Free Unworthy Heart: The Donnellys, Book 1 by Dorothy F. Shaw Page A

what?” She scooped up a forkful of mashed potatoes and devoured them.
    Christ, she made something as mundane as eating sexy. He shook himself, but his pants got tighter. He cut into his steak. “Nothing.”
    “Good, huh?”
    “Mmhmm.” He pressed his lips together and chewed. Much better. If he kept his mouth full, he didn’t have to talk. What he wanted to do instead was get them the hell out of there so he could taste every inch of her skin.
    They ate in silence for a little while. It gave him the time he needed to calm his raging hard-on. But her eyes widened each time she took another taste of her meal, savoring each morsel. She looked sexy, and happy, and that made him happy. “So, tell me about your family.”
    Maiya looked up and swallowed. “Um, what do you want to know?” She took a drink of her wine.
    “Whatever you want to tell me.” He took a drink too. “Siblings?”
    “I had an older brother.” She wiped her mouth with her napkin and shifted in her seat.
    “Had?”
    “Yes. He died when I was ten.”
    “I’m sorry.” He studied her eyes. Her pupils were larger than he’d seen them before.
    “It was a long time ago.” She blinked a couple of times and then studied her plate, spreading her fork through the remains of mashed potatoes.
    “You want to tell me about it?” He didn’t want to push her, but the words were out before he had a chance to stop them.
    “Not really.” She shrugged and put her fork down. “Maybe some other time.”
    “I’d like that.”
    “What about you?”
    “I come from one of those good Irish-Catholic families.” He glanced at his drink and then back to her. “Lots of siblings, lots of cousins, and everyone drinks too much.”
    “Wow. I bet you got into a lot of trouble as a kid.” She traced the rim of her wine glass.
    “Hell yeah. Gave our parents daily heart attacks. I’m surprised they survived raising all ten of us.”
    “Holy shit. Ten?”
    He raised his glass. “Aye. Six girls ’n four boys, lass.”
    “Not bad, sir. Not bad a’tall.” She laughed. “I guess you were never bored.”
    “Nope. Never a dull moment in my house growing up.” He sat back and smoothed his tie. “Never any privacy, either.”
    She pouted and batted her long lashes. “Poor baby.”
    “Teasing me?”
    “It’s our deal.” She licked her lips. “A requirement, I think.”
    “Well, in that case—” he leaned forward, “—bring it on.”
    “You love it.” She swallowed the last of her wine.
    “I’d never admit that.” He chuckled. “You want some dessert?”
    She gazed at him over the top of her wine glass. “Yep, but not here.”
    Looking over his shoulder, he signaled the waitress “Check please?”
    Maiya sat back and giggled.
    His mother didn’t raise no fool. Maiya decided what she wanted for dessert, and he planned to make sure she got it.
    Maiya nibbled her thumbnail as Ryan paid. He’d grown up with nine siblings. Amazing. She bet they had family dinner each night at a dining room table inside a nice house. A real house, not one with wheels.
    It made her think back to the typical label she’d given him. The comment, meant as a teasing joke, probably stung. She’d heard about how kids growing up in large families struggled to be individuals.
    Hell, she’d grown up alone and struggled to find her own individuality. Half the time, she had no idea who she was or where she belonged. Mostly she’d tried to be invisible. Especially to her mother.
    As she’d grown into a young woman, she was done being invisible, making a point to stand out—in fact, she’d made a hobby of it. At times, Maiya still didn’t know who she was deep inside.
    She’d be hard-pressed to admit it, but how Ryan grew up sent little barbs of envy scraping through her veins. As a child, she’d spent many nights longing for his brand of normal. As an adult, she’d learned normal didn’t fit anyway.
    Maiya was fine with being different. Or at least she had been until