Page 12 of Once upon a Summer Night

“And an unworthy caretaker convinced her to stay until her delicate petals recovered. She decided to grace him withher beauty, and after a few hours of conversation, she unfurled a bit of herself, and the caretaker was allowed a glimpse at that color. It was unlike anything he ever saw.”

“What color did he see?” she whispered, her body swaying closer.

“The deep red of a single, perfect Rose.” He stepped closer to her, enveloping her in his heat. “I’m going to kiss you. Let me kiss you, or tell me no,” he said softly. He took another step closer to her and placed his hand on her waist. The electricity nearly knocked him flat, and heknewif he didn’t kiss her, he wouldn’t be able to rest until he found her again and touched his lips to hers. Slowly, gently, he drew her closer to him until their bodies were flush.

“Tell me no, Rose.”

She dragged in a ragged breath, her eyes not leaving his. He lowered his head, giving her more time to say no, praying she didn’t say no, but hoping that she did, for he was certain that the moment he touched his lips to hers, he would be lost forever.

“Tell me no,” he breathed, his forehead against hers.

She closed her eyes and reached for him…and finally,finally, he pressed his lips to hers.

Fireworks exploded behind his eyelids. Colin deepened the kiss, and she allowed it, wrapping her hands around his neck. She fit perfectly against him, as though she had been created just for him, and he for her. He brushed her tongue with his, tasting every bit of her mouth, committing it to memory. Her smell invaded his senses, and he felt light-headed from the beauty of it, the power of it.

Suddenly, she broke the kiss, and Colin dimly realized the taxi was out front, honking its horn in aggravation.

“Don’t leave.” Hoarse, his words held a plea, but he couldn’t stop them. He needed more of this woman, more of her time, of her essence. His dark eyes searched her lighter ones, beseeching, but he saw panic descend.

She quickly stepped back, almost tripping. “I must. Thank you for…” She trailed off, then licked her lips and met his eyes. A shy, genuine smile danced across her mouth. “It was lovely to meet you, Colin.”

“You said that already,” he whispered, but she was already halfway around the house. As the taxi drove away, Colin stared up into the night sky and swore.

“Damn it.”Colin stared moodily into the tumbler, watching the amber whiskey as it swirled in the glass.

“If you wanted a Guinness, you could’ve just walked to the pub,” Reilly called out from the kitchen, irritation in his voice. “Those were my last two! The courteous thing would’ve been to send a text to let me know, so I could’ve stopped off and grabbed more.” Reilly sauntered into the living room and stopped cold. “Well. You’ve moved onto my Jameson, it seems. What the hell happened to you?”

Colin shook his head in defeat. “I don’t even know. She wandered into the garden tonight, and she stayed to have a drink. That turned into two drinks, and then a third, although the last two were waters.”

“I still can’t believe that you’re in Ireland for what? Five minutes? and ashewanders into my garden.” Reilly threw himself onto the couch next to Colin. “How do I always miss the female travelers?”

Colin rubbed his chin. “You know she’s from my time, Ry. She was just out for a walk and happened upon your garden.”

“Not the brightest move, to be wandering around an Irish forest.”

“No, no. She’s smart. Really smart. I got the impression that she reads a lot. Maybe the classics. She was kind ofclumsy, but not in a bad way. Could laugh at herself, you know?”

“Ah,” Ry said, his eyes twinkling. “A smart, well-read, rather clumsy woman, out for a bit of exercise in Ireland. Poor thing couldn’t have been a looker. Tell me that I didn’t miss the company of a smart, clumsy,andbeautiful woman? Because that would go to show how unfair life truly is…”

Colin groaned. “I think a better word is stunning.”

Reilly’s eyes narrowed. Colin continued to swirl his liquor, his eyes following the liquid around the base of the glass. “Stunning,” Ry echoed.

“Yeah. And the longer we talked, the more stunning she became. Dark brown hair, with these lighter streaks in it that only showed up when the sun hit it as it set. And her eyes…they were like honey. Unlike any eyes I’ve ever seen.” He dropped his head into his hands and groaned.

Reilly struggled to contain his grin. “By the saints, Colin, you seem to wax poetic about this lass. Who said romance is dead?”

“Chivalry,” Colin corrected him, finally meeting his cousin’s eyes. “Chivalry is dead.”

“Only if you sent her on her way without a proper kiss. What’s her name?”

Colin barked out a laugh. “She claims her name is Rose.”

Reilly flinched. “Claims? So the lass didn’t tell you, a stranger, her real name? I like her more and more. No ideas as to her real name, then?”

Colin miserably shook his head.

“When will you see your mysterious Rose next?”

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