“Ah.” Kieran leaned in and whispered to the woman. A moment later, she disappeared, taking the sparkling liquid with her.
Alone once more, Kieran shifted, taking my hand and linking his fingers with mine as he moved through the bottom level toward a wide staircase that wound around and up to the second floor. Once we had ascended, he stopped and pulled me to his side, one big hand on my lower back in what was either a protective or possessive gesture, I couldn’t really tell. Either way, it wasn’t off-putting.
He greeted a few people as they passed and made an attempt to give me the dime tour as we wound our way along the perimeter of the second floor. This level was bustling like the first, but it was filled mostly with dancers. As we neared the much smaller bar, a bartender waved Kieran over. When he approached, she passed a wineglass filled with sparkling liquid.
“Try this,” Kieran said, passing the glass to me.
Instinct had me wanting to refuse, but when I met his gaze, I saw only sincerity there. I took the glass, brought it to my lips. The liquid was ice cold and sweet, the bubbles tingling my tongue.
“What do you think?”
I took another sip, then smiled. “It’s good. What is it?”
“Wine. A Moscato, to be more specific. And the alcohol content is low, so you should be good to have a glass or two.”
Something warmed in my chest as I looked up at him. My friends had always plied me with hard liquor, but this man hadn’t.
“Thank you.”
Kieran’s smile was radiant. It should’ve been a sin for him to smile like that.
“This way,” he said, his arm tightening on mine once more.
I pivoted with him, but before we made it two steps, the music from the speakers went silent, making my ears ring from the sudden decibel change. A spotlight came on, beaming down on us as all eyes shifted our way.
I waited, feeling sweat form on my spine. I wasn’t one to prefer the spotlight—certainly not in the literal sense—and I feared a panic attack coming on. Before I could pull away from Kieran, a loud chorus of “Happy Birthday” started, building in intensity as other club-goers joined in. They sang the entire song, complete with my name.
Even as my cheeks flushed from embarrassment, I felt my heart swell, a strange reaction to the attention. I’d never seen anything like it, never received this much focus from anyone in my life, and I found it to be both overwhelming and incredibly sweet despite the fact I had absolutely no clue what was going on.
When they were finished singing, Kieran lifted a hand and motioned with his fingers. Whatever the signal, it effectively had everyone turning back to what they’d been doing, the music blasted on, and the spotlight dimmed. A second after that, it was as though it had never happened.
Kieran turned to me, releasing my arm and taking my hand. “Happy birthday, Em. I hope you enjoy tonight.”
I stared back at him, trying to discern what was going on. He’d called me Em, which only one person ever had, and I hadn’t seen or heard from him in two years.
Fighting for composure, I swallowed tightly, tried to make light of the situation. “Is this something you do for everyone on their birthday?”
Kieran chuckled. “Only you, love.”
I wanted to ask why, but that seemed like a childish question, so I responded with, “Well, then, thank you.”
Kieran continued to hold my hand, along with my gaze, a smile on his face, and this one reached his beautiful blue eyes, making the corners crinkle. “You are more than welcome.”
The lilt in his words sent a rush to my girl parts. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was about an accent that turned me on, but no doubt it was true. Especially Kieran’s lyrical enunciation, the softer vowel sounds, harder consonants. It was mesmerizing in a way I wanted more of.
“I guess I should find my friends,” I finally said, feeling strangely affected by his nearness. “Thank you, by the way. For the invitation.”
His eyes twinkled.
“You have a lovely club.”
His eyebrows rose slightly. “Thank you. And you’re quite lovely yourself.”
Figuring he was the sort to flirt with all the women he interacted with, I knew to put space between us. Although I was branching out in certain areas of my life, I still had not tackled the dating scene and wasn’t sure I was ready to. Certainly not with a man like Kieran O’Rourke.
“I hope you enjoy yourself tonight,” he said softly, leaning in. “I’ll check back in with you in a bit.”
I was so mesmerized by his brogue and the woodsy scent of his cologne I couldn’t think of what to say next.
