Page 64 of Tempting Irish

“Ye always were braver than all ofus.”

“That’s nottrue.”

“It is.” Gray eyes study me.See me. “I think ye stillare.”

I glance away from his searching gaze, feeling like he’s peering straight into mysoul.

“I hated that my mom made me move away,” I say, looking back at the old oak. “But mostly, I hated leaving you. I know it was just a silly crush,but…”

He captures my wrist, then roughs the pad of his thumb across the tattoothere.

“I drew this on yer wrist thatday.”

I swallow hard and nod, his words placating some part of me. Even though the moment—the gesture—hadn’t meant the same to him, he stillremembered.

“I believed you.” Butterflies take off in a mad frenzy as he brings my wrist to his mouth and brushes his lips across the faint lines. I let out a shuddering breath. “Everything you said. About family and roots. About music connecting me to myhome.”

“I don’t know what happened to ye.” He places a palm on my cheek. “What demons ye’re hiding. But ye still belong here,Bree.”

His head dips closer, his mouth parting, breath warm and tasting like the peppermint gum he’d been chewingearlier.

“Emer asked me to stay,” I say, gauging hisreaction.

“I think that’s a goodidea.”

“Youdo?”

“I do.” His smile falters and his lips thin, his brows pulling down. “But not because of me. Because ye need yerfamily.”

My chest deflates. “Right.”

I start to move away, but one solid arm wraps around my waist, pulling me tight against his body. “I’m not saying I don’t want to see where thisgoes.”

“We both know exactly how it’ll go.” I place my palms on his chest, craving his touch, but knowing just how dangerous it’ll be, especially if I decide to stay here. “We’ll havesex.”

“Mind-blowing sex,” he adds, one side of his lips twitchingup.

“We’ll sleep together a few times, until you get bored, or freak out because you’re feeling something forme-”

“Ye’ve got this all figuredout.”

I nod. “Then, we’ll break it off and we’ll be all kinds of awkward with each other. It’ll put a strain on your relationship with Emer, because she’ll take myside.”

He chuckles, “Ye thinkso?”

“Girls always take each other’ssides.”

His hands roam down my back, locking my body against his. “So, I guess we should just stayfriends?”

“I thought we weren’t friends.” Ripples of need surge through me.Damnhim.

“If we’re not friends, and we’re not sleeping together, then what are we?” He murmurs against my ear, his callused fingers finding the hem of my shirt and slipping beneath, warm against my coolskin.

“A dream that I never want to wake up from,” I sigh, melting into him, my body ignoring the warning bells telling me I need to step away before he does more than steal my heart, before he shattersit.

“Then, don’t wake up,” he growls against my neck as his teeth rake across the sensitiveflesh.

A disconcerted thrill speeds throughme.

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