The Shamrock Read online

  “Well, I’ll just be going,” Pops said, making his way out the door and past them.

  “Traitor!” Sirai yelled.

  “Jailbird!” Pops yelled back.

  Sirai’s eye twitched and Ardan did smile.

  “Ah, the lovely little jinx. What would you prefer? An interview about any possible girl--on-girl encounters you had—while in the joint—now or later? Either one works for me. The way I see it, if you do it later, I can have everything I need set up on time and in position,” Braedan said.

  “Shut up, Braedan,” Sirai and Ardan said simultaneously.

  His younger brother rolled his eyes. “I get to have no fun around here.” Losing interest in their staring contest, he turned around and marched off.

  “Alright, let’s get this over with.” Sirai backed up, spreading her arms wide. “I have it coming.”

  His brows lifted. “What’re you talking about?” He’d give her the rope, then watch her swing.

  “Oh, don’t give me that, O’Reilly! I stole your truck!”

  He shrugged. “Yeah, but it’s not like you took off for Mexico. You came here. I can accept the fact that I was being a dick earlier, so you were well within your rights to get pissed off. Now, do you want a ride home or are you gonna call Candice?”

  She froze, stared at him with absolute distrust. “What’re you up to?”

  Ardan blinked as innocently as possible. “Nothing, and if I am, I give you free rein to kick me in the balls. Now, are you coming or what? I’m tired and I have to open tomorrow.”

  “Anything slightly funny, Irishman and your balls won’t be all you have to worry about.” Sirai made her way past him.

  Ardan just grinned evilly. Oh, he had plenty of funny things in mind.

  Sirai was on edge. Ardan hadn’t said anything to her in the last twenty minutes on the way to her place. Not a word. There was just a complete gap of silence that made her very, very nervous. Ardan was a yeller. She was used to it. So why wasn’t he yelling? And why did she still have the use of her ass as a comfortable cushion? Her hand gripped the handle on the passenger door as he pulled up behind her own car in her driveway, and before he could say a word she was out and sprinting for the safety of her home.

  She felt extremely silly when she didn’t hear any following footsteps. Turning slowly, she looked back and saw that Ardan hadn’t even moved to get out of his truck. He just rolled down the window and stared at her. “See you at work in the morning.”

  And then he was backing out of her driveway while she stood there staring after him, wondering exactly what the hell had happened.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Sirai swung her front door open then blinked at the woman standing on the other side. “Why the hell are you wearing football protective gear?”

  Candice Oliver blinked back, her large grey eyes going from Sirai to the doorway. “Because the last time I stepped across the threshold of doom, I couldn’t remember my own name for a week.”

  “And yet you insist on having movie night here instead of your place,” Sirai stated drolly, stepping to the side.

  Candy took a moment, spun around three times in a circle, marked a cross over her chest with her index finger, and then kissed the rosary hanging from her neck before answering, “And have you potentially burn down my house...again? I don’t think so.”

  Sirai rolled her eyes. “It was one time and it was a small kitchen fire.”

  “That the city of Miami had to put out.”

  “Because you overreacted and called them.”

  “I almost lost my eyebrows! I think that’s more than enough reason to call in professionals.”

  “Are you coming in or not? I wanna get to Jason Mamoa as soon as possible and you’re ruining that.”

  Candy looked up at the doorway again then around the family room. Carefully, she stepped across the threshold and took off the helmet and shoulder pads. “First sign of being maimed and I’m putting this back on.”

  Plopping down on the couch, Sirai snatched up the remote and turned on a movie. “I swear I’ll call Braedan to give me poison ivy so I can slip it into your thong drawer.”

  Candy smirked. “You could if I trusted you anywhere near my house.”

  Sirai just flipped her the bird, even though she was grinning. “Bitch.”

  “And an amazing one at that.” She got a bag of chips. “Here’s a question. It’s Saturday night and instead of being with a certain Irishman, you’re gonna be staring at Jason’s naked ass with me. Why is that?”

  “Well, I don’t think staring at Jason’s ass should be taken as some sort of bad alternative. Honestly, if somebody made me choose…”

  “Just answer the question and stop stalling.”

  Sirai shrugged. “We can’t stand each other so…”

  Candy shook her head. “That’s called sexual tension, my friend. What I don’t get is why you don’t act on it?”

  “Maybe because that same Irishman has been virtually ignoring my presence all week.”

  “Wait…what? No fights? No threats of leaving you on the outskirts of an Arabian desert? No random wedgies?”

  “We said we wouldn’t mention the wedgie incident.”

  “No,” Candy shook her head. “You said we wouldn’t mention the wedgie incident. I never agreed.”

  “Yeah well, none of those have happened. As a matter of fact, Ardan has been…polite,” Sirai grumbled.

  Candice froze, tried to speak but nothing came out, finally she set back and shrugged. “I got nothing.”

  “Me either.”

  “So what’s your plan?”

  “Plan? What plan?”

  “Well, it’s obvious from the way you’re sitting over there and pouting, you want things to go back to normal, so what’s your plan?”

  Sirai frowned. “I don’t have one.”

  “Wait, wait, wait, you don’t have a plan? The same chick that when we didn’t have a ride to after-prom, pulled up curbside in an ice cream truck with the words, ‘No time to explain. Just get in’ pouring outta her mouth before I could even ask what was going on? You’re telling me she doesn’t have a plan?”

  No, she didn’t because she knew Ardan was up to something. He was being just too damn nice. His questions were actual questions without the sarcasm attached. When he requested something, it really was a request and not a demand. And every time he looked at her there was something very calculating about his gaze. All of this made Sirai very, very irritable and very, very paranoid.

  She reached for her phone. “For now, my only plan is to order a pizza and enjoy Jason’s ass.”

  Candy rolled her eyes. “You know what you need to be calling in instead of pizza?”

  “No,” Sirai sighed as she dialed. “What?”

  “An order of dick, extra large, lots of meat.”

  And with that, Sirai pushed her best friend off the couch even though she felt like she was about to choke on something vital for laughing so hard.

  “So what you’re saying is, you have every intention of paying her back for her small larceny urge that she fulfilled, yet you’re waiting it out?”

  Ardan looked up from wiping down the bar. “Precisely.”

  Braedan sat on a stool across from him. “Why?”

  He stopped. “What?”

  “Why not just get it over with? I mean, what’s the point in waiting it out if you’re gonna do it anyway?”

  Placing the rag down, Ardan leaned on his elbows and grinned. “Because paranoia drives people to do very strange yet entertaining things, little brother.”

  Finally catching on, Braedan grinned back. “Ah, you want her on edge so she doesn’t know when it’s coming; just that it is.”

  “Take notes, maybe it’ll help you finally get a shot at Candice.”

  “I have a shot at Candice and if she’d stop with this stupid prank vendetta then I could actually take said shot.”

  Ardan shook his head. “And this is exactly why last Apri
l Fool’s when you suggested the idea of strapping her into a chair and forcing her to watch a marathon of ‘Homeboys in Outer Space’ I told you it was a bad idea. Nothing good can come from that type of inhuman torture. Therefore you are still living with the consequences.” He raised a brow. “Speaking of which, that wouldn’t happen to be why your skin looks kinda orange this week, would it?”

  His brother held up a hand. “Don’t ask.”

  A thought occurred to Sirai, and she looked at her friend. “While you’re laughing about me needing a cock—”

  “Or two.”

  Sirai ignored that. “Exactly why haven’t you cleared the cobwebs outta your vagina and revived it with Braedan yet?”

  Candice snorted. “Because the prick must pay for his twisted sense of humor before he can even have the right to fantasize about the blessing of my body bringing him pleasure.”

  “Excuse me while I throw up in my mouth a little bit. Um, you’re still bitter about the ‘Homeboys in Outer Space’ incident, aren’t you?”

  “We said we wouldn’t mention that.”

  Sirai smirked and repeated her friend’s words from earlier. “No, you said we wouldn’t mention it. I never agreed.”

  “You’re an asshole. You know that?”

  Sitting back, she got comfortable. “Yes, yes I do. I also know you want that man so I suggest you stop playing around and get him before someone else does.”

  “When I have my much needed revenge for the last stunt he pulled then I will be more than glad to fuck him through any surface available.”

  “And once again, excuse me while I throw up a little in my mouth. Hey, wait, you said ‘last stunt.’ That wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with why your hair looks a little on the blue side every time you get under light, would it?”

  Candy held up a hand. “Don’t ask.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Someone was shouting at her and it felt like every word was about to split her skull. Taking a hand she cupped it over the person’s mouth and, without opening her eyes, simply commanded, “Shush your face, please.”

  Feeling those lips smile, she cracked one lid open and then the other. When the overhead lights made contact with her eyes, she slammed them shut again as a groan left her throat.

  “What happened to me?” Sirai asked slowly.

  The shouter was trying to talk against her palm, making every word come out muffled. If she could’ve rolled her eyes without screaming in agony, she would have. Instead she just pulled her hand away. “You can un-shush your face now, random person who’s leaning over me all conspicuously. Hey, wait a second, you wouldn’t happen to be the reason I’m down here, would you?”

  There was a rumbling chuckle. Sirai felt fingertips brush gently across her forehead—moving her bangs, she guessed. “You can’t blame anybody for being a klutz but yourself, jinx.”

  All of a sudden she knew exactly the identity of the anonymous loomer. Trying to scowl, and failing miserably, she lifted a hand and pointed it at Ardan. “You! This is all your fault!”

  He jerked back. “Me? How is this my fault?”

  She sat up slowly, rubbing the back of her head. “Yes, your fault. You and this nice shit that you’ve been playing at for the past week.”

  Ardan rolled his eyes and sat back on his haunches. “What’re you talking about?”

  “Oh, don’t give me that! Ever since I stole your truck, you’ve been plotting on how to get me back. I’m on to you.” Sirai’s eyes scanned the empty bar, making sure no one else witnessed her unfortunate encounter with the small stone statue of Saint Patrick.

  Ardan had come up behind her while she’d been setting up for their annual St. Patty’s celebration in the pub and told her she looked good in green. Seeing as how she didn’t know the giant bastard was even there, it scared the shit out of her and she jumped hard enough to back into a few low shelves. Saint Patrick came tumbling down on her head and it was lights out.

  Those hazel eyes widened in his face, making him look impossibly adorable and even a little innocent. “Plotting?” he questioned. “Me?”

  “I’m not playing that game with you.” She kicked at one of his thighs. “Move it, O’Reilly.”

  “I didn’t make that statue fall on you.”

  “No, but that creepy ass Mona Lisa smile you’ve been delivering, and all the niceties have finally pushed me into madness.”

  Once she said it, Ardan grinned good and wide, and a light bulb clicked on. She really did kick him then.

  “Ow!”

  “You ass! That’s what you’ve been trying to do!”

  His grin turned into a satisfied smirk. “Apparently I’ve succeeded because you have been a complete and total looney toon.”

  Sirai could’ve strangled him right then but instead she just got up and grabbed some ice and a rag from behind the bar before placing it on the back of her head and stomping off towards the supply closet to look for the first aid kit.

  “Aw, c’mon, jinx. You can’t be mad at me for something you deserve.”

  She found the kit and got a real ice pack, but didn’t leave the closet as she turned to face him. “You know what I deserve, Ardan?”

  He stopped. “No, what?”

  “I deserve to have some got-damned peace every once in a while when I come in here. Every time I step foot through that front door, you’re on my ass! What’s your fucking problem? It’s not like I took your job when Pops hired me, and I do my job damn well despite the fact that we have ‘incidents’ every now and again. It’s like you have this sick obsession with riding my ass every chance you get. Yeah, I took your truck. Yeah, I left you sitting on the steps of the Miami P.D. Why? Because as usual you were being a dickhead! I’m sorry that I’m human and I fuck up, but as you can see, I obviously can’t help it. So help me God, Ardan Shamus O’Reilly if you don’t lay off my ass, I will quit! No matter how much I love this place!”

  She hadn’t realized that Ardan had actually come forward and backed her into a corner of the closet, or that he’d closed the door until his brows rose as he stared down at her. “Are you done?”

  Actually she was, and she felt a lot better. Aside from the throbbing in her head and nipples and clit with him so close to her. “Yeah,” Sirai answered.

  He nodded. “Good.” Then his hands gripped the tied straps of the spring green sundress she was wearing and pulled them loose before he crushed her to his chest and crushed his mouth to hers.

  Call him crazy but Sirai angry did things to him. Dirty things. Gave him images that he probably would need to purge in a confessional while getting sprayed with holy water but with the way her eyes flashed at him and her little nostrils flared, how was he supposed to control himself? Then when he got closer and saw how hard her nipples were behind that damned sundress, well, things went downhill from there.

  Sirai’s hands gripped his shoulders and he was sure she was about to try and push him away but then he changed the stroke of his tongue in her mouth and not only did she grip him tighter but she moaned. The husky sound sent a shudder down his spine and made his dick harder.

  Sirai cupped either side of his face and pulled back. He growled and went for her lips again but she shook her head. “No, wait…what…what’re you doing?”

  “The very thing I’ve wanted to do since the first time you almost killed me. The thing that’s made me an impossible asshole because I’ve been fighting it.” He tugged down the straps on her dress even further.

  Bingo. Ardan hummed in his head as he stared at the thick, juicy tips of her breasts. He cupped one and then the other, rubbing his thumbs across them.

  Sirai’s eyes slammed shut and she gripped his forearms, her nails digging in. “Just so we’re clear,” she panted, “you’ve been a prick because you wanted to fuck me?”

  He shook his head then bent to take a nipple into his mouth. When his tongue flicked over the hard bud, Sirai’s hands fisted in his hair and tugged. “It’s way more than that.”
Ardan let go as he gripped the backs of her thighs and lifted her to wrap her legs around his waist, placing her back against the wall.

  Her eyes were glazed over as she stared at him while running a hand down the side of his face. “Yeah, what?”

  He would’ve answered but her hips undulated under him, his cock nestled perfectly against the heat of her pussy, he lost all rational thought. Ardan grunted when she groaned and his lips came down on hers again as his hands slapped at the wall on either side of her head.

  Sirai’s hands went from framing his face to running down his chest, her nails scraping over his nipples, making his stomach clench as she finally found his belt buckle and undid it. One hand unzipped his jeans as the other tunneled inside, wrapping her fingers around his dick and squeezing. Ardan’s breath stilted as he kissed her then came up for air for a brief second. He couldn’t seem to keep his lips off of hers. Maybe it was because he’d watched them more times than he could count—every time she spoke—and he’d had plenty of visions of them on his own, or wrapped around his cock.

  Ardan really couldn’t take it anymore. He was done playing. Taking one hand off the wall, he reached between them and touched the tiny lace panties she was wearing before he ripped them off. The material was soaked—which let him know all he needed to. The tips of his fingers played around her clit, causing her thighs to clench tighter around his hips as she nipped his bottom lip them sucked it into her mouth to sooth the sting.

  Ardan growled low in his throat and finally took her hand off his cock so he could free it. He rubbed it between the lips of her pussy, waiting until he had her moving in a gentle rocking motion with him. Quick pants left her lips as she came up for air.

  “Ardan…”

  “Yes?” He nipped her earlobe, sucked it into his mouth and felt her shiver as her cream coated his member.

  “Please stop playing and fuck me.”

  Sirai didn’t have to ask twice, he pulled back and rammed into her, but cradled her to his chest so he wouldn’t run the risk of banging her head on the wall.