Page 23 of Back in the Saddle

“Are you Australian?”

She nodded as she took me in and then stared into my eyes. “Do you work here?”

The tone of her voice implied she knew I didn’t. Shit. She figured that out quick.

“No.” I held her hand, still, not daring to let her go.

“You just help strangers out of kayaks?”

“Only beautiful ones.”

She laughed. “And then what do you do?”

“This.” I grinned and leant forward to whisper in her ear. She didn’t move away. Warmth radiated between us. “Will you spend the day with me? I’ll show you a good time.” I rocked back on my heels. My heart was pounding in my chest. Her eyes narrowed. Maybe I should have taken it slower. I didn’t normally have to put in the work like this.

She leant forward and whispered in my ear. “You’ll need to talk slower, Irish Boy.”

I squared my shoulders. OK. Good. I had a chance to fix this. My strong accent had saved me. “Would you like to spend the day with me?”

She smirked. “And you’ll show me a good time?”

“Aye.” I laughed. “You were playing me?”

“Playing the player? Never.” She cocked her head. “How often does preying on innocent tourists work for you?”

“You’re my first.”

She rolled her brown eyes. “I doubt that.”

Callum laughed.“You still call Dad, Irish Boy.”

She hadn’t for a while. Not since the magic had gone out of our relationship. I loved the way she’d said it, like it encompassed everything we were. I longed to hear it again.

“Shush, let Dad finish the story.”

I nodded and continued the tale.

The tour guide approached.She gave me a once over before saying, “Thank you for joining us, Taylor.”

Taylor. Nice name, bold. I saved it to memory.

She let go of my hand to take the bag the guide was handing to her. “Thank you. No more water activities for me.” She glanced at me. “My boyfriend is scared of the water.” She grimaced and then lowered her voice as if sharing a dark secret. “Shark bite…right between his legs. Nasty.”

The guide’s eyes widened while my cheeks went red hot. The guide glanced at my crotch. I closed my stance. Without saying a word, I grabbed Taylor’s hand and guided her to the stairs. She threw a wave over her shoulder.

“Shark bite in Dublin?” I asked.

“I’d be more worried about your ability to show me a good time.”

She giggled. Her full lips were purple from the cold. She was probably freezing.

I stopped at the top of the stairs, still holding her hand, and turned to face her. Her cheeks were rosy, highlighting her warm brown eyes as she studied me. My eyes drifted to her plump lips. My tongue darted out, licking mine.

“Let me warm you up.” I yanked her towards me and covered her lips with mine. She wrapped her arms around my neck as her lips opened. At the first stroke of her tongue, I was a goner. Heat pulsated through me. I held her close, cursing the puffer jacket she was wearing.

What the fuck was wrong with me? Kissing was just kissing.

She pulled away. One side of her lips lifted in a smile. “Thanks. I’m sufficiently warm now.”

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