McBride helped Sean and I track down Armand and his men and took them down. The goons were set up to get caught by the police while Armand was shot in the street. Michael, coincidentally a couple blocks away, laying prone, atop a sniper rifle. Crazy how things happen. Crazy how sexy McBride was, laying on a sniper rifle. All the time, but the image of him perching there, waiting for Armand was attractive. When I saw him set up, I couldn't stay focused. I stared at his jacket for a long time until he pulled it off. Opting for comfort over protection from the elements. The sun beat on his exposed neck and he used a bandana to drape over it.
I was satisfied to see the men put away for life, but McBride's fear that after they were releasesd they would come after me led us to believe killing Armand was only option. Sean was more than happy to oblige. He was already liking Michael and he didn't like Armand anyway, then hated him considering what he put me through.
Sean liked Michael. I could tell as he regarded him with a smile, helping him pack up the sniper into a bag.
"Don't trust him." He whispered to me after Michael was out of earshot.
My eyes snapped to Sean. "What are you going on about?"
"Call it intuition." He rubbed my shoulder softly. "It's just too good. He knows too much in too little time. He didn't meet you by accident, Fiona. That man did his research. I don't know how or why. Don't trust him."
I nodded softly and then got into the passenger side of Sean's car. After a second, my mind changed and I got out, turning to Sean. "I trust him. It might be a mistake... but he is a good person. Better than me and certainly better than you." I stalked away to join Michael in his truck instead.
"Decided you weren't gonna hear it from Sean, did ya?" Michael smirked at my firey expression as we pulled out of the parking garage he had killed a man on top of moments earlier.
"I did." My eyes snapped to him in frustration. "And I won't be hearing it from you, either, McBride." I paused and shook my head.
"Understood."
I took a deep steadying breath and pressed on. "Why didn't you tell me not to call you that?"
"What?"
"I called you McBride, Michael."
He shrugged. "It's not the time. I guess."
"No."
"No?" He looked at me, confused.
"Fight back." I demanded.
His expression looked like he was afraid of me.
"Michael McBride, Tell me the truth."
He sighed and shook his head. "How are you feeling?"
I Laughed one humorless laugh. "Don't ask me that. Don't change the subject. Don't distract me with that slick irish tongue. Tell me, McBride."
His teeth ground together in frustration. "Tell you what, Glenanne?"
"Oh, real cute."
"It seems like thats the game, isn't it?" He said with malice, pulling into his apartment. "You call me by my last name and I change the subject so now I'm calling you by your last name and you can try to change the subject."
"I want to go home." I crossed my arms across my chest.
"Good one." He spat. "I thought you wanted to talk about it."
"Fuck you, McBride." I turned to face him in the cab. "I've been nothing but nice and understanding and thats not me."
He laughed.
"Don't laugh at me, McBride. You might get your teeth knocked in."
He stopped and gestured toward his apartment. "You want to take this argument indoors or you wanna continue screaming in the parking lot?"
I sealed my lips and stalked up to his door, not waiting for him before pulling a bobby pin out of my hair and picking the lock in seconds.
"Real nice." He laughed, closing the door behind himself.
"Why are you in Dublin?" I demanded.
"I told you." He said softly, only furthering my anger and frustration. "I had to leave Belfast for a while, so a friend offered his apartment."
"Likely." I spat. "You show up, knowing who I am, who Sean is, what we do. What am I supposed to make of that?"
"What Sean does." He corrected calmly. "I have yet to learn what you do."
I laughed once, trying to stay angry. "Don't try to distract me. Stop that."
"Sorry." He put his hands up in surrender. "Continue."
"Michael, I want the truth."
"Thank you, first of all, for calling me Michael." He started carefully. "I'm telling you, Fiona. I am not playing some game. I... came here thinking I was escaping some trouble... but... I met you and now I've never been more sure of anything... It was fate that we met." He still looked like he was holding back, but I could tell that he knew that I was too smart for him.
I blinked at him and then smiled. "Whats her name?"
His eyes darted to the wall and then back to mine. A dead giveaway that he was being deceitful. "Who?"
"The girl..." I smiled, stepping toward him to push him onto the couch and sit in his lap. "The girl you left in Belfast."
He met my eyes and sighed, kissing my forehead. "Sam."
"So? What is it about this Sam?"
"She..." He looked distracted by his fingers tangling in my hair. "She doesn't know you exist."
"Thats obvious." "I didn't think I was gonna meet you."
"Clearly."
"She..." He shook his head trying to kiss me.
I pulled back, pinching his arm playfully. "She what, McBride?"
"She's not you." He breathed, appearing to be in pain. "I should call her."
"Do you love her?"
He shook his head. "I thought I might learn to because she... has feelings for me... but... you..."
I nodded once. "So, how did you meet her?"
"She's... involved in a similar enterprise." I laughed. "The arms Dealing enterprise?"
He laughed with me. "Yeah. you could say she is... involved in arms dealing."
"You need practice deceiving." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Do you like her?"
He shrugged. "She's nice. Sort of."
I nodded and ran my fingers through his hair. "What is she like?"
"Not you." He kissed me hard.
"I could've told you that."
He flipped me so I was on my back and he was hovering on top of me. "Sam is... things with her are easy." He ghosted his lips over my collarbone. "She lies to me. I lie to her. We lie to each other. Neither of us care enough to investigate the truth."
"What is the truth?" I asked, slipping my hands into the back pocket of his jeans.
"See?" He smiled and kissed me again. "It's you. You want to know. Won't give up until you do. You're anything but easy."
I shrugged. "You just..." He ran a hand up my side to slip under the hem of my shirt. "Demand... answers."
"Of course I do." I smiled at the question in his eyes. He was asking permission. "Michael, you helped me change yesterday." I reminded. "I think its ok that you take my clothes off."
He smirked and carefully pulled the shirt over my head and off my injured arm. He leaned down to kiss the arm gently, moving his kisses to the shoulder and then back to my collarbone. "I have accidentally fallen in love with you." He playfully bit me through the fabric of my bra. "Is that right?" I used my good hand to grab him through his jeans. He groaned and softly thrust into my hand.
"McBride? I do believe you're sweet on me." I smiled and unbuttoned his jeans.
He took over and stood to take them off and rip his shirt off in the process.
I looked over his body. Hard angles and intimidating muscles. My eyes rested on his underwear, trying to will them away with my mind.
Michael smirked and pulled my jeans off. "You still doing ok, Fi?"
"I'm great." I pulled him back to me, connectiong our lips and running my curious hands all over his hard body.
"You sure about this?" He asked, rubbing his bulge against me.
"Very sure." I grabbed him through his underwear and demanded he stand.
With his weight off me, I stood to slip my underwear and bra off as slowly as possible.
He watched from the couch with wide eyes. He seemed to struggle between two expressions. One looked like he wanted to bend me over the coffee table and the other looked like he was struggling with demons or something. He looked... guilty... maybe.
I pressed my back against the hallway wall and flipped my hair to the side. "You ready, McBride?"
He grunted his response as he stalked toward me and pressed his body against mine, his mental war obviously put on hold.
"Wow." I whispered against his chest. "I love you."
"Surprising, isn't it?" He seemed just as amused by the idea that someone I had known for a month was this important to me.
"Michael?" I whispered.
"Yeah, Fi?"
"Make love to me." "With pleasure."