Page 12 of The Irish Rogue

Everyone turned, looking out the window. “Who is that?” someone asked. “I can only make out that it’s a man.”

Ellen leaned forward, squinting into the night. “Is that the guy you were talking to at the coffee shop this morning?”

“Ooh! I heard about the good looking stranger that came into town this weekend!” Everyone was now peering towards the fire but…he was gone!

Even the fire had gone out. Must be a gas fire pit, Kennedi decided, cringing at the way the other women were staring avidly.

Everyone shrugged, unable to see anything now that the fire had gone out.

“He probably cheats on his wife and has ten kids,” Clara groaned. “Good looking men always end up being cheaters or losers.”

Ellen patted Clara’s shoulder comfortingly. “Matthew was a jerk, but not all men are bad,” she assured her. “It was an awful breakup, and he ended things badly, but you’ll meet someone new.”

Kennedi listened with only half an ear as the rest of the group started developing a plan to torture Matthew, Clara’s ex-boyfriend of four years. No one was paying attention to the man next door now that the fire was out. But Kennedi knew that he was still there, still watching her, and it thrilled her!

Was the alcohol in the cocktail giving her false courage? Because right now, she wanted more than anything to walk through the dark woods and find the man. This morning in the coffee shop and then showing him around the old homes had proven that he was an intelligent, interesting person.

With a huff, she took another sip of her cocktail, but she was only on her first of the night. Everyone else was on their third drink, if not their fourth. Which was pretty normal for this group, she thought, setting her drink onto the countertop.

A half hour later, the game had been completely abandoned and her friends were dancing wildly, laughing and having a wonderful time. But Kennedi wasn’t feeling it.

She was feeling him! His gaze! She could literally feel his eyes on her and it thrilled her to distraction.

Stepping out onto the porch, she looked over at the next house. There was a light on in one of the upstairs bedrooms and a light shining out through the kitchen windows. But somehow, Kennedi knew that the man wasn’t in either the bedroom or the kitchen. The night air was still thrumming with expectation and she felt her muscles tense.

Should she go over there? There was more than enough moonlight to guide her through the trees. Glancing over her shoulder, she was pretty sure that none of her friends would even notice if she left.

Then her eyes returned to the house next door. Was he still sitting on the deck? Or had he gone inside? She knew that the mosquitoes and other no-see-ums were out in full force. She was one of those lucky souls that wasn’t allergic to mosquito saliva, so being outside during the summer months was relaxing.

She could feel the intensity of his personality even from this distance. She could feel it and reacted to it.

And she wanted him!

Again, she glanced over her shoulder to check on her friends. Two were already dozing on the sectional sofa while the rest were still dancing in the kitchen.

Turning away from the inebriated scene, she gazed out through the darkness. He was there. She could feel him.

With a small sigh, Kennedi gave up debating and carefully made her way through the trees towards him.

As soon as she started down the stairs, Sean stood up and moved towards her. He hadn’t meant to be stalkerish by watching the ladies while they had a good time, but he couldn’t seem to stop. And she kept looking his way, causing his body to tighten with unexpected awareness.

This went deeper than simple desire, he realized, setting his beer down on the banister. This was a bone deep awareness, a lust for one particular woman. It was different and more intense than anything he’d ever experienced.

When he reached her, he took her hand, helping her step over a fallen log.

“It is you!” she whispered.

Sean’s desire snapped, shifting into sudden horror. “Are you telling me that you walked through the woods, at night, going to someone that you weren’t even sure you knew?!”

Kennedi smiled up at him and his stomach muscles tightened. Other muscles tightened as well!

“I knew it was you,” she assured him, her voice still low, as if the night somehow made the moment more intimate.

Sean didn’t know what to say. So instead, he lowered his head and kissed her. This wasn’t a simple peck. He’d done that this afternoon and his body had been berating him for not taking full advantage of the opportunity.

He planned to this time. Standing here in the woods wasn’t ideal, but Sean couldn’t stop kissing her in order to move into the house. When she moaned softly, he nearly lost his control.

“Come inside,” he whispered. As he pulled away, he smelled the alcohol on her breath and groaned. “You’ve been drinking, haven’t you?”

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