Page 29 of Pints & Potions

He sobered, and she instantly regretted her snarky comeback.

“I’m sorry, Cian. You didn’t deserve that.” She rested a hand atop his. “Your reasons are your own, and I’ve no right to be dickish about them.”

With a twist of his wrist, he turned his palm face up and wove their fingers together. “I’ve seen too much, love. I’d not want to break your heart. You’re right, I am emotionally stunted and you deserve a man to be whole.” His voice was gruff and his eyes regretful.

What he didn’t know was that he wasalreadybreaking her heart. Was she being stubborn by not grasping the bull by the horns? By not spending a few nights basking in the warmth of his beautiful light?

Piper blinked. Then blinked long and slow a second time.

Cian’s light!

It burned brighter than it had when she arrived. It had to mean his powers were trying to manifest, right?

“Cian, have you evertriedusing magic?”

“How did you make the jump from finding the right man to my lack of abilities, darlin’?”

She laughed in the face of his confusion. “Sorry. My brain jumps track now and again. I…” She shrugged, unsure how to explain. “It’s just that since I’ve met you, it seems your magical glow is getting brighter. I wondered if maybe it meant something or if your connection to magic isn’t as lacking as you believe.”

“Brighter?”

He seemed confused, and she wondered if he’d ever noticed witches had a brighter aura than mortals.

“The aura of a magical being can be blinding, depending on the strength of their power. When I met you, your light immediately attracted me, though it appeared muted.” Positive she was making a muddle of it, she crinkled her nose and said, “I’m terrible at explaining these things.”

“You’re doing grand, love,” he said, absently toying with her fingers. “But you believe my ‘light’ is growing stronger?”

“Yes.”

“Will you stick around another day? To discuss magic?”

Because he seemed sincere and his request wasn’t heavy with innuendo, she agreed.

“I’ve got a pub to entertain.” He rose to his feet and gave her hand a light squeeze. “Don’t give these arseholes the time of day or they’ll be falling on you like a starving man on a haunch o’ beef. If anyone gets to fall on you, it’s me.”

She laughed and shook her head. The man was an inveterate flirt. “Does Ruairí need a hand behind the bar while you’re on stage? I don’t know anything about pouring a proper Guinness, but I can serve what’s on tap, bottled beers, and mixed drinks.”

His brows shot up in his surprise.

With a grin, she confessed, “I bartended through college.”

“Stop it right now, Piper! You’re dangerously close to making me go back on my no-involvement rule.”

They shared a grin, and he finally nodded. “I can’t see as how Bridget would object to your help any more than she objected to her old nemesis, Ruairí, and we could use a hand by the looks of it.”

“Anything I should know about tabs or accepting cash?”

“We only run a tab for the night. Everyone pays before they leave.” He placed a hand on her lower back and guided her around the end of the bar. “Ruairí can tell you who goes to what bill, and I can spare a few minutes to show you how to pour a proper pint of gat.”

11

Later, when Piper dropped into bed, it was with a smile on her face. Throughout the rest of the night, she’d helped out at the hopping pub. Who knew this tiny village was such a hotbed of fun? Tonight seemed to have an over-abundance of women, and she suspected word got around that the two hottest men in town were manning the bar, with one of them stopping to play lively tunes on occasion.

More than once Piper glanced up to find Cian’s admiring gaze focused on her, and she tamped down the urge to preen. With each steamy look he sent her way, she found it difficult to remember her stand on brief flings. It seemed as if every love song he sang was meant for her ears alone, and she tried to remember the man was a practiced seducer of women.

A light tapping brought her head up. She couldn’t tell if it was her door or another, and she paused to listen. Again, the tapping sounded, a little louder than the first time. Yep, her door. Curious if her hunch about her visitor was correct, she padded over and turned the knob.

Cian looked fatigued, but still as breathtakingly attractive as always.

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