Page 54 of Dublin Beast

“You’ve had a traumatic few days.”

Her eyes flash. “Don’t analyze me, big boy.”

Holy hell.I exhale sharply, my hands flexing against her warm skin. “We’re working together—on projects incredibly important and personal to each of us. What if we ruin things?”

She chuckles, a slow, wicked sound that hits me right in the gut. “Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of friends with benefits?”

I let out a long sigh. “Harper. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea of who I am. I’m not a romantic man. There’s no gentler side of me. I live outside the laws of society, and I hurt people. I don’t have women friends. I have women in my family who I care about and women I fuck who I don’t. There are only two categories.”

She runs her hands over the planes of my chest and grins. “Then I’m starting a third category—friends you fuck.”

She doesn’t even stumble over saying it. I swear this woman knows how to push all my buttons.

“No. There are only two categories.”

“Are you saying you don’t want to fuck me?” She shifts her hips, the damp head of her core riding the steel rod of my cock trapped in my jeans.

I drag a hand down my face, trying to grasp at some level of control. I don’t find it.

She leans forward, the soft fullness of her breasts pressing against my hard pecs, her lips a breath away from mine, her smile all fire and mischief. “I didn’t think so. You want to be railing me as much as I want you to.”

Fecking hell.“I haven’t any protection.”

She sighs. “Well, thatisdisappointing. I’m a safety girl, so we’ll have to work around that. Are you clean otherwise?”

“Aye, and I’ve got the wee card to prove it.”

Her smile returns. “Then we take our pleasures right now and then you fuck me once you’ve had a chance to get to the store.”

I lift a brow. “That right? Got it all figured out, do you?”

She bites her bottom lip, looking way too pleased with herself. “We both need to blow off steam and burn some adrenaline. But the next time you go out, pick up a couple of boxes of condoms.”

I chuckle, shaking my head at the sheer audacity of this woman. “A couple of boxes, is it?”

She flashes me a sly, knowing grin. “I have a lot of pent-up energy and don’t do anything by half-measures. I’m assuming you don’t either.”

I bark a laugh, shaking my head. Where the hell did this girl come from? Are all Canadian girls this crazy?

* * *

Harper

What am I doing?

Bryan is handing me every out he can think of, and I’m ignoring every single one.

Am I hot and bothered? Hell yeah.

Has everything I’ve said been true? Also yes.

But what I haven’t said is that I know exactly who he is. What his life means. What being with a man like him—a Quinn—would cost me in the long run.

It’s just…in this moment, I don’t care.

I cross my arms, grip the hem of my shirt, and pull it up and over my head. Cool air hits my heated flesh and my nipples tighten. “I couldn’t be bothered with a bra this morning.”

Bryan’s grin is slow, dark, and all heat as his gaze sweeps over me. “I see that.”

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