I fan myself with the t-shirt. “Oh, it isn’t a problem.” I give him a wink.
Tiernan bounces on his feet lightly, and my heartbeat quickens.
“As Malachy said, one thing to keep in mind is to always be ready to deflect. Too often, fighters are prepared to throw a punch. But half the battle of a well-played fight is conserving energy and dodging a blow.”
The largest of the boys who watched us come here guffaws. “Bollox,” he says. “Any pussy can dodge a blow.”
Tiernan fixes his stern gaze on the boy. “I’ve beaten some of the most prominent fighters in all of Ireland with these techniques. Care for a demonstration?”
The boy juts out his chin and rolls his eyes. “Fine, then.”
Tiernan beckons the boy over. “Come on, then.”
The boy blanches. “Me?”
A corner of Tiernan’s lips quirk up. “Did you think I was going to fight myself?”
“I didn’t mean…I didn’t think…”
“You a pussy?” A boy to his left hisses.
“You first.” Tiernan says, jerking his fist toward the boy in front. “And you next,” he says to the second boy.
Oh, dear.
Lachlan watches from the sideline, an amused expression written on his face.
“Bare knuckle fighting’s a bit of a dance,” Tiernan says. “Like I said, you need to learn to conserve energy and focus. You come out swinging and decking your opponent, you’ll get winded more quickly, you’ll lose energy, and your focus will be compromised. You throw a punch when it’s time, and not a second before.”
“I call bollox,” his opponent repeats.
Tiernan ducks as the crowd gasps. The boy had the nerve to throw a damn punch but Tiernan dodged him easily. He bounces on the balls of his feet, and the boy throws another punch, which Tiernan dodges once more. A third punch, and fourth, and the boy’s red in the face and winded. Tiernan looks like he’s just come in from a stroll in Maeve’s garden. The boy tries over and over to land a punch, to no avail.
I watch Tiernan dodge and weave, his eyes laser focused and his body taut with concentration, and I swear to God my heartbeat quickens and my blood heats. He’s so fucking hot like this. So fucking hot.
The boy throws another punch, which Tiernan dodges, then he’s making his own move. His hand lashes out and he catches the boy right in the stomach. He falls to his knees, doubled over, wheezing, and Tiernan steps back. I can tell from here Tiernan’s modified his strength. He could hurt a younger lad.
“I’ll give him a minute,” Tiernan says. The spectators watch, fascinated. “If this were a normal fight, I wouldn’t do that but because this is a demonstration—oof.”
The boy is up and he caught Tiernan off guard. Tiernan’s focus swings back to the boy. His jaw clenches, and I cringe. That boy is going down. Tiernan dodges, weaves, and lands another blow to the boy’s belly. He falls the ground with a loud cry and before I know what’s happening, Tiernan’s got him pinned beneath him.
“That was a low blow,” Tiernan says in a sharp, corrective tone that gets everyone’s attention. “Only an arse hits an opponent who’s not ready to fight.”
The boy holds up his hands, and he looks as if he’s about to cry. “Uncle,” he hollers.
Tiernan lets him up, and the other boys cheer.
“You’re done,” Tiernan says. He beckons to the second boy.
I watch him for hours, first one class, then the next. I’m tired and thirsty, as the sun beats down, but he’s hardly winded. Lachlan gets him water, and Malachy offers to do a few small lessons to give him a break, but Tiernan refuses. He’s in his element. He loves this. And every time I see him take the ring, a little bit of my heart goes with him.
Finally, the last class is dismissed. I hear whispers among the boys. The earlier classes told the later classes who their teacher was today, and the boys showed up excited. Finally, Tiernan pulls on his t-shirt.
“Christ, look at the time,” he says, grimacing at the clock when we arrive back at Malachy’s classroom. “You alright, Ai—” He closes his eyes and pinches his lips together. “You alright, Ruby?”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, aye, I’m fine,” I tell him. “Why on earth wouldn’t I be? I fucking loved watching you fight out there.”
“Did you?”
“Oh, aye. It’s damn hot, Tiernan.”
His eyes twinkle and he smiles at me.
I playfully smack his arm. “Aye, but I’m famished.” I lean in closer. “And Keenan gave us a job, didn’t he?”
“That was part of my job,” Tiernan says, jerking his head to where we just left. “See if anyone takes advantage while I’m fighting. Let them think I’m not on to anything.”
“Ah, I see. It’s all part of your grand plan, then, is it?”
He snorts. “Aye. Could use some grub and a cup of tea, no?”
I nod, feeling a bit faint.
We head back to the main dining hall, but this time we’re looking for the headmaster, no one else. But he isn’t there.
I eat a large, hearty bowl of chicken curry and rice, and drink two full cups of hot, strong tea.
“Where the bloody hell is he?” Tiernan mutters.
He signals to his brothers and points to his phone. He lets me see as he types.
Need to meet with you after dinner. My room.
They nod, one by one.
Back in his room, Tiernan’s sober as he delivers the news.
“Bloody hell,” Lachlan says. “Never liked the son of a bitch. Y’alright, Ais?”
“Of course.” I shrug. “Tiernan wouldn’t let me get hurt.”
Tully grins, just as Keenan joins us, as well as Cormac. Most of the inner circle of the Clan’s right here in this room. They make themselves at home around the small room, arms and legs hanging off chairs, sitting on the little sofa and the bed. Tiernan stands in the middle of the room, his arms crossed on his chest.
“Fill
