Page 29 of Dublin Brute

“She was.”

“Does her death mean the end of your big plans?”

“I hope not. Kate and I—Kate is the third in our little trio of dysfunction. Well, in Tanya’s honor, we went for our interviews at Legend and are still planning to move forward. If we get the jobs. We expected a call by now and have heard nothing.”

He eases back and his brow pinches. “You want to work at a nightclub?”

“I want to earn big money fast and Kate says the tips at Legend are, well, legendary.” I laugh at my own joke, and he chuckles along with me.

I glance down into my drink, swirling the whipped cream with my finger as my mind whirls. “It was a shock to lose Tanya, but Kate and I are determined not to let her dreams die with her. We’re going ahead the way she’d want us to.”

A smile tugs at the corner of his full lips. “That’s both brave and admirable.”

I shrug, but his admiration means a lot. He doesn’t seem to have any intention of going back to his seat across the table, so I reach across and pull his stew and baguette in front of him. “Eat. You were hungry, and it’s getting cold.”

He hesitates for a moment, but when I point to his spoon, he gives in and starts eating again. Good. It’s easier to think when his attention isn’t solely focused on me.

Brendan

Fuck. Me. This woman is so fucking sweet—but not the angel I first imagined. There’s something wild in her…something curious edging forward, just below the surface, waiting to break free. I want to be the man to corrupt her—to show her the dark world of danger and desire.

The Charger’s engine rumbles low as I pull to the curb before getting to Nora’s place. She’s mentioned more than once that her father is strict and controlling and the last thing I want to do is make things difficult for her by having her father bombard her with a lot of questions. But I also don’t want to rush and have to say goodbye and drive off to keep things quick and simple.

I have a feeling nothing about Nora will be quick and simple. All night, I’ve been imagining how perfectly she’d fit into my life. What she’d add. What I could add to hers. I don’t know how I’m so sure she needs to be there, but I am.

I barely know her, but everything in me wants to claim her as my own—I want to touch and taste and possess every part of her.

The streetlights cast soft shadows through the windshield, creating an intimate cocoon inside the car. I kill the engine but leave the key engaged, so the radio plays quietly in the background.

“Thank you for agreeing to come for coffee.”

“Thank you for waiting around to check up on me.”

“My pleasure. I even brought my car in case your father came home. I didn’t want you to get read the riot act because a biker hoodlum wanted to take you out.”

“I appreciate that, more than you know.”

I turn in my seat to face her better, drinking in how the dim light plays across her pale features. Collecting her hand from where it sits on her lap, I take it in both hands and run my thumb gently against her palm. “It was grand spending time with you.”

She drops her gaze, and I know if the lighting were better, I’d see the blush coloring her cheeks. “You’re not at all what I expected.”

“No? Did you think me a mindless thug who would woo you with grunts and flexes of my manly muscles?”

Her laughter bubbles free and I take it as a victory. I’m drawing her out of her shell and she’s relaxing. “Nothing quite so caveman, though the flexing wouldn’t have been terrible.”

“I can arrange that for you next time, if you like.” I wink.

“Next time?”

“Aye. The past two hours prove we’ve got chemistry. I’d like to get to know you better and see where that takes us.”

She bites her lower lip, drawing my attention to her mouth. Man, what I wouldn’t give to have those sinful lips wrapped around my shaft. I bet she’d take me balls deep and have me wound up and streaming cum down her throat in record time.

Sure, she’s cautious, but beneath the veil of control and well-behaved, there’s a firecracker about to ignite.

I reach over and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, letting my fingers trail along her jaw. Her breath catches and the air between us charges with electricity. “You’d like that too, wouldn’t you, angel?”

“Yes. I would.”

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