Page 33 of Colin (The Doherty Mafia)
I caught Brendan looking at me, like he was asking me what was on my mind.
I shook my head silently in response.
Nineteen
Marley
Maybe I shouldn’t have stayed.
Maybe, after I spoke to my boss and now that I’d gathered some information—if not all—I should have left and saved my ass.
In fact, I had no justification for why I stayed at the apartment, waiting for Colin to return like a dutiful wife—other than the possibility that I wanted to see him again.
I pottered around the apartment, I cleaned the kitchen and tidied up the cupboards, made myself a sandwich and put one for him in the fridge. Every time I heard a sound outside, I assumed it was Colin returning to the apartment. I got excited. I went to the window to look.
I knew there was a significant change in me. This was not the way I acted. These were not the things I wanted.
Since when did I get so interested in domestic pursuits? I used to cringe at them and made fun of women who wanted to be housewives and spend their lives in service to their husbands.
Marrying my father was the worst decision of my mother’s life—that was the way I looked at it.
And now I was waiting alone in the apartment of a man I had married accidentally. Instead of running as far away from him as I could, I was cleaning up after him and hoping he would come home soon so I could spend time with him.
I felt a shudder run down my spine at the thought of that.
What was it about Colin that made me act this way?
Just because of how handsome he was? How strong he felt when he held me in his arms? Because of how good the sex was?
This was more than just the case against his family—when it shouldn’t have been.
I came to New York to get information on him, not because I actually wanted to be with him.
I heard a key in the door and then it flung open.
I had been too lost in thought to notice the sounds of him at the door.
He caught me standing in the kitchen, looking lost, with a mug of coffee in my hands.
He had a look of surprise on his face—like he wasn’t expecting me to still be there in his apartment.
How long had he been gone for? A couple of hours? I’d lost track of time.
“I…I thought about going for a walk but I didn’t have a key to this place and I didn’t want to leave the apartment unlocked.”
I was babbling. Colin wasn’t even looking at me. He shut the door, took off his jacket, then walked over to me.
Without a word, he placed his hands around my face, tipping my head back so he could peer into my eyes deeply.
“You have no idea how happy it makes me to come home and see you here,” he said.
Now, why did he have to say that and make me doubt myself and my feelings all over again?
I got the sandwich out of the fridge for him and handed it to him on a plate. Then I grabbed two beers and took them to the kitchen table. I could sense there was something on his mind, he seemed distant, but also genuinely glad I was there. It made my heart flutter to know I was actually wanted by him. Even if it was just for a bit of fun.
He smiled when he took a bite of the sandwich.
“This is good. I wasn’t expecting a sandwich when I got back. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”
I felt a gnawing urge to give him a tight hug and a kiss on his cheek. Something a loving wife would do when she saw her husband enjoying a meal she’d prepared.
I wanted to tell myself to keep it in check, to have more control over my thoughts—but it wasn’t that easy.
I was a woman losing control.
“So, did you take care of it?” I asked, focusing on the task in hand.
That was why I stayed back, right? To get more information on the Dohertys.
Colin looked at me with furrowed brows.
“You said you were leaving because you had something to take care of,” I clarified.
He finished the rest of his sandwich before replying.
“It’s not going to be as simple as that, unfortunately. Things are going worse than I expected.”
“What things?”
Colin met my eyes, then took a gulp of his beer. I waited patiently for a better response. What more would I have to do to get him talking?
“I can’t discuss those things with you, Marley. I thought you understood.”
“I do understand, I’m just curious.”
“Curious about what?” He got up with the empty plate and dumped it in the sink.
“Your life here, how you live, what you do, your family…they all seem so nice.”
