“This really isn’t necessary.” Jordan put down her glass and covered her ears. “I don’t need to know. I don’t want to know.”
“You need to know this,” he said. Danny slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer. “I’m glad you’re here with me tonight. There isn’t anyone else I’d rather have here. And I like introducing you as my girlfriend, because that’s what you are. And that’s important.”
“Have you had a lot of girlfriends?” Jordan asked.
“No,” he said. “I can count them on one hand. Actually, on three fingers, counting you. And that says something about my feelings for you, Jordan. I think I’m falling for you.”
Jordan slowly lowered her hands and took a quick sip of her wine. This was not what she expected. His revelation changed everything. She felt the undeniable urge to run away and glanced around, looking for an escape route.
“No,” he said. “You don’t have to run. It’s all right. I’m just being honest. No harm in that.”
“But I-”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “I know. And that’s all right.” He looked at his watch. “Why don’t we get out of here? I’ve been the accommodating artist for three hours. I think I’m all right to leave.”
“I could use some air,” she admitted.
Danny said his goodbyes and a few minutes later, they were back on the street, strolling among the crowds of locals and tourists on O’Connell Street. Danny slipped his arm around her shoulders and they walked to the end of the street, to the river. They found a spot near the bridge and Jordan leaned against the railing and stared into the water.
“I shouldn’t have said that,” Danny murmured.
“No, I’m glad you did,” she said. “It’s how I feel, too.”
“You do?”
“I do. But I don’t know what it means. I guess it’s not unexpected. We’ve been spending every minute together for over a month. It would be difficult not to develop feelings for each other.”
“Exactly,” he said.
“I just don’t think we should have too many expectations,” she said.
“Expectations.” Danny chuckled softly. “That’s funny. Maybe it’s about time someone expected something from me when it came to romance.”
“Can we just enjoy our weekend here and not worry so much about the future?” Jordan asked.
Danny nodded. “Yeah, we can do that. Come on, let’s go find a pub, have a pint and enjoy ourselves.”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, standing beneath a street lamp while the river flowed quietly nearby. For Jordan, it was the most perfect kiss they’d ever shared because it confirmed the words he’d spoken earlier.
He was falling for her. She should have been jumping for joy, shouting to the rooftops that the man she wanted felt the same way about her. But the revelation was bittersweet. It didn’t make things simpler. It only made them more difficult.
DANNY GLANCED AT THE CLOCK on the bedside table. It was nearly eleven and he’d made no attempt to crawl out of bed and get the day started. After the show last night, he and Jordan had hit the town, finding a pub near the hotel and spending the night dancing and laughing and having more fun than he’d ever had with a woman.
He loved introducing her to the wonders of Ireland. Last night it was Irish art and Guinness. Today it would be a decent Irish breakfast and a stroll along the Liffey.
He drew a deep breath and closed his eyes, snuggling into her warm, naked body. From the moment he’d met Jordan, there’d been an undeniable attraction between them, a connection that seemed to be strengthened with each moment they spent in bed. They’d been so wrapped up in each other, he’d forgotten that she wasn’t completely his.
Was this what Riley had gone through with Nan? His brother had fallen in love with an American tourist with a life and a career in the States. But he’d made it work, he’d convinced her to stay. How had he made that happen?
When they’d begun, Danny was happy just being with Jordan. He’d never thought about anything beyond the next time they found themselves in bed. But somewhere along the line, he’d forgotten about immediate gratification and begun thinking about the future.
She was an incredibly seductive woman. And though she claimed that he was the only one who thought so, Danny suspected the American men she’d known had seen the beauty beneath the businesslike facade. She was his inspiration, his muse, his temptress. Danny couldn’t think of anything more he wanted from a woman than what he had with Jordan.
Rolling to his side, Danny wrapped his arm around her waist and gently brushed a strand of hair from her temple. She sighed softly as he pressed his lips to her forehead. And when his mouth found hers, Jordan stirred and opened her eyes.
“What time is it?” she murmured.
“Almost eleven,” he whispered.
Jordan groaned. “Why did you let me sleep so late?”
“It’s Sunday. Unless you want to go to church, there isn’t much else to do in Dublin. Besides, I kept you up too late last night.”
“I’m going to need a vacation from my vacation,” she said. “I think I’ve had more sex in the past month than I’ve had in my whole entire life. In fact, I’m quite certain of that.”
“Well, now there’s an accomplishment I can boast about.”
“Don’t you dare. Your brothers don’t need to know about our sex life.”
“I’m sure they’ve already speculated. You don’t know what it’s like when they get bored at the Hound.” He yawned, stretching his arms over his head. “Speaking of the Hound, Riley and Nan’s engagement party is coming up. Would you like to go?”
“Wow. Two dates. I don’t know,” she teased. “Don’t you think we’re moving a bit fast?”
“Yes,” he said, his voice serious. “But I don’t have a problem with that. Do you?”
She frowned, staring into his eyes. “No,” she said softly. “Are you angry with me?”
“No,” Danny said. “I’m just trying to be honest. I don’t want to think about you leaving, Jordan. I’m not going to think about it. I’m just going to go on as if we’re going to be together as long as we want to be together. Just like any other couple.”
“But we aren’t any other couple,” she said. “I live across the ocean.”
“Not now, you don’t. Right now, you live in Ireland.”
She snuggled closer to his naked body. “Yes, I suppose I do.”
“We have the whole day ahead of us. What would you like to do?”
“I’ll let you be the tour guide,” she said, sliding her hand down his belly. She wrapped her fingers around his shaft, now hard and ready. It always amazed him how quickly that happened with Jordan. All he had to do was think about her and the blood rushed to his crotch.
Danny groaned softly as she began to stroke him, aroused by the prospect of another lazy morning in bed. “I swear to God, you do have fairy blood running through your veins,” he murmured. “There’s pure magic in the way you touch me.”
“Maybe I do,” Jordan replied, her touch now playfully teasing. “Since the fairy circle I have been feeling a bit different.”
“You’re not human,” he said, groaning as his pleasure grew. “I’m beginning to believe that I can’t live without this.” Danny’s breath caught in his throat. “I’ve never been with a woman who makes me feel the way you do.”
“I can make you feel even better,” she said.
“I’m not sure that’s possible,” Danny replied.
Jordan slid down along his body, drawing the sheet back, inch by inch. When she reached his waist, she traced a line of kisses across his belly, then moved lower still.
Danny knew what was coming and he wasn’t about to stop her. Instead, he stretched his arms over his head
