Page 47 of Taming Irish

Chapter 13

Makena

Aheaviness surrounds me,a disoriented reality that grips me physically. There’s a part of my consciousness that knows I’m sleeping, but I can’t wake up. As faces and voices stir in my subconscious, tightening my chest with fear, I know my altered state isn’t real. Still, I choke on the dread that fills my throat like a black liquid trying to drownme.

“Easy, love.” A deep brogue pushes through the darkness, anchoring me back toreality.

Knuckles brush across my cheek, and when I blink, sage eyes, warmed by the fire’s glow, stare down atme.

“I…must’ve fallen asleep.” I shift, starting to situp.

Shadows flit across the room, the blazing fire the only source of light. Outside, the sky isblack.

“What time is it?” Ifrown.

“Late,” he murmurs. His callused fingers trail across my shoulder, sending little sparks of electricity racing down myarms.

Holding back the moan that his touch coaxes from me, I say quickly, “I need to getback.”

“Do ye have another date ye’re needing to get to?” heteases.

I grunt. “That wasn’t a date,” I remindhim.

He chuckles, burying his nose in my neck and placing his palm on the back of my head. “Right. Just friends.” His lips brush against the sensitive skin along my jaw and he croons, “I think I need morefriendslikeye.”

A shiver of anticipation races across myskin.

I thought that sleeping with him might ease some of the chemistry between us, but if anything, it only made it stronger. I recognize the stirring in my chest, the subtle warning that I’m already falling for theman.

Better to put distance between us now than find my already damaged heart once again torn to pieces, this time discarded at the bottom of an Irishlough.

“This,” I motion between us. “Isn’t going tohappen.”

He gives me a cocky grin. “Already has,love.”

“You know what Imean.”

“Not sure I do.” He flips me on my back and stares down at me with a goofy grin, his fingers playing casually with my hair, twisting andtangling.

If I thought my legs would hold me, I’d push him away and get out of bed. I need to put some distance between us so that my brain can actually start workingagain.

“I can’t do this…again.”

“Why?” He tilts his head, giving me an amused look, like he knows he could be buried deep inside of me with a single touch. Which isn’t all that far from thetruth.

The man is addicting. But, like any drug, I know he’s toxic.At least tome.

I don’t do casual hookups. My heart isn’t callused enough for it. To me, sex will always produceemotions.

“Because my life is already too complicated without you in it,” I say, holding his gaze, hoping to God he’ll have mercy on me and walk away before I do something stupid like fall forhim.

Hedoesn’t.

His head tilts slightly, the grin that seems permanently etched on his handsome face making him seem a lot less dangerous than he reallyis.

“Trust me, sweetheart, I’m one of the least complicated people ye’ll evermeet.”

“I doubt that.” He may come across as a typical playboy, but I’ve already had a glimpse of the man underneath the shallow, egocentric pretense he presents to theworld.

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