Page 58 of Tee’d Up For Trouble

“Jax, I’m….”

“I know, baby, I can feel you. Give it to me, Dee.”

Her release came slowly, languidly, and as she squeezed my cock, I gave into my pleasure as well. With no one, had I felt this right, this perfect, this safe.

I was in love with Dee Gallagher, and I needed to figure out how the hell to make our two disparate worlds and lives work together so we could be…well, together for the rest of our lives.

CHAPTER22

Dee

Two days after St. Paddy’s Day, on a quiet regular afternoon, when the fire was crackling in the hearth, a few of the regulars were nursing their pints, Jax was at a table working on his laptop, and Ronan was complaining about how the oven had turned against him—Geraldine Culkin stormed in.

Her face was red. Her hair was sticking out in every direction like she’d been caught in a windstorm.

“Deirdre Gallagher!” she shouted, her voice echoing through the pub like a battle cry.

Every head turned, and I sighed, setting down the glass I’d been drying. “Geraldine.”

“I told you this was going to happen, didn’t I?”

“What’s this about then, Geraldine?” I asked patiently. The woman was prone to hysterics, and I’d somehow been appointed the Mayor of Ballybeg to solve every problem Geraldine had.

“It’s that blasted snake of Seamus O’Shea’s!” She stormed up to the bar. “It’s loose!Loose! And now my sweet Poppy is missing!”

There was pin-drop silence for a long moment until Liam Murphy, who was perched on his usual stool near the end of the bar, let out a wheezing laugh. “Poppy? That yappy little pup of yours? Maybe the snake couldn’t take the noise anymore and ran off to find some peace.”

Geraldine and Seamus were neighbors, and this was a long-running feud. He kept a snake, and she was certain it was going to eat her dog.

Geraldine turned on him, jabbing a finger in Liam’s direction. “Don’t you dare joke about this, Liam Murphy! That snake is a menace, and I’ll bet you anything it’s eaten my Poppy!”

“Geraldine?” came Seamus’s voice as he pushed through the pub’s door, his coat half-buttoned and his cap askew.

“You’re a right eejit, Seamus O’Shea, and I swear to God, if your snake’s eaten my pup, I’ll feed you to it myself,” Geraldine threatened.

“You leave Fergus out of this!” Seamus took his cap off and slapped it down on the bar next to Liam. “My Fergus wouldn’t hurt a fly!”

“Your Fergus is a menace.” Geraldine screeched, whirling on him.

“Your snake has a name?” Jax mused, and I glared at him to shut the feck up. He winked at me, obviously enjoying the show.

“Of course he does!” Seamus puffed up his chest like he was defending the honor of a national treasure. “And I’ll have you know, Jax, Fergus is a vegetarian. He wouldn’t touch herpreciousPoppy.”

“Vegetarian?” Geraldine repeated, her voice climbing several octaves. “He’s a boa constrictor, Seamus! What’s he eating, then? Carrots? A nice leafy salad?”

“Fruits and veggies, mostly,” Seamus replied indignantly. “He’s very partial to bananas.”

“You’re a gobshite.” Geraldine’s eyes narrowed like she was debating whether to throttle him or have him committed.

By this point, the entire pub that was watching the spectacle was trying—and failing—to stifle their laughter. Even Ronan had emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel and grinning as if he’d just found front-row seats to the best show in town.

“Seamus”—I pinched the bridge of my nose—“please tell me Fergus is actually in his tank where he’s supposed to be.”

“Well,” Seamus began, rubbing the back of his neck, “he was in his tank this morning. But, uh, it seems he’s gotten out again.”

I groaned, leaning forward to rest my forehead against the bar, and banged it a couple of times. “Of course, he has. Why wouldn’t he?”

“This is unacceptable!” Geraldine shouted, her fists clenched at her sides. “You can’t just let a snake roam the village willy-nilly, Seamus! What if he has eaten Poppy? What if he’s lurking in someone’s garden, waiting to pounce?”

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