Page 3 of A Temptation Too Great

My eyes find him immediately. He’s on his bike, dark hair messy and curled around the top of his head, the sides clean in a tight fade. He’s sporting a bit of scruff, and I remember the way it felt between my thighs when he went down on me.

I almost stumble when he stands. His long legs, encased in dark denim, flex as he swings off the bike. I don’t stop. I keep moving toward him, my eyes locked on his. His green eyes, like sea glass, watch me. He had a smirk on his face when he first spotted me. Now, his jaw is locked, and his eyebrows are drawn low.

He’s so tall compared to my small five-foot-two-and-a-half-inch frame. That half inch matters. Don’t judge me. He’s almost a foot taller than me at six one. I remember every tattoo that lines his chest and arms, even though they’re hidden now under a flannel and his cut. The September weather has been chilly this year.

Brody

* * *

I’m so fecking pissed right now. She’s in a pair of lightweight cream-colored pants that hang low on her hips, showing off that cute, trim belly of hers. Her shirt is barely bigger than a bra, and the way her knockers jiggle with every step proves she’s not wearing one. Her sweater flutters behind her in the wind.

As she gets closer, I see her erect nipples poking at her top. I remember the taste of those perfect little berries. Her hand lands on her hip as she cocks it to the side. Her long hair is pulled up, but a few loose tendrils brush across her face.

I move to put myself between her and the road. She notices, and I see the appreciation in her eyes. I can’t stop myself. I reach out, my fingers brushing her warm waist. She trembles, and I pull her in close.

“Spitfire, what the feck do you think you’re doing walking out here in this?” I wave my hand up and down her body.

Her spine straightens and she pushes away. Here comes that fecking sass that turns me on every time she gives me it. I wanted her so bad that night, but I knew she wasn’t ready for the fact that when I take her, she’ll only be mine, living in my house, and be my old lady, my woman. I’ll fecking marry her if she wants. I’ll do anything to keep her. I’ve never wanted a woman the way I want her. But I know she isn’t ready yet. She needs to see the truth about her family and the law. There is a reason that justice is blind, and it’s because of men like me.

“Don’t you spitfire me, arsehole. I’m clothed. As a matter of fact, I’m wearing more clothes than I do at the gym.” She places both hands on her hips, and I’m about to pull her in and kiss the hell out of her. “I didn’t come out here to discuss my attire. I told you once already, you need to stop coming by and following me. I’m safe now. Nothing’s going to happen to me.”

I reach for her again and pull her into my body. “Baby, you let me taste that sweet-as-feck cunt of yours. I’m never leaving you alone. I’m addicted. You’re my new drug. When I said you weren’t ready, it wasn’t because I didn’t want you. Feck, I want you so bad it hurts. For you to be ready, you have to understand what it means when I completely have you. You’ll be mine. No one else. No take backs. No changing your mind. Mine.”

With each statement, I lean closer until my lips brush hers. I can’t control myself and kiss her long and deep. When she moans, I plunge inside her mouth and plunder the sweetness that is all her. Her arms wrap around my neck and pull me down as I lift her onto her tiptoes.

“Moira! What the hell are you doing?”

I push her behind me and turn toward the threat yelling at my woman. Standing before us is her brother, Eoin, a fecking peeler dirtier than the bottom of my boots.

When I first saw her, I had Lex run a background check on her family. I found out how her father and brother pay for their lifestyles and why they really don’t want her to become an officer. Sure, they’re chauvinists who believe women can’t do the same job as men, but more than that, they don’t want her to find out about their pasts. Or, in her brother’s case, his current secrets. There’s too much about him I don’t trust. The way he’s looking at her right now is part of the problem. He not only has the look of betrayal in his eyes, but there’s also jealousy, and that can’t be possible.

“Eoin.” She leans around me and starts to move, but something about him sets my teeth on edge. I know there’s more to him than what Lex found.

Moira pushes past me. But when he moves to grab her, I wrap my arms around her and pull her into my body.

“What are you doing here?” she asks him, her voice tight with frustration when I don’t let her go.

I know she hasn’t told her family about the kidnapping or that we’re seeing each other. That’s one of the reasons she doesn’t want to be with me, but I’m not letting her go. No matter what Aidan says. He told me to either get her in line or let her go. I can’t.

“What are you doing with him?” He spits the last word and swings his arm out.

“He’s a friend.”

“Boyfriend,” I clarify, and she stiffens.

“You can’t date him. Do you know who he is?”

“I’m Brody Tiernan. I own Knight’s Motorbikes and Purgatory Garage.” I smile but don’t offer him my hand.

“I know who you are.” He sneers, and I shake my head, unwilling to say more. He’s made his judgement of me just like I’ve already made mine of him. “You are also part of the Tiernan crime family. The Knights of Purgatory Syndicate. You are related to the Beast of Belfast."

I straighten my shoulders and stand taller, ready to pull Moira behind me to defend my brother. No one calls him that without learning the reason behind it.

“He’s also Fiona’s brother-in-law. He came by to give me a message from Fi.” Moira struggles to pull away, but I’m not letting her near him. “You remember my friend Fiona, right?” she asks, and he shifts his focus from me. His nearly black eyes zero in on her with so much hate radiating from his gaze. When she shivers, I know she sees it too.

“The friend who supposedly had a stalker. More likely it was someone wanting to get even with her for being with Tiernan. You’d think you’d have learned a lesson from her mistake and walked away from this filth. But no, you’re out here in public, making out with him.” He swings his arms wide, indicating the surrounding homes.

I’m done with this.

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