Page 60 of Pints & Potions

A thrill electrified her nerve endings and she shivered. Now that the moment was at hand for them to make love, Piper experienced misgivings. Oh, not because she didn’t want him—she absolutely did!—but because his hunger was raw, bold, and it caused her stomach to summersault. She’d never felt a desire so fierce, and it frightened her.

“Cian—”

He didn’t give her time to think. He captured her mouth. Any objections she had melted under the heat of his touch. She moaned and pressed closer as she wrapped her arms around his neck and tangled her fingers into his thick mane of hair.

His kiss made her burn, but not as much as his touch when his hands skimmed her naked skin under her sweater and cupped her breasts through her lace bra. Or as much as the length of the erection pressed against her belly. She dropped her head back with a breathy sigh, and he rained little bites along the column of her exposed throat. Piper moaned his name when he tasted the V between her neck and shoulder.

An arctic blast of cold hit them, and she sucked in a breath so sharply, she coughed.

“What the hell?” he cried out, releasing her to face the direction of the attack.

Piper’s father lounged in the doorway, blatantly unapologetic.

“It was getting hot in here,” he remarked as he straightened. “I thought you wouldn’t want a witness to your…activities.”

Piper wished for another shock of cold air as her face flamed.

Cian surprised her when he laughed. “I’m grateful for the interruption. I’d hate to be found bare assed and immersed inactivityhere in the public room. It might embarrass my darling Piper, to be sure.”

If her face could get any redder, Piper was positive it did, although she must be as scarlet as a tomato. “I hate you both so much right now,” she muttered and shoved Cian’s back.

He laughed again as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him for a quick kiss. His sparkling eyes gleamed in the low light as he said, “No, you don’t. Not even a little bit. You adore me as much as I adore you.”

She stared; not quite certain she’d heard him properly.

“We’ll have a conversation to that end soon enough, Piper me love. But in the meantime, we need to get back to the subject of Meghan and protecting my brother’s family.” Cian’s hot gaze dropped to Piper’s mouth and he exhaled a frustrated sigh. “You have the power to make me forget my own name, darlin’.”

She didn’t confess he’d done the same to her.

And he thought he held no magic!

Pfft! The dampness and ache between her thighs begged to differ.

“Right,” she replied, albeit a little breathlessly. “We need to guard against that wench.”

“What wench?” Hoyt asked as he strode farther into the room. “What did I miss tonight?”

“Carrick’s sister-in-law isn’t a very nice person, Dad. Cian believes she’s out to cause trouble, and I wonder if she isn’t the one who has kept us distracted with the cave in and other things so she could work her wiles on Cian’s brother.”

Cian wore a dumbfounded expression. “How did I not think she might be the one behind our troubles?”

“Perspective. You might be too close to the situation.” Piper shrugged. “You’ve known your townspeople forever. I figured it might not occur to you to believe they could be at the root of the bad luck we’ve been having lately.”

“She might’ve hired Baran.”

“Baran?”

“The Russian who tried to crush my spine on the cliffs,” Cian explained absently.

Piper could see his mind was racing a mile a minute as he tried to make all the pieces of the puzzle fit.

“Well, someone did,” Hoyt agreed. “It’s doubtful your past would come knocking when you’ve been out of the field as long as you have.”

Cian’s brows shot up and a wry smile curled his lip. “You’ve been talking to Ryker.”

“There’ve been attacks on my daughter’s life. Did you really believe I would sit back and do nothing?”

“No. You’re a right fine father, and I’d expect you’ll not rest until you find the source,” Cian said, his tone heavy with respect and admiration.

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