He looked at her in confusion. “Your boss doesn’t mind you sitting down with the customers?”
“Boss? I don’t work here,” she laughed.
“Oh. Crap. I’m sorry. I feel like a complete arsehole now,” he told her, reaching for his wallet to pay her back for the beers, but she waved him off.
“You can get the next round,” she told him.
“Fair play. My name is Ronan.”
“Good to meet you, Ronan. I’m Maeve.”
“What brings you out tonight, Maeve?” he asked.
“What brings anyone out? It’s Ireland. It’s cold, wet, and dreary. Nothing to lift the spirits like a fresh pint and maybe a bowl of hot Irish stew.”
“Fair enough.”
“Your accent, it’s somewhat Irish, but not dead one like. Where are you from?”
“I’m from here. Irish by birth, but I’ve lived in the States since I was young, so my accent has become a bit muted by Americanisms, I guess.”
“I see, and what do you do in America, Ronan?”
“I work in my family business.”
“What business would that be?”
Ronan looked her over and smiled but didn’t answer for a moment. He finally countered her question with his own.
“You’re a curious thing, aren’t you?”
“You’ve no idea.”
“What else are you curious about then, Maeve?”
She smiled and held his gaze for a moment before answering.
“I’m wondering if you fuck as good as you look or if you’re just window dressing.”
“I can answer that question for you, but I’d rather show you. I’m a hands-on sort of guy.”
She picked up her beer and drained it, and he followed suit. She stood and headed for the door, and he shadowed her, more than a bit happy that he’d found someone who was so upfront about what they wanted and willing to give him a tumble before he had to settle down.
CHAPTER THREE
Maeve
Maeve had been afraid she was too forward, but Ronan had not been shy about taking her up on her offer. It was exactly what she’d planned to happen, and the fact that he was insanely hot was just a bonus. For a moment, as he looked into her eyes, she thought she might lose this battle quick as all she could think about was not revenge, but how much she wanted him to fuck her.
“Are we safe?” he asked as he peeled away his clothes, revealing unbelievably ripped abs and a broad chest that sported a massive tattoo of a bear designed to appear as it if was ripping through his skin. She couldn’t decide it was interesting or cliché, but she didn’t have much time to consider it before he got down to business, moving toward her. She almost ran out, having a moment of sudden panic at what she was about to do, what she was about to start, but she stood her ground, continuing to look him in the eye defiantly.
“We’re safe.”
“Great,” he replied, reaching out and pulling her shirt over her head to expose the lace demi bra she wore beneath it. He wasted no time unhooking it and letting it fall to the floor before moving on to her jeans, unzipping them and slipping them downward for her to step out of, leaving her to stand there in only a pair of sheer panties that left nothing to the imagination. She started to bend down to take off her boots, but he stopped her.
“No, leave those on. I like them,” he told her.
“Whatever gets you hard,” she purred.
“Oh, I’ve been well on my way to hard since I spotted you across the bar tonight.”
She couldn’t decide if it was a cheesy line or sincere, but it didn’t really matter. She just needed to get through this. It felt so unreal when he began touching her. His hands ran slowly over her skin, rough, lightly calloused. She had told herself that this was just for a well-designed purpose, but now that it was actually happening, her body was betraying her, reacting to every stroke of his hand and every kiss he planted on her skin.
She was well aware of how wet she was becoming, so wet that she could feel it seeping through her panties. His mouth met hers, drinking her in and clouding her thoughts. How could anyone be this damned sexy? How could someone you loathed turn you on so much or was that part of what caused the desire—someone forbidden doing naughty things to you that you didn’t think you wanted but now couldn’t resist?
He reached for her hands and gently pulled them above her head, letting his hand run the length of her arms before leaning in again to place light bites along her neck. He pulled her arms behind her back, pinning them there with his own, letting her know who was in charge here. She could barely breathe, so turned on that she thought she might pass out or hyperventilate. What was it with this guy? He was reducing her to jelly without even putting any effort into it.