Irish Sex Fairy

“Good. So, tonight…wa

She blinked. “A movie?”

“Yeah. My buddies Dillon and Joey—I think you know Dillon?”

“Yes, I remember him.”

“They’re taking their wives out to a movie tonight and they invited me to come. I thought you might like to join us.”

It sounded almost like a date. Keara nibbled her bottom lip. “Um…I guess so.”

He laughed. “Don’t worry, they’re harmless. It’ll be fun. I’ll pick you up at seven. We’ll probably go out for a drink after too.”

Fun. What a concept.

She and Shane had had a lot of fun together lately, just the two of them. Meeting his friends added a new dimension to the whole sex relationship thing.

But his friends were fun. After the movie, they all went to O’Doole’s Pub and argued about the movie and laughed and teased Shane about the first girl he’d kissed and how her mouth had ended up bleeding from Shane’s braces. Joey and Dillon shared Shane’s sense of humor, and their wives Lisa and Gwen included her in conversations that she might have felt left out of, not knowing them and their clearly long and friendly history. When Shane dropped her off at Maeve’s near midnight, he walked her upstairs into the quiet apartment, one lamp on in the living room, Maeve’s bedroom door closed.

Shane pulled her into his arms and kissed her, and she found herself responding with a deeper intensity of feelings, a new warmth and affection for him after the casual, relaxing fun evening. So when he pulled back to smile down at her, she couldn’t help but smile back, loving the circle of his arms around her.

“I’m off tomorrow,” he murmured. “We should do something.”

“Like what?” All they usually did, until tonight, was have sex. Hot, bone-melting, sheet-ripping sex.

“Let’s drive to one of the wineries nearby. There’s a nice one near Santa Ynez. We can have lunch, do the tour, taste some wine…”

Her eyes widened. It sounded like another date. It sounded…amazing. “Okay.”

Chapter Sixteen

Shane drove to Santa Ynez. Above them, a few wispy clouds streaked the cerulean sky. Golden fields stretched away from the highway, to the Santa Ynez Mountains, and yellow, orange and purple wildflowers brightened the roadside. At one point, they passed two men on horseback, plodding along in the hot sun, their Stetsons shielding their faces from the sun. One lifted a hand in a greeting as they passed.

Shane parked his vehicle on the main street in Santa Ynez, and they stood on the sidewalk looking at the western-style buildings, a quaint contrast to Kilke

“Where should we have lunch?” he asked. “How about the Ranchman’s Coffee Shop?”

The sun lit up Keara’s hair into a fiery halo. She’d slid sunglasses onto her face so he couldn’t see her eyes, but her lips curled into a smile. “Sure.”

He took her hand as they walked across the street, felt her almost withdraw from his grasp then relax.

They entered the coffee shop and were soon seated. Inside was all wood and wrought iron, with leather and western artifacts decorating the walls and shelves.

“Cute,” she commented, pushing her big sunglasses on to the top of her head, gazing around with interested eyes.

She was cute. Damn. He dragged his gaze away from her to look at the menu the hostess had set in front of him. They ordered lunch, took their time eating.

“You’ve been doing better lately, haven’t you,” Shane said, fingers playing with a paper napkin. He looked up from it.

Keara nodded. “Yes.” She pressed her lips together, and met his eyes. “Thanks to you.”

He gri

She laughed. “I guess it’s true.”

“Seriously, though.”

“Better, but I still get a bit anxious thinking about going back to work. I’m still worried about being able to make decisions.”

“Don’t go back.”

Her eyes flew wide. “What?”

He shrugged and looked down at the paper napkin again. “Don’t go back. If it’s worrying you, maybe it’s not worth it. It’s just a job. You can find another one.”

She stared at him, lips parted. Then she shook her head. “I can’t do that. It’s not just a job. It’s my career. It’s…who I am.”

“It’s not all of who you are,” Shane said softly. “You’re more than just a bank manager, Keara.”

“Well, I know, but…you don’t understand.”

“Make me understand.”

She tilted her head and gazed across the coffee shop for a long moment, then back at him. “My parents were very um…successful. My dad was the CEO of Palladium. I was just starting my career there when they were both killed in a car accident.”

Shane’s breath leaked out. He nodded.

“My mom was a vice president at Ezron Savings and Loan. They both wanted me to follow in their footsteps. They helped me take the best courses in college.”

“Your dad got you the job.”

“No.” Her chin jutted. “I got the job on my own. I wanted to make him proud. And he was. I wanted to make them both proud. And now they’re gone, I feel like I have a mission—to go as high in the bank as I can. I may not ever be CEO, but I have a career plan at Palladium. I’m going to do it. I’m going to get back on track, and I’m still going to do it. I have to.”

He nodded slowly, turning her words over in his head. That explained quite a bit. Her determination and dedication to her career. He got it. For some reason, it kinda made him feel depressed. But he got it. There were things that mattered that much to him, too, including his own career.

“You will,” he agreed and forced a smile. “You are smart and strong, Keara. You’ll do it and it’ll be fine.”

“Thanks.” Her hesitant smile made his heart squeeze.

After lunch, they emerged back out into bright spring sunshine and both slid sunglasses on.

“Let’s wander around, look in some of the shops,” Shane said, starting down the street, again taking her hand. This time her fingers curled into his warm and willing. “There are some nice places and wine-tasting rooms.”

“Sounds cool.”

They spent a while in one room where artists were painting, then tasted a few different wines. They browsed in a few interesting little shops and galleries, sat in the sunshine and ate ice cream, then started the drive to The Bridle Path Winery.

Tidy vineyards lined the narrow road to the winery, and the parking lot they arrived at was crowded. “This is a popular place,” Shane said.

“It’s stu

“This is a 2002 Pinot Noir,” they were told as they accepted a glass of ruby-red wine. They each swirled the glass, inhaled the aromas of cherry, raspberry and sweet vanilla-oak. “This wine has typical red fruit flavors, like raspberries, cranberries and cherries, with spice on the long finish. Big but balanced. If you like Pinot Noir, you should enjoy this one.”

Next they sampled a Syrah, with the taste of blackberry, smoky pipe tobacco, white pepper and oak. At the end of their tasting, Shane asked, “Which one did you like best?”

“Hmm. I think the Pinot Noir.”

And he bought a bottle of it and handed it to her. “Here. For you.”

“Thank you,” she said slowly, taking the bottle in both hands.

“Maybe you’ll share it with me some time.”

She tipped her head and smiled. “Maybe.”

A few days later, Keara was supervising the installation of the security system on the door. Maeve had opted for a key pad, and each person who had access would have their own code. It made Keara feel better about Maeve’s safety after she was gone.