Page 22 of Irish Betrayal

Daniel’s uncle Patrick and his father, Bran, were leaning against Daniel’s blacked-out Range Rover. At the group’s approach, the older O’Faolains peeled their still sexy-as-hell bodies off the vehicle and met them on the walking path.

Blair barely noticed the camera flashes as the men slapped each other's backs. They always created social media buzz when they stood together. Ciar Murphy was the handsome dark angel of the group, while Daniel, Jonathan, Dagr, Patrick, and Bran created some sort of icy otherworldly god club.

It was no surprise they caused a stir. And Dagr’s dad, Ulf, wasn’t even there to add to the glamour.

“You pretty boy O’Faolain pricks are sure good for business,” Ciar smirked, continuing the good-natured back pounding.

“I don’t think it’s us, Murphy. I seem to remember reading an article in the Daily Mail not so long ago about the Russian mafia real estate titan.”

“I loved that article,” Gray giggled and kissed her husband’s cheek.

“Thanks for dropping my ride off, Dad,” Daniel told his father.

Bran said, “Of course,” before turning his intense stare on Blair.

“I would have never believed Cat’s daughter would grow up to be even more beautiful than her mother. I stand corrected,” Bran said, nodding respectfully in her direction.

“Your dad has better game than you do, cousin,” Jonathan ribbed Daniel, which caused Blair’s cheeks to turn scarlet.

Blair signed, “That isn’t true, but thank you, Bran.”

Bran glanced between her and Daniel. “You two have until the morning to call Barr. If he finds out on his own, and he will, I won’t stand in his way. Is that clear, son?”

Bran made sure to sign so that Blair could follow the conversation. After what he said, she wished he hadn’t. How awkward.

“I planned on it. Christ,” Daniel cursed before glancing at Blair and mouthing “Sorry.”

Before anything else mortifying was brought up, Bran clapped Daniel on the shoulder. “Pat, take us home, brother. I’m too old to be out this time of night, and I reckon our wives already have our beds warmed.”

“Make it stop,” Jonathan mouthed.

“Please, God, have mercy,” Daniel said, wincing comically at Blair.

As the group all separated to go their separate ways, Blair asked Daniel why he needed his vehicle.

He helped her in the passenger seat and winked. “I told you that it’s a surprise. You’ll see.”

They’d been driving in silence for less than ten minutes. She was always in silence, Blair supposed, but Daniel had a way of making it comfortable.

His hand was resting on her thigh, which was another thing that Blair noticed he did for her. He never tried to hold her hand, knowing she needed them to communicate.

Curious now that she had thought of it, she asked while they were stopped at a light, “Do you mind the silence? I mean, not dating someone you can talk to. No, I mean someone who talks back. I can talk back,” she corrected. “Sometimes. I mean,” she shrugged, “hear you.” She sighed and shook her head. “That was about as eloquent as my brother farting in church.”

Daniel flashed her a smile before taking off again. He tapped his phone screen and voice-texted her because she couldn’t read his lips while he was facing ahead and his hands were otherwise occupied.

Daniel: You do talk back, and with a biting wit I’ve often admired.

His fingers flexed where they rested, barely moving just that much higher on her thigh. Distracting.

Daniel: Do you mind that I can hear? Have you ever considered dating someone who was born like you so that they would better understand your challenges? I mean, even if you thought about doing that, you can’t now. Your time for experimentation is over.

Blair found herself chuckling as she read his words. She was about to text back because it would show up on his dash monitor, but decided to speak instead. She could speak. Her vocal cords worked just fine. It’s just that she always hated knowing she sounded different.

She found that her odd speech was distracting and drew way more attention than signing. Growing up, it made her so angry that even her speech was screwy, no matter how hard she practiced.

“I’m glad you can hear, Daniel. And…I’m glad you don’t mind that I can’t.” That was probably the most she’d ever said out loud to Daniel. She spoke with her friends, but even then, speech felt cumbersome, and she naturally reverted to signing.

Daniel: It’s nice to hear your voice, Blair. I think about it a lot, especially the sexy sounds you make when you come.