The Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy

time he framed her face in his hands, combed his fingers through her hair until they fisted in it. Then hesitated, waited, suffered, with his mouth a whisper from hers until her breath, and his, quickened.
    “We’ll drive each other crazy.”
    The sound she made was more gasp than laugh. “I’ve come to the same conclusion. Let’s start right now.” She closed the distance by catching his bottom lip between her teeth, tugging lightly, then not so lightly before soothing the nip with her tongue.
    “Good start,” he managed and crushed his mouth to hers.
    Her head went spinning, quick, dancing circles that left her giddy and dizzy and delighted. Every sensation was a burst through her system—the taste, the hard lines of him, the damp stone at her back, the shimmer of rain on her skin.
    She wanted to push him to urgency, to make him weak, to hear him beg—before she did. She threw herself into the kiss, into the moment, and as a result gave him more than she’d intended.
    Again, it was he who drew back. It was either that or drag her off to the car and tumble her in the backseat with all the finesse and control of a kid on prom night. She’d taken him right to the edge with a kiss on a wet sidewalk outside of a crowded pub.
    “We’re going to need more privacy,” he decided.
    “Eventually.” She needed to get her legs back under her. “But at the moment we’ve stirred each other up enough. I don’t think we’ll get much sleep tonight, but I don’t mind that.” Steadier, she brushed a hand through her hair, scattering fine drops of rain. “You know, the last time I kissed a Yank, I slept like a baby after.”
    “That would be a compliment.”
    “Oh, indeed it would. I’ll enjoy thinking about kissing you again at the next opportunity, but for now I have to go back inside, and you should go home.”
    She turned to go, stopping when he took her arm. She wasn’t quite steady enough to resist if he recognized his advantage and pressed it. So she sent him a bright and sassy look over her shoulder. “Behave yourself, Trevor.If I’m any longer out here, Aidan will lecture me and spoil my nice mood.”
    “I want your next evening off.”
    “And I’ve a mind to give it to you.” She gave his hand a friendly pat, then slipped quickly inside again.

It was a surprise and an annoyance to find himself shaken. He had to sit in the car, listening to the rain,waiting for his blood to cool and his hands to steady. He knew what it was to want a woman, even to crave the feel of one under his hands, under his body. Just as he knew, and accepted, that the need brought with it certain vulnerabilities and risks.
    But whatever it was he wanted, needed, craved from Darcy Gallagher was on a different level than anything that had come before.
    She was different, he admitted, frowning at the pub for a moment before starting his car. Sexy, selfish, seductive. There were other women he knew with those attributes, but they were rarely so unapologetic and honest about it.
    She was toying with him, and doing nothing to hide the fact. And by God, he had to admire her for it. Just as he had to admire her for being perfectly aware that he was playing the same game.
    It was going to be fascinating to see who won, and how many rounds it took.
    Relaxing since he was confident he’d handle her, he bumped along the track toward home and found himself smiling. Christ, he liked her. He couldn’t remember another woman who’d heated his blood, engaged his mind, and sparked his humor in quite the way she managed to do all three. Often at the same time.
    If there’d been no physical spark between them, he would still have enjoyed being with her, picking his way through that marvelous and straightforward brain of hers. As it was, he thought he was about to explore the best of all possible worlds, romantically speaking. And what a relief it was to head toward intimacy knowing that both parties looked for nothing more than mutual gratification and interesting companionship.
    The business end of their relationship was relatively uncomplicated. The pub belonged to her, as much as to her brothers, but it was Aidan Trevor had dealt with, and would continue to deal with in that area.
    There was that voice of hers, which was a separate and intriguing matter. He had a couple of ideas he wanted to let simmer before he discussed them with her. In that area he was confident that she’d be guided by his experience. And lured by what he