She nods, her eyes shuttered. Her cheeks are stained a pale pink and her long blonde hair falls disarmingly over one shoulder, half covering her face from me.

‘Yes.’ There’s strength in the response. Defiance.

‘Why?’

Her lips twist in a half-smile. ‘Does it matter?’

My pulse is hammering me from the inside out. ‘Yes.’

She blinks, even that simple gesture distracting. ‘Why?’

Great question. Why do I care? I turn away from her a little, staring out at Dublin as it passes in a brightly lit blur.

There’s uneasiness inside me. Something I can’t put my finger on. A hesitation I don’t understand, and I tell myself it’s because none of this makes sense. I’m someone who likes to comprehend people, what makes them tick, why they act the way they do. My job and life are predicated on my abilities there. But with this woman, I can’t make sense of it.

She’s surprised me. I’m not often surprised. ‘How old are you?’

‘Twenty-three.’ More defiance.

I barely register it though. I turn back to face her and my scepticism must show, because she regards me with a look of defensiveness.

‘A twenty-three-year-old virgin.’ I drawl the wor

ds, while my mind rushes furiously, trying to comprehend this.

‘So?’ She moves a little closer, her eyes sparking to mine, a hint of her vanilla fragrance catching my nostrils. ‘What does that matter?’

‘I’m not interested in being your first.’ That’s obviously not completely true. My dick is hard, my body’s surging with adrenaline and desire.

‘Liar.’ She calls me on it with a soft laugh and, to my surprise, unbuckles her seat belt and slides across the leather seat, right to my side. ‘I’ve seen the way you look at me.’

I fix her with a level stare; my cock throbs. ‘And how’s that?’

‘Like you’re undressing me with your eyes.’

She’s right. That’s exactly how I’ve been looking at her since she first started working at the bar. ‘Is that right?’

She nods slowly, her eyes not leaving my face. ‘I think you want to fuck me.’

She’s brazen, I’ll give her that. ‘Yeah.’ It’s a gruff admission. But then... Jesus. A virgin. ‘I don’t do relationships.’

Her brows arch and then she laughs. ‘Good. I don’t want that.’

Relief washes over me, followed quickly by uncertainty. ‘Why not?’

‘For one—’ she presses a hand to my chest, her gaze following its path ‘—I’m only in Ireland another few weeks. Second, I don’t “do” relationships either. At least, not now. I’m not looking for any kind of emotional complication.’

‘You say that now...’

She laughs then, a sound so sweet it’s unbelievably sexy. I wonder if she knows how she’s driving me crazy. ‘You think you’re so good in bed I’m going to forget my travel plans and beg to stay here with you?’

I realise how arrogant that sounds and my own husky laugh fills the limo. ‘You never know.’

She sobers, her eyes narrowing. ‘I do know.’ Steel crosses her expression. ‘I will be leaving Dublin in less than three weeks.’ The words are vice-like. ‘Nothing and no one will change that.’ Her fingers creep higher, to the button of my shirt. She flicks it, her tongue darting to the corner of her lips as she concentrates on pushing it through the shirt hole.

‘But, before I go, I want to do this.’ Her fingers creep inside my open shirt and my gut clenches. Desire pounds through me, thick and fast. ‘With you.’

Her gaze has dropped to my mouth. Her lips separate. My body rushes with need.