turned off the idea of roasted meat for a while, Billy, but thanks,” Dana said.
Sarah slipped around the naked old man with her duffel and portfolio and mumbled some more as she passed. “I’ll see you back in Durham,” she called out when she was safely down the stairs.
“Yeah.”
Patrick came out a moment later, his hair dark hair slicked back, and body’s bottom half wrapped in a white towel.
“I just stuck around long enough to get Sarah packed up. I’m out,” Dana said, her hand already on her bag. “It’s been a long couple of days.”
Patrick opened his mouth to say something, but instead of speaking, turned his head toward Billy.
Billy put up his hands, turned, and bounded down the stairs.
Patrick went to the door and closed it. “What’s the hurry?”
She gave him a long blink. “Are you kidding me? You were there. We just had a fire fight with a were-bear with a Napoleon complex, two expert knife-throwers, apparently—welcome to the goddamned mountains—and a bunch of flunkies and lackies that came out of nowhere, and you’re asking me what the hurry is? Paddy, Paddy, Paddy . Those motherfuckers saw me. They saw Sarah. They saw both of us put bullet holes in a few of them. Now, they may have run away, but I get the feeling they’ll fight another day and soon. Just give them some time to get patched up. If I see those two cats of yours—”
Patrick put up his hands. “No, no. Not mine, remember? Those are the same idiot kids that turned me? Thought they’d rob me and leave me in tatters?”
“So, what are you going to do? Turn them over your knees and spank them?”
He blew out a breath and ground his palms against tired eyes. “I dunno. Honestly, the only reason I went out there to fetch the idiots is because I didn’t want you getting hurt. It wasn’t your fight. No matter. I’m going back to Durham to see what’s left of my pub. See what kind of mess it’s in on my namesake holiday.”
“And then next month, what?”
“I guess I’ll be back here.”
“Now that you have a target on your ass from the bears, right? I thought you said your sense of self-preservation was higher than that.”
He pushed away from the door and grabbed the front of her waistband in a flash, drawing her close so her chest ground against his. “Look, I helped escalate the mess, so I can’t leave these people on the lurch. Someone has to clean it up.” He stroked her chin with the back of his hand and she wondered how dare he be so charming, so beautiful when she was so pissed.
“Why does it have to be you? Why can’t you leave them to take care of their own shit? You can lock down next month. Go somewhere safe near home if you’re worried you’ll get out and hurt someone.”
He shook his head and looked at her tenderly before grazing his soft lips across her forehead. “I’m not the kind of man who takes the easy way out.”
He felt so good, and smelled so nice and she wanted nothing more than to be wrapped in his arms and smothered in his hot kisses for the day…but that would give her hope for something that wasn’t possible. He obviously had a death wish, and she’d figured out she kind of liked life.
She pressed her palms against his naked chest and gave him a small push.
He eyed her curiously, but took a step back, respecting her space.
She walked to the door, heaving her bags up to her shoulders, and gave him one last look over her shoulder. “See ya, dirty cat.”
He cringed. “Bye, shrew.”
Patrick had expected his pub to be a mess upon his return, but it was surprisingly tidy. He wondered what had gotten into his staff as he made his way through the dense crowd, some still dressed in their excessively festive Saint Patrick’s Day 5K get-ups and running shoes as they laughed, and draped over the bar with their green drinks.
He understood why the place was so organized when his gaze landed on the busty blonde stranger behind the bar, barking orders in an accent
Sarah slipped around the naked old man with her duffel and portfolio and mumbled some more as she passed. “I’ll see you back in Durham,” she called out when she was safely down the stairs.
“Yeah.”
Patrick came out a moment later, his hair dark hair slicked back, and body’s bottom half wrapped in a white towel.
“I just stuck around long enough to get Sarah packed up. I’m out,” Dana said, her hand already on her bag. “It’s been a long couple of days.”
Patrick opened his mouth to say something, but instead of speaking, turned his head toward Billy.
Billy put up his hands, turned, and bounded down the stairs.
Patrick went to the door and closed it. “What’s the hurry?”
She gave him a long blink. “Are you kidding me? You were there. We just had a fire fight with a were-bear with a Napoleon complex, two expert knife-throwers, apparently—welcome to the goddamned mountains—and a bunch of flunkies and lackies that came out of nowhere, and you’re asking me what the hurry is? Paddy, Paddy, Paddy . Those motherfuckers saw me. They saw Sarah. They saw both of us put bullet holes in a few of them. Now, they may have run away, but I get the feeling they’ll fight another day and soon. Just give them some time to get patched up. If I see those two cats of yours—”
Patrick put up his hands. “No, no. Not mine, remember? Those are the same idiot kids that turned me? Thought they’d rob me and leave me in tatters?”
“So, what are you going to do? Turn them over your knees and spank them?”
He blew out a breath and ground his palms against tired eyes. “I dunno. Honestly, the only reason I went out there to fetch the idiots is because I didn’t want you getting hurt. It wasn’t your fight. No matter. I’m going back to Durham to see what’s left of my pub. See what kind of mess it’s in on my namesake holiday.”
“And then next month, what?”
“I guess I’ll be back here.”
“Now that you have a target on your ass from the bears, right? I thought you said your sense of self-preservation was higher than that.”
He pushed away from the door and grabbed the front of her waistband in a flash, drawing her close so her chest ground against his. “Look, I helped escalate the mess, so I can’t leave these people on the lurch. Someone has to clean it up.” He stroked her chin with the back of his hand and she wondered how dare he be so charming, so beautiful when she was so pissed.
“Why does it have to be you? Why can’t you leave them to take care of their own shit? You can lock down next month. Go somewhere safe near home if you’re worried you’ll get out and hurt someone.”
He shook his head and looked at her tenderly before grazing his soft lips across her forehead. “I’m not the kind of man who takes the easy way out.”
He felt so good, and smelled so nice and she wanted nothing more than to be wrapped in his arms and smothered in his hot kisses for the day…but that would give her hope for something that wasn’t possible. He obviously had a death wish, and she’d figured out she kind of liked life.
She pressed her palms against his naked chest and gave him a small push.
He eyed her curiously, but took a step back, respecting her space.
She walked to the door, heaving her bags up to her shoulders, and gave him one last look over her shoulder. “See ya, dirty cat.”
He cringed. “Bye, shrew.”
Patrick had expected his pub to be a mess upon his return, but it was surprisingly tidy. He wondered what had gotten into his staff as he made his way through the dense crowd, some still dressed in their excessively festive Saint Patrick’s Day 5K get-ups and running shoes as they laughed, and draped over the bar with their green drinks.
He understood why the place was so organized when his gaze landed on the busty blonde stranger behind the bar, barking orders in an accent
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