“He torments me,” Caitlin said as the sound of heavy boots on wet pavement drew near. “He's always bothering me. He likes nothing more than to antagonize me at every turn.”
“Maybe it's because he likes you too,” Sophie said, her voice distant as she moved the mouthpiece away from her.
“Christ,” Caitlin murmured.
“What is it?” Sophie asked.
“Daniel,” she said, both in answer to Sophie and as a greeting to the dark-haired man who stood before her. His windswept hair clung to his face with dramatic lines and a set of piercing blue eyes.
“Caitlin,” he said, his voice slow and irritatingly sexy in the dark.
“Nice night for a walk?” she asked, forgetting that she was on the phone with Sophie who was silently listening to the conversation.
“You could say that,” he whispered as the rain continued to pour and drip down his long nose. “Are you open, Caitlin?” he asked, and gestured to the door behind her as an icy breeze kissed her cheek.
“Yes,” she said, forcing her eyes on his, refusing to look down at his full lips. She'd had to fight this attraction for him since she was 12 years old.
“Good,” he said. “A man could drown out here.” He stepped closer to her standing under the short rooftop. The rain poured hard behind him, slapping the pavement. Saying nothing, he held out his hand for the phone. Caitlin opened her mouth to object. His fingers grazed against her hand and wrapped around the small device. “Sophie,” he said, his eyes searching her face in a way that had her heart pounding. “I wanted to let you know that I got here. Alright. Yeah, I'll tell him,” he said with a nod, then hung up the phone. He handed it back, placing it gently into Caitlin's hand. “Thanks,” he said, and moved past her.
She held her hands out, barring his way to the entrance. His eyes locked on to hers, and she felt the heat of his skin under her hands, and wondered if he felt the irritating sexual tension too.
“I know that you're apprenticing here,” she said, after a moment of silence. “I want you to know a few things.”
“What's that?” he asked, turning away from the door, nose to nose with her, his breath coming out in soft clouds of vapor.
“You're not running this place. That is, when he's not here, I'm in charge.” She narrowed her eyes and pressed her hands against his chest. “You might think just because you're in training you're taking over. That’s not the case. The pub is mine, it always has been.” His hand moved to her wrist in a flash, as quick as the lightning that pulsed above them.
He said nothing, merely held her wrist in his hand, and the heat of his long fingers on her chilled skin was enough to send burning waves of desire from the point of contact, through her trembling body.
“Cait.” He tightened his grip over her throbbing pulse, “Your heart is pounding like a racehorse, you should go inside before you’re sick.” He dropped her wrist and reached for the handle, yanking open the pub door. Before she could say another word, he left her standing alone outside in the rain.
7
Daniel
The door closedhard behind him, and though it may have been more chivalrous to escort her in, rather than let the door slam, it was probably for the best, especially when she had the audacity to look the way she did.
Those dark green eyes, as moody as a storm that beat hard against Ireland's coast. Those eyes that promised to bring a man to his knees if he so much as touched her. What truly surprised him though, was this new desire to do just that.
“Dad?” Daniel called as he shrugged out of his wet wool coat and hung it beside Caitlin's.
“Oh good, you're here,” his father said. His blue eyes the same shade as Daniel’s brightened at the sight of his son. “I was afraid that the sea had come clear over the seawall and swept you away.”
“I'm alright,” Daniel said as he ran his fingers through his damp hair and let the water trickle down his neck. “I could use a towel, though,” he said, “and I may need one of those.” He nodded toward the beer in Noah Murphy's hand.
“Absolutely,” Noah said, and hopped down from the barstool, scurrying away on short, bowed legs.
“So, you saw her out there?” His father nodded toward the door where Caitlin still stood brooding.
“Yeah, I did,” Daniel said as he reached for his father's beer and drank deeply, enjoying the way the warmth flooded through his system.
“What did she have to say to you?” his father asked. He reached for the beer in his son's hand and drank deeply himself.
“She said that I wasn't in charge. Basically, a small speech putting me in my place.” Daniel stood uncomfortable as the raindrops continued to trickle down his back from his hair.
“Yes,” his father said. “Noah has chosen to keep the girl in the dark all these years, against my better judgment and urgency I should add,” he said, as he cast a glance at Noah, who strode in from the back room, his flame of hair glistening under the yellow light.
“Here you are, lad,” Noah said as he lowered a bottle of Guinness and walked to the countertop and slipped back onto the barstool facing the two of them.
