Mags deflated at the thought but knew Gray was right. “I won’t, I promise.”
Three and a half hours passed with gobs of laughter, dancing, and perhaps a smidge more champagne than they should have indulged. She’d spotted Jonathan, Daniel, and Ciar holding court with their fan club here and there, boys and girls, but she did her best to enjoy the rare night and forget Jonathan’s existence because Mags knew she certainly wasn’t remotely on his radar.
As midnight approached, Bébhinn dragged Gray onto the dance floor, though Gray quickly threw her hands up in a “no way” gesture. Bébhinn just laughed and danced in front of her.Blair excused herself. She wanted a closer inspection of the club’s plants and flowers surrounding the grounds. That left Mags to slip out on one of the ballroom’s balconies alone.
She could have gone with Blair, as she loved her cousin’s passionate descriptions of anything green. She also could have joined her friends on the dance floor. Neither held much appeal.
Truth be told, she’d tried to enjoy the evening, and she had, just not perhaps as much as she had portrayed. Jonathan had different girls hanging off his arm all night, each prettier than the last. It was foolish and, at times, downright torture to watch. Jonathan was only into girls who looked perfect on his arm. She knew he’d never thought of her that way. He treated her like a pest on a good day—Bébhinn’s little friend.
They weren’t so far apart in age, but in school years…it just wasn’t done. Mags settled her bare back against the cold stone of the balcony that overlooked the grounds and waited for midnight to come and go.
Thank God for the heated standing lamps, or she would have frozen to death. She heard the teenagers and young adults inside start counting down.
20. 19. 18. 17.
“Are you hiding, Mags?”
She almost swallowed her tongue in fright when Jonathan’s husky voice sounded so close to her ear. “Christ, Jon,” she panted, placing a ridiculously demure hand over her heaving breast.
14. 13. 12. 10.
“Have you ever kissed a boy?
“Yes.” Barely.
His jaw clenched, but he asked, “Do you want to kiss me?”
8. 7. 6. 5. 4.
This was her chance. She wasn’t about to play coy. “Yes.”
2.
She had cold stone at her back and Jonathan’s hot body pressed to her front. He dipped low and gently touched their lips together as firelights flashed in the sky.
For one heart-stopping minute, he deepened the kiss until she felt like her legs would give out, and even his hands at her waist wouldn’t stop her toppling over.
He moaned as their tongues dueled, and she knew she’d found heaven. His hands left her waist and began to creep up her naked back, but that’s where it ended.
Jonathan broke the kiss with a curse. “Christ, Mags. I?—”
She had no idea what he’d been about to say because at that critical moment where euphoria met uncertainty, one of his drunk friends stuck his head out the door and yelled for him to get back inside.
Surely, he wouldn’t leave her out here. Surely, he wouldn’t leave her without a word.
He did.
When she’d pulled herself together enough to join the party, Jonathan was at the center of the dance floor completely sucking the face off a Barbie wannabe with his hands full of her ass.
While still deep in the kiss, he met her eyes over the girl’s shoulder.
He never broke the kiss.
one
DUBIN, IRELAND
AILEEN BARR MORROW
