Wild Irish Soul (2 page)

"Where did you go?"

"What?"

"Just now…I felt like you pulled away," Baird said.

Aislinn gaped at him. There was no way that he could know about her or her power. How in the world could he feel her disconnect?

"I'm right here." Aislinn smiled at him.

Baird just raised an eyebrow at her.

"Would you stop? Thank you, that was amazing," Aislinn said.

"You're breathtaking," Baird said and bent to brush a soft kiss over her lips. Aislinn moaned as he moved from her and rolled to find his underwear.

"I'm going to get a glass of water. Do you want one?"

"Sure. Bathroom?"

Baird gestured to a door down the hallway and Aislinn watched him walk from the room in his boxer briefs, admiring the view.

"Shit, shit, shit," Aislinn said as she dropped back against the bed. Leaning over, she grabbed her bra and dress from the floor. Aislinn made a beeline for the bathroom to clean herself up a bit. Taking a quick glance in the mirror she sighed at how happy she looked. Bright eyes, a blush across her cheeks and her hair tumbling every which way made her look a little crazy and really sexy. Aislinn pulled her bra on and shimmied into her dress. Knowing that her hair was a total loss, she twisted it into a knot and left the bathroom.

Bypassing the bedroom, Aislinn found Baird in the small kitchen with the glasses of water. Her mouth went dry at seeing him all but naked with his sexy glasses on. He turned to her and her heart dropped as his face fell.

"Going somewhere?"

"Um, well, it's late and I, uh, have to open the store in the morning," Aislinn finished lamely and lifted her hands. Baird put the glasses down and walked to her, pinning her against the cabinet.

"It's not that late, Aislinn," Baird said dangerously, his mouth inches from hers.

"I know…I just…I can't stay. Small towns, gossip, you know how it is," Aislinn said.

"No, I don't. Stay," Baird said stubbornly, his lips teasing hers.

"I, I can't," Aislinn whispered against his mouth.

"Why?" Baird demanded.

"Don't, Baird. I, this was great. Truly. Thank you for making it special," Aislinn said and moved from his arms. Reaching up, she gave him a light kiss and patted his cheek. "I'll see you around."

Baird watched her as she snagged her purse from the counter and walked to the door.

"What are you running from?"

Aislinn stopped with her hand on the doorknob. This was just as she feared. Dating a psychiatrist would mean that he would be able to see through all her smoke and mirrors to the true vulnerability that lay beneath it all. Certain she was in the right for leaving, Aislinn turned to look at him.

"Sleep well, Dr. Delaney."  

Chapter Three

Baird watched the
door close after Aislinn and his hand clenched around the glass of water. Striding across the living room, he stood at the window and watched her hurry down the street as though she couldn’t get away from him fast enough.

"Damn it, Aislinn," Baird said as he placed his hands against the window. His eyes followed her red dress, standing out in the light of the streetlamps like a beacon, until she turned the corner.

What was she running from? Baird thought as he stared at the water. He'd never felt so connected to someone so quickly before. One-night stands weren't in his repertoire and it itched at him that she had just left like that after convincing him this was a good idea.

He'd protested, hadn't he? It wasn't like he had used her. In fact, Baird was dangerously close to assuming that he had just been used himself.

But.

There was something there. He knew it. He'd felt it the moment that he had met her at her shop. He'd been captivated by the black-and-white photographs hanging in the window and had rushed eagerly into the shop to see what else the artist had. When Aislinn had turned from the canvas she had been working on in the back, her hair a mess of curls, paint smudges covering her smock, and had met his eyes…he'd been lost. It was like time had simply stopped for a moment. Had her cousin Cait not come into the shop shortly after, Baird was certain he would have done something foolish like ask to buy her a house…or to run away with him.

Baird shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. Moving from the window, he snagged the glass of water and walked back to the bedroom. Aislinn had responded instantly to his touch and he was certain that she had been just as satisfied as him. And, yet. There was that moment afterwards where he sensed that she was withdrawing…building up her boundaries. As a psychiatrist, he was trained to watch for those cues in his patients but it had surprised him that he could all but feel it from Aislinn. But, what had happened to make her step back from him? He'd already been planning on cooking her breakfast and snuggling up to her in his sheets.

Baird groaned as he flopped back against his covers, his hand landing on her lace thong. He held it up and twirled it around his finger. The delicacy of the lace belied the strength that its owner held. So, what was she running away for?

Challenges didn't scare Baird and Aislinn had just moved to the top of his list to figure out. Determined to peel back her layers, Baird set to plotting.

Chapter Four

Aislinn all but
ran to her shop, the Wild Soul Gallery, desperate to get inside her sanctuary. What was she doing? Aislinn let out a stream of curses as she unlocked the back door of her shop and took the stairs two at a time to her apartment above the store. Flicking on the overhead lights, she crossed the cluttered living room to her kitchen to pull a bottle of Bulmer's from her refrigerator. Kicking off her shoes, Aislinn walked to her plush red couch and plopped down on the cushions to stare at the wall.

Decorated with her artwork, the room was a cacophony of color and mood. It was jarring and comforting at the same time, just the way that Aislinn liked it. She never wanted to get too comfortable…with anything in her life. If she knew one thing, it was that life could change in an instant.

Aislinn took a deep pull from the bottle and allowed the crisp cider to cool her throat. Deep down, she knew why she had run from Baird. Though there was no denying the attraction she felt for him, Aislinn just didn't think that they would last in a long-term relationship. And, Dr. Yum had commitment written all over him.

Aislinn sighed and tucked her legs under her. It wasn't that she couldn't commit to someone. She looked around the room at her half-finished art projects. Okay, so she sometimes had trouble committing to a project, but she had been in relationships before. It was just that she and Baird were so different.

And she knew where that would lead…divorce. Heartache.

She knew from firsthand experience as she had watched her parents go through it. Leaning back, Aislinn allowed her mind to go back to those awful years. She and her twin brother, Colin, had just entered into their teens when their parents had split. It had been a shock to everyone but her.

It had been impossible for Aislinn not to see that her parents were unhappy. She could literally feel the wall of unhappiness that radiated from them when they were in the same room together. Her mother Mary, much like her, had preferred to be a free spirit, always setting up day trips to the country, going to see local bands, and planning trips away on her own. Her father had been the levelheaded businessman. Sean ran his life on a schedule and his boat tour business thrived because of it. The two had been a poor match from the beginning and Aislinn had often wondered what had drawn them together.

Until she'd learned about her half-sister Keelin, and Keelin's mother, Margaret, shortly after the divorce.

She wasn't meant to know, but Aislinn couldn't help sharing the news with her only confidant at that point, Colin. She'd discovered a letter that Mary had written to Sean about how Mary knew that Sean had never gotten over his true love and that she knew about the daughter Sean had with Margaret.

It had been like a knife to the heart.

Aislinn had packed her bags that night and gone to live with her mother while Colin had chosen to stay with Sean. For the following few years, Aislinn had barely spoken to Sean and tolerated, if not sometimes enjoyed, her mother's absentminded ways. It hadn't taken much for her to move out from Mary's house and decide to settle in Grace's Cove. Finding her shop had been a blessing, and when Aislinn realized that she could afford the rent, she had never looked back.

Her relationship with her father had grown stronger over the years since she had moved out of Mary's house. Unable to hold a grudge for long, and feeling like she had gained some wisdom as she had matured, Aislinn was finally able to see Sean's side of the story – though she still was determined to hate her unknown half-sister Keelin.

Until the day that Keelin showed up in her shop.

Whoo, that had been quite a punch to the gut. Aislinn had wanted to hate Keelin on principle alone. But, Aislinn's ability made her able to see that Keelin was just as nervous and scared as she was. Together, they had formed a fragile bond over their mutual otherworldly gifts. Through the past year they had grown to be as close just like sisters were meant to be.

Aislinn sighed and shook her head. It was amazing how things worked out.

Thinking of her power, she barked out a laugh as she imagined Baird's quizzical look if she tried to explain that she could read people's feelings, auras, and even got glimpses of the future sometimes. He'd probably run right out the door.

Aislinn had stopped running from herself a long time ago, though.  Even though she had run from Baird tonight, if he wanted something more from her, she would just have to tell him what she was. That would most likely nip things in the bud fairly quickly.

Uncomfortable with the thought of losing Baird completely, but certain that she was on the right path, Aislinn headed for her bedroom. Shame niggled at her for her poor behavior tonight – it was rude to leave Baird like she had. Sighing, she crawled under the covers of her huge bed and pulled her eye mask out. Aislinn suspected that she would be delivering an apology in the morning.

Chapter Five

The next day,
Aislinn sat down at her desk in the shop and ran through her figures. Sales were up this summer and she would need new inventory soon. Unfortunately, she had barely been able to paint this morning as planned. Awakening before the sun came up, Aislinn had gone to the hills to capture the sunrise over the water. A fitful night of sleep had left her drowsy and moody, and her work had turned out more melancholy than she had intended. Calling it quits, she had come back to the shop to deal with some paperwork before she opened for the day.

Aislinn twisted a pencil in her mass of curls to pull them off her shoulders and squinted down at a bill on her desk. A knock interrupted her thoughts and she leaned back in the chair to look out the front window.

Nobody was visible through the front window, so she stood and the knock repeated again – from the back door. Aislinn hurried to the back, assuming it was Keelin or Cait come for a quick visit before work. Swinging the door open, she stopped in her tracks.

Baird stood before her, a clutch of daisies in his hand, and her heart melted, just a bit.

"Baird!"

"Aislinn, since I didn't get to wake up with you, I thought that I would bring you breakfast," Baird said and gestured to her table in the courtyard. Aislinn gaped at the table, set with fat candles, scones, tea, and a bowl of fruit. Turning to look at him, she struggled for words.

"Say, 'thank you, Baird,'" Baird said.

"Thank you, Baird," Aislinn said automatically and then caught herself. "No, seriously, thank you. Let me get water for those flowers." Aislinn hurried into the small kitchen at the back of the shop and pulled out a small vase deglazed in a cheerful blue and popped the daisies in. Admiring their charm, she placed them on her work table and went to join Baird in her small courtyard situated off the back of her shop.

Baird sat at the table, a navy t-shirt molded to his chest and his wire-framed glasses in place. Aislinn wanted to go sit on his lap and wrap her arms around his neck. Instead, she crossed the courtyard and sat on the bench across from him. Nerves laced her stomach and her finger beat a
tap-tap-tap
rhythm on the table.

"Scone?" Baird asked.

"Please," Aislinn said softly and allowed Baird to put a warm scone onto her plate and spoon clotted cream on the side. Without asking, he poured her a cup of tea. Aislinn cleared her throat.

"Listen, I…I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have run out like that. Thank you for a wonderful time."

"Why did you?" Baird asked.

"Why did I run?"

"Yes."

"I…a lot of things, I guess." Aislinn shrugged her shoulders and shoved a piece of scone in her mouth to keep herself from talking more.

"Start with the first and go from there," Baird suggested.

"Well, that, for one. You're a psychiatrist," Aislinn grumbled.

Baird laughed at her. "So?"

"So, so…you are supposed to be hard to figure out. Instead you are super direct and now I feel put on the spot."

Baird leaned forward and met her eyes and Aislinn found herself struggling to breathe as she stared into his gray eyes.

"I don't play games. I don't lie. And, I'm straightforward with my feelings. In everything that I do." Baird's voice held an intensity that made Aislinn shiver a bit. He had made love to her with that same intensity last night.

"See, that's what scares me. You're serious. About everything. And, I don't know if I can commit to us. You're a commitment guy," Aislinn protested.

"Well, it's not like I asked you to marry me, Aislinn. I asked you out to dinner," Baird said gently.

"I know. I get all that. It's just…" Aislinn trailed off as she thought about what she wanted to hit him with. Their differences? Her childhood? Her gift?

"Let me guess, you've been hurt before and are reluctant to try again?" Baird hazarded a guess and waved his scone at her.

"Something like that. My parents are divorced."

"Ah, a rare thing in Ireland. That had to have been hard," Baird said.

"It was. Incredibly so. Even more so when I found out that my father was still in love with another woman and that I had a half-sister living in Boston."

"Whooo." Baird let out a soft whistle. "That's a lot. How old were you?"

"Thirteen. Perfect time for me to become all dramatic and move in with my mother."

"Was it just the other woman that split them?"

"No, they were so different. He was –
is –
a steady businessman. Very regimented. Focused on career success. My mom is a free spirit. Wild, on the move, you never know what you will get with her. I love her dearly, but she can be a handful sometimes."

"And so you see that as us? I'm an uptight psychiatrist and you are the free spirit?" Baird got directly to the point.

"Exactly."

"So you can't be persuaded to see where our similarities lie?"

"I honestly don't know. There is some stuff that you may never be able to understand, Baird," Aislinn said softly and looked helpless into his eyes.

"Try me."

Aislinn sighed and took a sip of her tea. Where to start?

"What do you know of the rumors of Grace's Cove – the actual cove, not the village – being enchanted?"

"Oh, I've heard all sorts of things about it. I'd love to go down there sometime."

"But, what specifically?"

Baird leaned back and watched her carefully. "I've heard that the cove can glow sometimes. I've heard that many people are afraid to go there. There are rumors that Grace O'Malley, the famous pirate queen, lies there. And, I've heard whispers of special powers of the descendants."

"Ah-ha! So, you have heard about the special powers."

Baird shrugged a shoulder. "So? It isn't like Celtic mythology isn't chock full of mystical tales."

"But what if it isn't mythology? What if it is real?" Aislinn asked carefully.

Baird's hands stilled.

"Are you trying to tell me something, Aislinn?"

Aislinn took a deep breath. Now or never, she thought. Knowing how hard it had been for Keelin and Cait to get deep into a relationship before telling their men about their gifts, Aislinn decided to take the plunge.

"All female descendants of Grace O'Malley have an extra special gift. It manifests differently for each female. Intuition, healing powers, reading minds, empathic abilities…each woman has her own ability to deal with," Aislinn said nervously.

"Really? That's fascinating. I'm not sure that is scientifically possible. Do you believe in that?" Baird asked, his eyebrow raised.

"See, this is why we won't work. You are so science-minded," Aislinn said, and made a move to get up. Baird reached across the table and grabbed her arm.

"Sit. Please. I'm sorry if I upset you. You just said that with such conviction."

Aislinn sat and met Baird's eyes.

"I'm a descendant of Grace O'Malley."