Page 56 of The Secret We Keep
I laugh under my breath. “No, she did that all on her own. She didn’t need anything from me.”
Paddy watches me closely, his lip twitching.
“What?” I ask, just as the horn sounds again. Jesus, what is up with all the honking?
“Nothing.” He exhales sharply. “Well, actually, I was going to say that it wouldn’t just be Evie who wants you there for dinner.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, Mum was pretty adamant I come out here and ask you,” he teases, and I know that he is because he’s grinning now.
“She did not.”
He shrugs. “Was worth a shot.”
I glance over my shoulder in Jerry’s direction before I turn my attention back to Paddy. “Maybe some other time? I’ll come and see Evie soon. I need to see her new belt and trophy.”
Paddy straightens. “Okay.”
I make it two steps before his hand grabs my wrist, and he spins me to face him. His fingers dust my jaw, and he pauses like he’s waiting for permission before he lowers his mouth to mine.
The second our lips finally meet, pulses of heat ripple through my body. A lifetime of wishes come true all at once. Threading his hands through my curls, excitement and lust race against each other, making my body tingle in ways I’ve never felt before.
My breasts suddenly ache to feel him pressed against me. I want his hands on my body in places I haven’t touched for so long.
Paddy’s lips part. I taste the Starburst sweets we shared when his tongue slips into my mouth.
I tangle mine with his, my eyes closing as I drown in him, not sure that I’m ready for the storm we’re about to unleash.
When a low, gravelly moan rumbles in the back of his throat, I’m hit with a sense of satisfaction. My hands reach up and pull him closer as his grip in my hair tightens.
“Paddy,” I whisper on a lost breath, completely and utterly drowning in the man I’ve wanted my entire life.
He pulls back, his thumbs stroking my cheeks.
My brain momentarily short circuits, but I manage to say, “I thought you weren’t going to do anything stupid tonight?”
He pulls me closer to him, and I melt into his touch while Paddy’s eyes close and an anguished moan escapes him. “Nothing about kissing you is stupid, curly fries.”
My teeth sink into my bottom lip before we’re kissing once again. My greedy hands roam from his hair to the sides of his face, where the stubble on his cheeks scratches against the tips of my fingers. It does nothing to lessen my growing need for him. If anything, the feel of him, coupled with the way that he keeps tugging me closer to him, ignites my need and want. He’s becoming like a drug.
“Get your fucking hands off my sister.”
The sound of Jerry’s voice makes me break away from Paddy in horror.
Not even startled, Paddy straightens his spine. “Or what?” he goads Jerry, wiping his bottom lip with his thumb.
Jerry’s fist smashes into Paddy’s nose before either of us can react.
Paddy snickers over the stumbling steps of his feet. He doesn’t seem at all phased by Jerry’s reaction or his punch. If anything, I swear I see him holding back laughter when Jerry raises his fist to hit him again.
My hands land flat on Jerry’s chest to push him away. “Stop,” I cry out, just as he steps forwards.
Jerry swipes them away like he can’t stand to be touched by me. It hurts, leaving me feeling rejected, but I can’t have him hitting Paddy.
“Get in the car, Morgan,” Jerry says through gritted teeth.
His instruction lands on deaf ears. “Not until I know you won’t hurt him.”
