Fire Down Below (36 page)

***

We spend the rest of the afternoon
being lazy, lounging in bed, talking, eating room service, and basically
enjoying the now familiar luxury of being with each other.

“You’re pretty hairy,” I say,
running my hands down his chest. He doesn’t have any hair on his back, but
there’s quite a bit on his front, including his arms and legs. I slide my
fingers over his head. It feels bristly. “Yet oddly, you have so little up here.”

“I know. I’ve got more hair on my
chest than I do on my head. Mother Nature’s idea of a joke.”

“I don’t know about that. I like
it.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, I think you have a great
body—hairiness and all. You know what my favorite part of your body is though?”

“My giant willy?”

I roll my eyes. “No, though I’m
not complaining. My favorite thing about you is your smile. It’s gorgeous. I
love your teeth.”

“My teeth?” Declan starts
laughing. “Did you just say you prefer my
teeth
over my dick? I’ve never
heard that before. You are a strange woman. I think you may even need therapy.”

“I’m totally serious. I’ve always
had a thing for pointy eyeteeth.” 

Declan considers this. “My vampire
teeth, huh? People used to tease me about them as a lad. They called me Dracula
and werewolf.”

“I love your smile. It was the
first thing I noticed about you when we met.” I think back to when Declan first
came to work, all the introductions, everybody asking him about being Irish.
I’ll never forget the first time I saw him smile. “Do you remember the day we
first met?”

He nods. “I do.”

I wait for him to say something
more, maybe give his first impression of me, but he doesn’t say anything. “You
don’t remember do you? It’s okay. I won’t hold it against you or anything.”

“I remember everything about the
day we met,” he says. “You were wearing dark jeans and a white sweater. Your
hair was longer than it is now. It was pulled back in a ponytail where it
swished every time you moved your head. You were quick witted and had an easy
laugh and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. I thought
you were the prettiest girl I’d ever seen.”

My mouth falls open in astonishment.
“Really?”

He nods thoughtfully. “It’s true.
I was struck by a thunderbolt.”

I put my hand out and stroke
Declan’s face. I feel moved in a way that makes it difficult for me to even
speak. “Why didn’t you pursue me?”

“Are you kidding? I wanted to. I
thought about it a lot, but I could tell you weren’t interested in me.”

I’m quiet as I think about this. I’ve
made a lot of shallow choices regarding men.

“Was I wrong?” he asks.

“No, you weren’t wrong.”

“When we became friends I didn’t
want to spoil it by coming on to you. I figured being friends was better than
nothing.”

“I wish I hadn’t been so dumb.”

Declan smirks. “I wish you hadn’t been
so dumb too.” Suddenly he sits up partway. “And would you like to know what my
favorite part of your body is then?”

“Sure, okay.”

He pulls the covers back and
studies my nakedness, stroking his jaw in contemplation. “Right there,” he
finally says pointing to my hip bone, “that freckle.”

“I think that’s a mole.”

“All right then, that mole.”

“This mole is your favorite part of
my body?”

“Absolutely.”

I’m wondering if he’s lost his
mind, but then I see the glimmer of amusement in his eyes. “You jerk!” I reach over
and smack his arm.

Declan bursts out laughing.

“Don’t talk to me anymore!” I grab
the sheets and roll away from him so I can pretend I’m mad. He comes up behind me
and holds me close. Neither of us says anything for a while.

“Did you really think I was the
prettiest girl you ever saw?” I eventually ask.

“Yes.” He runs his hand down my side.
“And I still do. I’ll
always
think you’re the prettiest girl—inside and
out.”

***

For New Year’s Eve Declan tells me
he’s made plans for us.

“I haven’t seen much of my friends
this trip, but they’re a good bunch. There’s a pub we usually all go to on New
Year’s.”

“That sounds great.” I have to admit
I feel nervous though. What if his friends don’t like me?

The pub is already packed when we
get there. It smells of beer and the press of bodies, but is blessedly free of
smoke since, like Seattle, it’s illegal to smoke in Dublin’s public places.

 I wasn’t sure if I should dress
up, so I took my cue from Declan and go fairly casual. I’m wearing the most
flattering jeans I own, black boots, and a low cut black sweater. I’m showing a
little cleavage, but not enough to make me look slutty. And, of course, I’m
wearing my Jane Moon necklace, which dresses up any outfit. Being that it’s New
Year’s Eve, I decide to play up my makeup by doing a smoky eye and wearing
plenty of lip gloss.

As we’re pushing our way through
the crowd, Declan takes my hand and leans in close.

“I don’t think I’ve mentioned this,
but you look damned sexy. Everyone’s going to be jealous that I’m showing up here
with this hot American babe.”

“Do you think my being American is
sexy?”

“Of course.”

I start to say something more, but
I can tell by Declan’s face that he’s distracted and sees someone he knows.

“There they are!” Some guy with longish
brown hair is waving to us. He’s sitting over at a corner table with a group of
people. Declan puts his hand up and the rest of the table turns towards us,
waving as we approach.

Everyone is hugging Declan and
saying hello to me as introductions are made. I say nice to meet you, trying
not to feel awkward. The guy with the longish brown hair is Danny, one of Declan’s
best friends from childhood. There’s a redhead next to him with large green
eyes, named Aine, who’s introduced as his wife. I try to keep track of all the
names, but as usual I’m terrible and I forget each one almost as soon as I hear
it.

I take notice of a gorgeous
brunette named Bridget because she seems overly friendly with Declan. She hangs
on to him far too long, whispering something in his ear.

My suspicions are confirmed when
everyone sits back down again, making room for us at the table, and I can feel
Bridget staring at me, checking me out. I pretend not to notice at first, but
then I finally turn to meet her stare. To my surprise she gives me a friendly
smile.

“Where have you been you bastard?”
Danny is saying to Declan. “I’ve been calling you all week. Don’t you ever
check your messages?”

Declan grins. “I got them. I just
haven’t had a chance to call you back.”

“You’ve been busy, huh?” Danny’s
eyes flicker over to me. “I take it you’ve been showing Kate here the sites of
Dublin.”

“I’ve been calling you too,”
another guy, whom I think is named Gavin, says to Declan. “Your must have your
cell turned off. I talked to your ma and she tells me she can’t get a hold of
you either.”

Hearing this I feel guilty. I
didn’t know his mother was trying to call him. Obviously Declan has a life and I’ve
been keeping him from it. We’ve been so wrapped up in each other that it hadn’t
even occurred to me.

A waitress comes over and Declan holds
up two fingers. The pub is noisy and I watch as it’s about to get even louder
as some musicians set themselves up only a short distance from where we’re
sitting. There’s a microphone and instruments already there, but it seems
pretty casual. One of the guys with a fiddle is holding a pint of Guinness that
he puts on the speaker next to himself. A few more musicians come over and as
the waitress comes back with our glasses I hear music. It’s folksy and Irish
sounding. I watch as a dark-haired lanky guy goes up to the microphone and
starts to sing in a warbled voice. I have to admit it sounds good.

“What do you think of this place?”
Declan asks over the music.

“I like it.”

“They always have great Irish
bands. It’s some of the best Trad you’ll hear in Dublin.”

“What’s Trad?

“Traditional Irish music. It’s
really popular.”

My eyes wander the pub and I see
that he’s right. People are still talking, but a lot of them are listening to
the music, nodding with the beat.

He picks up his beer and motions
for me to pick up mine too. “Sláinte!” he says, tapping my glass with a grin.

Declan turns away as Danny says
something to him. I can’t hear what they’re talking about, so I sit back and
sip my beer, watching the band.

Aine comes over to join me, asking what
I’ve visited in Dublin so far. I mention the
Book of Kells
and the
National Gallery, but I have to stretch the truth a bit. I can’t very well tell
her I’ve been holed up in a hotel room having wild monkey sex this whole time.

I’m annoyed when I notice how
Bridget keeps trying to catch Declan’s eye.

At some point the musicians take a
break and the waitress comes over with beers for everyone and there are more
toasts of “Sláinte!”

I follow the current conversation
at the table. There are a lot of good natured insults flying around, particularly
with the guys. They like to razz Declan, I notice, who doesn’t seem bothered in
the least bit, and seems pleased they’re giving him such a hard time.

“How did he ever get this lovely
woman interested in him?” Danny asks everyone. “Now Darlin’,” he addresses me
from across the table, “I could show you a good time here, if that’s what
you’re after. Declan has been living in America so long that he’s barely an
Irishman.”

From the corner of my eye I notice
Aine shaking her head with amusement. I figure if Danny can sling the insults,
so can I.

 I raise an eyebrow at him. “Oh, I
don’t know. I’m sure he prefers being barely an Irishman to being mostly an
idiot.”

Everyone stares at me with
surprise and then the table erupts with laughter. I turn and see Declan
practically choking on his beer. Danny nods and smiles at me with obvious
approval. “Jayzus, this one’s got a sharp tongue.” He leans over towards me. “I’ll
have to be more careful around you.”

“She’s sure got you figured out
Danny,” Bridget says. “If I’m not mistaken, Idjit’s your middle name.”

“Declan always did like those
sharp tongued girls,” someone else comments and there are murmurs of agreement.

As the musicians start up again
another round of the “black stuff” is served.

Danny grabs his fresh pint of Guinness.
“Sláinte!” he toasts as everyone clicks their glasses.

At some point all this beer gets
to me, so I weave my way through the crowd to find the bathroom. I was only
planning to drink a little beer to be social tonight, but every time I turn my
head there’s someone yelling “Sláinte!” and placing a new pint in front of me. Despite
my good intentions I’m starting to feel drunk.

When I make my way back to our
table, I find that Declan isn’t there. At first I think he’s gone to the
bathroom, but then I suddenly notice him standing off to the side talking to
Bridget. I’m trying not to watch them, but I can’t help it. It’s hard not to
notice that she’s exactly his type and I have to wonder what sort of history
they have together. Everyone at the table includes me in the conversation now as
I try to hold my own in the wit department. Though I find my attention
wandering to Declan and Bridget. They’re both laughing at something together.

Eventually they come back over. People
are asking me what I think of Dublin and just as I start to answer, Bridget
interrupts me. 

“What I’d like to know,” she says
with a smirk, “is what do you think of Irish men? Are they better lovers than
American men?” I see her gaze drift casually over to Declan.

I’m not sure where she’s going
with this, but I decide to make things clear to her. I turn to Declan. “In my
experience, Irish men are incredible lovers.”

There’s a purely male grin on his
face as he holds my eyes.

I hear all the other guys slapping
the table and yelling. “Feck, I could have told you that! Of course Irish men
are the best lovers!”

“So why are they better than
American men?” Bridget asks me.

“Well,” I glance around as
everyone watches my response with interest, “there’s that accent, of course, which
is
totally
hot.”

“That’s it,” Gavin says. “I’m moving
to America!”

There’s more laughter and then
someone asks Declan if he thinks his accent has helped him attract American
women.

“Absolutely,” Declan says, nodding
towards me, “take a look at the beautiful woman I’m with right now.”

I put my hand on his leg under the
table. 

“Aye, it’s a good thing you left
Ireland,” Danny says. “You needed all the help you could get.”

“What do the Irish think of
American accents?” I ask, genuinely curious, thinking back to Declan’s comment
earlier. “Are they sexy or not?”

As everyone considers this Declan turns
to me, “It depends on the woman. Sometimes I like it, other times I think American
women sound abrasive. When I first moved to Boston, I thought people sounded terrible.”

“Really?” 

Danny picks up his beer. “A French
accent on a woman, now that I like. They could speak total rubbish and it’s
still sexy.”

“I like an American cowboy
accent,” Aine admits. “Though I agree with Declan. American accents are too
harsh sometimes.”

“So American accents don’t sound
exotic?” I’m disappointed. I always hoped an American accent sounded cool to
foreigners in the same way most accents sound cool to us.

“No, I think we hear it too much
in the movies. It’s too familiar.”

The conversation turns to film and
everyone starts talking about their favorites. I listen for a while, but it’s
getting so hot and stuffy that I ask Declan if we can get some fresh air.

Despite how cold it is outside
there are plenty of people hanging out in front of the pub, most of them
smoking. Declan pulls me off to the side and wraps his arms around me.

“How are you doing? It can’t be
easy sitting with a group of strangers who’ve all known each other since
childhood.”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you having fun?”

 I pull away from him. “What’s the
story between you and Bridget?”

He leans back against the wall. By
the expression on his face it’s obvious he’s been expecting my question. “We
used to date.”

“Why is it you’ve never mentioned
her before?”

“We broke up right before I moved
to Seattle, so there wasn’t any reason to mention her.”

“How long did you guys go out?”

“A couple of years.”

This gives me pause. That’s the
longest I’ve ever heard of Declan dating any woman. “But you were living in
Boston then.”

“I know. It was a long distance
romance. I flew back home and she flew to the states.”

“So you’ve slept with her.” I realize
it’s a dumb statement and I don’t know why I say it, but I just want all the
facts.

He gives me a peculiar look. “Yes,
I’ve slept with her. I just told you we dated for two years.”

I nod, and even though I don’t
want to, I feel jealous. Very jealous. Hair pulling, cat fight, kind of
jealous.

I’ve met some of the women he’s
dated over the years, though in truth, I always felt a little annoyed by them
and preferred hearing about his break ups more than his actual relationships.
It’s the thought that he would have done the same things with her that we’ve
done together, that he would have touched her and kissed her. That he would
have shared his bed with her, talking and laughing like we do.

 I feel sick thinking about it.

Declan’s watching me. “I don’t
have feelings for her anymore. It’s been over between us for a long time. I
didn’t even know she was going to be here tonight.”

“Did you love her?”

He lets out a deep breath. “We had
a mutual infatuation, but no, I was never in love with her. We’ve stayed
friends over the years though. There’s no reason for you to feel jealous, Kate.”

“I’m not jealous.”

 “Are you sure about that?”

“Okay, maybe I am jealous. I feel
like you’re mine now.”

Declan pulls me close again and I
wrap my arms around him too. “I’m glad you feel that way, though I guess now you
know a little bit of what it was like for me watching you with Ben.”

I pull back with surprise. “You were
jealous of Ben?”

He chuckles, “I probably shouldn’t
admit this, but I basically hated him.”

“He wasn’t too crazy about you
either.”

“I’m sure he wasn’t.”

“I think Bridget still has
feelings for you though. She keeps looking at you all the time. What were you two
talking about earlier?”

He rolls his eyes. “It’s
complicated. Her younger brother has been getting in all sorts of trouble and
she wants me to speak with him, not that I think it would do a damn bit of
good. Plus she’s dating some guy who’s married. I don’t know what she’s
thinking, but it sounds like a mess.”

Hearing this makes me feel less
jealous and kind of sorry for Bridget. I can understand why she wouldn’t want
to lose Declan. He’s a good person to have as a friend.

We head back inside and as we’re
sitting down the band starts playing “Dirty Old Town.” Everyone in the pub is
singing and getting crazy with it.

Declan pulls me onto his lap and
soon we’re both joining in. I don’t know the lyrics that well, but I fake my
way through it the best I can, laughing the whole time. Declan shakes his head
with amusement and keeps looking at me in a way that leaves me breathless.

I spend the rest of the evening on
his lap, the two of us kissing and carrying on with each other far more than we
should, not that it matters. All around us people are in great spirits. He puts
his lips to my ear and tells me in that honeyed voice all the ways he’s going
to touch me later.