“Look—”
“I’m lookin’, babe, and I don’t like what I’m seein’. So, why don’t you get your tight ass from behind the bar and give me the feckin’ time of day, yeah?”
I couldn’t help but grin. He was now saying feckin’ instead of fuckin’. It was cute.
I came around and put my hands in his. “I was going to spare you.”
“From what?” he demanded, yanking me to him.
“Me crying into my pint. Now?—”
He slammed his mouth on mine and shut me the hell up.
He kissed me like there was no tomorrow. I didn’t care that the entire village of Ballybeg was watching us; I kissed him back and held him tight. Whatever time we had, I would enjoy it. Sure, I was afraid of getting hurt, but now that I knew it would happen and soon, I could be prepared for it.
He raised his head.
“What was that for?” I arched an eyebrow.
“Baby, you’ve got to stop expecting the worst all the time. It’s a tacky way to live life.”
Now both my eyebrows shot up. “Tacky?”
“Yeah.”
I tried to pull away. “Oh, come on, Dee, let’s dance. You survived me playin’ the bagpipes. You’ll survive this.”
We joined the crowd in the middle of the room, where Cadhla was barking out instructions to a group of drunk villagers. “Alright, lads and lasses, it’s the Siege of Ennis! Let’s see if you can remember your steps!”
“What the fuck is that?” Jax asked, bewildered.
“Follow my lead, Yank, and you’ll be fine,” I told him.
The music kicked up, and Jax fell into step beside me; his movements were awkward at first, but the grin on his face told me he didn’t care.
Liam Murphy tripped over Seamus, Cadhla spun Paddy around so fast he nearly toppled, and I hadn’t laughed this hard in months.
But all the while, as we danced and laughed and celebrated, I felt the bitter taste of oncoming heartbreak when Jax left, and I’d never see him again.
CHAPTER 23
Jax
She ended up in my room, which I thought was a brilliant way to end St. Patrick’s Day.
I kissed her because it had become my favorite thing to do.
I kissed her at the pub. Outside the pub. On the bench. On her way to the kitchen.
So, obviously, when she was standing in my room, I went in deep.
Since Dani, all those years ago, I hadn’t had a girlfriend. I hadn’t been with a woman with whom I was at ease. I had affairs; that was the only way to describe them. I didn’t show off my woman, hold her hand, or kiss her in public. PDA wasn’t my jam, or so I thought.
But before I could undress Dee, get her in my bed, and get inside her, she took a step away.
Her red hair and flushed skin were a stark combination against the deep green of the dress—a color thatclung to her curves and made her look like something straight out of a fairy tale. A fierce, untouchable fairy tale, and my hands itched to untie that bow on her waist.
“What?” I asked.
