She Likes It Irish

by Sophia Ryan

  After they finished everything on the platter, he suggested they order some sake or another pot of tea. She could tell he wanted to stay awhile, to talk, to subtly remind her how well they fit together. But she knew it was a mistake to get any closer to him, so she refused, saying she had a lot of work to do the following day. They split the bill—at her insistence.

  “Don’t laugh, but I like sushi more than green chile cheeseburgers,” he said as he walked her to her car.

  She blinked her eyes and opened her mouth in shock. “I never thought I’d hear you say that.”

  They laughed.

  “This was fun. Aren’t you glad you didn’t bail?”

  “Yeah, I am.” And she meant it. “I haven’t had good sushi in a long time.”

  “So it was just the sushi you enjoyed? Not the company?” His voice was low and she felt it drum in her heart.

  “It wasn’t just the sushi.”

  “Maybe we can do it again sometime.” His gaze caught hers and held, making her feel like she was standing on the crumbling edge of a deep abyss. A dervish of emotion spiraled in her heart, warning her to break the connection before she fell in.

  “It’s late. I should go.” She turned, hand on her car door, but he caught her hand.

  “It’s not even nine. Let’s go get some ice cream. Chocolate…” he tempted.

  “Thank you, but no.” She tugged her hand, but he wouldn’t let go.

  “Coffee?”

  “No.” She pulled her hand away.

  “Kristin,” he said. “Don’t go.”

  She felt herself getting lost in his eyes and his voice again, captured by the feelings his one touch set loose in her, and she couldn’t force herself to break free.

  His hand moved to her face, caressing her cheek. “Stay with me. Just a little longer. I miss you.”

  Because she didn’t move away, because she didn’t resist and tell him no, he dipped his head and touched his lips to hers.

  In that instant, the renewal he’d talked about burst into being inside her. Senses and feelings bloomed. Desire flooded her cells.

  It felt so good with him, so right. But it was wrong. Without trust, it would always be wrong.

  She shivered and pushed out of his arms, folding hers in front of her like a shield. “I can’t do this, Sean. I don’t have the courage to let you in again.”

  He took her hand and put it on his chest where his heart lived.

  “Do you feel that? It started beating again the moment I saw you in the store today and you spoke to me. I’ve felt dead inside since we’ve been apart.”

  A spark of anger forced her to jerk her hand away. “When you threw me out of your life, you not only broke my heart, you broke all of me. I can’t give you what you want. I’m not whole.”

  “Neither one of us is whole because we’re apart from each other. I love you, Kristin, and I know you love me. Take me back, and we’ll both begin to heal.”

  Shaking her head, she moved away from him. “I don’t want to love you anymore. It hurts too much.”

  He stopped her. “You don’t mean that.”

  She closed her eyes. “Yes, I do.”

  “Look, maybe we moved too fast the first time. But we can start over. Take it slow. Give you time to learn to trust me again.”

  Her skin tingled when he slid his hand up her arm, and she noticed a slight jolt to her heart as if it were trying to beat again. She backed away from him, from his talented hands, his pleading eyes, and his enticing voice.

  “Your heart may be beating again, Sean,” she pulled open her door, “but mine’s still scarred and bleeding. Fast or slow, it won’t survive another round with you.”

  “Promise me you’ll think about it.”

  She shook her head knowing that it was all she would be able to think about now. “No promises.” She got in and closed the door. It broke her heart to see him in the rearview mirror, standing where she’d left him, watching her drive away.

  ****

  The following night, as she climbed into bed, she received a text from Sean. “Thanks for not bailing on dinner last night. I enjoyed it.”

  She didn’t respond, and he didn’t follow up.

  The night after that, she received another text. “Sweet dreams.”

  Another night, another text. “Craving wasabi and that yellowfin thing. Have to make a run to the grocery store.”

  She chuckled, and her fingers ached to text back, “It’s yellowtail, and DO NOT GO TO THE GROCERY STORE!” but she resisted. Then she sent it anyway. And couldn’t go to sleep, a ball of anxiety tumbling in her stomach, until he texted back, “Whew! I resisted. Thanks, darlin’.”

  The following night was a quote: “Feeling fear doesn’t always mean you should stop doing something. Push on. The best surprises are often waiting for you just on the other side.”

  “Another old Irish saying?” she texted.

  “Something my da always said. Night, darlin’.”

  He texted her every night for a nearly a week. But at the end of that week, there was no text.

  She tossed and turned all night, contemplating what this meant. The thought gnawing on her brain when she rose with the sun the following morning was that she had been wrong to see him again. She would not make that mistake again. Would not listen to his pleas or his promises again. She would truly get on with her life without him.

  After an hour of mind-clearing, Qi balancing, yoga, she showered, ate breakfast, dressed, and prepared her backpack for a long day of research at the library. The drama this semester had put her behind, and she had precious little time left to complete the first draft of her master’s thesis. She slung the pack over her shoulder and opened the door.

  There on the welcome mat was a single daffodil, its stem wrapped in a wet paper towel and foil, and a DVD that had “Play Me” written on it in Sean’s bold script.

  She took the flower and DVD into her bedroom, sat on the bed, loaded the DVD into her laptop, and hesitantly hit play.

  Sean sat on his bed in a T-shirt and sweats, looking into the camera.

  “Hey, darlin’.” He grinned and scratched his hand through squirrely golden locks, which stood on end. “Since I haven’t had any luck getting you back using my charm and good looks, I thought I’d try something else—” He leaned over and picked up a guitar and held it in position to play, putting his hands in place. “—like making a complete arse of myself.”

  He plays the guitar? Kristin thought. I didn’t know that. Why didn’t I know that? In her musings, she realized she’d missed something he said, so she rewound it.

  “This song is called To Make You Feel My Love. The song pretty much says what’s in my heart. So…” He took a breath and released it. “…here goes.”

  His fingers strummed the strings, and soft, soulful chords strummed inside her. He began to sing the words of his heart, sweet lyrics in a raspy, edgy voice. She listened to the song intently, as if the words themselves held the key to getting her life back.

  The sincere expression on his face and in his voice brought tears to her eyes. She let them fall and wash away the anger for and mistrust of this man she loved.

  His final words ended on a slight crack in his voice as he gently plucked the strings of the guitar, playing the final soulful notes. Then he opened his eyes and stared directly into the camera, into her eyes.

  “Kristin, I messed up, darlin’…bad, and I hurt you. Give me a chance to make it up to you. I’ll make you happy. I promise.” He put down the guitar and picked up his phone.

  The ice block enclosing her heart melted at his words, at his sincerity, at the amount of love that came through the screen from him to her. She felt the broken pieces of her heart fusing together.

  Sean got up from the bed and turned off the camera. Her screen went black. She reached out to start it over, to watch it again, but then his face filled the screen again.

  “Oh, in case you’ve deleted my number, it’s…” He left his numb
er and the screen again went black.

  Kristin had never deleted his number. She scrolled through her list, found his entry, and was ready to hit the button that would connect her to him when his face again filled the screen. She chuckled and stopped to see what he was up to.

  “Sorry to interrupt you from deciding whether to call me, but I forgot that there was something I wanted to show you.” He walked backward and pulled off his T-shirt as he spoke, giving her a grand view of his chiseled chest and stomach. “Something that might help you decide.”

  He untied his sweats.

  Her heart beat faster in her chest as his sweats dropped to the floor and he pointed to the only stitch of clothing he had on—boxers, the green ones with big red lips across Kiss The Legend.

  “The ones I was wearing the night we met. The ones that made you fall in love with me. You couldn’t take your eyes off of them.”

  Kristin smiled and ran a finger over the image. “I remember.”

  “If you come back to me, I’ll wear them every day for you. I’ll let you wear them if you want. Or I’ll buy you a pair in your size and we’ll spend all day and night wearing nothing but our matching boxers.”

  He stood there grinning at her, looking a bit like an overgrown leprechaun. Cute, full of mischief, and just barely hiding his pot of gold.

  “One last thing I want to show you.” His eyes grew heavy and he tucked his thumbs into the waistband of those boxers, tugging them lower.

  Her breath caught in her throat when she saw a shadow of his dark thatch and what looked like the start of one fine erection that could be hers.

  As he moved the boxers lower, he moved closer to the camera, hiding the image she craved. He held the boxers up to the camera before tossing them over his shoulder.

  “You don’t get to see unless you call me.” The joking mask fell away, revealing a serious face on her screen. “I love you, darlin’.”

  He held up his phone and the image again faded to black. This time he did not come back to deliver another message meant to entice her. But then, maybe he knew it wouldn’t be needed.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Her heart pounding against her ribs, adrenaline pumping through her veins, and love overflowing every cell of her body, Kristin shot out of her apartment and was at Sean’s dorm parking lot in ten minutes. She stood at the locked front door to his dorm when she realized that, since it was still spring break, she might not be able to get in. That he might not be there. That she had raced over for nothing. Then she remembered the side door the guys usually left unlocked. It was unlocked, and she ran up the back stairs to his room.

  Sean answered the door in nothing but a towel. Ah! Sometimes the biggest risks return the biggest rewards!

  “Kristin? Hi!” he said, surprise filling his voice and lighting his eyes. “I thought you’d call.”

  She fought to keep her face expressionless, stoic even, but inside she was about to shimmy out of her skin. “I thought you deserved a face-to-face. But I can leave.”

  “No, no. Showing up is great. Perfect.”

  She dropped her eyes and bit her tongue to keep joy from bursting into laughter. “Can I come in?”

  “Of course.” He moved aside and closed the door after she’d walked through.

  She looked around the tiny room, remembering the love they’d made here. It was like she was back in the Honahlee they’d created—she felt magically happy and at home. Her memories acted like gas sprinkled on the flame of desire sparking inside her. It didn’t matter that they’d known each other so short a time. It didn’t matter that he’d made a mistake. It didn’t matter that she still nursed a healing heart. She loved him and wanted him in her life.

  She felt him behind her, his hands on her shoulders, and she shivered. He turned her toward him, his eyes hopeful but anxious, with that little half grin of his parting his lips, his eyes brighter and bluer than she’d ever seen them.

  They stood together silently, searching each other’s eyes for answers.

  “Nice DVD,” she said.

  His eyes dropped sheepishly, as if a little embarrassed by it. “I wasn’t sure whether it would help me or hurt me, what with my terrible singing and plucking.”

  “No, it was beautiful. I liked it.”

  “Good. So…Is it good news you’re bringing me?”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  He dropped his hands from her arms and seemed to stumble back a hair’s breadth. “Oh.” The tiny word slipped from his mouth like a groan.

  She moved forward. “Uh, yeah. You said something the other day about going slow this time. Well, I’m sorry…” She put her fingers on the little knot where he had tucked in the tail of the towel and yanked it free. “…that’s completely unacceptable.” She tossed the towel aside. “I’ve been without Mr. Blarney far too long to go slow.”

  “Ack, woman. Why do you insist on calling him such a wimpy name?” He grabbed his cock and lifted it toward her. “He deserves a name more fitting of his monolithic stature.”

  She laughed and took the monolith in her hands. “How about The Legend? Does that appropriately reflect his magnificence?” She stroked him as she spoke, thrilled with her power to make him grow long and hard.

  On a sigh, his eyes closed. “Darlin’, you can call him whatever you want.”

  “Sean, I miss you. And I don’t just mean Mr. Blar—uh, The Legend. I want you in my life, in my heart, in my bed.” She laughed and tossed a glance over her shoulder at his bed. “Any bed. Tell me you still want me.”

  “I still want you.” He took her hands in his, kissed them. “I prayed you’d come back to me.”

  “Well, I’m here. So why haven’t you kissed me?”

  He grinned, put his hands low on her hips, and pulled her to him. “God blessed man with two heads, but cursed him with the inability to use both at once. I wasn’t thinking straight.”

  “Another old Irish saying?”

  “Actually, it is.” He smiled at her. “Forgive me, Kristin.”

  “Forgiven.”

  Joy burst inside her as his lips took hers. The heat of his kiss made her feel like she could dissolve into a mist between his hands.

  His fingers tugged the hem of her shirt up, and she lifted her arms so he could pull it off. While he unhooked her bra, she flipped open the button on her skirt, yanked down the zipper, and let the material drop to her feet. His hands cupped her breasts and feasted on them with his hungry mouth, licking and sucking the pink points.

  Her hands moved to his hard dick, but he lifted her up in his strong arms and carried her to the bed, laying her, naked and desperate for him, on the rumpled sheets.

  He kissed her as he lay beside her, the stabbing heat and pressure of his cock against her side. Her hungry mouth rose to meet his. Her pulse throbbed in her pussy, like it was calling to him, telling him she was ready for him…past ready.

  “I want you inside me. So much.” She growled more than spoke the words.

  “For once, darlin’, I won’t make you wait…too long.”

  His eyes held her in place as his hand crawled up her thigh to the wet spot between her legs. She opened herself to him and released a long sigh when he slipped his finger into her wet pussy. She stroked his dick, circling her hips against his hand, begging for more.

  He released a shaky breath. “I’ve missed you, darlin’. So much. The feel of you. The taste of you. The smell of you. It makes me feel alive.”

  “I missed you, too.” His fingers were nestled at her heat, sending hot shivers up and down her spine. She felt the desire rolling off of him, off of her, and she wanted to take it all inside her, use it to drive them both into oblivion. She was arching against his hand, panting with the need to have him inside her. “Which is why you really need to get inside me now.”

  He chuckled and rose over her, letting his dick jab the entrance to her pussy. She guided him closer and rubbed herself against the head of his magnificence, letting it distribute their jui
ce onto each other. She cried out when he pulled back, opening her eyes. “What are you doing to me?”

  She saw him rolling a condom on the erection that would soon be all hers. “Shit! Tomorrow, we’re getting tested so we can do away with these fucking condoms,” she growled in frustration.

  He laughed. “I’m clean, darlin’, but I’ll do whatever you want.”

  “What I want is—”

  He plunged into her, sending a rush of breath sliding from her mouth. “Oh, God!” A contented smile appeared on her face. “Thank you.” She was where she was meant to be.

  The moment stilled for her, and she absorbed the feel of him inside her. His smell. The weight of him. The love in his eyes. The touch of his hands.

  Then his mouth took her lips and time started again. Her nails clawed his ass to bring him even closer to her. His hips thrust against her, his cock moving in and out of her pussy in one long sensation of pleasure. Urgent for each other, they sped up, moving together, lifting each other higher.

  Her legs clutched his waist, her arms his back, holding him tight, burying him inside her, creating their own world. She ignored the sweat beading on her forehead, on his, and for long moments forgot to breathe, and just kept up the sweet rhythm that would carry them to the end where they would live or die together.

  She plunged off the peak into the abyss, her whole body releasing, convulsing with the force of her orgasm. “I’m coming, Sean! I’m coming.”

  He was still pumping into her, helping her ride out her wave, when she felt him go rigid, every muscle in him straining with his release. He groaned and pressed even deeper into her pussy as he came, the flare of pleasure bursting in his blue eyes.

  He collapsed onto her, his flesh filling her and hers hugging him, their hearts pulsing blood throughout their joined bodies.

  “I love you.” His voice was rough and his breath was as erratic as hers. “So much. I’m glad you came back.”

  “I’m glad you wanted me back,” she said as he kissed her mouth, again and again.