Page 56 of An Irish Summer

“Ah, family is never fair. Doesn’t mean I don’t love them.” His voice softened. “They just get right under my skin sometimes.”

I made a soft noise of understanding and he turned the radio back up, signaling the end of our conversation. The lines in his forehead disappeared, and I was grateful our silence this time was a contented one.

By the time we returned to the Wanderer the sun had long since set, and I was tired and hungry.

“Fancy a bite?” Collin asked, nodding toward the kitchen.

“Who’s cooking?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. I definitely wasn’t up for it, and I had no idea if any of his skills extended to the kitchen.

“Flo, earlier tonight,” he said, and I was relieved. “Surely there’s something left over.”

“Lead the way.”

We only turned one light on in the kitchen, leaving most of the room in the shadows. Collin found half a sheet cake in the fridge and pulled two forks from the silverware drawer. We leaned against the counter, slowly cutting pieces of the cake straight from the box.

“This was quite the day,” he said after a while, licking buttercream from the back of his fork.

“It really was a roller coaster,” I agreed, thinking our almost-crash on the way to the abbey felt like it was ages ago.

“Up, then down, then up, then down...” he said, dropping his fork on the counter and stepping in front of me, so close I could feel the warmth of his breath.

“We have to end on up, then, don’t we?” I asked, dropping my fork beside his and meeting his gaze.

Our eyes locked over the cake. Our breath rose and fell in matching pace.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” he whispered, slowly bringing his hands to my hips and pressing me against the counter. “Still willing to let me lead the way?”

Had I been one to speak my mind, I might have saidwillingfelt more likebegging.

It turned out a nod was all he needed, and within seconds, his lips were on mine and my head was spinning. I might have known a kiss was coming, but there was no way of knowing itwould have felt like this. The floor disappeared from underneath me; the walls fell away; and I knew I would never have another first kiss as hot as this for as long as I lived.

When his teeth grazed my bottom lip, I let my hands slip under the hem of his shirt, relishing the feel of his body. I was sure he could feel my heart beating, but I was hopeless in slowing it down.

Collin pulled my hair and tilted my head back, deepening the kiss, clearly not willing to slow anything down. It took every ounce of self-control not to pull his shirt over his head and revisit the body I’d been trying and failing to forget since that day in the bathroom.

A low groan rumbled from his throat when I pressed my fingernails into his back. If I thought his accent would stick in my head forever, I had no idea what that groan would do to me.

Our breaths turned ragged as the kiss slowed, weeks of tension sparking erratically between us. The kiss was already seared into some deep, dark part of my memory, and I was replaying it before it was even over. The taste of buttercream would no longer remind me of birthdays, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to eat cake the same way again.

When we eventually separated, Collin pulled away just far enough to rest his forehead on mine.

Still a fraction of an inch from his face, terrifying thoughts started to creep in. How I no longer wanted to speed toward the end of the summer. How it was possible that one singular day altered everything I’d been telling myself since I’d gotten here. How it might have even altered everything I’d been telling myself long before that. How badly I wanted to do it again.

He laughed against my lips, as if responding to my racing thoughts. “Come on, Chels,” he said, backing away and holding out his hand. “Let’s get you out of here before you go down some rabbit hole you don’t need to be in.”

“I wasn’t...”

“Catch yourself on.” He smiled, smug as ever. Like his entire world hadn’t been rattled by the last few minutes.

I took his hand and let him lead me upstairs to our hallway. My breath caught when he bypassed his door to walk me to mine. I was fumbling with my key, trying to figure out whether he expected to be invited in, when he spun me around and pressed me gently against the door.

“You’re sending me right into the rabbit hole, you know,” I whispered, trying to resist the urge to look over his shoulder and see if anyone could see us. His lips were so close to mine I could feel his breath, and the anticipation was setting my skin on fire.

“Then I should go before I make it any worse,” he said, just as quiet, backing away at the exact moment I found myself leaning in, my eyes starting to close. I released the breath trapped in my chest, though it came out more like a huff. His laugh occupied the space between us, and I let my head drop back against my door.

“Be careful what you wish for.” He smiled, walking toward his room.

“Only one of us is the wishing type,” I said, “so I could say the same to you.”

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