Luck of the Irish (5 page)

 

Cian looked over at Quinn, who was busy in the car, and smiled. “I don’t think that’s gonna be a problem.”

 

Davin chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder.

 

They headed back over to the car, and Quinn opened the back door for Cian to toss his duffel in.

 

“I guess we should get going, Gramps.” Cian looked over at Quinn for confirmation.

 

“Yeah, it’s probably a good idea. I want to get to Limerick and get checked in. I want to do a little exploring this afternoon.”

 

“All right, then. Let’s go!”

 

Cian gave his grandfather one more smile and got in the car. Davin looked at Quinn and winked. Quinn smiled back and got in the car, and they were off.

They rode in companionable silence for a while before Quinn cleared his throat to talk. “So, I just wanted to say thanks for coming with me. I know you probably have lots of other stuff you’d rather be doing.”

He sounded so shy, it tugged at Cian’s heart. “Don’t worry about it. I could use a break, and there’s nothing quite like a road trip, now is there?”

Quinn shook his head and then gestured to the radio. “You could pick some tunes if you like. I don’t know anything about the radio stations here. Or my iPod is in the glove box. You could plug that in.”

Cian opened the small compartment and pulled out the iPod. He was curious as to Quinn’s musical interests. He plugged it in and started scrolling through the playlists, happily surprised that a lot of it was stuff he liked. “Wow, you have some good songs here. You listen to music a lot?”

“Yeah, I do. It’s sort of been my escape, you know?” Quinn smiled shyly, glancing at Cian quickly before turning back to watch the road. “After David, I just sort of kept to myself. I didn’t want to see anyone, avoided all my friends. So I’d grab my iPod and head to the barn. I’d saddle up Skywalker and be gone for hours.” Quinn laughed softly at the memory.

“It got so that Gramma would see me heading for the door, and by the time I was ready to go, she’d have some food all packed up for me.” Cian could see the fond smile on Quinn’s face. It was beautiful. “She was always so worried that I’d starve out there all day on my own. Tells me all the time that I’m too skinny.”

Quinn turned to look at Cian and caught him giving him a once-over. Cian winked, and Quinn blushed again. “Oh, I don’t know, you look pretty good to me.”

Quinn cleared his throat before continuing. “Anyway, when this trip came up, Dad came to me and asked if I wanted to go, and at first I wasn’t sure. But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea. And so, here I am!”
T
HEY
sat quietly for a few more minutes, but as usual, Quinn’s curiosity got the better of him. “Cian, can I ask, how did you and Ceara end up living with your grandparents? I mean, you don’t have to tell me….”

“No, it’s okay. Ceara? Her parents were both killed in a car accident when she was a baby. Poor kid has had it tough, but she’s become an amazing person, even if she does do my head in sometimes.”

Quinn could see how much Cian loved his younger cousin, and it made him smile to hear the fierce pride in his voice.

“As for me, well, my mother is what you might call a free spirit. She traveled around a lot, usually dragging me with her. I hated it. The times I got to stay at the farm were always the best. When I was six, she met some rich guy from South Africa.” Quinn didn’t like Cian’s frown.

“He was a big jerk, and I knew he didn’t want me around, so I begged to stay with Granddad, and for once in my life, I got my way. Been there ever since, and it’s been the best time of my life. Granddad’s been really good to me, and I’ve done my best to help him out.” Cian shrugged, and for the first time since Quinn met him, he didn’t seem so confident.

“Well, he sure is proud of you. He’s made that quite clear.” Quinn chuckled, glancing at Cian. “And apparently he doesn’t have any problems with the fact you’re gay, seeing as how he practically threw you at me.”

Cian laughed. “No, he’s been really good about it. I was worried when I first told him. He’s Catholic, you see, and I was afraid he’d hate me forever. But I had to tell him. I knew I couldn’t live the rest of my life hiding. Seeing as he was the most important person in my life, he had to know.”

Quinn thought about when he’d told his own folks. They weren’t as surprised as he thought they’d be, and they’d supported him through it all. He was glad Cian’s grandfather was the same. “I’m glad you had him, for so many reasons. Not everyone is as lucky as we are.”

“Your folks take the whole gay thing okay?”

Quinn smiled at the thought of his family. “Yeah. My mom had a hard time with it at first, but it seemed to be more about the grandchildren I wouldn’t give her and the hard times she was worried I’d have. My dad was amazing, though. I think he had it figured out before I did.” He swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat as he remembered how supportive his dad had been. “Once my folks were okay with it, the rest of the family just sort of seemed fine too.”
“It seems like you have a great family.”

“I do. Not everyone was happy about it. Lost a few friends when I came out, but I just figured they weren’t really my friends to begin with.”

“Yeah, most of my mates have been pretty good. A few people have tried to mess with me about it, but between my granddad and my friends, no one tries for very long. I can take care of myself, of course, but it’s nice to know that I don’t have to do it alone.”

Quinn nodded, paying attention to the road again. It was hard to concentrate with Cian sitting there beside him.

They drove for a few more hours, stopping once for fuel and breakfast, Cian giving excellent directions. They arrived in Limerick just after 11:00 a.m. and found the hotel where they were staying. Cian’s eyes widened as he looked around, and he stepped a little closer to Quinn. He seemed a little intimidated by how fancy the whole thing was.

“Everything okay, Cian?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just… never stayed at a place this fancy before.”

“Well, actually, I don’t usually either, but my dad made the reservations for me, so I guess we’ll have to make do.”

 

At the front desk, they waited for their turn. It was very busy, so it took a few minutes.

When they reached the front and Quinn introduced himself, it didn’t take long for the clerk to find his reservation. However, when Cian tried to book a room, their good luck ended.

“I’m sorry, sirs, but we don’t have any other available rooms. We’re fully booked up for the rest of the week.”

Quinn looked perplexed, and Cian hurried to let him off the hook. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll just look for a room somewhere else.”

“Sir, just so you know, there’s a big music festival in town this weekend, and finding a room would be almost impossible. Everything’s been booked for months.”

Quinn looked like he was thinking hard, and Cian could almost tell when he came to a decision. “Well then, you’ll just have to stay with me.”

 

“Quinn, I don’t—”

 

“Cian, I think we’re capable of sharing a room for a few days.” He turned to the clerk. “Is that okay? I don’t mind paying extra.”

“Of course it is, sir. We can even have a rollaway bed brought up for you.” “That would be great. Thank you. Come on, Cian, let’s go.”

Cian still looked a little unsure, so Quinn grabbed his arm. “What’s the matter? Don’t trust me?”

 

Cian just smiled and shook his head. “As long as you’re sure, I guess I can put up with you for a few days.”

 

Quinn grinned, and they headed for the elevator, the porter following along with their luggage.

 

When they reached their room and the door was opened, they were both a little awed at the beauty of it.

 

“Jesus, Cian, look at this view.”

Quinn could feel when Cian joined him at the window. They were high enough up that they could see over almost the whole city. King John’s Castle was the easiest building to pick out, but the whole of Limerick looked amazing.

Quinn turned back to the porter. “What’s the music festival all about?”

“It’s showcasing mostly Gaelic music, but of course there’s a lot of other stuff to choose from too. And there’s tons of food, arts and crafts, and some plays going on as well. I’ve been looking forward to it for months.”

Quinn smiled excitedly. This was the kind of thing he wanted to take part in when he came to Ireland. He smiled at the young porter and handed him a tip. “Thanks for the info… and the help.”

“No problem, sir, and someone will be bringing up the rollaway bed for you shortly. Enjoy your stay!” He closed the door and left them alone, neither one sure what to say.

Quinn broke first because he couldn’t stand the awkward silence. “So I’m gonna take the rollaway, and you can have the bed.” He turned to grab his suitcase, but Cian caught his arm.

“Uh-uh, Donovan, your room, you get the bed. No arguments, understand?”

Quinn just cocked his eyebrow at the challenge in Cian’s voice. “I’ll have you know, Mr. O’Reilly, that I can argue like a champion, thank you very much. However, for now, I’ll just smile and nod and plot to get you into the bed.”

When what he said hit him a second later, he turned bright red and started to stutter. Cian grinned at Quinn’s stammering.

 

“Well, Mr. Donovan, I’ll leave you to your plotting. I’m off to the loo to freshen up, and then I believe that you wanted to do some sightseeing?” He chuckled and headed for the bathroom, leaving Quinn alone with his thoughts. When he was gone, Quinn exhaled and sank into a chair.

God, how was he going get through this? Cian was so gorgeous, and Quinn was aware of him in every bone in his body. Now he was going to share a bedroom with him? Seemed like the luck he had found was slipping away.

When he heard the toilet flush and the water start up, he sighed resolutely, stood, and paced the room. His mind was swirling, making him feel off-balance and a little breathless. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, and he reined them in quickly as he went to answer it.

Another porter stood there, looking harried and apologetic. “Mr. Donovan, sir?”

 

Quinn nodded.

“I’ve been sent to tell you that all the rollaway beds are being used at the moment, and as soon as one frees up, it will be brought to you, but it could be a couple of days.”

Quinn felt sorry for the poor boy. He’d obviously been running himself ragged looking after all the guests and was probably waiting for Quinn to start yelling at him.

“Don’t worry about it”—his gaze flashed to the boy’s nametag—“Donald. We’ll figure something out.”

The boy nodded gratefully and took off down the hallway. Quinn heard a noise behind him and turned to find Cian looking at him thoughtfully. “Uhm, I guess one of us gets the couch tonight?”

“Quinn, I already told you—”
“Let’s argue about this later, okay? I want to get some of that sightseeing in.”

Cian hesitated for a minute before smiling and nodding to let Quinn know he agreed.

“Good. My turn for the—what did you call it? Oh yeah, the loo—and then we’re off, okay?” Quinn looked over his shoulder at Cian as he walked toward the bathroom.

“Okay.”

When Quinn came back out, they gathered their jackets and headed for some adventure in the city, both of them wondering how the night ahead was going turn out.
S
EVEN
hours later, they returned exhausted, full, and happy. Quinn keyed open the door to the hotel room and dropped an armful of souvenirs on the bed. He may also have been just a bit tipsy, having drunk more beer than usual due to his nerves.

Cian put his treasures down a little more carefully on the table in front of the sofa. He had things for Ceara and his grandparents, while Quinn had found something special for his little sisters and baby brother.

“God, I’m still so full. Did we really have to try one of everything at the food fair? I think I’m gonna explode.”

“You know, you didn’t have to eat every single bite of everything we bought. Maybe then you wouldn’t feel so bad now.” Quinn chuckled at the memory of Cian stuffing cookies and tarts in so fast he looked like a vacuum.

“It was all so good, though. Almost as good as my grandma’s baking.” “So where was your grandma when I was there, anyway?”

“She’s off in London visiting her sister, my great-aunt Milly.” Cian smiled fondly as he said her name. “She ran off forty-five years ago and married an Englishman. Big scandal around here in those days, but she didn’t care. She loved him and that’s all there was to it.” His smile faded a little. “It was awful for her when he passed away about four years ago. Damned cancer always takes the best ones. Didn’t think she would survive his death. But her kids and grandkids kept her going, and she spends a lot of time visiting us, and Gran goes to her too.” Cian walked over to the couch and stretched out.

Quinn stood looking out the window, thinking about his own grandmother’s fight with cancer. They had lucked out on that one. He turned to Cian. “I’m gonna have a shower. It might make it easier for me to sleep.”

Cian nodded without opening his eyes. “Yeah, think I will too, after you’re done.”

 

Quinn closed his eyes, thinking of Cian wet and naked in the shower, and decided it was time to get his stuff and put a little space between them for a bit.

He quickly gathered his stuff, trying not to stare at Cian on the couch, arms stretched out above his head and that little strip of bare skin showing between his T-shirt and jeans.
Bathroom, Donovan, now!

He closed the door and got the water running before stripping off his clothes and getting under the spray. The almost-too-hot water felt good on his skin, and he closed his eyes and relaxed, thinking about the day he had spent with Cian.

They had wandered around, taking in King John’s Castle and the Hunt Museum. The amazing music they had listened to seemed to speak right to his heart, and it had all been just… comfortable.

There had been no awkward moments, no stilted conversation. It had been everything Quinn had dreamed of when he had thought about traveling with someone… except Cian wasn’t his.

So the day had been emotionally draining. He had an idea Cian wouldn’t be opposed to a physical relationship, but that wasn’t how Quinn worked. He wasn’t the kind of guy who could screw around without any emotional attachment.