Starr Fated (24 page)

“Good evening.
Mrs O’Connell I presume?” That was the name Seraphina had filled in
on her next of kin form.

“Who wants to
know?” Her sharp green eyes, the exact same colour as Seraphina’s,
studied me suspiciously.

“My name is
Liam Starr. I was hoping that I could speak with your granddaughter
Seraphina. I believe she’s staying with you at present,” I
explained.

A slow smile
spread over the old biddy’s face as she looked up to study me
closely. For some reason, she suddenly seemed much happier to see
me.

“Ah, right.
You’d better come in. I’ve been expecting you.” She held the door
open to let me in.

As I followed
her along the narrow hallway through to a small kitchen, I wondered
what she meant and hoped she didn't think I was a repairman come to
fix something for her. I looked around, but disappointingly there
was no sign of Seraphina.

“Sit yourself
down,” she insisted, indicating one of the chairs at the small
wooden kitchen table as she plonked a large mug in front of me.
Without asking, she poured some very strong tea into it with just a
splash of milk, before sitting herself opposite me as I squeezed
myself into the confined space. The cottage was very small and
rather like a dolls house.

“Mrs
O'Connell, if I could just see Seraphina, that is if she’s here? I
don’t have a lot of time….”

“You said your
name was Liam? That’s a lovely Irish name,” she declared, still
smiling to herself.

“Err, yes, my
mother was Irish. But she passed away some years ago.” I explained.
“So is Seraphina…”

“Of course.
That explains it.” The grandmother clapped her hands together in
apparent delight. “So what was her name? And where was she from?
And are you her firstborn?”

“Umm, her
first name was Aisling, and her maiden name was O’Doherty. I’m not
exactly sure where she was from – I was only a boy when she died. I
think it may have been Waterford. And I’m the eldest of her two
sons.”

My father
wouldn’t discuss anything to do with my mother after she passed
away in distressing circumstances because he found it too
upsetting, so I didn't know much at all about my mother’s side of
the family as I'd only been ten years old when she’d died. All I
did know was that she had apparently been absolutely insistent that
I had to be named Liam when I was born, which I don’t think my
father was very keen on, but she compromised with him by agreeing
that my middle name could be Joseph, the same as his.

“Yes! This all
makes perfect sense. That lot all have those deep blue eyes, same
as you. And they're all big strapping men, just like you. But I'm
guessing you get your blonde hair from an English father, would
that be right now?”

“I suppose so,
yes.” What was with all these questions? I’d never really given
much thought as to which features I'd inherited from which parent,
although I had to admit that at six foot four, I was substantially
taller than my father had been.

“So you're the
one my granddaughter was running from, is that right? And now
you’ve come for her.”

“Well, I’ve
come to talk to Seraphina, yes,” I said, thinking this was an odd
way to phrase things and that this old woman definitely seemed a
sandwich short of a picnic.

“So it’s
really happening at last. You’re The One. But why did Seraphina run
from you? And why did you let her go?” she asked me in an
accusatory manner.

“There was a
misunderstanding between us, which I'm hoping to rectify. That’s
why I need to talk to her, so if you could just maybe fetch her for
me…”

“She’s not
here,” she informed me, and my heart sank. I’d come all this way,
for nothing. “But don’t worry, she’s not far away,” the grandmother
smiled.

“So,
where…?”

“Don’t worry
young man, I’ll tell you in just a minute. But first you have to
promise me not to let my granddaughter slip through your fingers
again. Seraphina may not realise it, but because of who you are,
your family, you’re the right man for her – The One. That’s why you
felt compelled to come after her – you didn't really have any
choice in the matter. You mustn't give up on her, or take no for an
answer, no matter what she says. It’s fated between you, and it’s
no good fighting with your destiny.”

Now I decided
the old biddy really had lost the plot with all her crazy talk of
destiny and fate, but at least she seemed supportive of me trying
to make things right with Seraphina.

“I’ll
certainly be doing my utmost to rectify our misunderstanding, Mrs
O’Connell, if you could just direct me to where I can find your
granddaughter.”

“She’s at her
cousin’s birthday shindig down at the pub. Just turn left out into
the road when you leave here and keep walking. You can't miss it -
it’s called The Spinnaker.”

“Thank you,
Mrs O’Connell. I’ll see myself out. I’ll head on straight over
there and won’t take up any more of your time,” I said as I stood
up.

“Oh, you may
as well call me Nana, same as everyone else. We’re practically
family already.” She got to her feet and reached up to pat my cheek
as she beamed widely at me. “I'm just so glad you’ve found
Seraphina at last so you can take care of her and keep her safe.
You’re the one she needs, even if the stubborn girl doesn’t know it
yet.”

I just hoped
her granddaughter shared her sentiments, although I thought it very
unlikely, remembering how things had been left between us the last
time I saw her.

~*~

Following the
old lady’s instructions, I quickly found myself at The Spinnaker,
and made my way in. The small pub was packed, probably because
according to the posters on the walls there was a live band due to
play, and I stood in the doorway for a moment as I tried to spot
Seraphina. My eye was drawn to the tiny dance floor, and that’s
where I saw her.

Her dark hair
hung in loose curls down her back. She was wearing her usual type
of little ankle boots, a brown studded suede pair with a small
heel, tight skinny blue jeans that showed off her long slim legs
and great backside, and a skimpy, low cut, white lacy top that had
a frill around the bottom edge. She looked gorgeous and sexy and
hot, and I felt an electric thrill as I looked at her, while my
cock instantly twitched in recognition.

That’s your
woman.

She was
standing next to a guy with black curly hair, who clearly couldn’t
keep his eyes off her as they laughed and joked together.

He was taller
than Seraphina, so he was leaning in to hear what she was saying.
He was dressed in jeans, a dark green T shirt and a black leather
waistcoat. He had an intricate tattoo on one arm, and was wearing
an assortment of leather necklaces and bracelets. I felt my pulse
quicken as jealousy surged through me when I saw this guy put his
hand on her arm possessively.

I didn't stop
to think as I reacted instinctively. Before I knew it, I’d made my
way over to the dance floor, and was putting my arm around
Seraphina’s waist to pull her away from him.

“What the…?
Liam! What the hell are you doing here? How did you even know where
I was?” Seraphina exclaimed. I’d taken her completely by surprise
as she hadn't seen me make my way in.

“Abbey told me
you’d gone to visit your family in Ireland, and I got your
grandmother’s address from your intern paperwork. She told me where
to find you when I called in there just now,” I explained. “We have
unfinished business, Seraphina” I murmured in her ear.

I pulled her
into my arms and held her tightly against me. She started to push
against me, but I held her firmly and wouldn’t let her break away.
She felt so good. So soft and lovely.
Mine.

But then the
ape who had been talking to her had to try and interfere.

“Just a
minute, who the fuck do you think you are? You can't come in here
and just grab a girl like that.” He tried to pull my arm away from
Seraphina.

“Mind your own
fucking business,” I growled back. I shrugged him off and tightened
my hold on Seraphina, as I glared down at him.

“Why don’t you
just fuck off yourself,” he replied heatedly, as he bumped himself
up against me, clearly trying to intimidate me. It didn’t work, and
at that moment things could have turned really nasty, as I knew it
wouldn’t take much for me to punch him if he didn't back off and
leave us alone.

“It’s okay,
Finny. I know him. It’s fine, it’s cool. I was just taken by
surprise, that’s all. Really, there’s no problem,” Seraphina
intervened, as she put her hand on his arm in an attempt to
reassure him. He continued to glare at me for a few long seconds,
before reluctantly accepting what she said.

“Just who does
that fucking langer think he is?” he muttered, as he backed off to
stand and watch us from a short distance away. I had no idea what
he meant by a langer, but I didn’t imagine it was
complementary.

“Who’s your
hot headed protector?” I asked, as I pulled Sera back tightly
against me.

“That’s
Finbarr, and he’s just an old friend. We’ve known each other since
we were kids. His brother is married to my cousin,” she
explained.

“Well, clearly
he’d like to be more than just an old friend.” The guy gave me a
filthy look while he pointed me out to a girl who looked a lot like
Seraphina, except maybe a couple of years older. Then he went over
to where the band were getting ready to play and picked up a
guitar, all the while continuing to glare at me with dark eyes.

“Oh ignore
him, and just explain what you’re doing here. Shouldn’t you be on
your way to New York by now? Was there something wrong with the
designs?” She looked up into my face, and I found myself gazing
into her beautiful green eyes, thinking that I could easily lose
myself in them.
The eyes are the window to the soul.
She
is your soul mate.

“No, I'm not
here because of any problem with your designs. I’m delighted with
them, and they’ve all been completed in time for my trip.
No
thanks to Simon
. And I am on my way to New York. This is just a
short stopover. Like I said, we have unfinished business,
Seraphina. I told you we needed to talk, but you suddenly took off
without giving me the chance to explain a few things.”

I put my hands
on her waist to pull her even closer. This felt so right; this was
where she was meant to be, here with me, in my arms. The incredible
bond between us was stronger than ever. How could I ever have
thought I could deny it or ignore it?

“What is there
to say, Liam?” she replied. “Other than I made a complete idiot of
myself, with both you and Jamie.”

“No, you
didn't. I was an idiot. Jamie was an idiot. We both let you down,
badly.”

“Whatever.
It’s all in the past and I just want to put it behind me. That’s
why I thought it best to make a clean break and have a fresh
start,” she sighed. Just then the band started playing really
loudly as Finbarr smirked at me.

“Look, is
there somewhere quieter we can go so that we can talk properly?
It’s important. I wouldn’t have come all this way to see you if it
wasn’t, would I?” I glared back at Finbarr, determined his juvenile
attempts to disrupt our conversation weren’t going to succeed.

Seraphina
stared up at me. I looked down at her soft, sweet lips. I really
wanted to kiss them… our eyes locked, but just as I leant down, we
were interrupted.

“Aren’t you
going to introduce us to your friend, Sera?”

I looked over
to see a slim, middle aged woman, with short dark hair eying me
with great curiosity. She was also dressed in jeans, with a bright
red blouse. I got the distinct impression that her sharp blue eyes
didn't miss a detail as she studied me.

“Of course.
Everyone, this is Liam Starr, a work acquaintance of mine from
London. Liam, this is my Aunty Caitlin, her husband Declan, my
cousin Aoife and her husband Sean.”

She made the
introductions as I nodded my acknowledgments to her family.
“Actually, we were just going outside, as it’s a bit too noisy in
here for us to discuss the matter he’s come to see me about.”

“I think we
all know exactly what kind of discussion you two are going to be
having,” the girl she’d introduced as her cousin smirked at us.
Seraphina glared back at her and mouthed something that I couldn’t
make out. She grabbed my hand and led me to the back of the pub,
out to where there was a small garden area.

As soon as we
were outside, and before she could say anything, I pulled her into
my arms to gently kiss her, pleased that the cut on her lip seemed
to have healed.

My kiss was
full of longing, and I hoped it would convey my feelings far more
eloquently than any words could. I wrapped my arms around her and
swept her up, and she moaned and threw her arms round my neck to
kiss me back. Our tongues flirted together as they entwined to act
out an erotic dance. This time when we broke apart, I didn't deny
my feelings. I would not betray her like that again.

“Seraphina, I
really wanted to tell you how I felt the last time I saw you, but
as you’d just been practically raped by my brother it hardly seemed
appropriate. So I planned to talk to you when you brought your
designs into the office, in fact I was determined not to let you
leave until we’d got things sorted between us, but you never turned
up - you’d already left. So I never got the chance to try and put
things right between us after the stupid way I denied feeling
anything between us that time at the club. I don’t know what this
is between us, all I do know is I’ve never felt anything like it
before, and I can't stop thinking about you. I’m so sorry for the
way I acted before, and I need you to give me another chance.
Please, can we start again, can we have a fresh beginning and work
something out between us?” I asked her breathlessly.