Page 33 of Hot Irish Halloween

“Everyone. Now we have dined and dined well. It’s time to dance and celebrate!” Clarissa made the announcement this time and nodded to Simon, who nodded back.

Simon stood, and everyone followed him down a passageway to another huge, high-ceilinged room with smooth, polished hardwoods that beamed. There were some chairs lined up around the oval, but the space in the center was clear and open for the dance. In a gallery above, musicians waited to begin theirseisíunwith an array of traditional instruments. Penny smiled at them, holding Jack’s arm.

“Now we’re talkin’,” she whispered. “Wish I had my phone on me to record them.”

“Taking our phones. Don’t you think that was strange?” he asked softly. Around them, the other guests were talking about the bonfire and the meal, holding their cups out to the passing servers for another pouring of mead.

“Oh, so Mr. Skeptical, who told me I was wrong for assuming these people were freaky is now suggesting something’s weird?” Penny swallowed from her refreshed goblet. “Mm, so good. Thank you.” The masked server winked at her and bowed.

“I think you’ve had enough. We’re going upstairs,” Jack announced and took her hand. She resisted his pull.

“But you’re the most popular man in the room,” Clarissa said, suddenly appearing and winding her arms around his neck. Penny couldn’t tell if she was drunk or what, then decided Clarissa had to be on something because she pressed herself against Jack’s hard body.

That snapped Penny out of her amused calm. “Hands off, lady,” she said, matter-of-factly pulling Clarissa’s arms off her so-called husband.

Clarissa laughed, turning to her and wrapping her arms around Penny in turn. “Don’t worry, Penelope. The three of us are going to be very good friends, yes?”

She winked and turned to signal the musicians, who lifted their instruments and began to play a joyful Irish reel.

“Holy shit, it’s like we’re on the Titanic. It’s about to go down!” Penny exclaimed to Jack, exuberant again from a fresh hit of mead.

Penny snatched Jack’s goblet and tossed back her own. Dropping them both on a nearby small table, she grasped his hand and pulled him onto the floor to begin dancing and spinning with the others.

“I don’t dance,” he told her loudly over the music, shuffling awkwardly.

“Stop it, wallflower. You better shake that thang.”

Jack groused, but he complied, swinging her on the floor. After a while, it seemed like he’d forgotten about leaving and might have been enjoying himself, gazing at her and cracking a big smile with sweat dripping from his forehead. When the first reelwas over, he’d thawed enough to clap with everyone else, his smile wide.

Penny loved it when Jack smiled. She loved him.

Whoops, wait, no. That was the mead and the wine talking, this fairytale castle, this whole beautiful, dreamlike evening. Notlovelove.

Nope. Not even close.

“Another dance,” she demanded, and Jack took her out on the floor again.

After several fast dances, the musicians slowed down to play something soft and sensuous, with a sly, teasing fiddle and percussion. Jack pulled her against him, taking her hand in his and wrapping his arm around her waist. Smiled into her eyes and filled her slowly with his heat, his deep woodsy scent, and his sheer vitality.

But then the music changed again. It went faster but it was almost all flutes, horns, and bodhrán, the drumming pounding a beat into her chest, into her head, which was so light yet so clouded at the same time. The room was shimmering, the chandeliers throwing sparks into her eyes while the walls pulsed. That pulsing was her heartbeat now, a throbbing in her belly that moved sinuously down to her pussy. She gasped when Jack gripped her by the waist tighter, pulling her against his hips.

His eyes were glazed. Something hard pushed against her stomach. With effort, he stepped back, putting more space between their bodies.

“We should go back to the room, Penny.” Jack’s face was strained, as though he was exercising tight control over himself, control that he was about to lose.

“Why, so you can wait till I’m ‘sleep and then come back down here to look for our new friend? I think you were protesting too much. She’s sexy. I bet you already got some of that,” shetaunted, pointing her chin at Clarissa, who smiled at them from the entrance of the ballroom.

Penny knew she was provoking him for no good reason. Pushing all his buttons to see what would finally set him off.

This was wildly irrational. Dangerous. And she no longer cared.

“Come on, Penny, I’ve had enough. Back to the room,” Jack ground out. His eyes now seemed slightly off-focus.

“I said no.”

Abruptly, the music stopped mid-note. The sudden silence was a shock to the system. Everyone went motionless as if this was an adult game of freeze tag.

Clarissa stalked through the guests and nodded at the cloaked servers, still in the masks. The servers took each guest and placed them in rows facing each other. Some were eager to obey, others were slow. But no one resisted.

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