“Mm. What are you doing here?” I allowed him to support some of my weight as he embraced me, pinning my back to his chest.
“Well, after two failed attempts before this place—Sean suggested it,” he said loud enough for me to hear over a song I recognized by DJ Snake and Bieber—Let Me Love You.
I moved my ass and hips against him to the beat, and then he spun me around and lifted my arms up to drape over his shoulders.
His eyes greeted mine when his hands settled on my hips. He stared at me so deeply it was as if his soul could latch with mine somehow, like our togetherness could transcend space and time.
I leaned into him, but when I caught sight of the guy who’d hit on me watching me from across the room, I flinched and staggered back.
Did the guy actually think I’d chosen to cheat tonight—just not with him?
My stomach turned.
“Something wrong?” Adam’s eyes thinned, and his lips became a white slash as the flashing lights flickered across his face, tinting him in an orange and green hue.
“I, uh.” I looked to the floor, gathering my thoughts. If I told Adam about the jackass who’d hit on me, he might slug the guy, and that was the last thing I wanted right before our wedding.
No, I couldn’t chance it.
“My head is starting to spin from the drinks.” Not a lie. The effects of the alcohol were beginning to impact my balance.
“You want to sit? Go?”
“Why are you guys here?” Kate asked from behind before I could answer.
My shoulders slumped at being caught with him, something I knew she wouldn’t let me live down.
“No boys allowed during our party,” Kate said. “This is against the rules.”
I pulled away from Adam to view her crossed arms and the pout on her face.
“This wasn’t intentional,” Adam said and stood alongside me. “But what’d you expect me to do when I saw Anna?”
Kate was looking at someone, or something else now, and so I turned to track her gaze.
Sean, Ethan, and Les were at the bar ordering drinks. Oblivious to our presence.
As much as his best friend, Les, drove me nuts, he’d been the one to bring Adam and me together.
If Les hadn’t once rented his flat to me under his given name, Leslie, my life in Dublin could’ve turned out very differently.
From the moment I’d laid eyes on Adam I’d been hooked. Head over heels. Insta-lust that had grown into a forever-kind-of-love I’d once only thought existed in Disney movies or between the pages of books.
“You should go,” Kate told him, and her words had me focusing back on her.
“No. Stay,” I found myself saying.
“Anna.” The plea in Kate’s voice gave me pause.
“Give me a minute, okay?”
She eyed Adam before her gaze swept over to the bachelor party continuing without the groom-to-be. “Fine.”
“Damn,” Adam said with a smirk after she left. “She’s tough.”
“Yeah, remind me not to plan her party whenever she ties the knot. I’d massively fail, I’m sure.”
He took my hand and led me to a booth hidden from our friends and siblings.
Once we were seated, he leaned back against the dark leather. “I don’t miss this life.”
“The wild nights you had before you met me?”
“My nights are pretty wild now if you ask me.” He lightly shrugged. “Well, not since you’ve withheld sex this week, but normally, they’re off the charts.”
I blushed as if others could hear his words, even though no one was within earshot. “Next weekend can’t come soon enough.”
“Tell me about it.”
“So . . .” I smiled. “Where’d you end up going before here?” I couldn’t help but wonder, especially since he’d brought it up.
He shook his head. “Les brought me to some new fight club.”
Les—of course. I should’ve known. “What was he thinking?”
He held his palms in the air. “He thought I’d enjoy throwing down with some young blood. You should’ve seen Sean when we got there. He pretty much body-slammed Les, then nearly got his arse whooped by him. My brother really needs to learn how to fight.”
“Um.” I blinked a few times. “Les does know we’re getting married? Bruises in wedding photos don’t usually look all that great.”
“Like I’d get bruised?”
I playfully shoved at his muscled chest, and he captured my wrist and tugged me closer, almost atop his lap. “Not the point.” My lips twisted at the edges. “How long until you left?”
“You know . . .”
“You watched a few fights, didn’t you?”
He squinted one eye, and I was sure he could feel the climb of my pulse in my wrist as he continued to hold me. “Maybe one or two.”
“And where’d you go next that had you fleeing to come here?”
“Ethan chose the next place. Give you two guesses, but you’ll only need one.”
I thought about party-boy-Ethan. He’d finished grad school at Trinity not too long ago, and yet, he still hadn’t slowed down. “Naked women, I’m guessing. A strip club.”
“The only naked woman I want to see is you, so I didn’t even go in.”
“It’s a bachelor party. Isn’t it a requirement to have someone strip for you?”
He released my wrist and brought his thumb to my lip, gently pulling it down. He leaned closer, his mouth near mine. And everything inside of me became jelly. “Then you strip for me.”
“Breaks the rules, doesn’t it?” I lightly bit his thumb.
When my hand slipped to his lap, he was hard as a rock. The poor guy. What was I doing to him? To me?
Waiting until the wedding night would be worth it, I tried to remind myself, fighting the hot pulse of heat slowly crawling down my body like I was being unzipped. Ready to come undone.
I edged back enough to find his eyes. “Let’s leave.”
“Really?” His throat moved with a hard swallow.
I nodded. “If you think we can escape . . . I’m game.”
Chapter Four
Adam
“You’re full of surprises.”
I locked the hotel door and faced her, hands in my trouser pockets to fight the urge to pin her to the wall and ravage her.
She slipped off her heels and ate up the space between us. “How come we didn’t have to check in downstairs?” One green eye narrowed. “Ohh. You already booked this room.”
I observed her, trying to fight the smile that threatened as she figured it out.
“You knew I was at that club, didn’t you?” Her hands went to her hips as if she could intimidate. Her pouty lips pressed together as she tried to get a read on me.
My cock throbbed in my pants as I held back.
We were inside the hotel—the exact room, to be precise—where we first made love.
“I’ve had it checked out for days now,” I finally spoke.
“Anticipating I’d cave at some point?”
I shrugged, trying to maintain a sense of casualness, even though I was itching to lose myself in her. To take her into my arms.
She rolled her tongue over her teeth and wet her lips as she stood before me. “I love you.” Her fingers buzzed a path from my belt buckle up to the collar of my dress shirt. “Be with me.”
A tightness stretched across my chest, a storm of emotions I’d never grow tired of experiencing because of her. She brought me back to life. Pulled me out of the darkness and into the light.
She bunched the hem of her bridal tee and pulled it over her head, tossing it behind her, revealing a white lace bra.
One step back. Eyes on me. She unclipped her bra.
“My own personal striptease?” My back was still to the door, and so I rested my head against it, watching my soon-to-be wife unzip her jeans and wiggle her hips as she shoved them down.
A tiny strip of white fabric was all she had on when her
teeth skirted her bottom lip.
I finally lifted my hands from my pockets, no longer able to make this a spectator sport, and the memory of our first time together burned a hot trail through my mind.
I lowered my hand to her center and maneuvered her knickers to the side to touch her wetness. “Christ, woman.”
I stole a moan from her lips with my mouth, and she pressed her tight body against mine and swept her hand between us. She covered my hand with hers, urging me to rub harder and faster, and I obliged.
I’d give her anything and everything to make her happy.
Our lips broke when her head rolled back as she came. I sucked at the sensitive part of her neck near her earlobe, loving every minute of how her body writhed in my arms.
“Oh damn, I needed that.” She sighed and stepped back. “I didn’t get off in the shower earlier like I was supposed to. Didn’t have time.”
Well, I had.
Twice.
Envisioning this moment to be exact.
She placed her hands on her hips. “What do you want to do with me now?”
My nostrils flared a touch as I studied her beautiful body. “So much,” I said under my breath. “So. Damn. Much.”
She squealed when I reached for her and tossed her over my shoulder, slapping her arse as I carried her to the connecting room.
I dropped her onto the bed, and her reddish-blonde hair fanned out beneath her head.
Her hands raced over my shirt, and she worked at the buttons as I held myself above her. I’d forgotten the inconvenience of my clothes, too wrapped up in the moment.
I hitched her thigh up and pinned her leg to my side, taking deep breaths as her eyes held mine. Owning me. All of me.
Once my shirt was open, her fingertips moved down my abs and to my buckle. “Why are you still dressed?”
“Feck if I know,” I said with a laugh and stood to strip down to nothing.
Her lip caught between her teeth as she eyed me, her hand slipping to her breast, her tits puckering beneath my stare, and I grew even greedier with the need to have her. All of her.
“Best bachelor party ever.” I grinned and lowered my now-naked body atop hers and hooked her leg up again as my cock settled at her opening. “You ready for me?”
“Always.”
We took a left on to Grafton Street, and I parked my motorcycle.
She shook her mass of hair loose from the helmet and inhaled a breath of the fresh morning air.
“Breakfast in bed would’ve been fine, but—”
“We wouldn’t have been eating,” I said with a smile. “And you want to try waiting until the wedding again?”
“Yes. For real this time.”
“Then I can’t go near any beds with you.” I reached into my pocket at the feel of my vibrating mobile and checked the ID.
“Who is it now?” Her smile stretched with amusement.
We’d both been getting hollered at via message since we’d bailed on the parties last night.
“Holly this time.” I stowed the mobile and grabbed the helmets to carry.
“At least she gave up on me.” She reached out, looped her arm with mine, and rested her head against my shoulder as we walked the footpath. “She was super distracted last night. Is she okay?”
“Distracted by what?”
“Work.” She lifted her head, and I glimpsed her over my shoulder.
“That’s nothing new, love. I wouldn’t worry.”
“If you say . . .” She stopped walking, and so I turned to see what was wrong.
“What’s up?” I followed her eyes to St. Stephen’s Green Park across the street.
She blinked and pulled her focus back to me. “Thought I saw someone I knew.”
I reached for her elbow with my free hand and encouraged her closer to the side of a storefront out of the way of pedestrians. “What is it you aren’t telling me? You look off.”
“It’s nothing. Some guy hit on me last night, and he reminded me of Jax.”
Her ex. The son of a bitch I almost killed in Kentucky.
Heat torched a line up my spine, and my jaw clenched. “Why didn’t you tell me last night?”
“I didn’t want you to hit the guy.”
“Did you spot him now?” I released her and looked toward the park again, my free hand converting to a fist at my side. My natural inclination always seemed to be to hit.
“I don’t think so. It was dark at the club, and I’d been drinking. I’m sure whoever I saw in the park isn’t him.” She reached for my face and redirected my focus. “It’s nerves,” she said in a soft tone, trying to reassure me. “And now that we broke the no-sex-until-marriage rule, I’m probably nervous I jinxed us.”
I shook my head. “Nothing is going to stop me from marrying you. That’s a bloody promise.” I couldn’t help but check the park once more.
“The guy’s gone. Whoever he was.”
She sounded okay, so maybe I was overreacting. I relaxed my fingers, and she reached for my hand.
“Now, how about that breakfast?” she asked with a smile.
Chapter Five
Holly
“It’s too late. They’ve already left.” Sean reached for his wine glass and brought it to his lips, his eyes on mine. Regret appeared in the flecks of his irises as he studied me. “The meeting time was changed, and Da thought it’d be best for you not to come.” The movement in his throat, the hard swallow, was a damn good indicator my brother was lying to me.
“Why?” My fingernails bit into my sides as I stared at him.
“Da’s request.” He shrugged, an attempt at casual. Too late.
I blew a few strands of hair out of my face as I stared at him. Feeling flustered. Not the norm for me. “Of all the times for Brian Callaghan to show up.”
“Relax.” He patted the air. “Da didn’t sell.”
“But he’s thinking about it, isn’t he?” I’d been doing my best to prevent the prick from getting face time with Da. “And why aren’t you more bothered by this?”
“I am, which is why I made sure I was here.”
I glanced down at the plates. A half-eaten steak on one. Dried red blood stained the white china, the pink center exposed. Probably Da’s food. He wasn’t supposed to be eating red meat, but whenever Ma was out of sight, he did whatever he pleased regardless of his heart attack—a heart attack that happened a few weeks before Adam and Anna’s original wedding date three months ago.
I rolled my eyes and turned to leave. I didn’t want to talk to Adam about business so close to his wedding, but I needed to let him know what the hell was going on.
“Holly.” Sean’s voice was rough, like he’d choked on sandpaper. “I gotta pay the bill and hit the jacks. Wait for me.”
“I need some air.” I hurried toward the exit without waiting for his response and barreled into something just outside.
I glanced up at the man who had one hand on my shoulder, helping keep my balance, while he held a cigar in the other hand.
“Sorry.” I edged back and out of his grasp. My bottom lip fell open as I averted my gaze up, and our eyes met. “Sebastian Renaud.” I thought about the restaurant—Les Fleurs—it was his.
Did the man own everything in Dublin? He’d moved in like a storm from out of nowhere.
“I shouldn’t have been standing right here. My apologies.” His husky voice moved through the air and warmed me in all the right places, but I didn’t want it to.
I took an extra step back to afford some space between us, but now I had the chance to observe his tall, muscular frame. Maybe not the best idea.
He raised the cigar to his lips, continuing to casually observe me.
“You know those things can kill you?” I folded my arms, not sure why the bleeding hell I was still standing there.
A slight smile tugged at the edges of his mouth as a dark brow rose. The lights from overhead the entrance cast him in some sort of glow, partially shadowing his face when he moved a li
ttle.
A fallen angel.
The devil.
A deal maker.
That was Sebastian Renaud. Well, from what I’d heard.
“Those heels of yours can be quite hazardous as well.” A hint of Dublin drifted through his speech despite the heavy sway of French wrapping around most of his syllables.
I looked down at my Michael Kors classic black heels. “They also double as a weapon when I’m walking the footpath alone.” I needed to turn away now, but then an idea, more like a desire, snapped right through me, and so I peered back at him. “You happen to have any cigs on ya?”
What am I doing? Shit.
He lifted his strong chin, and a ray of light returned over the part of his face that’d been hidden. “No, I don’t really smoke aside from an occasional one of these . . . but are ya sure you want to do something so dangerous?”
That slight smile did something funny to my ovaries.
But . . . wrong man. Wrong time. Wrong everything.
“I promised my older brother I wouldn’t smoke anymore, anyway. It’s been four years, but—”
“Adam or Sean? Who’d you promise?”
“You know who I am?”
“How could I not?” The memory of his eyes on me from the club during Anna’s bachelorette party swept back to mind.
“I should go,” I said, a bit too meekly for my liking.
At the sound of tires rubbing against the pavement, parking too close to the footpath, I turned to see a black limo. Probably his ride.
When I faced him again, he was in the midst of killing his cigar. “Goodnight, Miss McGregor.” He brushed past me as he strode to the limo.
I waited for him to be out of sight before I dug into my purse for my mobile, hoping to shake off the strange feeling the man had given me: a feeling of . . . desire. Very misplaced desire.
I dialed my brother. “Adam?” I said straightaway when he answered, needing to get out of there before Sean came outside. “Where are you? We need to talk.”
I swung open the door to my brother’s gym, and I swear the place all but came to a complete standstill when I’d stepped inside.
Dublin Nights Series Box Set: On the Edge & On the Line Page 32