We join them every day at the site of the ranch, helping with the build. Lucy and Delia have each been running things at home, between Delia’s ranch and Lucy’s dog business, but as they’ve both grown closer to their due dates, their husbands have taken turns staying home to help out, despite their very independent wives complaining loudly about being treated like invalids.
“Yep, we’re headed out there,” Noah says.
“Cool, we’ll see you out there,” he says, and he and Cillian start to leave after kissing Lucy goodbye.
“Hang on, we may as well ride together,” Keenan says, “Rowan, you’re hanging here?”
Rowan nods, looping an arm around Delia’s shoulders. Keenan brushes a kiss over his wife’s lips and pats her swollen belly before following his cousins out. The four of us follow them and the seven of us split up between two cars to go over to the construction site.
“Oh, look, they’ve almost got the porch done,” Neil says as we approach, and a glance out the window shows me that he’s right.
The porch had been one of Gina’s ideas, a screened-in area in front of the whole dude ranch to be filled with comfortable chairs where our guests can enjoy a little bug-free fresh air and either socialize, read a good book, or just enjoy the sunshine.
At first, my brothers and I had scoffed at the idea, disliking the prissy idea, but now that I was actually seeing it, it seemed fitting. It wasn’t the hoity-toity parlor we’d pictured, but more like a relaxed place to hang out.
I would never dare to admit it to her after the way we’d made fun of it, but I kind of liked it.
Although, maybe clinging to that one good idea would be enough to help me keep the peace and keep my word to Delia.
Chapter Three
Gina
I’ve been seething all day, to the point where I can’t work on any of my custom orders. Dealing with the Byrne brothers had been even more infuriating than I had expected. I wasn’t sure if they were insinuating that I was lazy, or taking advantage of their friends, or exactly what they were implying, but it made my blood boil.
When I drop a tanzanite for the third time, my shaking hands knocking it out of the piece I was trying to set it in, I give up, setting my tools down, collecting the gem and returning it to the little case I had been storing it in.
With a sigh, I look over my online orders and I’m even more agitated to see how slow orders are. I only have one small order to ship out for now, and once I’ve packed that up, it hits me that I have nothing to do.
This is a pretty dead time of year in the store, with no major romantic holidays coming up, so I end up doing a lot of my one-of-a-kind jewelry designs around now. And while the website traffic varies from day to day, it’s not like it takes me that long to collect and package orders.
So maybe it’s time to show up the Byrne brothers. I type up a sign for the door and print it, taping it to the glass. I pack things up and lock up behind me.
With a final glance at the door, I see that the sign is positioned neatly and easy to read: “Landry’s Lovelies will be closed Monday through Friday through June 30th. We will still be open regular hours Saturday and Sunday, and orders placed through our website will still be shipped daily. Sorry for the inconvenience!”
And with that, I head home to Kal, who seems deeply offended that I had elected to leave him home for the day.
Sorry, buddy, I think, you’ll have to get used to that for a bit.
I’ve decided that for the next few weeks, I’m going to take the plunge and jump in to help with the build. Maybe I don’t think that pushing for a faster opening is going to be the fix we need against our new competitor, but if that’s the plan, I’m on board to help.
And maybe this will finally shut up those smarmy Irish assholes.
Maybe I grew up a spoiled, pampered rich girl, but the moment I left Lionel, everything changed. I’d literally thrown a dart at a map, vowing to move to wherever it landed, and I’d moved from New England to Texas with five thousand dollars to my name.
I’d gotten a job in the local diner and worked my ass off, squirrelling away money for a house and to make some new kind of life for myself. In that time, my parents had gotten in touch with me and begged me to come back and take my husband back. My husband, however, was smart enough not to get in touch.
In that time, I’d started doing a lot of hiking on some of the mountain trails outside of town. It had relaxed me, and one day, I’d noticed something sparkly on the trail. Drawn to it like a magpie, I’d scooped it up and discovered it was a broken geode, full of amethyst. And those glittering stones had reignited a spark from a long time ago.
I’d always loved jewelry and sparkly things, and when I was a teenager, I had developed a fascination with gemstones. In fact, I’d begun to accumulate a small collection of gems from flea markets and online auctions, and the box containing my gem collection was actually one of the few things that had come with me both after I’d gotten married and again when I fled to Texas.
And so from there, every penny I saved went into becoming a jeweler, from buying supplies and books to developing my website. I’d found my calling, my passion, and from there, I worked my website into something massive and opened a brick-and-mortar store. And while the store wasn’t packed all the time, I made more than enough to keep it running.
I take pride in the fact that I had done it all myself, from teaching myself to cut and set gems to running a business all on my own.
And so Conor’s jabs, whatever they insinuated, had set me bristling, and now I feel determined to show them that they were wrong about me. Even though something in the back of my mind keeps asking me why - why it matters what they think of me.
I wake the next morning and struggle over what to wear to the construction site. I tend to wear a lot of subdued, businessy pencil skirts and blouses when I’m working at the jewelry store, and in my free time, I tend toward loose tunics and leggings or comfy t-shirts and jeans.
Jeans seem like a good idea, rugged and protective, so I wriggle into a well-fitting pair, and I settle on a plain, slightly oversized t-shirt with long sleeves. Despite living in Texas for over five years, I haven’t yet fallen under the spell of cowboy boots, but I do have a sturdy pair of plain old boots that’ll protect my feet.
Overall, with my hair swept up out of my face, I can almost convince myself that I’m ready for anything today. The nagging little voice of dread in the back of my brain reminds me that I’ll still have to be dealing with the Byrne brothers, but I force myself to ignore it, trying to forget that I’m doing this to show them up.
Kal twines around my ankles as I’m trying to leave, complaining loudly about being left at home again. I feel a stab of guilt, but I’m not about to try and take him to the construction site again.
I convince myself as I drive down to the site that I’m doing this to help the project along, for my friends, and it has nothing at all to do with those gorgeous bastards.
I pull off and I’m amazed to see the progress they’ve made since the last time I was here. It’s actually starting to look like a real building, rather than a skeletal outline.
I step out of my car and I’m greeted by a surprised-looking Seamus and Barry.
“Gina, we didn’t know you were coming today,” Barry says, offering me a genuine smile.
“I decided that I can close up shop for a bit and jump in to help,” I say with a shrug, “If we’re really going to push this opening, you guys will need all hands on deck, right?”
Seamus frowns a little.
“This isn’t because of Conor giving you a hard time yesterday, right?” he asks, “Because he’s wrong, you’ve contributed plenty, and you’re in no way obligated to do any of this,” he waves a hand at the building.
I force a smile and lie through my teeth.
“Of course not. I know better than to listen to them.”
Seamus lifts an eyebrow at my little jab, but doesn’t respond.
“Wel
l, I guess we’ll show you to where we’re going to be working today,” Barry says, matching my forced brightness with his own.
The two of them walk with me over to where the workmen are already pounding away, accompanied by Rowan and all of the Bryne brothers.
They turn to look when we approach and I feel a smug sense of satisfaction as I watch the jaws of Noah, Conor, and Flynn drop to their chests. Neil opts for eyebrows shooting halfway up to space. I have to bite the inside of my lip, hard, to keep myself from smirking.
“So where can I help?” I ask Barry, loudly enough for the others to hear.
“Well, the Byrnes could use more people on their team over there,” he says, and I see a glint of amusement in his eyes.
While I desperately want to request another task, any other task, I force a smile.
“Sure, I can jump on in!”
I move over to where they are, and, choking on my pride, I ask, “So, can you guys show me what we’re doing here?”
The expression on their faces is unfamiliar, their usual annoyance at my existence replaced with something I would almost call approval. It’s begrudging, if anything, but as they begin to instruct me, there’s definitely an air of respect that I’ve never gotten from them before. So, at least I have that going for me, and it helps cheer me up.
Chapter Four
Conor
I can’t believe the Ice Princess actually showed up. And her usual prissy look has been replaced by jeans and boots. I’d never admit it to her, but I’m a little impressed. Seems she took what we said to heart. As we teach her the ropes and she jumps into the work, I’m even more impressed.
She learns quickly, and dives in with both feet, no hesitation or complaining, just a question or two to make sure she’s on the right track.
Just as we’re getting into a rhythm, however, we’re interrupted by a new voice booming behind us.
I turn to look and see a pair of squat, ugly men in ugly, ill-fitting suits, and the one on the left is the one speaking.
“You’re wasting your time here, kids,” he calls out to us.
The work halts, with all eyes on these two strangers.
“Can we help you, gentlemen?” Barry asks.
“You could, actually,” the other man speaks, “You could give up your pointless little venture here and save yourselves a lot of trouble.”
“What the hell do you mean by that?” Seamus asks, bristling.
“Well, you see, my brother Virgil and I are opening a dude ranch of our own, and once ours opens, yours won’t stand a chance,” the first man says.
These must be the competitors that Delia and the Donoghues discovered.
“So what do you care if we’re just wasting our time?” Rowan asks coolly, “Doesn’t matter to you, now, does it?”
“We were just bein’ neighborly and giving you the chance to back down before it’s too late,” Virgil says.
His slimy smile doesn’t reach his eyes, which remain narrowed at all of us.
“Well, thanks for the heads-up, neighbor,” Gina drawls, folding her arms over her chest, “But we’re just going to keep on doin’ what we’re doin’. So hey, a few months from now, you come on back and go on and on about how you told us so, ok?”
She smiles sweetly even as each word drips with sarcasm, and for a split second, I think I might actually like her.
“Excuse me, sweetie, the men are having a serious discussion,” Not-Virgil says.
Barry has to physically grab Gina to keep her from lunging at the asshole.
“Our discussion is over,” Rowan says, his voice tight with anger, “And I’m going to have to ask you gentlemen to get off our property.”
“Don’t say we didn’t warn you,” Virgil says, “Come on, Earl.”
The two finally leave, and a heavy silence weighs over all of us, until I hear Gina mutter “Fucking pricks” under her breath and I can’t help but snicker. It’s kind of refreshing to hear her swear, for some reason.
Plus, I’m actually kind of impressed that she’s here. I don’t know what she did with her jewelry shop, but either way, she actually bothered to show up, and she’s diving into the work without a second thought.
Maybe there’s actually more to her than the shrewd Ice Princess I’ve come to expect.
And as she turns back to her task, I can’t help but notice how fucking good her ass looks in the jeans she’s wearing. She’s got a fantastic figure, and I can’t help but wonder if we could pull that stick out of her ass and replace it with my nice thick cock.
Might make her a little easier to be around. I’m sure Miss Priss here hasn’t been laid in a while, if ever, so maybe a good dicking would help her relax and bring out this more likeable side of her more often.
She bends over and I can just picture it. Fucking her from behind. Bending her over right here, wrapping my fist in those dark curls..
My mind fully embraces the fantasy, and in my head, I can see everyone else melt away. Gina saunters over to me, amd without speaking, she drops to her knees, those dainty, perfectly manicured fingers making quick work of my belt and zipper. She draws my cock out of my pants and I watch as she looks it over appreciatively.
Those full pink lips that make me roll my eyes every time she opens them have a different effect this time around. She parts her lips and wraps them around the head of my cock and I let out a groan, tangling my fingers in her hair as her head begins to bob up and down.
And at least in my fantasy, this girl knows how to handle a cock. She sucks me off with a skill I’d never have expected, since she comes off so frigid.
“Hey,” Noah nudges me, “You ok, man?”
I snap out of the fantasy.
“Hmm? Yeah, I’m good.”
I force myself to tuck the fantasy away for now and revisit it later. For now, I get to work.
It seems like an eternity before I finally have a few minutes to myself, with everyone heading home to change so we can all go into town for dinner. I hang out in my room for a bit to relax, away from everyone else and with the time to delve back into my fantasy. I tug my dick out of my boxers and wrap my hand around the shaft, stroking it slowly as I fall back into the scene.
Back in my head, Fantasy Gina’s back on her knees, sucking me off with all she’s got, gazing up at me with those warm brown eyes. I grip her hair and tug her to her feet before spinning her around. She gasps, pressing her hands against the wall as I wriggle those jeans down her hips, revealing silky black panties over that perfect, round ass.
Her breath comes faster, looking over her shoulder at me with blazing need, and when I tug down those panties, I’m pleased to see that her pussy is absolutely dripping for me. I slip my fingers between her soaked folds and she moans. I continue to stroke her slit , and when my fingers brush her clit, she cries out, grinding down against my fingers.
With a smirk, I continue to tease her clit, my other hand slipping up her t-shirt and pushing her bra out of the way so I can play with her nipple.
“Oh, fuck,” she gasps, and it spurs me on.
I push a finger into her pussy and she cries out again. I pump it in and out of her while I circle her clit with another finger. She’s quivering under my touch, panting, moaning, and gasping as my fingers pleasure her.
I can feel her body starting to tense as she nears an orgasm and I suddenly remove my fingers.
“No,” she begs, turning slightly to look at me, “Don’t stop.”
But I tug off her shirt and bra, shove her back down to her bent-over position, and place the head of my cock at her entrance. Her breaths are short and fast, and I can practically feel the primal need coming off of her in waves.
“Please,” she whispers.
I slam my cock into the hot, tight clench of her pussy and she screams, clawing at the wall for purchase as I start to rail her. My hands snake around her to cup those huge, bouncing tits, pinching and rolling her nipples between my fingers.
“Ooooohhhhhh, fuck, fuck,
fuck!” she cries out and the fact that I’m making her scream like this almost makes me cum on the spot.
But I resist, wanting to draw this out and fuck her good and rough. I can’t settle on where I want to look, either, between her ass bouncing against me with every thrust of my hips, the glimpses of her bouncing tits I can see, or the intense look of pleasure on her face when she turns to glance at me.
Fuck, how did I not realize sooner how fucking hot she is?
“Don’t stop,” Fantasy Gina pleads, “Don’t stop, please, I’m gonna cum.”
Her voice is breathless and desperate, and while a twisted part of me wants to stop and really make her beg, I decide to give her what she needs.
One of my hands slides down her body and ventures between her legs to tease her clit with my fingers while the other continues to tease her nipple and my cock rams into her pussy.
“Yes, just like that,” she mewls, “I’m so close, fuck!”
Those tight, wet walls clamp down around me as Gina rides my cock over the crest of her pleasure, and that sensation, combined with her shriek of ecstasy, sets me over the edge.
I spill my load, and open my eyes, returning to the real world, my hand and my boxers spattered with my release. Still reeling, I take a few minutes to catch my breath and come down, my mind a whirlwind of stray thoughts and strange emotions.
Finally, I get up and clean myself off , tossing the boxers into my hamper and hopping into the shower.
I begin to wonder if maybe I should act on my snarky thoughts from earlier, and try and get Gina in the sack. If she’s half as wild as her fantasy counterpart, I could show her the time of her life.
Chapter Five
Gina
I’m exhausted, down to my bones, as I drag myself out of my car at the restaurant. I’d gone home and changed into a flowy tunic top and a pair of leggings. A sneaky outfit that looks nice, but feels like PJs.
I had dived into every task the Byrnes threw at me at the construction site today, and I was sore in places I didn’t know it was possible to be sore in. But I was fucking proud of myself. I’d handled everything they’d sent my way, and as we’d left the construction site for the day, I’d seen a spark of respect in their eyes.
Four Times the Luck: Irish Reverse Harem Enemies to Lovers Romance Page 2