"Well, I suppose I should be thinking about Lee's sentence and what the panel decide." I knew for certain that this wasn't what he had meant. And by the raised eyebrow he shot in my direction, he knew that I knew it too.
"Where are you going to be when you think about that?" He pushed on infuriatingly.
I blew out noisily. "Are you really going to make me say it?"
"Say what?"
I reached forward and slapped his thigh sharply. He flinched and grabbed it with a gasp, sucking in air through his gritted teeth. I tapped my cheek edgily and waited for him to give up the act. I knew I hadn't hit his hurt leg.
"I'm not fooling you am I?" He released his leg and stretched it out again as I shook my head. "Well you should feel a little guilty. You're making the cripple wait for an answer to an easy question."
I gave him a questioning glance. "You pout when Paddy treats you and tells you that you have to stay in bed but you willingly draw attention to the fact that you're hurt when you want something." I shook my head despondently.
Without warning, his hand reached out and latched around my wrist. He yanked it forward so that my chin dropped and hit the bed. He lifted my hand towards his head.
"Tell me or I'll eat your hand."
"You tell me or I'll bite your leg." I wiggled my chin to move my head closer to his leg.
He laughed loudly and I held back my own giggles. It was only now that I noticed that a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders and I felt so carefree. I felt like I could do anything. And I had to have him by my side when I did.
"I want to stay with you," I mumbled into the blanket that covered his legs.
His chuckles died down. I could feel his breath on the tips of my fingers. "You're going to have to repeat that. I hear through my ears and not my legs."
He had heard. I could tell by the sudden brightness in his expression. The sudden shimmer in his lime green eyes. The smug smirk that I wanted to rub off his face. I pressed my lips together and stared at his headboard.
I let out the shortest, tiniest yelp when I felt his teeth lightly nibbling my fingers. I glared at him and tugged on my hand. He tugged it back. I turned away to hide my pang of hurt. I had said something serious and personal and he was teasing me. I didn't appreciate it.
"I wouldn't let you go, anyway," he finally relented. "If you had said on the opposite side of the planet, I would've followed you, not two inches behind until you gave up and took a step backwards into my arms."
"Stalker," I muttered. He began to kiss my knuckles.
"I bought a place."
I sat up abruptly. "What?"
He glanced at me a little contritely. "I bought an apartment in the city. It's big. It's near the headquarters so I won't have to travel far. And it's near UCD, University College of Dublin..." He bit his lip. "You know, if you want to study. Or you can join up for a trial with LASER. Always looking for new recruits."
I smiled softly. What an overload of information. Here I'd been thinking that we would stay with Dan and James but of course we couldn't live there forever. And my thoughts hadn't even roved as far as continuation of my education. Obviously, I couldn't sit around for the rest of my life. "As much as I'd love to work with you, Liam, I couldn't. I don't think I could go to a place where my parents were employed and bear with any expectations or gossip. I'll have to pick a course that I can have fun in."
The Thief's Revenge - Ch 48 [there's no such thing as 'the end']
Start from the beginning
