The Irish Lottery: A Friends-to-Lovers Contemporary Romance (Irish Kiss)

by Sienna Blake

  What the actual heck just happened in Noah’s car?

  But I knew. I knew what almost happened in Noah’s car.

  Noah almost kissed me.

  What’s worse is that I wanted him to! I wanted my best friend to kiss me. I wanted a guy—a total player—I swore I’d never go there with to kiss me. It’d ruin our friendship. What was wrong with me? Was I determined to lose both my fiancé and my best friend in a matter of weeks?

  My thoughts turned back to the moment in the car. To the surge of excitement I felt at his nearness, the heat in my core as he tilted my chin and leaned in. That was brand new.

  Really, Aubrey?

  I lied. I’d always felt a little thrill when Noah was near but I’d never let myself feel it the way I had just now. I’d never admitted how real it was. It felt magnified times a thousand.

  I wished I hadn’t run away. I wished I’d just stayed there and enjoyed the sensations washing over me, the feeling of closeness. It was like a tide had gone out, smoothing out the distance between us over the past few weeks, leaving behind a sharp, hot tension.

  I wasn’t even sure what made me bolt. Maybe it was fear. Self-preservation or an instinct to preserve our friendship. If we kissed, everything would change.

  Everything.

  But change to what?

  Noah and I were impossible. Noah didn’t do relationships. He hadn’t even dated anyone since I’d known him. And despite this one little lottery prize, I was a relationship kind of girl.

  Oh God. The lottery prize.

  My cheeks heated as I remembered that I was about to let four strangers make me come.

  How could I kiss Noah with this tiny—massive—secret hanging between us?

  No, I had to shove all these thoughts and all these feelings away and pretend it never happened. Then after my “prize” night, I’d deal with all of this…this…whatever this was.

  And then what?

  I chewed my lip. Noah could have anyone. Literally, any woman on the face of this planet, just by flashing his gorgeous grin and those trademark dimples. Why would he kiss me?

  I was his best friend. He didn’t see me that way. I wasn’t even his type—tall, leggy, blonde and busty—basically a supermodel. Maybe he just felt sorry for me because of my break-up. He was trying to comfort me. Show me that I was still desirable or something. The way he was looking at me in the car, it certainly made me feel desirable. Like I was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen.

  He said he was going through some shit. It was probably stress over his ma. Maybe he just needed comfort from me. Yes, that was all it was. Comfort. It was stupid for me to think about the near kiss as anything more.

  What would it have been like to let him kiss me? I found my fingers pressing to my tingling lips. Heat filled my core and I squeezed my thighs together like that could relieve the sudden ache there. It just made it worse. Would I have wanted him to stop at just a kiss when his eyes were promising me so much more?

  My phone made a muffled beep, cutting off this dangerous line of thinking. I pulled it out of my purse still slung over my torso. It was a text from Noah.

  Damn hands. They were trembling. After three tries to unlock my screen the message finally opened.

  Noah: Did you make it safely?

  Me: Yes, thank you.

  Noah: I didn’t see the light come on and I was worried.

  I hadn’t clicked the light on and off like I usually did, a sign that I was inside safely with the door locked. Warmth rushed through me. He cared. He’d waited even after I’d bolted. In fact, he was still sitting outside. It wasn’t too late to go back down there and—

  Nope. Absolutely no. Not with this secret hanging over my head. Present Aubrey would pretend like nothing had happened. Future Aubrey could deal with all…this.

  I forced myself to type out a text.

  Me: Thanks for caring. Good night.

  Noah: Always. Good night, Rey.

  Pressing my phone to my chest, I stared into the dark. Was there something more than friendship between us? Were all the people I’d called crazy right about us?

  I shook my head to no one. Stupid, Aubrey. Noah was a bonafide, unapologetic player. Woman threw themselves at him all day and all night. He was relationship illiterate; he could seduce the panties off a woman, but commit to one? That he could not do.

  If anything happened between Noah and me, it’d just be physical. My heart squeezed—at least, only for him. Despite his player reputation, Noah was every bit the perfect man: warm, kind, caring, funny. If I let myself, I’d fall for him. Fall hard.

  It would ruin our friendship. Because I wasn’t a one-night-stand kind of girl. I was a forever kind of girl. Noah was a one-night-only man.

  Perhaps a part of me had always been a little in love with him. But it was like being in love with the sun. Impossible and so out of reach.

  I’d always known this. So why was I getting flustered now? Why this surge of…want all of a sudden?

  The lottery prize.

  My big O.

  That’s why. I was getting all hot and bothered over my imminent date with four hot men. Noah was the poor sod who was getting tangled up in all these feelings. Yes, that’s it.

  My “date” night would alleviate the itch I was feeling. I just needed to experience a big O. It would calm the insane pull I felt towards Noah at this very moment. I could go back to only thinking of him as my best friend. A man that was perfect, but at the same time, all kinds of wrong.

  The thought of my date night sent my heart knocking in my chest. I rushed to my bedroom and threw myself on my bed, squeezing my thighs together. Holy shit. I was going to be touched and pleasured by four sexy men. I’d won an encounter that very few women would ever get to experience.

  For the next few days, I wouldn’t stress over Sean, my visa, Noah, or anything else. I was going to live a little and enjoy life as it came.

  Or…more precisely, as I came.

  Aubrey

  “Oh my God, amiga. Did you hear?” Candace yelled me as soon as I stepped into The Jar, causing every single patron to look over to her. She was standing huddled with Noah in a corner, obviously gossiping about something.

  I glanced at Noah. He looked away as soon as our eyes met. Alrighty then. We were obviously ignoring the kiss that almost happened but didn’t happen. I couldn’t exactly avoid him without looking like a bitch to Candace. Especially with the way she was waving me over like she’d burst a blood vessel if I didn’t get my ass over there right this bloody second.

  I walked up to them cool, calm, confident. At least I hoped so. My feet felt like lead as I stopped in front of them. “Hey. What’s up?”

  “The Irish Lottery picked a winner, lucky bitch!”

  My throat seized. Oh, shit. I didn’t even think about it. Did they announce that it was me? Was that why Noah was avoiding my eyes? “Really?” I squeaked out.

  “Nossa, amiga,” Candace rattled away in a string of Portuguese that was obviously cursing. She shoved her phone screen in my face. “She is one lucky bitch.”

  My heart jammed into my throat as I scanned the website page on her screen. Under a heading that said Winner Drawn, Congratulations to: was…

  A.C., Dublin

  A.C.

  Aubrey Campbell.

  Me.

  But no one could tell it was me. I mean, there were about a million A.C.s in Dublin. Well, not exactly a million but definitely a ton. More than enough to get lost in. Thank fuck.

  I looked up to find Noah staring at me, a strange look on his face. Oh, shit. If anyone would figure out A.C. was me, it’d be Noah. Don’t look away. Don’t look guilty. For a second it felt like he knew my secret.

  “A.C.,” Candace said, turning the phone to face her. “I need to hunt this bitch down and high five her, the lucky puta.” An evil grin spread over her features. “Then kill her and take her place.”

  Noah let out a laugh as he turned to Candace.

 
I sagged with relief now that I was out of his keen focus.

  “You won’t find her,” he said.

  “I will.”

  “A.C. probably isn’t even her real initials.”

  “What?”

  “I mean, the internet makes it so easy for her to lie.”

  Even though Noah wasn’t looking at me, I felt his words like they were arrows aimed at my chest.

  Candace let out a sniff. “Regardless whether her initials are real or not, someone will find out who she is.”

  “No,” I said, my voice going all hollow, blood draining from my limbs.

  “How would they possibly find out? The whole lottery is anonymous.” Noah’s calm logic was like a balm over me.

  “Please…” Candace said, waving her phone about. “Everyone is trying to find out who the Irish Lottery foursome are. There are forums of armchair detectives who have blown up the image, trying to squirrel out who these guys are based on birthmarks or mole placements. Others are trying to find clues in the reflection of the boys’ eyes.”

  Holy shit. There were some clever people around. I wouldn’t have even thought of doing that. And persistent. Terror crept across me. I fought like hell to stop it from showing. They couldn’t know. No one could know.

  “Has anyone come up with anything useful?” Noah asked, voicing the question thundering through my brain.

  Candace’s shoulders sagged. “Well, no. But that doesn’t mean they won’t.”

  “I doubt it. If they haven’t figured it out by now, they won’t.” Noah chuckled and patted Candace’s shoulder before he walked off.

  A miffed-looking Candace turned to me. “I don’t care what Noah says. Once they find the guys, it’s only a matter of time before they find out who the winner is.”

  Aubrey

  I woke up with a strange sensation between my thighs and a heartbeat that seemed elevated. My body felt sensitized, like I’d suddenly tuned in to the right frequency and I could feel everything. The air on my skin, the sheets under my body.

  Today was O day.

  O day. I felt like I should throw a parade. Make it a national holiday. O’s for everyone!

  With a little happy dance, I turned on the shower. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying having the place to myself. With my roomie staying at her boyfriend’s house for the night, I knew there wouldn’t be any interruptions. Under slick needles of hot water, I scrubbed every inch of my body with my favorite body wash, something delicately vanilla scented. My heart pounded in my chest so hard I could feel every thud at the base of my throat. I swallowed back the excitement that kept creeping up my windpipe. I needed to shave my legs, wash my hair, pluck my eyebrows.

  I needed to be calm.

  My mind sent up an image of the four masked men, thoughts lingering on the blue-eyed one. Heat blossomed in my chest. I exhaled on a soft moan as my whole body reacted. Goosebumps prickled down my arms, my nipples tightened, aching for contact.

  Quick on the heels of this sensual feeling was a wave of guilt. Noah’s face surfaced in my mind. After the near kiss, I’d managed to spend a hot minute fantasizing that he actually wanted me. Not that he was just looking for comfort like I’d decided. I’d imagined him telling me in that throaty voice that he wanted to make me come, I’d imagined looking into his piercing eyes and falling off the edge of that glorious cliff.

  It was ridiculous. No, it was downright stupid. Noah and I were just friends. Best friends.

  I deserved this fantasy. My body, my life. I wasn’t hurting anyone. I was a consenting adult. And it’s not like Noah has ever, ever expressed wanting anything more than friendship from me.

  With an annoyed noise in my throat, I began to shave my legs. It was my day to enjoy myself. Torturing myself over my best friend didn’t factor into that. Banishing the last bit of guilt that I felt, I continued to get ready.

  When I was clean, dry and silky smooth, I put on the lingerie I’d bought just for tonight, the silky material causing goosebumps as it travelled up my legs and over my body. I’d been torn between something naughty and sexy or something more on the innocent side. I’d gone with the one that felt true to me.

  I applied minimal makeup, a touch of liner to the corners of my eyes to give me a slightly sultry look, then lengthened my lashes with dark mascara.

  When I was done, I stared at myself in the mirror. I could barely recognize myself.

  The two-piece lingerie was pure white, the off-the-shoulder top trimmed in lace covered most of my breasts but gave a clear view of the underside of them. It flowed to my hips and everything below the lace trim was see-through white to the hem. The white lace panties cut high on my hips, making my legs look longer.

  My eyes looked hooded and dark, my cheeks flushed, hair falling down over my shoulders. I looked like a sensual, sexual, confident woman. I felt beautiful and sexy.

  I was so ready.

  Noah

  My brothers were chatting around me, but I couldn’t focus on their words. We were in the car right now on the way to Aubrey’s place.

  I checked my phone again. The minutes were ticking by. The chance for her to come clean and tell me the truth was vanishing with every second we spent in the car.

  “Jaysus, you’re not going to puke, are you?” Michael asked me from the back seat where he sat with Eoin.

  “If he bows out sick, I’ll take his place,” Eoin said.

  A hot flare shot through my gut. I wanted to climb back there and punch Eoin’s face in. Instead, I flexed my fist and glared out the window.

  High-octane energy flowed through the car. I could feel how on edge everyone was.

  Behind the wheel, Darren was driving fast, his attention locked on the road. His jaw was tight and rippling like he was chewing on thoughts he didn’t want to share.

  In the back seat, the fight between Michael and Eoin stepped up a notch. Michael grunted and it was assumed Eoin had gotten him with a sneaky elbow. They’d been sparring this morning at the gym, trying to beat the shit out of one another with gloves and protection on.

  I wasn’t sure what was fueling the feud between them, but I had a feeling there was something going on there. Something I wasn’t aware of.

  I hoped they’d gotten all that roughness out of their systems before we got to Aubrey. Brothers or not, if they hurt her, I’d kill them myself.

  I, on the other hand, had lagged in my workout this morning. I felt…numb. Disconnected.

  “Fucking knock it off back there,” Darren barked sharply.

  The noise and motion in the back seat ceased. For all of two seconds. I heard Michael exhale hard and knew Eoin must have landed a good blow to his ribs. Then they were back at it.

  “I’ll pull this shit over and kick both your asses,” Darren growled.

  “You wouldn’t,” Eoin said. “Then we’d be late.”

  “He wouldn’t risk that,” Michael said, sounding every bit as childish as Eoin in that moment.

  “The fuck I wouldn’t,” Darren said. “Don’t test me, boy.”

  Once more there was silence from the back seat.

  “The fuck? He thinks he our da?” Eoin grumbled.

  Everyone ignored him.

  I stared out the window, thinking about Aubrey, my heart beating faster the closer we got to her place.

  I was going to see her naked.

  I was going to touch her.

  Watch her come.

  I swallowed hard. I’d secretly dreamed of this for years. Aubrey was sexy as hell, in that quiet way of hers. Not a loud, obviously sexy like Candace. Aubrey didn’t realize how gorgeous she was. I’d kept my feelings in check all these years, but they’d been there all along, coloring my friendship with her with secret desire.

  The fact that my dream was about to become a reality was only overshadowed by the fact that she wouldn’t know it was me behind that mask. A quiet voice inside me said that I was betraying her in a way.

  I shoved that thought aside. Aubrey might
never look at me that way unless I showed her how good we could be together. I mean, she practically ran from me when I tried to kiss her the other night. I was just her best friend, but behind the mask, I could be her lover. Her man. The one she wanted.

  After all this time of dreaming about her and fantasizing about her, I was going to taste her lips. Taste her. Touch her. Hell, it was everything I ever wanted. Mostly everything I ever wanted, anyway.

  A tight grin tugged at the corners of my lips. She had no idea what we had in store for her. She was going to have her O, alright. And I couldn’t fucking wait to give her one. Ten. Thirty. As many as I could coax, persuade, and pull from her body. I wasn’t going to stop making her come until she begged for mercy. Even then, I might have to give her one more.

  Part of me hated that my brothers would also be there. But I trusted them. Even Eoin. He might have teased me about going after her, but I knew in my heart he never would. We had a plan.

  Pleasing Aubrey was first and foremost in my mind. This was what she wanted. What she’d asked for.

  I’d do damn near anything to make her happy.

  Slipping on our green masks, we headed for her front door. Michael pushed me forward. I was the leader in this and I needed to get it under control.

  I took in a deep breath. And knocked. Silence swelled out around me. Would she answer? Did she change her mind?

  I saw the peephole darken. I could swear I heard a sharp intake of breath. She was there. Right there on the other side of this wood panel. The second she opened the door, it’d change everything.

  Everything.

  No going back. No hiding my feelings from her anymore. Fuck. My stomach jumbled up into untangleable knots. Was I really doing this?

  Too late. I heard the snick of the door unlocking. I could hardly breathe as the door swung open.

  Aubrey stood there, partly hidden behind the door she was clinging onto for support. The whole world ceased to exist as I drank in the sight of her. Her white lingerie was as pure as driven snow. The swell of her breasts, playing peek-a-boo under the lace, had me harder than I’d ever been in my damn life.