Luck of The Irish (Getting Lucky)

I finally backed away from him staring into his intense blue eyes. I touched my lips, feeling the lingering heat of his kiss seared into my soul just a moment ago.

“That was—” I faltered. “I don’t even know what to say to you.” Fear crept into my consciousness and flooded my body with adrenaline. I doubted myself and wondered how I could get so carried away in the office of a smelly gym. The fear that he hadn’t felt what I felt hit me acutely. Was I just a fool and Aiden a very good player in the game of seduction? My legs again felt weak and my stomach turned woozy. I glanced at the clock on the wall of the office. “It’s midnight, I’ve got to go.” I grabbed my jacket and bag. “Thank you so much for everything. The dinner, helping my brother—”

"I'll walk you to your car," he said. There was no way he couldn’t sense my desperation. I was terrified to feel, to let go, to allow someone to see the real me.

"No, it's ok. I don’t want Liam home alone. I feel bad enough that you did everything and there’s still so much cleaning to do."

Aiden raised an eyebrow at me like he could see through my façade.

"There is no way in hell I'd ever let you walk to your car alone at night," he said sternly. He’d put his guard back up too and I was thankful to no longer be at the jeopardy of our vulnerability.

I nodded my head in agreement, and we walked through the gym to the front door. My heart was still racing and sweat beaded on my brow. He seemed more contained like he was more comfortable in his domain. We both reached for the door handle at the same time, and I flinched and removed my hand like his touch was suddenly too much for me.

“Erin,” he said, as if he knew I needed reassurance. “I like you a lot. I hope you feel the same way.”

He took my hands in his huge paws and I smiled as I stared at the size of his hands beside my own. He opened the door, and we walked out together. When he was touching me, my insecurities vanished and my fear faded away.

"That your car," he said, pointing to my rundown Volvo. There was good natured humor in his voice and it warmed me from within.

"She isn't much, but she works," I said, patting the hood. “We’ve been plenty of places together and she hasn’t died on me once!”

"How generous of her. Volvo is a good make, safe cars. She looks great," he said, patting the hood. "I was just hoping that it'd be a longer walk because I really don't want the night to end."

I felt the exact same way and our connection was intoxicating. Despite being dizzy with romance and still living in that kiss, I knew I couldn’t offer to stay. I wasn’t accustomed to dating or the feelings that were coursing through my bloodstream.

"Maybe we could do this again?"

"This?" he said, caging me between the hood of the car and his massive body.

Aiden grabbed my chin again and lifted my mouth to his. I saw the stars in the night sky over his shoulder for a mere second before I closed my eyes and I felt high as if I were soaring beside them. His tongue slipped against mine as his soft lips caressed mine eagerly. His hands fell to my waist, and seemed to encircle it in its entirety. Aiden was a giant and I’d never felt so secure. When we finally separated from our kiss, my head found his heart and I rested my temple against his strong pectoral that underneath housed such a generous heart. I wanted to speak, but words would not suffice.

“I want to see you again, A stór.”

"I'd like that," I said. “I don’t think I could live without it,” I thought.

He opened the driver's side door, and once I was in, he bent down and whispered in my ear, "Good night, A stór." My little treasure. “Drive safely.”

"Night," I said, before closing the door. As I drove off, Aiden McCarthy stood in the same spot watching me disappear into the velvet night.

Chapter 7

Aiden

"Erin, we're here!" Liam called as soon as he opened the door. He turned to me, saluting, "See ya later, Aiden."

"Hey, kiddo, you aren't gonna spend some time with me?" Erin asked as she walked out of the galley kitchen. Their apartment was small, with one bedroom that Erin had given up to Liam and took to sleeping on the couch for herself. I hated that she wasn’t sleeping in a bed. To make matters worse, their sofa thing was old and tattered and you could feel the springs poking up. God knew where they found it. The two of them were only a small step above living on the streets. But I knew Erin was proud and had worked hard for what she was able to provide for herself and her brother. I hated that her parents weren't around to help her out. It was a shame, but it wasn’t shocking. A lot of people went ahead and had kids when they had no clue how to take care of them. Some parents tried the best they could and were there for their kids in hell or high water, or as in Erin and Liam’s case, some parents gave up and the young kids had to act like adults themselves. It made a person hard, defensive and slow to trust, but it also made them smart, and the heart underneath was a diamond in the rough. I’d been one of those kids myself and worked with the kind every day at the gym. Liam and Erin were my people, we spoke the same language. Ours was a club no one wanted to belong to, but one thing was for certain, we sure as hell wouldn’t let that happen to our own kids.