Wild Chance (Wilder Irish #13) - Mari Carr Page 0,33
a lock on that door. I’m nobody’s fool.” Ewan chuckled as he left them alone once more.
Padraig wrapped his arm around her waist, intent on picking up where they’d left off, but Emmy placed her hand flat against his chest, holding him back.
“About that panties declaration,” she said with a grin.
“Nonnegotiable.” He backed up that statement with a quick, hard kiss that sent a flood of wanton thoughts through her head. “But test me if you want to,” he said darkly. “Because I saw how you responded to Joe’s threat to punish you—and I’m definitely down to carry through with that. Either way, you will be panty-less on our date.”
“Have you been reading my books?” she whispered before she could think better of her question. It was just…it felt as if this Padraig had been ripped from the pages of one of her stories. Because she didn’t just read about super alphas, she wrote them too.
As a friend, Padraig was affable and easygoing. But this man…
God, he was every fantasy she’d ever had, come to life.
He looked at her curiously. “I don’t know your pen name, remember? Though I think you’re going to have to give it to me now. I’m getting the impression I’d really like reading what you’ve written.”
She leaned up, kissing him rather than responding. It was the first kiss she’d initiated, and Padraig let her control it, let her explore his lips at her leisure. She felt the heat from his breath, tasted the bitterness from the Guinness he’d been sipping, loved the way his hands stroked her back firmly, holding her as if he’d never let her go.
“Emmy,” he murmured against her lips. “We better go back out to the pub, or this is going to go too far in a room with no lock. Besides, our first time is not going to be in a storage closet.”
“Should we ask to use Ewan’s office? Since it’s classier and all.”
Padraig laughed loudly, shaking his head. “Nope. Our first time is going to be in a bedroom. We’ll christen the pub later.”
She giggled, then tucked her blouse back into her jeans before accepting the hand he proffered.
They walked back out to the pub, and Emmy blushed slightly when she realized practically every member of the Collins family had noted their return and the fact Padraig was holding her hand.
Padraig’s Pop Pop raised his Guinness to her in a silent toast, winking at her as he did so.
Emmy started for the bar, ready to claim her spot at the end, but Padraig tugged her in the opposite direction.
“Where are we going?”
“Colm said he’d work the bar for me tonight. Thought it might be nice if we actually got to sit together rather than separated by that counter.”
He purposely led her to the booth she’d shared with Joe earlier, claiming the other man’s place with a shit-eating grin.
Emmy glanced across the room and spotted Joe watching them. He was smiling widely, obviously pleased with himself, and that was when she realized all his flirting had been done simply to provoke a response from Padraig.
He’d followed through on his promise to make her a very happy woman.
“Thank you,” she mouthed.
He gave her a thumbs-up, then turned his attention back to the conversation at his table.
Teagan and Sky took the stage, and the rest of the night felt like something out of a dream.
The two of them danced, ate, drank, and laughed with reckless abandon, as every member of the family found a moment to stop by their table to chat.
Sunnie and Kelli had cornered her in the bathroom at one point, and she’d told them that Padraig had asked her out on a date. The three of them squealed like teenage girls in high school, laughing at themselves for their ridiculous behavior afterwards.
She and Padraig remained at the pub until the wee hours, closing the place down with Tris and Colm. Then, Padraig walked her to her apartment, his arm wrapped around her waist, tucking her close to share his body heat since the night was brutally cold.
Once they arrived, she dug into her purse for her keys, her heart racing, as she internally debated if she should ask him in for coffee…or sex.
She wanted to. Desperately. But she wasn’t sure if he would think she was rushing things.
“Invite me in,” Padraig murmured as she put the key in the lock. His arm was wrapped around her waist, his lips brushing her ear as he spoke.
“Come in.”
She opened the door