AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What is it?” I demanded after a couple minutes.
“If you were mine, I wouldn’t leave you standing by a bar.”
That had me rolling my eyes. “Not even to use the bathroom?”
“He didn’t head toward the bathroom, though, did he?”
I tensed. “You were watching?”
“Of course. Had to know if you were a damsel in distress in need of saving or not.”
“I’m married,” I said firmly, turning to look at him, but as I did, maybe it was a flicker of the light, something about his expression— “Do I know you?” Whatever I’d been about to ask, it was shoved aside by that whisper of recognition I felt.
“I doubt it. I’m fresh off the boat. Been a long time since I was in the States.” He sent me a look I could only describe as curious. “The name’s Dagda.”
“You’re Irish,” I said flatly, not introducing myself.
“I am.” He smirked, but was it just me or did he seem disappointed? “Was it the accent that gave it away?”
“Do you have some kind of grievance against the O’Donnellys?” I demanded.
“Who are they?” He frowned as he took a sip of his drink. “I know a Donnghal. That NHL player in Canada that just got himself kidnapped. That the one?”
He appeared sincere, but it didn’t stop me repeating, “I’m married.”
“You’ve said that already,” he drawled. “I just happened to see a fine-looking woman with a head of hair as fiery as the sun, standing on her lonesome by the bar. What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t keep her company?”
His voice felt familiar. But how could it be when I'd never met the man?
Curiosity had me twisting to face him fully. “Your accent…”
“What about it?”
Slowly, I shook my head. “I-I—”
“Aoife?”
Finn’s growl was like a splash of cold water in my face, but in a good way. Not bad.
His hand moved around my waist, and like the proprietorial alpha jackass he was, he hauled my back to his front as if I were a bag of potatoes. I didn’t argue though. I needed the support.
That voice… it reminded me of something. I just couldn’t put my finger on it.
“Who are you?” Finn demanded when I didn’t answer him.
“Just a man standing by a bar, that’s all,” the stranger replied with a winsome smile that fell short because, deep in his eyes, nothing had changed.
I felt as if I’d just opened Pandora’s box and was staring deep into the abyss. Everything hateful was buried within those shamrock-green eyes, and yet, I sensed he didn’t hate me.
How bizarre.
He walked off a second later, raising his drink to me before he faded away.
“Aoife?”
I blinked, recognizing that Finn had repeated my name a couple times. “What?”
“Are you all right?” He growled under his breath. “Your fucking guards—”
