school we’ll keep things strictly professional. No one will know
that we’re seeing each other,” I promised. “But, if you’re that
concerned about it, and you want me to leave you alone, I will.
I’ll walk out of here and when I see you in the kitchen, you’ll be
just another instructor. I don’t want to ruin things for you, or
make things difficult, I just want to see what we have here,” I
trailed my fingers across her neck. “Because I’ve never felt
anything like it.”

“Neither have
I,” Bronagh admitted softly.

I wanted to
throw back my head and yell with triumph.

“So you’ll give
us a chance?” I asked, my eyes pleading with her as I held my
breath, waiting for her answer.

She closed her
eyes, then opened them, her gaze strong and sure.

“Yes, I
will.”

Chapter Six ~
Bronagh

It had been a
few days since I told Brendan that I was willing to give us a shot,
and we were taking it slow.

He’d kept his
promise. During school hours, he treated me just as he did any
other professor, and I treated him like the student he was. I was
thrilled to find out that he was actually very gifted in the
kitchen, and was a dream to teach. It made it even harder not to
give him preferential treatment, but I was doing my best not
to.

I’d picked up a
lot of evening shifts, since my da was still on his trip, and our
night manager’s daughter had gotten sick, so Brendan and I had
mostly been communicating through text.

Tonight, we
were finally going to spend some time together, and although I was
really excited, I was pretty nervous as well. We hadn’t been
intimate since that first night, and I was worried that some of the
shine had worn off. I was sure it was just my own insecurities,
especially as I stood off to the side of the crowded dance floor,
watching the young, hot, scantily clothed girls rush the stage and
beg Brendan to touch them.

It was surreal,
and more than a little discomforting.

Sure, I’d been
here and seen him play, but that was before I knew him … before we
were
dating
. I was beginning to feel like a jealous
girlfriend, and I didn’t like the feeling one bit.

With Maxime,
I’d never realized I had a reason to be jealous. I’d trusted him
one hundred percent, and I’d been a complete fool.

With Brendan, I
knew he’d slept with probably hundreds of women, and, shit, even
I’d hooked up with him after one of these shows. When faced with
the reality of the buffet of women he had available to him at any
given time, I was finding it hard to believe he wanted to be with
me.

I’d been
keeping an eye out for anyone who might be from the school. The bar
was far enough away that I was confident that no one that we knew
would be there, but I figured a little caution couldn’t hurt. I
took a sip of my beer, turned my attention from the fans, and
looked back at the stage.

He was
magnificent. Not just his voice, which was great, but his presence.
It was like he’d been born to be on stage. His eyes were closed as
he sang, and I felt a tug of desire deep in my belly. Suddenly, he
opened them, and his gaze locked on me, causing that tug to become
a full-out punch, and I began to feel overwhelmingly needy.

Brendan smiled
a cocky grin, as if he could tell exactly what I was thinking, what
I was feeling. I gave him a small smile in return, then averted my
eyes, unwilling to give him too much. I was afraid if I did, I’d be
consumed.