Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 104386 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104386 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Thank you, Kylie, for letting me learn on you.
“How do you feel?” I asked Maebh, noticing that her breathing still hadn’t settled down. It could have been because I just kissed the hell out of her.
“Like I’m floating.”
I kissed her lightly. “You’re okay?”
With a sleepy voice, she replied, “Ah, sure, I’m grand.”
With a laugh, I asked, “Does grand mean good?”
She giggled. “More than good.”
Her fingers twirled in my hair, and it was relaxing as fuck. I bet she could put me to sleep each night doing that alone.
“Good. I’m still hungry though.”
Her eyes widened, and I laughed. “For food, Maebh.”
She smiled big, and warmth radiated through my body. An ache grew in the back of my throat, not to mention my chest.
“If you’ll let me get dressed, I’ll get back to dinner,” she said.
I peeled myself away from her and reached for her panties, helping her slip them back on just as slowly as I’d taken them off, leaving kisses in my wake.
With a wink, I said, “It’s sort of a shame I had dessert before dinner.”
She blushed and goddamn it if my heartbeat didn’t quicken.
Gripping my hair with her hands, she leaned down and kissed me, then buttoned her shorts and made her way back into the kitchen while I sat on the floor staring after her.
I’d never in my life met a woman like Maebh.
Never.
I rubbed the back of my neck, then moved my hand to my chest and touched the strange ache. Standing, I saw my reflection in a mirror. I was smiling. Exactly like my three older brothers had been when they realized they had fallen for a woman.
Taking a step back, I slowly shook my head. There was no denying what I saw.
Holy. Fuck. I’m falling in love with Maebh.
We ate out on the back deck since it was such a beautiful evening. It was cool for this time of year, thanks to the breeze blowing off the lake. Maebh’s dinner was fantastic, and I devoured it faster than I should have.
“Do you want something else to eat?” Maebh asked, glancing at my empty plate. It was so good I damn near licked the plate.
“I’m stuffed. Thank you, babe. It was delicious. Do you cook like that every day?”
She shook her head. “No, I rarely get to cook these days outside of the restaurant, and even then I don’t do a lot of the cooking. The most cooking I’ve ever done was in culinary school, and after I moved into me first house.”
“You didn’t help your mom cook when you grew up?”
Her eyes darted away for a quick moment and then back. She simply shook her head.
Was her mother a sore subject? I thought she had moved to Oak Springs because of her mother.
“Do you not like talking about your mom?”
Maebh’s eyes widened. “What? I love talking about me ma. It’s just, she didn’t cook much when I was growing up. I wish she had. She was the one who first taught me to cook, but me da’s ma, me grandmother, well, she didn’t think it was Ma’s place to be in the kitchen.”
I frowned. “Why?”
She squirmed in her chair, and I knew this was a conversation she didn’t want to have. As curious as I was, I was going to let it go. For now.
“Tell me what life is like back in Ireland? Where exactly are you from?”
Her eyes lit up, and I knew this was something she was interested in talking about.
“I’m from Cork. It’s beautiful there.” A smile spread over her face. “Lots of water and boats. Beautiful old buildings and small markets. There’s so many things to do and places to visit.”
“I’d like to go sometime.”
“That would be amazing. I can show you around.”
Reaching for her hand, I brushed my thumb over the top of it and grinned. “It’s a date.”
Maebh dug her teeth into her lip before softly saying, “It’s a date.”
“How about I clean up these plates, then take you somewhere fun?”
“What kind of fun?” she asked, her brow quirked up.
“We could head over to the Buchanan Dam Beach Club. Live music and cold beer.”
She smiled. “Sounds like fun. Are you sure you don’t want help?”
“I'm positive,” I said as I grabbed the plates and walked back into the house, motioning for Maebh to go in first.
“Alright! Let me go change.”
Standing, I watched her until she was out of sight. A strange twinge happened in my chest, and I pushed it aside as I quickly cleaned up the kitchen and ran upstairs to change as well.
“Cord?” Maebh called out.
When I poked my head around the corner, I nearly tripped over my own feet.
“Holy shit.”
My eyes moved over her perfect body. There was no fucking way she was wearing that out.
Daisy Duke shorts, cowboy boots, and an off-the-shoulder, off-white shirt. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on, and I nearly choked on my own tongue as I stared at her.