O'Reilly's Bride. Trish Wylie

encouraged him for this long, now, could she? He didn’t deserve it.

      She swallowed hard. One kiss wouldn’t kill her. In a way she guessed she owed him. And then she’d find a way to let him down gently. First thing tomorrow.

      With a breath she found words. ‘You’re a very nice person, Bryan.’ ‘And so are you.’

      He stopped an inch or two away from her and asked, ‘I was wondering if you would mind if I kissed you?’

      She smiled weakly. ‘That would be all right, I think.’

      Lifting his hands, he cupped her elbows and moved his head closer to hers.

      Maggie held her breath and hoped fervently he wouldn’t try for anything more than a kiss. Her guilt only actually stretched so far.

      But all he did was brush his mouth across hers. Then he blinked down at her, his nose close to hers, and said, ‘Thank you.’

      Maggie blinked back. That was it? ‘You’re welcome.’

      Bryan stepped back and released her elbows. ‘I had a lovely time, Maggie. I’ll call you tomorrow.’

      Still blinking in astonishment, Maggie nodded as he turned away. ‘OK.’

      There was a small scuffle of gravel followed by a brief grunt. Maggie raised her eyebrows. ‘You OK?’

      ‘I’m fine!’ he called back to her. ‘Don’t worry. I’m almost at the car now.’

      After another few seconds she heard a door open and saw the dim light from the car’s interior. Then the engine started and she waved as the headlights spun over her.

      She glanced up at the dark sky and sighed.

      ‘Well, he’s a keeper.’

      Her head jerked in the direction of Sean’s voice as he stepped out of the dark and into the circle of light at the door. ‘How long have you been there?’ He smiled slowly. ‘Since just before that passionate kiss goodnight.’

      Her chin rose an inch. ‘I had no idea you were into voyeurism.’

      ‘I could take it up with all this romance in the air.’ He stepped around her and looked upwards. ‘I don’t think I’ve come across a guy so swept up in passion that he took the time to ask permission for a kiss and then said thank you afterwards.’

      ‘And I suppose you wouldn’t wait to ask?’ The words dripped with sarcasm but she wavered when he fixed her with his dark eyes, his smile slow and sensual.

      ‘Hell, no.’

      Her mouth went dry.

      Sean’s smile grew when she didn’t come back at him with one of her usual quick answers. ‘There’s a lot to be said for spontaneity.’

      ‘There’s also a lot to be said for good manners.’

      He stepped around her again when she tried to move. ‘So does he ask permission for everything he does?’

      ‘I’m not answering that.’

      ‘I can just picture it.’ He stopped in front of her as he continued in a low drawl, ‘I’ll just bet he’s mannerly every step of the way.’

      Maggie clenched her teeth. She wouldn’t let him get the better of her. ‘He’s a very nice person. Unlike some people I could mention right now.’

      ‘I’m sure.’

      ‘He’s considerate.’

      ‘I’d imagine so.’

      She frowned up at him, her eyes sparking. ‘He would never do anything I didn’t want him to.’

      Sean tilted his head to one side and studied her for a split-second. ‘Or surprise you with anything that you might enjoy either.’

      Maggie’s breath caught and without her thinking about it her eyes swept to his mouth.

      Sean stepped closer. ‘Where’s the thrill, Maggie, the passion? How can he get your pulse racing if he asks permission for everything?’

      She knew she should have a smart answer for his questions but right at that moment, for the life of her, she couldn’t find one. All she could do was watch his mouth as he spoke and feel the air crackle around her.

      ‘Would you mind if I kissed you, Maggie?’

      Her eyes shot up to meet his.

      ‘Would you mind if I undressed you a little, Maggie?’

      She swallowed hard.

      ‘Would you mind if I took you to bed, Maggie?’ He blinked down at her, his dark eyes getting darker. ‘Or maybe you wouldn’t mind if we just made love right here, Maggie?’

      ‘Stop it.’ The words tumbled out on a shaky breath.

      ‘Is that really what you want?’ He stepped back from her. ‘That cool politeness every step of the way?’

      ‘You have no idea what I want.’

      He glanced down, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans before he looked back at her. ‘Maybe not. But I know what you deserve. And that guy isn’t it.’

      Maggie felt her lower lip tremble. She would not break down in front of him, she couldn’t! She couldn’t show him that his words had got to her, on many levels. Because every question he had asked had her running hotter than Hades. Because the questions had come from his lips and her imagination had provided the mental images to go with them. Bryan had been nowhere in sight, mentally or physically.

      With a deep, steadying breath she looked him straight in the eye. ‘You have no right to tell me what I do and do not want from any guy. I make my own decisions.’

      ‘Oh, I know, even when they’re bad ones.’

      ‘Because everything you do is just so right all the time, isn’t it?’ She scowled at him. ‘You’re just perfect, right?’

      ‘No,’ he smiled a slightly lopsided smile at the comment, ‘that I’m most definitely not and we both know that I’m not.’

      Maggie shook her head. ‘No, you’re not. But when you reckon you are and all your relationships are perfect then you can come and criticise mine.’

      ‘You can’t tell me you’re seriously considering staying with that guy?’ His eyes widened in question.

      ‘That wouldn’t be any of your business, would it?’ She fumbled inside her bag for her key, her eyes having to look down until she located it. Then she glanced up again, finally rediscovering her spine along the way. ‘I’ll follow my heart, Sean. Maybe you should try doing the same. That way we both stand a chance of finding the right person for ourselves.’

      Sean stepped aside as she walked up the steps, fitted her key in the door and disappeared inside.

      He stood for a long time staring at the door. Then he turned and looked out into the darkness.

      When he’d come outside for a walk around the house it was because he hadn’t been able to sleep, not because he was spying on Maggie. He had needed to think about how he could try and mend their friendship, how he could discover what was bothering her and help fix it. Because he missed her. He really did.

      Walking in on her with her ‘boyfriend’ had been completely unintentional. As had the clenching of his fists when the other man had leaned in to kiss her. If it had gone anything beyond that tepid touch of mouths he might even have unintentionally interrupted them. Or unintentionally felt the need to use one of those clenched fists.

      Instead he’d ended up having one of the most sensual conversations of his life.

      That conversation, too, might have been at least partially unintentional. But once he’d started he couldn’t seem to stop himself. It certainly wouldn’t have done