"Oh wonderful."
Declan leaned in with a roguish smile and gently captured her lips. She melted against him, loving the solid feel of him and the strength of his arms around her. She smoothed her hands over his shoulders before sliding them into his silky dark hair and felt the warmth build between them. She could kiss him for hours she thought, and never get tired of it. He pulled her in each time like he had no intention of letting her go. He smelled like sunshine, heather and dark malted ale and his sideways glance tricked her into thinking she knew where her future was headed.
But she didn't. The whole thing was up for grabs. Deciding on Declan had completely switched her focus.
'Anna from Boston' harbored a compulsive need to control every aspect of her day to the best of her ability, but she was discovering that her future husband was quite skilled at distracting her from that.
Yes. He'd definitely proved his prowess in that department, she thought a bit testily, recalling her shameless lack of inhibition.
'Anna in love', on the other hand, was giddy, and girlish and full of irrational hope.
Perhaps it wasn't wise to throw herself headlong into this chaotic life, but from the first moment she saw him lounging in the doorway, waving the telephone at her, she'd felt a strange lightening in her chest. The glimmer of playfulness in his eyes had aroused an unexpected jolt of attraction deep in her bones. And though later she would waste a lot of time vehemently denying those initial feelings, every moment of those two days on the road with him were memorable, as if permanently cast in a movie reel of technocolour patina. He was exasperating, yet somehow exhilarating to be around and she'd felt her heart shifting away from her 'master plan' of Jeremy, the house and two point five kids.
Declan felt the tell tale shift of her focus and whispered against her lips. "Focus woman. We haven't much time-"
She grinned despite herself and tilted her chin up so that he could better nuzzle her neck. "I thought you said we had all the time in the world."
"I meant in general terms." He pulled back to examine her more fully. "Because of course I do have a busy restaurant to run and as much as I would rather spend the day determining just how many freckles you have-" His finger began to trace her collarbone. "I'm afraid there are in fact, a few things I need to take care of-"
"-I don't have any freckles."
"You do." he insisted with a grin. "Face it Anna. You're a bona fide ginger." He took hold of a smooth lock of her hair, twirled it around his finger and muttered, "You're probably more Irish than me."
She loved his playful digressions. "So I suppose you'll need to prep for the evening service?"
"Aye. Harry is head chef in the kitchen this evening."
Anna read the trepidation on Declan's face. "Is that bad?"
"It isn't good, but Sundays are slow." He frowned slightly. "I should be able to rely on him more, but I can't. He's still learning. Last week I put him in charge of the Women's Institute's Luncheon and there were a few complaints about cold soup."
"Well don't dive in there and rescue him, otherwise he'll never learn how to take charge."
Declan gazed at her wonderingly. "You're a tough nut Anna. A lot tougher than you look. But perhaps you're right." His focus slowly shifted back to her lips. "He knows where to find me. It's Sunday morning, and I haven't had a day off in weeks."
"Besides." Anna said with an encouraging smile, "An unexpected visitor surely warrants a change in plans?"
"You're absolutely right." He grinned. "What kind of host would I be? I can't just leave you here bored already." His voice lowered as he began nibbling a gentle trail of kisses down her neck. "I wonder how we might kill a couple of hours?"
"I might have some suggestions."
"I'll bet you do. But how about this time we try something new?" The graveled timber of his voice in her ear and the shifting of his body over hers, sent anticipatory shudders down her body. Anna let out a breath that was a hair's shy of a giggle. "What do you have in mind?" she asked with mock coquetry.
He took one of her wrists and held it on the pillow over her head then leaned over her. "Well." He said with a slow smile and a hint of mischief. "It starts off with me-"
The door to the bedroom was suddenly flung open and a robust grey haired woman started hollering-
"Declan O'Callaghan it's after nine! Did you really think you could avoid me-?"
Declan rolled onto his back, while Anna ducked down. The woman stopped short, clapping her hand across her mouth as she registered the double occupancy behind the scrambled sheet pulling. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed.
"Jesus bloody hell Mum." Declan said with a scowl, "Haven't you ever heard of knocking-?"
"Sorry, Declan." She backed out, but not before shooting a curious peek at Anna cowering under the duvet. "I didn't realize you had someone with you-"
Declan waved her away briskly. "Not the time."
Anna knew she was cringing. If she could have crawled under the bed undetected and disappeared, she would have gladly done so.
"Don't think this gets you out of church!" Declan's mother retorted before taking a final inventory of Anna huddled under the sheet. "Your sister Bronwyn will kill you if you miss the service." The door was forcibly clicked shut.
Anna's gaze shot to Declan who was already swearing under his breath and attempting to smooth down his hair while he looked for his pants.
"Who's Bronwyn?"
"My sister."
She'd expected him to sport an apologetic air, ready to sympathize over this inauspicious start between Anna and his mother, at the very least acknowledge the awkward, embarrassment of it; but instead, and much to Anna's stupefaction, he started to grin. It started at the corners and spread over his face in a crooked line casting a glow like the rising sun.
"Were you planning on introducing me?" she asked with a strident tone, even while marveling at the way the light dusting of hair on his calves and forearms had turned golden in the morning sunlight.
His arms reached out to offer solace. "I thought perhaps I'd wait until we both weren't naked." he answered dryly.
He began to chuckle again, looking at her with those laughing eyes that could easily plead forgiveness, or beg favors or convince her to move to Ireland, and suddenly she knew that her heart was truly his.
She would follow him to the ends of the Earth. Had done it already. Hopping on the airplane, with this grand plan of tracking him down and crashing into his life in order to find out whether those feelings between them had been real?
It was so unlike her.
Suddenly she was laughing too and more than ready to fall into his arms.
"Good point." She gladly nestled in, immediately comforted by the way they fit together, by the way he read her signs and sensed her emotions.
"I'd envisioned meeting your mother over tea."
He pretended to mull it over. "Yes. That would have been better."
"Do you think she'll hold it against me?" She pulled back, a half panicked laugh gurgled out as she contemplated a future relationship with Declan's mother.
"Probably for the first five years."
She didn't know the first thing about Declan's mother, but Anna suspected that dealing with her might be a bit tricky and Declan's mother didn't know about the marriage part yet. For the first time, Anna wondered what her reaction to the news was going to be? All at once Anna was swamped with a feeling of utter panic. She didn't know anything about Declan yet. Not really. She didn't know his people, his history, his friends...
Anna burrowed her head into his shoulder. "What's your mother like Declan?"
"I'm afraid it's too late for that conversation." Declan answered grimly. "I'm due at my nephew's christening in one hour, and I'm sure before that happy event comes to a close you'll have gotten to know every member of my entire family, including my mother."
"Declan!" Rising panic clutched her insides, as he pulled her into his arms.
"I'm really very sorry sweetheart but there isn't much I can do about these present circumstances." He kissed her on the nose before taking her face gently in his hands. "My mother walked in on us. If you don't come with me to church this morning, then she's going to assume the worst."
"What's the worst?
"That you're a heathen."
She thought a moment before saying decisively, "I can live with that."
"C'mon sweetheart, you have to go. You showed up when you showed up, what was I to do?" Though she could see he was sympathetic, she also saw his devilish nature would also enjoy her introduction to his family.
He leaned in for a kiss, but she pulled back and checked him."I'm very worried."
He laughed, "Mrs. O Brady Callaghan... Don't worry. They're going to love you."