Page 89 of Beside Golden Irish Fields
Had she ever been this happy before having sex with anyone?
Angie hummed to Rihanna as she drove Carrick back to her cottage, their hands tangling on the gear shift. In times past, there had been an urgent rush to intimacy, sometimes leading to regret afterward, once her mind snapped back into action. Other times, her heart had led her after a few dates, thinking the guy was special, only for her to discover he didn’t have any plans to see her again. With her exes, she’d been nervous, wanting to please them after the first weeks of lust-driven madness. But the happiness she felt now was new and invigorating.
“You’re smiling, and you have a nice voice,” Carrick said, lifting her hand from the gear shift and kissing the palm.
“I was just thinking how happy I am—before sex.” She shot him a grin. “It’s heady stuff.”
“It is,” he said, letting go of her hand when she needed to downshift as they reached the cottage. “I think we’re likely to manage being happy afterward too. Angie—”
She pulled to a stop and turned the car off, facing him. “What?”
“I haven’t been happy in a long time. Before we do this, I want to thank you for that.”
“We both have a lot to be thankful for.” She cast a glance over her shoulder. “Hurry, let’s rush inside before anyone sees you. I’m mostly kidding.”
He laughed, exiting the vehicle and striding to the door quickly, and she hurried behind him. She opened the door, and he made a humming sound. “You don’t lock your door. You’re becoming more Irish by the day.”
“Liam said it wasn’t needed, and I liked the idea—although Brady opened the door the other day with a package and set it inside without knocking. Totally shocked me.”
“That’s how the post gets delivered here in the country,” Carrick said, closing said door and shrugging out of his jacket. “But we aren’t here to talk about the post.”
“No, we aren’t, but do you have a package for me?” She cocked a hip and then laughed at herself as he rolled his eyes. “Bad joke. How do you feel about candles?”
“I’m good with them,” he said, looking around the small parlor, “but they’re a pain to blow out after a long night of sex.”
“Rookie! Who needs to blow them out? They go out on their own.”
He crossed and wrapped his arms around her. “Who’s the rookie? You keep lights on all night, and everyone in the village the next day will tease you about your nighttime goings-on.”
She leaned back, the lightness in her body making her want to do cartwheels. “Seriously?”
He waggled his brows. “Seriously.”
Her mind started to turn. Megan’s voice started.Everyone will know you had sex—
She stopped the thoughts in their tracks. “I’m going to get the candles.”
Pulling her back to him, he cupped her cheek. “Having second thoughts after the candle comment?”
“No.” She shook her head emphatically. “Do you ever hear other people’s thoughts in your head?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Of course. My mum’s especially. I also hear dead people. See them too. You should probably know Sorcha appeared to me the day you arrived and told me this was going to happen.”
“Wait a minute. Kade told me Sorcha was helping you and me get together, which blew my mind, but she’s been involved sincethe first day?”
“Kade told you about Sorcha?” His face was slack with shock.
“Yes, I asked him about the orange scent in the air. Well, this is… How do you explain it?”
“Maybe it’s an Irish thing.” He lifted his shoulder. “She wanted me to move on and—be happy. You were the key. Once I got over my own hurt and stubbornness.”
“You weren’t that stubborn.”
“The takeaway is that she approves of you.” His smile was soft as he gazed at her. “Not that I needed her to. But I thought you should know. Leave it to Kade to make sure the path was laid. Since directness is our signature, I haven’t seen her since I sheared the sheep and let her words go. I also wanted you to know that.”
Leaning her head against his chest, she wrapped her arms around him. “It almost makes you believe anything is possible. It’s really sweet, her pushing us together. Oh, that’s how your sheep got out that first day. I just got it!”
She started laughing, and he joined in. “She blew the gate wide open. Still don’t know how, but her dress billows even when there’s no wind. Are you sure you don’t think I’m mad?”
