She Likes It Irish (3 page)

Sean was absolutely right: Randy was the wrong guy for her in every way. Sean, on the other hand, was looking more and more like a wish she had made on a four-leaf clover. Despite the fact that his body shivered from the cold, he was holding the door for her until she got inside. He didn’t know her, but had escorted her all the way home in the cold February weather and stayed until she was safely inside her building. Randy hadn’t even offered and she knew him—had been heartbeats away from sleeping with him.

The tenderness she felt for Sean at that moment lifted her hand to his shoulder. She let her hand slide down his arm slowly from shoulder to wrist, her fingers caressing every muscle along the way and helping her remember what they looked like without the jacket covering them. “Thank you.”

He caught her hand when it ended its trek and slid his fingers softly between hers, casually linking them. “For walking you home or for ruining your night?”

“Both,” she said. “And sorry if anything…” she glanced down, “…froze.”

“If it did, it was worth it.”

She smiled. “Well…see you around.”

“Count on it.” He winked at her.

She turned to go in, and he let her hand slip away.

“Oh, about your breasts…” he started.

She nearly ran into the door spinning back toward him. “What?”

“Never mind. You better get inside. G’night.” He smiled, released the door, and moved away slowly, still facing her.

“No, tell me,” she said.

Sean was just out of reach. She could grab his arm, stop him, get him to finish his comment, but she’d have to let go of the door. A girl doesn’t let a comment about her breasts go she reasoned as the door locked in place behind her.

“Sean,” she said, grabbing his arm.

“Yes?” he teased, the ever-present smile in place.

“Tell me!”

He reached his hand into his sweatshirt pocket, pulled out something pink, and held it up by a strap. Chuckling, she lifted her bra from his finger, but he closed his finger over the strap before she could free it.

“Just so you know—it’s not this pink thing that makes your breasts look spectacular.”

Her breath left her lungs, and she longed to yank him hard against her and kiss the breath from his lungs.

“Are you coming in or not?” someone shouted from the door.

The voice broke their connection and they turned toward it. Nattie stood in the open doorway, hands on her round hips, blonde hair wound up in a massive clip.

Sean released Kristin’s bra and she stuffed it inside her jacket.

“I’m giving up my beauty sleep holding the door open for you,” Nattie said. “Not to mention freezing my ass off.”

“Nattie, love,” Sean said. “If you get any more beauty sleep, you’ll have to keep the men away with a tazer.”

She giggled. “Sean, you do my ego good. Now kiss her goodnight so I can get back to my warm bed.”

Sean looked at Kristin and grinned. “You heard her, darlin’,” he said and stepped closer. “She thinks I should…” his hands settled low and hot on her hips and he eased himself against her, “…kiss you.”

The touch of his fingertips, his palms, burned through her jeans and singed her skin all the way to her toes. Hot and achy tendrils tugged at her core as he moved even closer, the Blarney Stone brushing against her, his breath warming her lips. He was going to kiss her, and she was going to let him. There were a lot of reasons to stop him. But as her brain fogged over with desire, she couldn’t think of one.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have to stop him. He stopped on his own. And she realized with a cold and hurtful shock that she was deeply disappointed. Time stood still as he stared into her eyes, and she waited for him to say why.

“When I kiss you for the first time, I want you to taste only me in your mouth.” He backed away slowly then, maintaining eye contact. A few paces away, he turned and ran back across campus. Pretty fast for someone wearing half-laced boots and thin boxers, she noted before she went in, floating on a warm, fluffy cloud.

****

Sean jogged the rest of the way back to his room, thoughts of Kristin warming him despite the cold.

What the hell had just happened? That sexual tension running back and forth between them? That electricity sizzling when they touched? His hands still tingled from their brief contact with her hips. Had she felt it too?
Fuck, yeah.
She wanted him. He was certain of it. The thought spread through him like a licking, consuming fire.

There wasn’t a thing about her he hadn’t noticed. A cute little nose that turned up slightly at the tip. Green eyes that set his body on fire. A perky round ass that would fill his hands perfectly. Full breasts that would give his mouth and hands hours of pleasure. A smile that sent a bolt of desire straight to his heart. A sexy laugh that made his pulse surge and his cock leap to attention. He was already imagining her long, silky chocolate hair tangling around him during sex. He could hear the sound of her sweet voice screaming his name when he made her come.

He’d been with a few women since he’d arrived a month ago, always at their initiation, and he willingly lay with them. But he hadn’t wanted them enough to have done the asking or to have invited them back for an encore. He wanted this woman, and once wouldn’t be enough. He was going to have to touch her again. And kiss her. All over her body. Often. And she’d let him. He knew it. And he couldn’t wait.

Chapter Two

Kristin prepared herself for the awkwardness of seeing Randy in class by convincing herself that nothing happened.

So they had kissed.

So they had seen each other naked.

So he’d sucked her breasts and fingered her pussy.

So she’d held his little dick in her hands.

They hadn’t actually fucked.

Besides, he had to know that their encounter had been nothing more than a weak moment, brought on by the stress of the assignment and, for her, a long period of abstinence. There was no need for anxious explanations or hasty apologies, she was sure of it.

That surety, however, didn’t keep her face from flushing hot when Randy looked up from his seat when she walked into class. All through class, she felt his eyes on her. After class, she bolted out as quickly as she could, but he caught up with her outside.

“Kristin, wait up.” He grabbed her arm to stop her. “Didn’t you hear me calling you?”

“Hey, Randy.” Her voice was neither friendly nor rude. She didn’t want to be a bitch, but neither did she want him to think they had something.

“I thought we should talk about, you know, the other night.”

She held up her hand to stop him. “No, we shouldn’t.”

“Yeah, but—” He stepped forward and his chest touched her hand.

“No.” Jerking her hand away, she took a step back and folded her arms across her chest in a protective gesture. Her stomach pitched at the thought of having to hurt his feelings. But she’d do it if he persisted in his attempt to continue what she’d so foolishly started. She would, dammit.

“Let me finish, will you?”

She clamped her mouth closed. Fine. She’d hear him out. Then break his heart.

“Uh, look…” He swallowed. “I regret what happened the other night.”

A breath of relief rushed from her lips, and her heart lifted out of her stomach. “God, I’m so glad you said that. I totally regret it, too. Good thing Sean stopped us, huh?”

His eyebrows drew together in an irritated frown. “No, what I mean is that I regret not being prepared. That we didn’t get to, you know, finish what we started.”

Kristin’s heart dropped back into the pit at every word.
Shit!
She was going to have to hurt him. And it was all her fault for getting mixed up with him in the first place. She didn’t care about him. Had been willing to use him to satisfy her urges. Stupid urges!

“And that thing you did,” Randy continued, “asking Sean for a cup of condoms—that was the best thing any girl has ever done for me. We would have used them all.” He stepped closer and tried to take her hand.

She stepped back, away from his touch. “Look, Randy. You’re a nice guy, but what
almost
happened the other night is not going to happen again. Ever.”

“I know,” he said with a chuckle, not getting her point. “Cuz I bought some condoms.”

Shit!
“No, that’s not what—”

“Yeah, a whole box. With ribs for your pleasure.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Frustration spiked her temperature, her temper, and her tongue. “It was a mistake! A big, fucking mistake!” Seeing the hurt look on his face, she inhaled, counted to five, and then exhaled. “Sorry. Shit,” she gritted and stared down at the space between them. When her temper was once again neutral, she looked up into his eyes. “You and I will never happen.” She shook her head for emphasis. “And we’re not talking about this again. Ever. Now, excuse me. I have to get to my next class.”

She turned and rushed across campus, feeling his eyes on her the whole way. Only once did she glance back over her shoulder, just to convince herself that he wasn’t following. The look on his face as he watched her go—his face red, his eyes narrowed, his mouth a clamped line—would stay with her a long time.

****

When she got home that afternoon, her roommate, Zoe, handed her a note scribbled with
Sean
and a phone number.

“Who is Sean?” she asked, one eyebrow raised.

Kristin glanced at the note then tossed it on her bed along with her backpack. Her heart pounded like she’d just run a marathon, but she willed her face not to show any emotion. The last thing she needed was for Zoe to start digging into her business. She adored her roommate, but she tended to get over-involved. And she’d hated every guy Kristin had ever been interested in.

“Nobody.” Kristin zigged.

“Mr. Nobody sounded hot. And that accent. Yum-yum-bubble-gum!”

Kristin pulled off her boots and curled up on her bed and tried not to smile.

“Well?” Zoe asked when she didn’t respond.

“Well, what?” Kristin zagged.

“Who is he?” Zoe sat beside her. “And why didn’t he call your cell phone?”

“He’s just some guy I met the other night, and he doesn’t have my number.”

“You must have made quite an impression for him to take the time to look you up.”

Your breasts are spectacular
. Kristin felt her face warm as she remembered his comment. She gave a noncommittal shrug.

“Kristin…”

“What?”

“You’re blushing.” Zoe smiled.

“No, I’m not,” she denied, but she felt heat crawling across her cheeks and down her chest, where it settled between her legs. She started to get off the bed, but Zoe stopped her.

“Don’t make me beg. Tell me about him already.”

“I don’t know him, so there’s nothing to tell.”

“At least tell me what he looks like.”

Kristin sighed and accessed the clear images of Sean in her mind. “Tall. Broad shoulders. Muscular arms. Six-pack abs—”

“Wait, you saw him without his shirt? In this weather? Where did you meet him? Between his sheets?” Zoe laughed.

“No!” Kristin got up again, but Zoe stopped her, again.

“Tell me more.”

“All right! Damn, you’re bossy! Messy blond hair—”

“Like Matthew McConaughey?”

“No, more like Paul Walker in that archaeology movie. You know the one.”

“Mmmm, yeah.” She closed her eyes. “Okay. Got it.” Opened them. “Go on.”

“Blue eyes.”
So dark they’re almost black
. “Great smile.”
So amazing it stops my heart
. “Great legs.”
And arms and abs and face and…
“No piercings or tattoos I could see.”
And boxer shorts that revealed his strong Irish pride.

Zoe slid her hands between her legs and arched her back like a cat. “He sounds Gosling-alicious. I’m horny just thinking about him. Are you guys going to hook up?”

God, I hope so,
was her first thought, but she waved off Zoe’s comment. “No.”

“You know I love you, but really, you’re way overdue for some cock.”

“Zoe!”

“Honey, it’s been two years. And you know what they say about Irish men.”

“No, what do
they
say about Irish men?”

“They don’t wear anything under their kilts, so their package always swings low to grow long and strong.”

At the thought of Sean’s long and strong package, shivers flashed across Kristin’s body and met at her crotch to spiral against her like a tongue.

“I thought it was the Scots who wore kilts?” Kristin asked, trying to get her mind off Zoe’s statement.

“That’s
so
not the point,” Zoe said.

“How about you whip out your laptop and do a search on that while I grab a shower,” Kristin said and started to rise from the bed.

“Oh no you don’t.” Zoe lay across her lap, blocking her. “You’re not getting out of here until you tell me what you’re hiding.”

Kristin knew she’d only end up telling Zoe everything eventually, so she plopped back onto the bed.

“There’s this guy in my forensics class. Randy. He’s kind of a geek, but sweet. The other night we were alone in the library, working on a report we’d been assigned. I’m not into him, but I suddenly needed someone. Of course, it didn’t take any time at all to get him to take me back to his room.”

“Of course. And then?”

“We almost had sex.”

“Almost? What, couldn’t he get it up?”

“No, it was up. But it had nothing to wear…if you know what I mean.”

“No way,” she scoffed. “I’ve never known a guy who didn’t have at least one condom with him at all times.”

“Yeah, me too, but anyway…In desperation, I went next door to borrow some from his neighbor, who turned out to be his RA—that Sean guy—who then kicked me out of the dorm because women aren’t allowed on the floor after midnight. By the way, the rule is they kick out the women
they see
, so just don’t get
seen
while you’re with Mason in his room.”