Текст книги "Breaking a Legend"

Автор книги: Sarah Robinson

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Текущая страница: 17 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

Chapter 24

“What if he’s going to tell us that Travis is getting out? Or already got out?” Clare chewed nervously on her lip, glancing over at Rory as they held hands on their short journey over to Jimmy’s precinct. Ace stayed beside Clare, pressing close to her side.

“Clare, I’ve been telling you for two months now: That asshole is not seeing freedom anytime soon,” Rory assured her. “There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“I know, but I just keep expecting everything to suddenly fall apart. Like it can’t possibly be this good, this real. Like you and I can’t also be real. What sense does it make that someone like me, with all I’ve done, ends up with Rory Kavanagh?”

“If it makes you feel any better, I can get my name changed?”

“I’m serious, Rory.”

“I know you are, mhuirnín, but that’s exactly why I refuse to go down that line of thinking. I’m not too good for you; if anything, it’s the opposite. You’ve made mistakes, but that’s all it was. Mistakes. In the past. The last two months—actually, it’s almost been four months I’ve known you—I’ve seen a woman who wakes up every day with the goal of being the best she can be. That’s all you can do.”

“You sound like a life coach,” she mocked him, as they arrived at the station and he held open the front door for her and Ace. She could have opened the door herself now that her arm was back to normal, albeit sporting a not-so-pretty scar down the side, but she appreciated his chivalry nonetheless.

“Rory, over here!” Jimmy waved them over as soon as they entered. The main room of the precinct was filled with officers at rusty old desks.

“Hey, bro,” Rory said, shaking Jimmy’s hand as they reached his desk.

“Hi, Jimmy,” Clare greeted him.

“Good news, guys,” Jimmy told them. “It’s over: Creighton is being sentenced tomorrow.”

“Already? I thought we were going to trial.” Clare looked surprised as she sat down across from Jimmy. Ace sat next to her, dropping his chin onto her knees. She absentmindedly stroked his head as she spoke. His bandages were gone, only a scar and some missing fur remaining to show his heroic history.

“Nope, he took a guilty plea.”

“What does that mean? When do you think he will be back out?”

“With the assault charge, the outstanding warrants from California, and the amount of drugs found on him? Creighton will be locked up for a long time. You don’t need to worry about him anymore,” Jimmy assured her.

“He deserves a fucking life sentence,” Rory griped from the seat next to her, draping an arm over the back of her chair and protectively holding her.

“If I could, I would,” Jimmy told his brother.

“So I don’t have to testify in court?” she asked him.

“No, not with a plea deal. It could result in a slightly shorter sentence, but it will save all of us a lot of time in the long run,” Jimmy explained. “Plus, it’s important that you be able to start your life and move on from all of this.”

“Wow.” Clare was stunned. She couldn’t even begin to wrap her mind around what this meant. That a portion of her life, the worst parts of it, were officially gone and done.

She was completely free.

“And as you already know, the contract that he made you sign is null and void,” Jimmy assured her.

“Thank goodness.” She nodded, relieved.

“You’ll be twenty-five in a few months. What do you plan on doing with the money?” Rory asked, curiously.

“Damn, Rory, are you a gold digger now?” Jimmy chimed in, teasing his brother, who just rolled his eyes, ignoring him.

“After I pay tuition, I want to donate the rest to Woodlawn Rescues. I love that place, and it needs help,” Clare said, putting her hands up in front of both men as if to separate them.

Rory agreed. “I like that.”

“Me, too. Switching topics for a second, Clare, I came across a few other warrants,” Jimmy lowered his voice, glancing around before he leaned closer to her and continued, “in your name. I spoke to the district attorney and he pulled some strings with the authorities in California. They’ve dropped all charges. Luckily, the Kavanagh name still has a lot of pull, so your record is clean.”

“Are you serious?” Clare exhaled, relief washing over her.

She had talked to Rory about the outstanding warrants, but not to anyone else. He must have told Jimmy about it, she figured. They weren’t for major felonies—she’d been wanted for possession and distribution of narcotics, all things that she had been forced to do while she was with Travis.

Despite her reasoning, the warrants had burdened her. She had been afraid to turn herself in, because Travis had convinced her that no one would believe her if she told the police about him. She felt silly now for ever believing him, but maybe it was good that she had. Travis didn’t have New York police in his pocket, but in California he definitely did.

“Yeah, and I don’t need to tell you that my assistance in that needs to be kept quiet,” Jimmy added, lowering his voice again. “I didn’t really break any laws doing it, but I didn’t follow any, either.”

“Of course—I’m just so grateful,” Clare told him.

“And I’m never going to see anything like that come over my desk again, right?” Jimmy questioned, sounding more serious.

“Come on, Jimmy,” Rory scoffed. “She look like a criminal to you?”

“First thing I learned as a cop—everyone is capable of crime.”

“What happened to the little kid who believed in superheroes?”

“Two of his superheroes started using drugs and alcohol, landing one of them in jail for two years,” Jimmy shot back, irritation on his face.

“You have to go there? I know I’ve made a shit ton of mistakes, but I didn’t get Kieran locked up.”

“Jimmy,” Clare tried to intervene, fearing that the conversation was quickly derailing. She wasn’t sure what they were talking about exactly, but she felt that there was probably some painful history there.

“Fuck it, sorry, you’re right.”

“Forget about it.” Rory stood to shake his brother’s hand.

Jimmy accepted the handshake. “Good—new topic,” he said, turning to Clare. “Everything is smooth sailing from here on out. Enjoy it.”

Clare couldn’t help but smile at his young advice, but he was right. It was time to stop running from life, and actually stop and enjoy it. She reached down and ruffled the fur on the top of Ace’s head. They were both free of their pasts and their pain. They had each other and they had Rory. Life was brand-new and limitless.

Nothing was chasing her anymore.

–

“I’m going to the shelter—Patty said she wanted to talk to me about something,” Clare told Rory as she brushed her hair up and back into a bun in front of the mirror.

“You are? Now? You’ve been there every day this week.” Rory stood up from the bed in his apartment and moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck.

“Like you’re not? You’re probably there more than me anyway—classes have really been killing my schedule lately,” she teased, leaning to the side so that he had more access to her. “Why are you asking?”

“No reason. What do you think Patty wants to talk about?” His hands on her hips turned her around to face him, his lips meeting hers.

“I have no idea—why are you being so inquisitive?”

“I have to go to Legends,” he said suddenly, stepping back.

“Okay?” She wondered why he was acting strangely.

“I’ll see you tonight for dinner? Don’t think I forgot about our six-month anniversary.” He grabbed a sweatshirt off the chair in the corner and pulled it over his head.

“Sounds great.” She smiled, but still found herself eyeing him warily.

“What’s wrong? You don’t sound excited.” He circled her with his arms again, kissing her gently at first, then a bit more fiercely.

“I’m excited about dinner, but I’m not excited about whatever it is you’re hiding right now.”

“Oh, come on, I could never hide anything from you.”

“I call bullshit,” she teased, sauntering away from him and out of the bedroom, grabbing her purse to go.

He caught up with her at the door and they kissed good-bye for a few moments, wrapped in each other’s arms, as they always did. Finally they parted ways and headed to their respective destinations, except Ace went with Clare, as he did most of the time now. The shelter was only a few blocks away from Rory’s apartment, as was everything in Woodlawn, so Clare and Ace made it there after only a short walk.

When she rounded the last corner and found herself in front of the shelter, she had to do a double take. There was construction happening on one side of Woodlawn Rescues, and the lot was full of construction workers and building materials.

She and Ace weaved their way through to the front of the building, where Clare saw a man on a ladder holding a new sign. She squinted up at the figure, only to realize it was Rory, hooking up a large sign to the front of the building.

“Clare, you’re here!” Patty waltzed out of the building, looking excited.

“Hey, Patty,”

“Such a beautiful dog.” Patty smiled at Ace, letting him sniff her hand and then stroking his head gently.

“ ‘Beautiful? Ace is an amazing dog, but I don’t think anyone has ever called him beautiful before.” Clare patted his side affectionately.

“Nonsense, all of his scars are what make him beautiful. They tell a story of survival, and there’s nothing more beautiful than that.” Patty grinned at them both as Clare nodded, agreeing with her and liking the sentiment.

“Oh, Rory, you’re here, too?” Just noticing him, Patty called up to where Rory was still perched on the ladder.

“Hi, ladies,” he greeted them as he worked his way back down the ladder.

“What’s going on, guys?” Clare asked them both, still feeling confused.

Patty started to explain. “I asked you to come down here today because I’ve decided to retire.”

“Oh, no.” Clare frowned. “I mean, that’s good for you, but what’s going to happen to the dogs?”

“That’s the thing—I wanted to retire a long time ago, but I didn’t want to just abandon this place, or these dogs. I mentioned it to Rory a few days ago and…well…he bought the shelter from me!” Patty announced, motioning to Rory, who was now standing beside them, grinning widely.

“You bought Woodlawn Rescues?” Clare gaped at the new sign above the entrance. Colorful large letters spelled out ACE’S DOGS.

“Surprised?” Rory asked.

“Oh, my goodness, this is what you were acting all sneaky about earlier?”

“I have no idea what you’re referring to.” He winked.

“He’s renovating the whole place, adding an expanded wing of kennels onto the side and a larger medical facility in the back,” Patty interrupted, clearly excited about the changes.

“That’s amazing,” Clare agreed.

“You’re helping,” Rory said, pulling her into his arms. “We’re going to put the donation you made from your inheritance toward the medical center, turn it into a low-cost animal clinic for the entire community.”

“I love it!”

“That was my idea,” Patty added proudly.

“Did you see the new name?” Rory pointed up to the sign. “You’re the one who said he needed a medal, so I figured this was the next best thing.”

“It’s my favorite part of all of this.”

“That’s not going to be your favorite part after you hear what else Patty has to tell you,” Rory said, and Clare turned questioningly to her friend.

“Dr. Prentiss has agreed to take you on as a full-time apprentice with him at his practice and at all the shelters where he works. Once you complete your degree and get your veterinarian license, you can work here as the head vet! If you want, that is. But I think you will definitely want to after you see the construction plans for the clinic, particularly since Rory is naming it Clare’s Canine Clinic,” Patty told her.

“Are you serious?” Clare said and gasped, looking back and forth between the two.

“Yep—Dr. Prentiss told me all about it last night.” Patty was practically shaking with excitement.

“Oh, really? Last night?” Clare smirked mischievously at Patty, knowing that there was a lot more to the story than that. She had known for weeks now that Patty had been trying to hide a private affair with Dr. Prentiss.

“Anyway, I’m going to be in the office if you need me.” Patty blushed deeply, waving her hand in an attempt to redirect the conversation.

“So, what do you think?” Rory asked Clare when they were alone.

She smiled and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, pressing her body flush against his. His silver eyes became hooded as he stared down at her, and she could feel how much her closeness affected him physically. She brushed her lips against his, not fully committing to a kiss before she pulled away again.

“I think that I’m the luckiest girl alive,” she whispered to him.

He smiled back at her. “Tabhair póg dom, cailín t-ádh.”

Give me a kiss, lucky girl.

Epilogue

“It’s today?”

“Of course—you’re the one who set it up. How did you forget?” Clare glanced over at Rory as he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on his socks.

She considered how handsome he looked right then, doing something so simple as getting ready for the day. That’s when she appreciated him the most, in all the mundane moments that most people passed by without a second thought. There was nothing that described love more to her than having someone to do nothing with—someone to wake up next to and put her socks on with.

“I’ve been so busy getting all the renovations at the clinic going, it must have slipped my mind. Are you nervous?” He looked up curiously at her.

“Beyond nervous. Even though I know Dr. Prentiss, and I’m excited about the apprenticeship, it’s still terrifying.” She frowned, putting on her earrings; she was already mostly dressed. The couple had woken up only a short while ago, and they both had busy days lined up.

“You’re going to be amazing—you’re a natural.” Rory stood up from the bed and pulled his shirt over his head, then kissed her squarely on the lips.

“I hope so.” She glanced down at her phone, the time flashing on her screen. “Crap, I’ve got to go. I need to get home to grab my books before I go over there.”

“You know, if you lived here you wouldn’t have to dash back and forth between apartments every morning.”

“Rory, we talked about this. I don’t want you to have to take care of me.” She turned to face the mirror and smooth down her hair, hoping he would drop the topic. She had never been around much money because her parents never spent a dime, which made her inheritance that much more of a surprise. Either way, Rory’s wealthy lifestyle was taking some getting used to.

“I know you think that, but you’ve been living with Casey for a few months now, and it’s taking away a lot of my time with you.” Rory joined her, his arms on either side of her, against the dresser, as he stared into the mirror with her.

“I’m here every night.”

“But not every morning.” Rory pushed her hair to one side and trailed his lips from behind her ear, down her neck. His breath was hot on her skin and tiny bumps appeared at the contact.

“You’re going to make me late if you don’t stop that,” Clare whimpered, knowing she probably didn’t sound very convincing as she tilted her head sideways to allow Rory more access.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he teased, continuing his assault, placing gentle kisses on her neck, nipping softly at her tender flesh.

“Rory.”

He gripped her hips firmly and spun her around to face him, leaning her back against the dresser as he pressed tightly against her.

“What, mhuirnín?”

“Um…” She blinked quickly, breathing heavily as her hands fisted in his shirt and her hips pushed against him. “I don’t remember.”

“That’s my girl.” He grinned and stole her lips with his, nibbling her bottom lip between his before sucking gently.

His tongue invaded her mouth at the same time as he cupped her bottom with both hands and lifted her onto the dresser. She wrapped her legs around his waist instinctually, her arms flying around his neck. He pushed her skirt up her thighs, leaving it around her waist as his hand found her panties and yanked them down.

Clare had moved to help him with the task, her chest heaving against his. His erection stood firm between them, covered only by his pants, and she squirmed with desire. She loved how intensely her body always reacted to him, and how much he wanted her every single time. He slid one hand between her legs, gently swiping against her naked sex. She jolted at the contact, gasping as he grinned wickedly.

“You want me.” It wasn’t a question, it wasn’t a command. It was a fact. She knew that he had just felt how ready she was for him, and that he was more than willing to give her what she wanted. She nodded her head furiously, her green eyes dark and hooded with desire as she grabbed at his belt buckle and unfastened it. She found him ready and slid her hands up and down his length.

Releasing him from his pants, she widened her legs and he pulled her bottom to the edge of the dresser, rubbing himself against her. She pressed forward, begging him, and he rewarded her immediately. Rory thrust inside her with one quick move, her body stiffening against him as she accommodated his large presence.

He moved swiftly in and out as she moaned into his chest, his face buried in her thick blond ringlets. It didn’t take long before she felt herself clenching around his member, and she knew she was close. Before she knew what was happening, he pulled out abruptly, grabbing her by her upper arms to keep her from falling over.

“What? Don’t stop.” She panted breathlessly, a bewildered look in her eyes as she reached for him to try to pull him back to her.

“Say you’ll move in with me,” he countered, looking seriously at her.

“Right now?”

“Right now.”

“Rory, please,” she moaned, her back arching as she slid her hands down his chest. He held her arms still, stopping her attempt at going lower.

“Mhuirnín, you think moving in here means I’ll be taking care of you. It doesn’t. I don’t care about money. What I need is you. I need you here with me—you being near me is what takes care of me. I go crazy when you’re not around. Hell, I go crazy when you are around, too.” Clare blushed as he spoke, but he didn’t stop. He needed her in his life more than she would ever know.

“You need me?” Her voice was soft and shy, unsure of herself as she looked up at him through long eyelashes.

He moved forward and wrapped his arms around her. Without warning, he pushed back inside her and she groaned at the welcome intrusion.

“If I could stay like this every second of every day for the rest of my life, I would. I need you, Clare.” He spoke in a low, gruff tone while locking his silver eyes on hers before asking again.

“Will you please move in with me, mhuirnín?” She nodded in agreement, trying to hide the smile on her lips. His face split into a bright grin, and he reached down to steal another kiss. She wrapped her legs around his waist again, pulling him deeper inside her and picking up rhythm again.

He held her hips in his hands, moving her with him as his lips devoured hers. Clare’s fingers ran through his hair, locking around it and pulling gently. She tensed as she felt herself climbing toward the finish again. He wrenched his lips from hers, finding her pert nipples pressing against the fabric of her shirt. Brushing away the garment, he grabbed one nipple gently with his mouth and swirled his tongue around the peak as Clare tossed her head back and moaned loudly. The sensation was too much, she was sure she would implode.

“Rory, please.”

“Táim i ngrá leat, mhuirnín.” I love you, sweetheart.

“I love you, too.” She kissed him hungrily before he moved to bury his face in the base of her neck, moving faster and deeper. Seconds later, they both crashed under the weight of their release. Clare fell against him and he leaned both hands on the dresser to steady himself.

“I’m going to be so late,” she murmured into his chest, giggling slightly.

“Just tell Dr. Prentiss you were busy moving into your new home.” He brushed a few stray hairs from her face as he cupped her cheek in his hand. She leaned in to him, smiling and holding his hand in place with hers. She wanted to melt into a puddle and dance around all at the same time; she wasn’t used to feeling this much happiness about anything, ever.

But she did anytime she was with Rory.

“Are you sure about this?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t sure, Clare.”

“Do you think Ace will mind?” Clare began laughing, pointing to the dog sitting next to the dresser staring at them. Rory followed her direction and chuckled, leaning down to pat the dog on the head.

“He seems to be a big fan of the show.” Rory shook his head, laughing, then stepped back and helped her down from the dresser. He tucked himself back into his pants and straightened his shirt. Finally, he picked up her panties off the ground and handed them to her, and was immediately rewarded with a mischievous grin.

“Not today,” she said simply, dropping the panties back onto the dresser and smoothing down her skirt. He raised one brow to look at her, his mouth falling open slightly and his pants beginning to feel tight again.

“Oh, really?”

“See you tonight, Rory,” she said with a giggle, walking out of the bedroom. He followed her, with Ace tagging along as he always did.

“See you tonight at home, mhuirnín.”

“Yes, at home. Our home.” Clare wrapped her arms around his neck and feathered his lips with kisses, before releasing him. She finally left for her new apprenticeship. At the same time, Rory left to go train Kane.

All Clare could think about was that she couldn’t wait to get home.

Their home.