He was left in only his boxers and when he hooked his fingers in the waistband, Jordan sucked in a sharp breath. With deliberate ease, he slowly slid them down until he was standing in front of her, completely naked.

“All right,” she finally said. “It would probably be better to call my father tomorrow. He’s always in a bad mood on Tuesdays.”

“That’s my girl,” Danny said. “Since I’ve had a head start, I’ll let you catch up before we race to the pool.”

“Here?”

Danny nodded. “Yes.”

Jordan took the opportunity to perform a very sexy striptease for him and when she had him completely distracted with her naked body, took off for the door. Danny headed to the kitchen and the stairs that led down from there, but Jordan took the opposite path, taking the stairs near the front door. By the time he reached the pool, she was already treading water in the deep end.

“You have a half hour,” she called, her voice echoing against the tiles. “You’d better make it worth my time.”


IT WAS NEARLY 9:00 p.m. when Jordan pulled up in front of the manor house. The drive back and forth to Wexford was a long one, but her time had gone to a good cause. Over the past sixteen months, she’d visited hundreds of antique stores all over Ireland. To her delight, she’d found period fixtures for almost every room in the manor house. Today had brought a small chandelier for the upper hallway.

The only problem with a day away was that she hadn’t had her regular dose of Danny Quinn. She’d grown used to seeing him whenever the impulse stuck.

But the ride to Wexford had given her time to think about all that had happened since his arrival at Castle Cnoc. Though she’d vowed to keep their relationship simple, the deeper her affections grew, the more difficult it became. She found herself fantasizing about a real future with the sexy Irishman.

She imagined them strolling the streets of Manhattan together, buying a weekend house in Connecticut, keeping an apartment in the city, enjoying everything that New York had to offer. Other times, she imagined herself living here in Ireland, raising a family and making a home with him. But always, she came to the realization that if they were to have a future, one of them would have to sacrifice.

Though she’d been determined to call her father and give him her ultimatum, Jordan had been putting it off for the past few days. Tomorrow was Friday and after that, the weekend. She’d call him at home on Sunday morning, knowing that without the pressures of the office, he might be more amenable. Plus, her mother would be there to run interference.

In truth, she was afraid of his answer. If he did allow her to quit, then she had to decide what to do with the rest of her life. At least now, everything was still in limbo. She still had choices.

As she stepped out of the car, she saw Danny standing at the front door. The scaffolding was gone and the original door was hung with brand-new hinges and hardware. Progress, she mused. That always brought a smile to her face.

“Hey, baby,” he said with a devilish smile. “Welcome home.”

“You’ve been busy,” she said. “It looks incredible.” He swung the door back and forth on its hinges, demonstrating how smoothly it worked. “Very nice job. Have you been waiting here long?”

“All afternoon. But I have a good reason,” he said.

“You always have a good reason,” she teased.

He strode up to her and picked her up off her feet, wrapping her legs around his waist. “I’m not always thinking about sex,” he said. “I have other things going on in my life.”

“Like what?”

Danny carried her into the house. But instead of heading back to the office, he carried her up the stairs, his mouth warm on her throat. They walked to her bedroom and then into the bathroom.

“What are we doing?”

“I’m going to draw a bath for you and then you’re going to relax and tell me about your day. And then I’m going to ask you something and you’re going to say yes.”

“Don’t I always say yes?”

“That’s true. And after you say yes, we’re going to have some dinner and spend the rest of the night in bed.”

She slipped out of her jacket and tossed it aside, then rubbed her stiff neck. Hours in the car had exhausted her and she couldn’t think of anything she wanted more than a hot bath. But her curiosity was piqued. What was he going to ask? she wondered. What was so important to him that he’d bribe her with a bath to get a positive response?

“Ask me now,” Jordan demanded.

“It can wait,” he said.

As the water ran into the huge clawfoot tub, Danny slowly undressed her. When she was naked, he stood back and stared at her. It felt odd for him to be fully clothed while she was naked. Not odd, she thought. Erotic. “No, I want to know now. Did you go over budget? Did you mess something up?”

“It’s not about the house.” He helped her into the tub, then handed her a glass of wine that he’d set on the floor.

“What is it?” she asked, sinking down into the hot water. “I want to know.”

He cursed softly. “This is supposed to be relaxing and now you’re all tense,” he said. “It’s really nothing.”

“If it’s nothing, than you can ask me now. Do you need a day off? Is that it?”

He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and handed her an envelope. “It’s an invitation to my gallery opening on Saturday night. I’m showing a couple of pieces and I thought you might like to come with me. As my date.”

Jordan stared at the invitation, warmed by his offer. “Yes,” she murmured. “Yes, I’d love to go as your date.”

He seemed pleased with her answer, dropping a quick kiss on her shoulder. “It’s in Dublin. I thought we could go and spend the night. Maybe see a bit of the city on Sunday. Make a weekend out of it.”

Though Jordan had never spent more than a day away from Castle Cnoc, she realized that time with Danny was running out. There were so many things she wanted to experience with him, but every day that passed was one less she’d have with him. By her estimate, they had less than a month left. And yet, any time spent in Danny’s company was better than her solitary life in New York.

Was he really what she’d been waiting for? This wasn’t supposed to be how it happened. She wasn’t supposed to fall in love with an Irish blacksmith with thick, dark hair and bottomless blue eyes.

She opened her eyes and glanced at him. Danny wasn’t pretty, he was sheer masculine perfection. He wore his looks the way he wore his clothes, casually, as if he weren’t aware of the effect they had on her. She was so accustomed to neatly tailored men that he seemed exotic and forbidden.

“In Manhattan, gallery openings are pretty fancy affairs. Are they that way in Dublin?”

He chuckled. “You’re going to see me in a proper jacket,” he said. “No tie, but I’m going to look very sexy. The women will be all over me.”

“I didn’t ask so you could tell me about your wardrobe choice. I’ll need to decide on a dress.”

“I could take you shopping,” he said.

“I have the perfect dress at home. I’ll have it sent from New York this afternoon.”

“Then it’s all settled. On Saturday, we’re going to Dublin.” He was watching her through hooded eyes. “Now, tell me about your day.”

“Chandelier for the upper hallway, monogrammed towels for the bathrooms, still looking for decent sheets. May have to do mail order from Frette. Unless I take a weekend and go to Italy for linens. Or Paris.”

“Is that even a possibility?”

“Yes,” Jordan said. “If that’s what’s needed, that’s what I’ll do. I’d prefer to stick with Irish linens though. Maybe if we left tonight, I could shop tomorrow in Dublin.” She groaned softly and leaned back in the bath. “God, I’m so sick of shopping.” She glanced over at him. “Enough about me. What did you do all day long?”

“Thought about you in the bed,” he said. “Made some hinges. Thought about you in the bathtub. Worked on the garden gate. Thought about you in the swimming pool, designed a front gate for the drive.”

“Really?” She laughed. “So, you had a productive day.”

“Yes,” he said. “So, boss, give me a job to do. I could rub your feet. Or wash your back. Or massage your shoulders.”

“All of those would be nice,” she murmured.

“I’ll start with the shoulders.” He sat down behind her and began to knead the knotted muscles. She tipped her head to the side and he pressed his lips to a spot at the base of her neck. “Do you ever wonder what you’d be doing if you hadn’t come here to Castle Cnoc?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Our lives seem so intertwined here. What if you were alone? What would you be doing right now?”

“I’d probably be sitting at the pub, having a beer with my brothers. Maybe tending the bar, drawing Guinness. Then a game of darts or billiards.” He chuckled. “Jaysus, I had a boring life before I met you.”

“Me, too,” she said. “I spent my free time searching the internet for fabric and furniture and fixtures. The highlight of my evening would be my decision whether to have a ham sandwich or a grilled cheese. Dinner would be followed by whatever bestseller I was reading.”

“I’d say we were damn lucky to meet each other.”

“You’ve ruined me for other men, you know.”

“How is that?”

“The sex. It’s too good.”

He rested his chin on her shoulder. “How can the sex be too good?”

“I never really thought sex was important,” Jordan admitted. “My parents aren’t very loving with each other. Our family shows affection by insulting each other. We just weren’t…physical. But with you, we always seem to be touching.”

“I like that,” Danny said.

“Me, too. And I never thought I would. I’d sit in the subway or at the park and watch couples hanging all over each other and wonder why they couldn’t contain themselves. Now I understand.” She turned and kissed his cheek. “Just the tiniest thing can bring the biggest thrill.”