by Laney Powell
I unpacked and took a look at the folder I’d found next to the basket. There were small meet and greet kinds of things going on the next two days and a note in my folder about the car Oliver had arranged for me. It would be delivered tomorrow.
So I had all day today to walk around the castle and gardens and see what hot Irish guys I could run into. That could be fun.
Blackthorn was a band with a classic sound. They reminded me of U2 with their raw lyrics. All of them were hot, and from what I’d been able to Google, single.
All the better for me. I laughed to myself. Not that I was on the hunt for a band member. That was a hard no in my book, but I’d found where there was a group of hot guys, more hot guys tended to pop up. Like dandelions. Besides, there would be tons of women swarming around a band that sounded like and looked like these guys.
No need for the fancy dresses just yet. I changed into my skinny jeans, a lavender fitted sweater, and wrapped a scarf around my neck. I also took a light parka. Everything I’d read about Dublin was that you needed to always be prepared for the rain. The gardens looked big. I didn’t want to get caught in wet weather if it took me longer than I thought.
But as I walked out of the castle and into the formal gardens, it was sunny and almost warm. Being from Chicago, warm for me was chilly for most people. I turned my face to the sun, relaxing for the first time since I’d gotten up this morning. I was here, and the possibilities were endless.
I inhaled deeply, opened my eyes, and ran right into a chest.
“Oh, my God! Excuse me!” I looked at the chest and then up.
Oh, my God.
It was a man, and what a man. He was tall, and his hair was dark and shiny in the sun. His eyes looked dark, and his skin was tanned. He made me think of a pirate.
Ahoy, matey.
Then he smiled, and I was ready to be boarded and ravished with no further questions.
“I’m sorry. I thought you saw me.”
He had an Irish brogue, and I could understand him. In the airport, I’d heard people talking, and I’d assumed they were speaking English, but my ear couldn’t make out the accents. This guy had a moderately deep voice that slithered over me like satin on a summer evening.
It was delicious.
“No, I’m sorry. I was enjoying the sun and not looking where I was going.”
“Oh, you’re American? Are you here on holiday?”
“Sort of. I’m here for a show.”
His eyebrows went up. “Yeah? Well, it’s nice to meet you, sun-gazing-American-here-for-a-show.” His eyes seemed to warm as he gazed down on me.
My bones—and other parts of me south of my waistline—melted at his eyes and his words.
Dear Lord.
Declan
She’s tall, but not too tall. I almost smiled as I saw, once more, the shower fantasy woman flash through my head, her lovely rounded ass up and waiting for me.
This woman is taller than most. Her head comes up to nearly my chin. She’s got long brown hair that glints gold in the sun today. The ends blow a little with the breeze in the garden. Her eyes are green, and her skin is like a warm peach. Her lips are rosy and inviting. Even though she’s dressed casually, I can see her body is fit. She looks like an athlete. Weren’t all Americans mad for exercise, or something like that?
I have an excellent exercise she can engage in. My cock gets hard at the thought. Calm down, I tell myself. You’ll look like a creeper. “I’m Declan.” I held out my hand.
She didn’t look like the group of girls I’d seen moving around the castle. The group of girls I was making sure to avoid.
She took it, shaking with a firm grip, and I wondered what her grip would feel like lower down. Clearly, I didn’t get out all of my sexual frustration in the shower.
“I’m Jyn.”
“As in a gin and tonic?” I smiled.
“Jyn with a ‘J’. It’s short for Jynger.”
“What show are you here to see?”
She smiled as she let go of my hand. “A friend of mine invited me to see the band she works for.”
This must be one of Janie’s friends. I remembered that she’d asked us if she could invite them. It had seemed weird, but she said these were people who she’d known for a long time and gave us her winning smile. She’d done such good work for us, we didn’t mind doing this for her.
“That’s a good friend,” I said neutrally. “What do you do?”
Jyn began walking in the direction I’d come from, and I walked alongside her. I wasn’t letting her get away. Not yet.
“I write for the Chicago Sun News as one of their social writers part time.”
“I’ve never heard of that. What’s a social writer?”
Jyn turned to me, a playful grin on her face. “It means I get to go to a lot of clubs, parties, concerts, shows, and hot spots. I do a lot online, I use social media, and they like having someone who is under one hundred. It’s a good gig. So when I told my editor I could come here, and report on Blackthorn’s big show, he was thrilled. Janie got me an interview with them so that’s even better.”
Oh, shit. “Are you a fan?” How had she not recognized me?
“Yeah, I guess. I listened to their album. They remind me of a young U2.”
“Yeah, I’ve read that about them,” I said, not sure what to say. I hadn’t come across someone who knew about the band and didn’t know I was part of it.
Which was kind of cool. This had potential. A chance to get to know someone who only knew me as Declan, not Declan of Blackthorn.
“And I get to spend a couple of extra days here. This place is gorgeous.” She turned her face up again, apparently enjoying the sun.
“It’s a bit chilly,” I said. I couldn’t believe I was going on about the weather. For fuck’s sake.
Jyn laughed. “I’m from Chicago. Have you been there?” Her smile lingered on her mouth.
I shook my head, struck with lust at how gorgeous she was, how utterly fuckable she was, when she smiled like that. It was unguarded and open.
“This is like spring for us. I’m used to cold weather.”
“That makes me cold just to think about it.”
“You get used to it,” she said. “What brings you here?”
“Same as you. The Blackthorn show.”
Jyn looked over. “Oh, God. I’m sorry, Declan, am I keeping you? I just rolled on as if you didn’t have anything else to do!”
“No, I’m at loose ends today. You’re not keeping me from anything. Did you just get here?” Because I knew I hadn’t seen her yesterday.
She nodded. “Yes. I slept on the plane, so I’m up and alert.”
Everything she said, the way she moved her hair, her lips, her hands—it was making me crazy. I wanted this woman like I’d never wanted anyone in my life, and she hadn’t done anything even remotely sexy.
It was her. She was sexy. She was walking sex, in fact.
“Well, it’s nearly time to eat. Would you like to have dinner with me?” I asked.
Her smile lit up her face. “I’d like that.”
“I have a car here. Are you hungry? We can go now.” The sooner I got her fed, maybe she’d be up for a feeding of a different sort.
If she said no, I’d need to spend an hour in the shower.
“That sounds great. Do I need to change or anything?” She looked down.
It gave me a chance to look her up and down, which I relished. She was perfect. “No, you look fine. I was planning on a casual pub,” I added. “So no worries.”
“Great. Now that you mention it, I am hungry. Lead the way,” she said.
Oh, I’ll lead the way, all right, I thought. Straight to my bed. Aloud, I said, “The car park is this way.” I gestured off to the right, and she followed as I changed direction.
Once in the car, we talked a little about the castle, and she confided it was her first trip to Ireland. The local pub in the village, Mackay’s, wasn’t a far drive, so before it
got awkward, I parked near the pub.
Not that I found her awkward at all. She smelled delicious and being in an enclosed space with her was driving me mad. As we walked into the pub, I put my hand on the small of her back to guide her—it felt right, even though I didn’t know her well. The flare of heat that I felt in that innocent touch made me as hard as a rock.
What in the hell was going on? I usually had more control over myself than this.
“This is what I pictured Ireland as,” Jyn said. “A small, cozy, dark pub.”
I laughed out loud. “Well, since it can rain at any moment, a nice warm pub is a good thing to have nearby.”
“Oh, is that why there are so many?” she teased.
“Yes, and that’s the story I’m sticking to,” I said.
The waitress came by to take our order, and as she looked at me, recognition hit. Her eyes widened. I shook my head, just a little.
She gave me a conspiratorial wink and carried on.
I glanced across at Jyn to see if she’d noticed, but she was still looking over the menu. I would need to tell her the truth eventually, but I wanted to do it… I didn’t know how I wanted to do it. I didn’t know what I was doing, outside of going on instinct.
“Do you know what you’d like?” The waitress asked Jyn.
“I’m going to be a total tourist and have fish and chips,” Jyn looked up with a smile.
The waitress who had a nametag that said ‘Maria’, returned the smile. “It’s a good choice. It’s very good.”
“And I’ll have a cider, please.”
I ordered the stew and a Guinness and Maria left us.
“So what do you do?” Jyn sat back in the chair. “I didn’t even bother to ask before I went traipsing off with you.”
“Worried?” I asked, feeling my mouth curve up on one side.
“Should I be?” she countered. “You do have an air of… danger.”
“Good danger, or bad danger?” My voice lowered to almost a purr. I couldn’t help it.
“A little of both, I think,” Jyn leaned onto the table, tracing my finger with one of hers.
“You might be right,” I stared into her eyes, the blood coursing through my veins. Screw the meal. I wanted nothing more than to head up to a room above the pub and not come out until I had to.
“Kind of like a pirate,” she murmured, her finger drawing erotic circles on the top of my hand now.
“You like that, don’t you?” I half-whispered.
Jyn
Did I like it? Jesus God, I liked it. There was something about this guy that made all my engines run hot, all my senses crazy, and my panties wet. His voice was like hearing sex. It made me think about sex. A lot of it. For a long time.
“I do,” I said, my voice nearly unrecognizable to my ears. I enjoyed sex and wasn’t ashamed of it. But I usually made it through a few dates before I tossed off my clothes and fell into the sack.
Declan made me want to do that right now. Right here, right in the middle of a bar.
He was gorgeous. And there was a glint in his eye, something that suggested that once you went to bed with him, there would never be another like him.
I made a note to kiss Janie big time when I finally saw her. This trip got better by the moment.
“Should I carry you off to my ship, tie you down and have my way with you?” Declan asked, never taking his eyes from mine.
Yes, please. “I think that would be…” my voice trailed off.
“Yes?” Declan demanded, not letting me get away with my non-answer.
“Exciting,” I finished.
“I think you’re right. I think it would be very exciting. You’re exciting, Jyn.” His voice warmed as he said my name.
“Back at you,” I said, moving my hand from his to take the cider that the waitress set down in front of me.
Declan picked up his Guinness, and as he drank, his eyes stayed on me over the rim of his glass. I could see him with his head between—stop! I told myself. Dear Lord, this was crazy!
He said something then, but I couldn’t hear him. I was lost in thinking about his hands on me, his mouth on my skin, kissing me all over—and my nipples hardened as my thighs clenched at the thought.
“We should eat,” Declan said.
What? I’d obviously missed something. “I’m sorry?” I asked, hoping I hadn’t missed too much.
“Before we go back, let’s eat.” He took my hand in his own.
“Isn’t that what we’re doing?” I asked. I couldn’t keep the confusion from my words. I had missed something.
“Yes, but we’re doing something else… something much more than just eating,” Declan slid his fingers inside my hand, stroking my wrist with the tips, leaving me no doubt as to what the ‘something else’ was.
And I was fine with it. I’d been fine with it since I’d run into his chest.
Thankfully, before I burst into sexual flames, the waitress brought our food. I didn’t know if it was the tension, or what, but I was starving.
The thought that there would be a Declan dessert once I cleaned my plate might have had something to do with it as well.
We didn’t talk much, although he kept his hand on mine, always coming back to holding or touching it if he needed to move. His foot nudged the inside of my ankle. Declan was everywhere. He touched me. He was in my space, he was all I could see. If I was close enough, he probably would have overwhelmed me with how he smelled.
The waitress came over and Declan gave her a card without saying anything. She was back in what seemed to be an eternity, an eternity where we held hands across the table, and thought about sex.
I was pretty sure his thoughts were the same as mine. I hoped so. This was going to be one hell of a letdown if not.
He drove us back to the castle, and I found that I was in kind of a daze. I couldn’t focus on anything but Declan. I’d never met anyone like him before. He led me through the doors, and up to his room. He was not near mine as far as I could tell.
The moment his room door closed behind us, Declan fell on me like a wolf, hungry and ready to feast. His hands cupped my face as he devoured my mouth. His tongue plundered my mouth, plunging in and out. He licked my lips, and then bit them. His lips trailed down my neck, turning me as he did so.
Declan nibbled on my ear lobe, his breath warming my ear. I arched against him, feeling his hardness against my ass. It sent a rush of wetness between my legs.
As though reading my body, his hands came down the front of me, squeezing my breasts, and pinching as he reached the nipple.
“Oh, God,” I breathed, leaning against the door.
His hands kept going, coming to rest on my pussy, his fingers reaching down and rubbing against me.
“You’re so fucking hot,” he breathed in my ear.
I tried to turn around to kiss him, but he stopped me, bringing his hands over to mine, and drawing them up to place them on the door. “Keep them up there,” he said, and the air of command in his voice, in his words—I was going to come if he kept talking like that.
Then he was back to unbutton my jeans, and he slid his hands into my panties, his fingers penetrating my folds, and then slipping inside of me.
“I love that you’re wet for me,” he growled, pressing his cock against me.
“I can’t help it,” I whispered, unable to say anything other than the truth.
He bit the top of my shoulder.
I moaned.
His hand moved faster in and out of my pussy. His fingers pressed tightly against me because of my jeans, and just as I was starting to fall into some kind of bliss, he removed his hand.
My jeans were pulled down, then he said, “Step out.”
I lifted up one foot, and he tore off my boot, and one leg of my pants.
I heard what I thought was his belt buckle hit the floor, and then his cock was pressing up to me again, this time without the barrier of clothing.
“I can’t wait,” he breathed. �
�Tell me this is good for you.”
“It’s good. Do you have a—”
“Got it,” he stopped me, kissing my neck again. He stood back, and I heard something ripping. He moved close to me again, and his hands were gripping my ass cheeks, spreading my legs wider as he stepped in between them.
His cock nudged at the opening of my pussy, and as he started to glide up into me, his hand came around the front of me to find my clit, and he took it between his fingers, squeezing and rolling it.
“Dear God, Declan,” I breathed.
“Say my name again,” he whispered hoarsely into my ear as he drove his cock into me. He thrust so hard it brought me onto my toes.
My chest pressed against the door. One of his hands slid up to stroke and pinch at my nipple. I was pinned, opened wide, and filled.
It was glorious. “Declan,” I whispered.
“You want this?” He punctuated his words by thrusting up. “Do you?”
“Yes, yes, please,” I gasped.
He kept pounding into me, both of his hands on me, holding me from flying away, or falling down. Harder, and then faster, as he whispered against my neck. The door shuddered each time he drove into me.
I couldn’t understand what he was saying. It didn’t matter. His fingers rubbed at my clit, and I could feel the building wave.
His hips bucked into me, his hands on my breast and my pussy, and as he moved harder against me, I could feel my legs spreading wider. Declan pressed into me, lifting me off the floor.
It was coming, I could feel it coming, and my mouth opened, my breath coming out in a moan that I couldn’t stop.
Declan’s speed increased, and I could feel his hot breath against my neck.
Then he slammed into me so hard, and I fell off the edge, my orgasm ripping through me.
I heard him half-whisper, half-shout, “Jyn!”
His cock throbbed within me as he came. His hands gripped me, holding me up and holding me hard to him.
Declan
How long we stood there, partially dressed and panting, I didn’t know. But I could feel my cock soften, and I pulled out, and gently let her down. I’d fucked her so hard that her feet had come off the floor.