“My sexy little minx looks divine enough to be my dinner tonight,” he says in his husky, Irish brogue, making my panties instantly wet from the visions of his mouth all over me. He pulls back and hands me a gorgeous bouquet of sunflowers. “These are for you. Their beauty and brightness reminded me of you.”
I gasp and stare at him with my mouth slightly ajar, not understanding how he could have possibly known that sunflowers are my favorite kind of flower.
Heart stop melting.
“Thank you,” I sincerely say as I grab them to put in a vase. “They’re beautiful.” I look over at Rhett to see that he’s carrying a bouquet of Tessa’s favorite flowers. Is this some sort of sign? I shake my head at the ridiculous thought because this just has to be a coincidence.
“Please make yourself at home. Tessa will be out shortly, she woke up late.” I bring them both beers and start to set the table for dinner when Tessa finally comes out. Rhett immediately gets up to walk over to her and they’re both sucked into each other’s world. Ryan comes over to help me set the table, rolling his eyes at them which causes me to laugh.
Dinner starts off in awkward silence, but soon we start asking each other questions, getting to know one another better. I loved when Ryan and Rhett would talk about their childhood in Ireland, about their farm and their sister. I can almost picture how beautiful it is there from the words they used to describe it. I’ve always wanted to travel and I hope I can do more of it once I’m a full time graphic designer.
Both men were impressed to hear what our goals were for ourselves and anytime the conversation veered toward the subject of my family, I tried to keep my answers as vague as possible. After dinner was completed, the men helped us clean up and Rhett announced that he was taking Tessa for a walk. This is music to my ears as I’ve been craving for some alone time with Ryan ever since he came through that door. Sitting across from him at dinner was almost unbearable as I couldn’t stop staring at his mouth, hoping I would discover tonight what those lips feel like.
My wait is almost over.
“Have a good time, kids!” Ryan waves them off with a cocky grin before I shut the door on them, my own devious smile playing on my lips. I turn around and walk slowly over to him, the electricity in the air crackling from our sexual tension. He’s sitting on my couch, one arm draped over the back of it, looking at me as if he knows what’s about to come next.
I stand in front of him, staring at him with heat blazing out of my eyes. “Are you ready for dessert, Cowboy?”
His mouth slides up into a delicious, wicked smile. “Are you my dessert?” he asks as I slide onto his lap, my hands sliding up his muscled chest and setting into his hair.
“Just a taste,” I whisper, my lips inching their way closer and closer to his mouth. I suddenly stop, gazing into his emerald eyes that are bright with desire. I’ve never been so brazen with a man before, but Ryan Kearney has set a fire inside of me that only he can extinguish. Part of me prays that his breath is going to smell, hoping all desire for him will be eliminated.
But as my lips softly start to caress his, they feel exactly as I imagined they would.
Soft, but with a silky firmness to them.
As our kiss starts to deepen and his tongue invades my mouth, his breath is as delicious as I dreamt it would be. His tongue is forceful, but in a way that ignites your senses, leaving you wanting more.
No man has kissed me the way Ryan has - his tongue commanding me with every stroke, sending sparks straight to my core. He has consumed me that at some point, he maneuvered us so that I’m pinned underneath him.
I didn’t even notice.
I can feel his long, hard erection through his jeans and once he settles in between my legs, my body automatically starts to rub against him, the friction sending addicting waves of pleasure throughout my body, craving for more. My moans get louder, my hips moving faster, my body in a frenzy for my release. But once I feel his fingers rub against my stomach to unbutton my shorts, a cold splash of reality douses my fire. Warning bells start to go off, my brain screaming I need to slow it down or else I will just be another conquest to him.
I break free from our kiss, my hand grabbing his before he succeeds in getting my shorts off. He pulls back to look at me, our heavy breathing the only sound echoing within the apartment.
“Adi, are you okay?” he asks, calling me by my nickname. “Because you’re about to make me explode in my pants with how amazing you feel underneath me.” He touches his forehead to mine and kisses me softly.
“I think maybe we should slow things down,” I suggest, giving him a nudge to let me up. We both sit up, his gaze hooded with want as he watches me button my shorts back up.
“Okay… no problem,” he says, wincing as if he’s in pain while he tries to adjust himself. My eyes immediately go to his erection, widening at how big it looks.
“You can’t look at me that way, Minx,” he laughs, raking his hands through his hair. “We’ll continue where we just left off if you don’t revert your eyes.” He sighs and gives his head a good shake. “Talk to me. Distract me with something that’s far from being sexual and no sneaky innuendos. I’m already seeing how smart that brain of yours is.” He grins at me and my heart skips a beat. He looks perfect right now with his hair disheveled from my hands and his lips swollen from our kisses.
“Do you know who Clint Murphy is?” I ask, my eyes turning serious as I look at him. If I’m going to continue wanting Ryan the way I want him right now, I need to find out if he knows who my family is.
Please don’t know who my father is.
His smile slowly fades from his face and he stares at me before answering. “You’re not seriously going to tell me that you have a boyfriend named Clint Murphy right now, are you?”
“God no!” I exclaim, the thought making me want to vomit.
“Oh, thank the lord.” He breathes a sigh of relief and starts to laugh. “Wait, you don’t have a boyfriend, right?”
“Do you really think I would be making out with you if I did?”
“You never know. I’m pretty irresistible.” He winks at me and I punch him in the arm. He’s right though as I’m having a hard time keeping my hands to myself right now.
“Do you like football?” I continue on, needing to get this conversation out of the way.
“Yes, I love football.” His eyes light up and my heart drops.
“Who’s your favorite team?” I cast my eyes downward and start to fidget with my shorts, praying that none of his favorite teams are within the state of Texas.
“The Rovers?” he says as a question, his eyes silently asking where this conversation is heading.
“The who?” I ask in surprise since I’ve never heard of them before.
“The Shamrock Rovers.”
“Wait… are you talking about soccer?” I completely forgot that football in Europe is what we call soccer.
“Ugh, that word. I refuse to even call my beloved football that horrid name.”
He looks so serious that I can’t help but burst out laughing at him. I also can’t help but feel relieved to know that he doesn’t even watch American football.
“You’re ridiculous,” I tease and reach over to ruffle his hair.
He grabs my wrists, hauling me against his chest and searing me with a kiss that leaves me panting for more. “You like my ridiculousness,” he counters with his signature devilish smile playing on his lips.
“Maybe I do,” I whisper, realizing that if I’m not careful, Ryan could capture my heart and then shatter it when he’s done with me.
Heart, please don’t fall in love with him.
“Since Tessa doesn’t seem to have a good track record with picking up the phone when Rhett calls her, can I please get your phone number?” I giggle at him just as the door opens and Tessa and Rhett walk in. Her face is flushed, her lips red from obviously being kissed and her whole entire face is glowing. I think it’s safe to say that she’ll now be picking u
p the phone when Rhett calls her.
We stand up from the couch, our time alone together coming to an end. He programs my phone number in his phone as Adi the Minx. “Have sweet dreams of me, my little minx,” he whispers in my ear when saying goodbye.
And they are once again filled with a green-eyed devil doing very naughty things to me.
Chapter Nine
RYAN
True to my word, I call Adeline as soon as I wake up, wanting to make plans with her before the day slips away from me. She says she can only meet me for lunch because she has dinner plans with her family. She offers to come to Belton, claiming it has more restaurant options than Bear Creek does. I don’t care where we go, as long as I get a chance to kiss her again.
My hope for alone time with her were quickly dashed when Rhett announced that since Tessa has to work, he’s coming to lunch with us. At first, I thought he was joking, but when he said that Adeline needed someone to keep her safe from the likes of me, I knew he was serious. I was pissed at him for being a cock blocker, but as lunch progressed and I watched him make her laugh, I realized I liked the fact that they like and respect each other.
We talked on the phone before going to bed, something that I’ve never done before with a woman. I asked her how her family dinner went and noticed her answers were short while not giving up much information on them. I made a mental note to ask again another time and we hung up after talking for an hour. My dreams were once again filled with her, making me wake up with an extreme hard on. I was determined that today I was going to get alone time with her. Rhett was frustrated at not seeing Tessa yesterday, so he came up with the genius idea of us surprising them at their jobs. We go work-out, shower and then pick up more flowers for them to have in their offices. He drops me off first at Adeline’s car dealership and as I watch him drive away, a part of me gets nervous and wonders what in the hell I’m doing. I’ve never surprised anyone at their job, let alone a girl.
My little minx is bringing out a lot of firsts for me and I don’t know how I feel about it.
I shake off any doubts and stride confidently into the dealership. The receptionist tells me that Adeline is in a meeting and that I can take a seat in her office. Her office is not really private, with two glass panels walls letting everyone see inside. I sit down and look around her workspace. She has no personal belongings on her desk, only stacks of papers. Obviously, this place is just a paycheck for her and not a place she enjoys working. I can’t help but smile at the mental image of how excited she’s going to be when she can turn in her resignation to pursue her graphic design career.
Voices catch my attention and I turn my head to see Adeline walking out of an office, an older gentleman walking behind her. He’s extremely tall and in very good shape for his age. I squint my eyes harder to see that he’s also very good looking. Anger starts to bubble inside of me as I see him place his hands on her shoulders and squeeze.
What the hell? No one should be touching her like that.
I rise out of my seat and start to walk over, my pace quickening when I observe him engulf her in a hug, squeezing her in a way that’s inappropriate at a work establishment.
“Hey!” I yell out, my voice grabbing their attention. “Get your hands off of her!” He releases her, a shocked expression on both of their faces.
“Ryan, what are you doing here?” Adeline asks, looking nervously between myself and the older man.
“Adeline, who is this young man?” His heavy southern accent is commanding, making Adeline flinch. His powerful, well-muscled figure is encased in a three piece suit, screaming that he’s the boss of this place. His blue eyes are cold, sizing me up and down. He has a couple of inches on me in height and muscle, but I’m confident that if I need to take him down, my youth and speed will prevail.
“I saw the way you were hugging her, squeezing her so tight so you can feel her breasts against your chest. That’s sexual harassment.” I point my finger at him, inching my way closer into his personal space.
“Ryan! That’s my boss!” Adeline exclaims, trying to get in between us.
“Exactly, Adeline! He needs to be reported. No one touches you like that!” I roar, not noticing the crowd that is starting to gather around.
“He’s also my dad!” Her words start to sink in and I look between the two of them, finally seeing the resemblance.
Oh shit!
I take a step back and swallow, my movement not going unnoticed by her father as he raises an amused eyebrow at me.
“Ryan Kearney, meet my father and boss, Clint Murphy.” I look at her in shock as she reveals his name. Adeline was asking me if I knew her father, who judging by his size and build, played American football.
“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” I hold out my hand for him to shake. He gives me a quizzical look before deciding to take it.
“Kearney… are you one of those Celtic cowboys I keep hearing about that’s coming to the rodeo?”
“Yes, sir, that would be me.” I swallow down the pain I feel as he squeezes my hand as hard as can.
“How do you know my daughter?” he questions, not releasing his grip on my hand.
“Daddy, we met through mutual friends,” Adeline answers for me, tapping her father’s hand so he can release mine. As soon as he does, I clench and unclench my hand into a fist, trying to regain my circulation back.
“And why are you here right now? Do you need to buy a vehicle?” he asks, his question causing Adeline to roll her eyes and shake her head at him.
“No sir, I came to take Adeline to lunch.”
“And are those flowers for my daughter or were you planning on hitting me over the head with them?” I look down to see a pile of the petals have fallen off the sunflowers from my rough hand gestures while I held them.
“These are for you. I’m sorry they aren’t as pretty as they were when I walked in with them.” I hand her the flowers and she gives me a small smile of gratitude, her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.
“I thought cowboys were included on your list of men not to date, Adeline?” her father questions, making Adeline cheeks turn a brighter red.
“I’m trying to change her mind on that, sir. Hoping a nice lunch might cloud her judgement and score me some points.” I smile at him, the gesture not being returned back.
He looks at her, then stares at me for a couple of seconds before turning back to her. “Why don’t you take an extended lunch and I’ll see you back here later?”
“Thank you, sir,” I quickly chime in, not wanting him to change his mind. “And I’m sorry about the earlier mishap.”
“I liked that you were trying to protect my daughter, so thank you. But don’t get any funny ideas when taking advantage of an extended lunch, you got that?” His voice takes on that commanding tone as he points his finger in my face. Adeline and I nod our heads and watch him walk away.
We stroll in silence to the receptionist’s desk, where Adeline asks if she can put the flowers in water for her while she’s gone. We head to her car and it’s not until the doors are shut that I exhale the breath I was holding in.
“I’m sorry for embarrassing you, Adi, but I didn’t know he was your dad and I especially didn’t like how he was holding you. Why did you ask me the other night if I knew who he was? Is he famous?” I turn my body toward her, waiting for her to answer me.
She nods, but keeps her eyes straight at the windshield, refusing to look at me. “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t know who he was.”
“Why would it matter if I knew who he was?” I ask in confusion, not understanding if she’s disappointed or not that I didn’t know he played American football.
She takes a deep breath and slowly exhales it out. “I just wanted to see if you were interested in me for me and not who my dad is.”
I reach over and grasp her chin, forcing her to look me in the eyes. “I didn’t know who your daddy was when I met you, nor did I know who he was when I was kissing you on your c
ouch the other night. No offense, but I couldn’t give two shits about who your daddy is and what kind of career he had. If you tell me you love your daddy, then I’ll be respectful to him. If you tell me you hate your daddy, then I will keep him far away from you.” Tears start to well up in her eyes and I can see the pain that has come from having a famous father shine in them.
“Let me tell you what I’m interested in, Adeline. I’m interested in this.” I press my index finger to her forehead, indicating that beautiful brain of hers.
“I’m interested in this.” I place my finger on her lips, wanting to kiss them so badly.
“I’m interested in this.” I press my finger to where her heart is, praying that I don’t unintentionally hurt it.
“And I may have a slight interest in this.” I tease with a sly smile, sliding my fingers down her sternum, past her stomach and stop at her entrance, praying that I get to devour that soon. She slaps my hand away with a laugh, relief washing over me seeing her beautiful smile.
“C’mon, let’s go get something to eat and you can tell me all about what it’s like to be Clint Murphy’s daughter over lunch.” I can feel that she needs to talk and quite honestly, I want her to talk to me.
I want to know everything there is about Adeline Murphy.
Chapter Ten
ADELINE
The Celtic Cowboy: Bear Creek Rodeo Page 6