Page 42 of Tempting Irish

“I’m still the nice one.” I chuckle, glancing over at Cillian, who raises an eyebrow atme.

I give a small shake of my head and give him a I’ve-got-this-handled look, even though I know Idon’t.

Hell, if the girl doesn’t have me all tied up inside. I make the mistake of glancing down at her at the same time she blinks up at me. We’re close. Too damnclose.

When the song ends, I release her a little too abruptly and take a stepback.

“Thanks for the dance,” I mutter, plotting my escape. And not just from her, but from all of this. But I can’t turn away from the blue eyes that hold my gaze. All the images from last night flood mybrain.

“My turn,” Aiden says, taking Bree’s hand and spinning her around, breaking the connection and causing her to gasp insurprise.

“Well?” Emer says, besideme.

“What?” I don’t look at her, because I can’t take my eyes offBree.

“She’s pretty, isn’tshe?”

No. The woman isn’t pretty. She’sgorgeous.

“Don’t do that,” Iwarn.

“What?” She says, feigninginnocence.

“Ye know what. I don’t need yemeddling.”

She laughs. “Ye need something. And I have an idea what itis.”

“I’m warning ye, Emer.” I glare at her, but she just smiles. “I know she told ye what happened. But keep it to yerself. And stop whatever plotting is going on in that head ofyers.”

“I’m not plotting. I justthink-”

“Stopthinking.”

Emer tilts her chin, studying me, then shakes her head, clamping her mouth on whatever she was going tosay.

“And don’t do that,either.”

“What?”

“Judgeme.”

“I just want ye to behappy.”

“I know ye do. Just don’t push this. Even if I was in a place tosettle down—” I grimace at the words.“—it wouldn’t be with Bree. The girl istrouble-”

“Owen.” Emer stops me, her eyes widening when she glances behind me to where Bree and Aiden are dancing a couple feetaway.

Shit.

There’s no doubt that she heard my words, when I see her suck in a breath, and take a step back fromAiden.

“I…I think I’ll go back to the hotel now,” Bree says to Emer, not meeting mygaze.

“I’ll get Shane to driveye-”

“No. It’s okay. It’s only a few blocksaway.”

“Nice job, asshole,” Aiden says, shaking his head at me as Bree walks away and Emer goes afterher.

“It’s better if she knows where Istand.”

For both ofus.

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