| So what's between you and Mark?� �ibhleann looked over her french fries at her cousin, surprised at the boldness of his question. She rolled her eyes. �Look,� she sighed, �You are not my caretaker. I can look after myself. I don�t need you to tell me who I can and can�t be interested in, or what I can do with people.� Sean smiled. �Are you finished?� �Yeah.� �I just want to know because I�m nosy.� Her eyebrow rose. �You�re not gonna tell me I can�t pursue him?� He shook his head, his eyes twinkling. She smiled. �Well... nothing�s actually between us... yet. I mean, before you came around the corner, he almost kissed me.� Sean�s eyebrows shot up. �But he heard you coming and pulled away. I guess he was afraid of you beating the shit out of him.� He smiled. �So yeah, I don�t know what�s going on.� �Well, I know he�s interested.� �Sean,� she groaned. �You�re not supposed to tell me that.� �Why not?� �Because. I don�t want to know that. I�d rather find out for myself.� She laughed. �But thanks for the info.� Sean laughed. �Look, �ibhleann, I never meant to come across seeming like I was trying to control your life. I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting into before you actually got into it.� �Seriously, at this point, I�m not looking for a relationship, although I could definitely see myself with someone like Mark. I mean, I know he�s really busy, and I�m really busy. So it probably wouldn�t work out, but I do have another two months with him to find out what it would be like, you know?� Sean nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. She sighed. �I�m just worried that I�ll end up really liking him and never hear from him again once I leave the tour.� Sean nodded sympathetically. �Well, the best advice I could give you is to just find out what it would be like and, if you like being with him, if that�s what ends up happening, I�m sure you two would be able to work something out.� She nodded, smiling slightly, a twinkle in her eye. *** �Oh, you�re so going down,� �ibhleann exclaimed, chalking her cue. She leaned over, taking aim. Mark watched her silently, his eyes twinkling. He had really impressed her with that last shot of his. Too bad he scratched right afterward. It would have been a hell of a shot had he not scratched. He couldn�t help staring at her ass as she leaned over the table. He laughed as she missed. Sean cackled and took his turn, sinking the eight ball. �ibhleann sighed. �That�s game.� �I�m beat,� Sean said, stifling a yawn. �ibhleann rolled her eyes. �I think I�m gonna go ahead and go to bed.� �Party pooper,� she muttered under her breath. �I heard that.� She chuckled. �I�ll see you guys in the morning.� �ibhleann watched Mark put away his cue and looked up at him quizzically. �You�re quitting already?� He nodded slightly, taking her hand into his. She looked up into those gorgeous deep brown eyes and gulped. �Yeah. I figured we could go for a walk or something.� She nodded slightly, a small smile playing on her lips. Just kiss me now, before I rip you to shreds, she thought to herself. He didn�t, instead pulling her along with him toward the front doors. They walked in silence until they came to a small grassy area a few hundred yards from the hotel. He sat down, pulling her down with him. She laughed as she fell, plopping to the ground with a thud. He smiled. She cleared her throat. �Look, Sean and I had a little talk at dinner...� He cut her off with a kiss, and she responded, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb gently caressing the soft skin of her face. He pulled away slowly, watching her eyes open in slow motion. �I don�t care what Sean has to say about this,� he said, his voice barely above a whisper. She smiled, letting him talk before she told him what she and Sean had talked about. �I�ve never known anyone like you in my entire life, and he�s not going to stop me. If he wants to beat the crap outta me, that�s fine. But that�s not going to change anything.� She laughed slightly. �He gave me his blessing,� she said with a mischievous smile. �He�s fine with this.� Mark�s eyebrow rose. �He just volunteered it?� She nodded, leaning in for another kiss. Their lips mashed together desperately, unable to get enough. �ibhleann let a soft moan escape her, pressing closer to him. He pushed her onto her back, hovering over her slightly, his body to her side. His hand pressed against her back, and she arched it, pressing against his chest, her hand flat on his back between his shoulder blades, feeling every muscle hidden under his shirt. She let another moan escape her, and he returned one. She pulled away from him suddenly, clearing her throat. �We...uh...� His eyebrow rose, and she blushed. �We shouldn�t do this here,� she said between breaths. He smiled slightly and pulled her to her feet. She took his hand and followed him into the hotel, up the stairs, and down the hall to his room. She smiled as he opened the door and gestured for her to enter first. Once the door was closed, she found herself in his arms once again, and felt herself being pushed slowly onto the bed. She fell backward, watching him climb up on top of her, straddling her hips and she smiled up at him, reaching up a hand to curl around his neck and bring his lips to hers once again. She rolled over, now sitting on his stomach. His fingers worked at the buttons on her shirt as she pulled his t-shirt over his head and began planting kisses down his belly. He sighed, his eyes closing. A low, gravelly moan escaped him as her lips moved further and further south. *** �ibhleann woke slowly and groggily as someone shifted beside her in the bed. She slowly opened her eyes and rolled over quietly, careful not to wake whoever was next to her. Her eyes leapt out of her head as she recognized the man next to her. Her mouth dropped open. Did we do what I think we did? she asked herself. She slowly peeked under the covers and stifled a gasp. I guess so, she thought. Otherwise, he probably wouldn�t be naked, and neither would I. She smiled to herself and took another peek. What a nice ass. An evil grin crept across her face as she shifted deeper under the covers. Mark stirred and rolled over, smiling slightly at her through a yawn. She suppressed a laugh. Her laughs subsided, replaced with a solemn gaze. His eyebrow rose as another yawn overtook him. �What�s wrong?� he mumbled, still groggy from his slumber. She shook her head and rolled over, burying her head in her soft, fluffy pillow. He sighed and rolled over onto his side, scooting his body closer to her. Goose bumps rose on her skin as she felt his bare body contact hers, his warmth consuming her. �You can�t hide from me,� he whispered into her ear. She smiled. �Nothing�s wrong.� �Liar.� His arm went around her, pulling her as close as possible. He relaxed with her in his arms, nuzzling his cheek against the back of her neck, planting soft kisses there. He rubbed away the goose bumps and kissed her shoulder. �And a bad one, too. I can see right through you. Now tell me what�s bothering you or I�ll tickle you.� She laughed and squirmed, trying to free herself from his grasp, to no avail. �Why do you gotta be so damn buff?� She asked, giggling. He laughed and planted a kiss on her nose. His face became serious as he leaned in to capture her lips in his own. He watched her eyes closed before closing his own, intensifying the kiss. She pulled away from him, rolling onto her side so he couldn�t see her face. He sighed. �What is wrong with you?� he asked quietly. She shook her head. Another heavier sigh escaped his lips, and he rolled her over to face him. She sighed, avoiding his eyes. ��ibhleann, look at me.� She sighed and obliged him. His brow furrowed. �Now tell me what�s wrong with you.� She took a breath and let it out slowly. She couldn�t find her voice. �Is it about last night?� She shrugged. Of course it is, you moron. Just tell him. She couldn�t force herself to say anything. �Look, I�m not about to let you do this. I want you to be honest with me. Brutally honest. If you didn�t enjoy yourself, tell me, please. If there�s something else, please...� he trailed off, his eyes begging hers. �It�s not that,� she said, her voice cracking, as it always did in the morning. She sighed. �I guess it�s just been a while since I...� she paused to blush. �You know. And I really don�t know you all that well, and it�s not exactly my style to just... sleep with someone I don�t know.� His eyebrow rose. �You�ve been on the road with us for a month. Twenty-four seven. You can�t possibly believe you don�t know me.� She smiled slightly. �I just mean that it�s not me to just hop in the sack with someone I haven�t known a long time.� She sighed and rolled onto her side. �Maybe that was the problem I had in the past - I knew him too well.� Mark reached out a hand to smooth a curl from her forehead. �Him?� �My ex. Dan.� �You�ve only been with one guy?� She nodded slightly, embarrassed. �I guess he was the only one that would take me.� His eyebrow rose. �What�s that supposed to mean?� |