by Sara Forbes
Danny presses his foot down on mine. With my free foot, I dig my toes into his calf.
“All my twelve guest rooms are at your disposal.”
Mom’s approval is written in her knowing, little smile. “Oh, in that case, I can hardly say no, can I?”
My face is going to crack from the huge smile on it. Danny’s brought me two of the best presents he could possibly have brought me—himself, and a chance at my mom and my aunt reconciling.
***
Alone. Finally.
“This is my room,” I tell him. “I’m sorry we don’t have a guestroom, let alone twelve.”
“If you had a million guestrooms, I’d still demand to sleep here.”
I finger his collar. “Demand, huh?”
“Yes, demand.” With a determined expression, he shuffles me backward toward the wall, presses me into it and pins my hands above my head. He dips and covers my mouth with his. I get lost in the hot, possessive sensation of his tongue plundering the depths of my mouth—this pleasure I thought I’d never get to have again.
We’re going to be together. The thought strikes me with undeniable force. With my hands captured above my head, I can only buck my hips against him to show my need.
He lets my arms drop free and unbuckles my jeans. My fingers are working his pants with equal speed. He hisses as my fingers wrap frantically around his hard cock. He’s close, and so am I.
We shuck out of our clothes and he produces a condom. Then he hoists me up and I wrap my legs around his torso, leaning into the wall to take some of the weight. Grinding my clit against him gives me some of the release I’m looking for but not nearly enough.
His cock finds my entrance and slides in. I shift to accommodate his girth, groaning with need as he fills me. He begins to slide in and out. My crossed legs tighten behind his back, absorbing the waves of shock and pleasure.
My strangled moans fill the air as he pumps into me. My back jigs up and down against the wall. I’m trying not to be too loud. But then, as I chase the orgasm in the final stages, all I can focus on is the sensation of his cock thrashing against my inner walls.
When the orgasm shatters us in glorious unison, he leans his mouth toward my ear. “Shannon, I love you.”
My fingers tighten on his neck. “I love you too, Danny. From the very first moment, I knew this was something special.”
“Yes, it was like that. It is like that.”
He eases my legs back down onto firm ground and walks me over to the bed where we collapse in a happy, sweaty, trembling heap, staring into each other’s eyes.
“I can’t do without you,” he says. “I learned that over the past few weeks. How do you feel about it?”
“Same,” I say. “How do we make this work?”
“Well, let’s start with this visit. I’ve got a week before everything back home completely falls apart.” He grins. “And I intend to use every minute wisely.”
“Wisely, huh? There’s a library across the road.”
“Hm, I’d rather study you.” He trails a finger down my cheek.
“I can get a new tourist visa,” I say. “And stay in Ballytirrel the full three months this time. And Mom could come with me—for some of the time anyway. She has a lot of catching up to do with Nuala.”
“Good. And I could come over here after that.”
“You bet.”
“What about Brett? Has he resurfaced? Sean told me he left the day after you. Has he been bothering you?”
I shake my head. “Not a peep. I think his ego just couldn’t accept that I preferred you over him. He actually blocked me.”
Danny laughs. “Really?”
“Yes. I should have thought of it earlier—making up a boyfriend.”
“No, it worked because it was real and you meant it.”
I nod, smiling. “Yes, I absolutely meant it.”
“I hope you’ll always be able to say that.”
Danny’s lips find mine again. In his kiss, I know how much he means it, too.
Epilogue
SHANNON
(SIX MONTHS LATER)
I look out the window as the air steward announces our imminent landing in Dublin Airport. Danny and I have been yo-yoing across the Atlantic and this is my third time landing here. Each season brings a new quality of sunshine although the temperatures don’t change very much. Last time I was here with Mom in the summer and we had a fantastic time.
Mom and Nuala threw a big reconciliation party in Nuala’s house, inviting most of the village. Danny’s attendance there raised eyebrows at the beginning, but by the end of the night, people had softened their attitude toward him.
Lady Ellen’s secret is still a secret between the Moores and the Lannigans. I met his half-sister, Theresa, who is lovely—quiet, reserved, and artistic with a wicked sense of humor. She has an eclectic way of dressing in purples and pinks that is uniquely her.
Danny meets me in Arrivals with a rose…and a heated kiss. He looks like a superstar in his perfectly tailored jacket and casual jeans. I clutch on tight as he leads me out to his car.
“No Mom this time?” he asks.
I laugh. “No, she had enough excitement last time to last her forever.”
“Indeed, Ballytirrel is still recovering, too.”
We’re in his car in the airport parking garage.
“I'm going to host a ball,” he announces. "Before everyone gets too settled."
“Like an old-fashioned ball?”
“Not too old-fashioned. People are free to dress up as they like.”
“What’s the occasion?”
“I’m the eighteenth Duke of Munster. It’s my duty to throw a ball now and again.”
I laugh. “O-kay, now you’re scaring me.”
He drives out past the traffic circles and onto the motorway. I do most of the talking on the way home as he seems preoccupied. Overwhelmed, perhaps?
When we get to the manor, finally, the first thing I notice is the east wing.
“It’s finished?”
He beams. “What do you think?”
“It’s gorgeous.” I scramble out of the car, race ahead to the door, peering in.
“Go on in,” he says.
I go in and spin a circle on the brand new parquet floor. “It’s wonderful. Is this—is this where the ball will be?”
“Yes, my darling.”
“How splendid!” I gush, like a Georgette Heyer heroine, clapping my hands.
“I hope you find this splendid too.”
Everything goes into slow motion as Danny kneels on one knee on the floor before me. I screech for him to stand up again even though I know what he’s doing and I totally want him to be doing it. My head’s spinning.
Is this really happening?
“Shannon Leora, will you marry me?”
“Uh…I mean, ohmigod, yes!”
He rises and clasps me into him, kissing me fervently. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.”
“Then let’s not waste any more time, hmm?”
I shake my head with the biggest ever grin on my face.
“I’ve arranged it with my work partners and everyone. After the ball, we’re free to head off to explore the country for a week.”
“The ball...wait. Is it—?”
“An engagement ball? Yes." His face flushes. “Or it will be, now that I’m totally sure. Your mother is going to be flown over for it. Marci too, if she agrees. And anyone else. We'll spare no expense.”
My eyes fill with tears. “You’d do that?”
“For you, anything…well, except for inviting Brett.”
I laugh. “That’s perfectly fine. He’s a crap dancer anyway.”
“And how do you know I'm not?”
I wrap my fingers around his neck. “Well, there's only one way to find out.”
“Ah, the duchess-to-be is giving me her first dance?”
“Danny, my Irish duke, you’ll always get my first dance
.”
Continue reading the saga
What's next?
The saga of Ballytirrel has only just begun. Shannon's arrival on the scene was the proverbial stone dropped in the pond. Now the ripples are rolling outward as life starts to change in Ballytirrel...
Why did the charismatic clan-chief Seamus Callaghan Junior return to Ireland? Was it to exact revenge on Danny the Duke, or was it for another reason?
And if that other reason is starting to look suspiciously like Lady Cliona Stephenson, how exactly is that supposed to work? She's the mother of his dead brother's child! She's the one woman he can't have.
You know you want Seamus's story, "Small Town Chief"
Make sure you put this sequel about hot, passionate, forbidden love on your reading list today!
Releasing May 28th!
Other Series by the Author
(All available in Kindle Unlimited.)
The Endowed series is a four-book series of standalone romances featuring a modern, British aristocratic family, The Belgraves, who are looking for love. Normal courtship rules do not apply!
Endowed 1 - Cocky Duke
Endowed 2 - Earl Power
Endowed 3 - Picky Viscount
Endowed 4 - Countess Badass
The Bitcoin Billionaires series is about a group of young men who get very rich, very quickly, via Bitcoin. It's a risky world out there in the Wild West of cryptocurrencies. Sizzling heat from overworked CPUs combines with scorching heat from these dangerous liasions—watch out that your Kindle doesn't melt!
Bitcoin Billionaires 1 - Jack
Bitcoin Billionaires 2 - Felix
Bitcoin Billionaires 3 - Egan
Connecting with the author
Sara Forbes's Preferred Readers:
If you'd like to keep track of what I'm doing and what's next then pop over to my website at saraforbes.com and join my select reading group of avid romance readers who happen to like my flavor of writing. Sometimes, I just moan about not getting stuff done, and sometimes I'm rejoicing over getting my next book out. I love hearing back from you and making new friendships this way. There may even be some freebies in it for you from time to time.
Acknowledgements
This time it's to my ARC readers—the readers who get the first look, who tell me what they love (or hate) about each story and who, ultimately, give me the reason to do what I do...better.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Epilogue
