Makena

Oh. My God.

I’d been expecting Nora when I answered the door. I was not expecting the hulking, six-foot-two Irish god that’s currently staring down at me with amused hunger.

Is it possible the man got even better looking in the past few days since I’d last seen him?

My head is spinning, and as much as my body reacts to him, in no reality—none, zero, zilch—does him showing up here make any sense.

“W-what are you doing here?”

He gives me a crooked grin that deepens the dimple in his right cheek. “I’m ye’re date for tonight.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “How did you know where I was?”

“I didn’t.” He takes a step toward me, and instinctively I start to shut the door. One large hand reaches out, and he places his palm out to stop me, humor twinkling in his gaze.

“You just randomly showed up at my door?”

“Not randomly.” He chuckles, and says in the low brogue, “I’ll admit, it’s a bit of a coincidence.”

I try not to be affected by his voice, but the richness of it, the way each syllable sounds like sex, goes straight to my core, where a tight ball of desire is already forming.

Damn the man.

“A coincidence?” I grip my towel against my chest, aware of how exposed I am. And also remembering the stupid promise I’d made to myself last night if he ever called me back. But he hadn’t called me back. He’d shown up on my doorstep, with a disarming grin that tells me he isn’t about to walk away this time with only his number.

“Colleen asked me to come over,” he adds, like it explains everything.

“Colleen?” My frown deepens. How does she know this man?

“Well, I think it was Nora’s idea.” He leans in, his sage eyes studying me as his lips twist up. “Or, maybe it was yers?”

“How could it be mine, when I don’t even know why you’re here?”

“I told ye. I’m here to take ye on a date.”

“A date?” I squint up at him, trying to figure out what his game is, and feeling like I’m on one of those reality TV shows where the camera crew will jump out at any second and announce I’ve been Punk’d.

“Unless ye just want to skip the whole wining and dining and get straight to the reason ye invited me here.”

“I. Did. Not. Invite. You.” I enunciate each word like he’s too slow to understand a complete sentence.

“So ye didn’t ask Nora to set ye up with me?” Sage eyes feast on me, as one dark brow cocks up, like he’s amused.

“Of course not. I didn’t know you even knew her. How could I?” I stop when I realize why he’s here. “Wait. You thought I was someone else. That’s why you came.”

He shrugs. “Colleen asked me for a favor. Said ye were holed up in this place. That ye needed a bit of fun.” He gives me one of his seductive, cocky grins. “I couldn’t agree more.”

I know the kind of fun he’s talking about, and my body and brain war with each other over which bad decision I’m going to make; inviting him in, or sending him on his way.

If I invite him in, I have no doubt where it’ll lead – straight to the bedroom. I suppress the moan that bubbles up in my chest at the thought.

God, he’s sexy. And the way he’s looking at me has my body tingling with a mix of excitement and nerves.

My head wins.

“Colleen was wrong. I’m not looking for…fun.”

He chuckles again, giving me a cocky smirk like he knows every dirty thought that runs through my head. “Ye sounded interested last night.”

My cheeks warm as I remember the pathetic message I left. “I was…”

Shit.

“Ye were what?” He leans in closer.

“I didn’t know you’d actually show up.”

“Ah, so ye were looking for some kinky phone sex.”

“No.” I cover my face with my hands and blow out a breath that’s mixed with embarrassment and frustration. “Oh my God, you’re insufferable.”

He peels my hands away, rubbing his callused thumbs across the inside of my wrists. “How about trying to suffer one night with me?”

His gaze searches mine. Hot. Intense. And yet playful, all at the same time.

I chew on the inside of my lip.

It’s like the universe hand-wrapped and delivered every dark, irresistible temptation right to my doorstep.

I know what Quinn would say. She’d tell me to go for it. But this man, despite his easy-going nature, has danger written all over him. I know I’m going to regret it the second the words are out of my mouth. “Okay.”

“Okay?” One brow arches and his gaze searches mine.

“I’ll go on a…date with you.” Which is another thing I have no experience with.

His grin broadens and his gaze trails down my body. “Ye might want to put some clothes on. I mean, I wouldn’t protest if ye wanted to go like that, but…”

I tighten my grip around the towel that’s barely covering me. “You want to go now? It’s barely noon.”

He chuckles lightly. “I’m not giving ye a chance to back out.”

Holding my gaze, those sage eyes mix with so many damn emotions and promises I don’t know which one to focus on.

“I…” Get so freaking tongue-tied with this man. “Give me ten minutes-”

He grunts and shakes his head.

“What?” I ask.

“I have a sister, so I know what ten minutes means.”

“I’ll be quick.” I open the door and let him in. “You can…”

“I’ll just wait in the living room.” He moves through the house with the ease of someone who’s been here before, and it makes me wonder just how well he knows Colleen.

A touch of jealousy presses against my ribs, and I immediately push it away. If I’m already feeling a slight possessiveness over the man now, how much worse would it be if I actually slept with him?

“I’ll be right back.”

He sits down on the couch, stretching out his long legs. “Ten minutes, or I’m coming in there after ye.”

It’s a playful threat. One that has my knees turning to rubber and making my mind go to all sorts of naughty places.

I turn quickly, hoping he doesn’t see the heat that’s crept into my face, and make a quick stop in the kitchen to pour myself a glass of wine before heading to the bedroom to change.

I’ve never been great at putting on make-up. Unlike Quinn, I don’t have the luxury of working with an already perfect face. I know I’m pretty, in a kind of girl-next-door way. But after being compared publicly to Chad’s former supermodel-turned-blockbuster-actress wife, there are some insecurities that still linger in the deepest recesses of my mind.

But the way Shane looks at me, all the primal hunger and uncontained lust, makes me forget about the extra fifteen pounds I’m carrying, and all the other tiny imperfections Chad was always so quick to point out.

Sometimes it’s just nice to be desired. It’s been a long time since I felt that. And no matter how bad of a decision I’m sure I’m making by going out on a date with this man, there’s a part of me that doesn’t just want what he’s offering, but needs it.

I debate the little black dress I brought just in case, but that might be trying too hard. And I don’t want him getting any ideas that just because I accepted going out with him, wherever he intends to take me, means it’s an invitation into my bed.

You know that’s exactly where this is headed, Makena.

A shiver of excitement races through me.

Sex.

Uninhibited.

No strings attached.

Can I really do it?

I take a deep swallow of the white wine, then after a second thought, finish the rest of the glass.

Stop being a coward. It’s just sex.

And if I’m really going to finally do this, why not do it with the smoking hot Irishman that’s sitting in my living room?

As weird as this whole thing is, maybe there’s a reason he found me.

“Two-minute warning,” Shane’s voice floats down the hall. “One minute longer and I assume that means ye’ve given me permission to come after ye.”

I let the idea settle in. Just get it over with. Like ripping a Band-Aid off. Maybe then I’d finally get rid of this fear that consumes my every second.

You are not good enough. Five stupid words that plague me.

“Coming,” I mutter, my fears overruling the ache that’s pulsing between my thighs.

Dressed in jeans and a plain black t-shirt, I pull an oversized, navy NYPD hoodie over my head, completing my I-don’t-give-a-crap look. I can just imagine the exaggerated eye-roll Quinn would give me if she saw me now.

Shane is leaning against the wall, his arms crossed when I exit the bedroom. “Damn, I was really hoping ye were going to make me come in and get ye.”

I give a half smile, my stupid nerves making my hands shake.

“Ye okay?” Shane asks, his smile disappearing as he pushes off the wall and starts towards me.

“I don’t…think…” I wipe my palms together, then ball them into fists to try and stop them from shaking.

“It’s just a date, love. Nothing more.” But the way he rests a palm on my cheek and leans towards me, I know it’s so much more.

I want his touch.

Ache for it.

There’s something both gentle and dominating about it.

It’s intoxicating.

I haven’t even kissed him, and yet my body is humming in a way that I’ve never felt before. And despite every protest in my head, I do the one thing I’d never have had the courage to do before. I lean up and kiss him.