So I won’t hesitate no more, no more. It cannot wait…I’m yours.

  Her cheeks had bloomed with pleasure, but her chest had tightened with the swift reminder of how much he’d come to mean to her in the short time she’d known him and how much she wanted her feelings to have the chance to grow. Except that every day they spent together was also one day closer to them saying good-bye.

  When she’d agreed to “wait” for him, they hadn’t discussed what that would look like when they were finally free to explore their feelings for each other. But the closer that day came, the more she forced herself to face the implausibility of it. She lived in New Hampshire, where she was happy—she loved her job and her cottage and being so close to her brothers. And from everything he’d shared with her, he was—in his own words—“Boston proud,” a fourth-generation police officer.

  Would they have some kind of long-distance relationship that relied on technology, keeping in touch over the phone with occasional visits? Was it possible to sustain a long-term relationship that way? She wasn’t sure. She’d never tried it before, though she felt strongly that texts and phone calls were no substitute for reaching for someone, kissing them as well, or holding them after a bad day.

  And what if—against all odds—the feelings they had now only continued to grow? Would he expect her to move to Boston? Would she expect him to move to New Hampshire? Which of them would have to make the sacrifice of leaving their family, their home, their life? Because she didn’t love it that either of them would have to uproot themselves from a life they’d chosen and built.

  It was premature for these questions on one hand, but Tierney was a sensible person; she wasn’t going to leave the scenario for dating Burr unexplored in her head. Her bottom lip slipped between her teeth, and she snuck another look at him. Watching the sky, his profile was strong and handsome—high cheekbones; dark hair, brows, and lashes; the shadow of a black beard highlighting his strong jaw. Her attraction to him was extreme, but her body wasn’t the only thing affected by Burr; more and more, her heart was on the line too.

  Would something emotionally intense, but ultimately temporary, be worth the heartache later? Because she couldn’t picture herself living happily in a big city, and she couldn’t picture him leaving it for a girl he barely knew.

  The grand finale rent the starless sky, decorating the firmament like the most brilliant-ever Christmas tree…and then, with a handful of wistful bangs, the show was over, the dark sky left empty and forlorn.

  “Ah, that was great,” said Burr, turning to her with a wide, easy grin. “Fireworks make me feel like a kid on the Fourth of July!”

  She wanted to smile back at him, but she found herself a little stuck in her head, which still whirled with unplayed scenarios and troubling eventualities.

  “Hey aisling,” he said, still grinning at her, “how about a smile?”

  “Téigh dtí diabhail,” she answered softly, unable to keep herself from giving him a small smile, because he was incorrigible, and it delighted her to no end.

  “Fuck off, huh?” He beamed at her. “Someday you’re going to give me another answer.”

  “Don’t count on it,” she said, letting him help her up.

  “So? Wasn’t it beautiful?” Brittany asked Burr. “We watched them from the roof of a cottage last time.”

  Rory, who had his arms around Brittany from behind, leaned forward and kissed her neck. “I’m going to help Doug get everyone out of here, and then I’m taking you to bed, mo mhuirnin.”

  “Gross. You feeling sick, Tier?” asked Ian, proceeding to gag.

  “I just threw up in my mouth,” she muttered, covering her lips with her hand.

  “You know what, Ian?” said Rory. “Why don’t you keep your salty comments to yourself and go help Doug so I can take my woman home?”

  Ian nodded, still looking queasy. “Sure. Whatever you need. Anything to get these images out of my head.”

  Brittany swatted Ian on the arm. “Sure it’s not jealousy, tiger?”

  “Might be,” said Ian, winking at her.

  Tierney gave Ian a hug before he took out his flashlight and disappeared into the night to help people find their way to the parking lot at the top of the path.

  “Guess that’s it for us, too,” said Tierney. “Need us to come back tomorrow and help clean up?”

  Rory shook his head. “Got me, Ian, Doug, and Mrs. Toffle on cleanup.”

  “And me!” said Brittany.

  “Oh, yeah. And one heiress from Boston.”

  “She’s a damn good worker,” said Tierney.

  “Copy that,” said Rory, sliding his eyes to Burr and offering him a hand. “Good to see you again, Brian.”

  “You too, Rory.”

  “Going to be at Tierney’s on Wednesday?”

  “Should be,” he said.

  “I’ll see you then.”

  Brittany stepped out of Rory’s half-embrace and put her arms around Burr’s neck, giving him a squeeze. “Tierney looks happy with you,” she said, loud enough for Tierney to hear.

  When Brittany let go and backed away, Burr looked down at Tierney, his eyes soft. “It’s the other way around. I’m happy with her.”

  Brittany gasped then sighed. “Aww. You two!”

  “Enough about them. You. Me. Bed,” said Rory a la Neanderthal, grabbing his girlfriend’s hand and tugging her away. “’Night, Tier!”

  Tierney giggled as Brittany looked back and waved cheerfully before letting Rory pull her home.

  “They’re good together,” she said, turning to Burr.

  “They are.”

  “Ready to go?”

  “I have to make a quick phone call,” he said.

  “Can you make it in the car?” she asked, holding out her hand for her car keys. “I can drive home.”

  He pulled the keys from his pocket and handed them to her. “You don’t mind?”

  “Not at all.”

  Five minutes later, as they followed a parade of cars from the Summerhaven parking area, Burr withdrew his phone and dialed a number.

  “Captain? Yeah, it’s me. Uh-huh. Oh, wow. Yeah. It worked, huh? Good. Good. Um…okay. Well, I don’t give a shit about that…Uh-huh. He can go fuck himself. Right. Tell me what you got.”

  Tierney concentrated on the pitch-dark back roads that led from Sandwich to Moultonborough, trying not to be obvious about listening to every word.

  “Whoa. Really? Holy shit! Did he know you were coming?” Burr ran his free hand through his hair. “Jaysus, that was risky. Yeah, well. Those guys have balls of steel. Then what?”

  She got the feeling that he was getting a play-by-play of some sort of “bust” or something and desperately wished she could hear the other side of the conversation.

  “Wednesday? God. So fast. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, I can be there. For sure.” He cleared his throat. “No bail, captain. I’ll say whatever I have to say. Those fuckers need to stay in jail until their fucking court date.”

  Wednesday? What was happening on Wednesday, and where did Burr need to be?

  For the first time since he’d started his conversation, her curiosity was outpaced by a surprisingly strong feeling of dread, and her thoughts during the firework show rushed back to her. Would this be their final night together at Moonstone Manor? Because damn it, but she wasn’t ready to change gears yet. She liked having him live at her cottage. She liked seeing him first thing every morning and before she closed her door for bed every night. She wasn’t ready for their quiet time together to be at an end.

  But another thought occurred to her that swept all others from her mind.

  My hands will stay tied until Sean Shanahan is behind bars.

  Her heart beat faster as she realized that if he’d gotten the news that Sean Shanahan had been arrested…that meant her promised wait would be, well, over. Which meant kissing and touching and…and—Oh, God—

  Her heart fluttered, and warmth pooled in her belly making her want to squirm in her seat.

  —sex.

  “Uh-huh. Yes, sir. No problem. Yep. Tomorrow afternoon.” He paused, glancing at Tierney quickly before looking away. “I’ll see you then. Thank you, sir. Good-bye.”

  Pulling the phone from his ear, he hung up the call and shifted in his seat to put it back in his pocket just as Tierney rolled down her window to punch in the gate code at home.

  Without saying anything, she pulled into the driveway, cutting the engine but sitting in the dark quiet with her hands still on the steering wheel, waiting for him to say something, to say anything. She needed to know what was happening and what it meant for them.

  “We need to talk,” he said.

  She couldn’t manage much but a soft, “Mm-hm.”

  “How about I make a fire and you get us two beers?” he asked.

  “O-Okay,” she whispered, wishing she could take a deep breath, but only managing a shallow one.

  The thought of Burr leaving hurt her heart, but the wall coming down between them turned on her body, making her hyperaware of him and of everything they’d put on hold until…until…now.

  She opened her door without looking at him and beelined for the house, unlocking the door and stepping inside. Alone in the darkness, she leaned her head back against the door and closed her eyes, forcing herself to take a deep breath.

  Are you ready for this?

  For what, exactly?

  For whatever lies ahead, she thought. Being with him. Losing him. Whatever is about to happen.

  Oh, God, I hope so.

  Shoving away from the door, she threw her bag on the sofa and walked to the kitchen, taking two cold beers from the lower shelf and popping off the caps. She kicked off her sandals and opened the back door, stepping outside to find him lighting the small fire he’d built in her copper fire pit.

  She held out the beer, and he took it from her, clanking it against hers.

  “Sean’s been arrested. He’s in jail,” he said. “For now.”

  Still standing about a foot away from him, like a deer in headlights, she watched as he pulled an Adirondack chair a little closer to the fire. Then he kicked off his shoes, sat down, put his beer on the grass, and looked up at her.

  “Come here. Come and sit with me.”

  “W-With you?”

  He didn’t smile. His unblinking eyes didn’t slip away from hers. His arms rested on the arms of the chair. Finally he nodded, his voice firm. “With me.”

  Her heart pounded with anticipation as she closed the distance between them, her eyes cast down, her hands almost shaking. Was she supposed to straddle him? N-No. Surely not. Maybe she should turn around and back up onto his lap, but her ass would be eye-level to him, so maybe she should—?

  He solved this somewhat excruciating quandary for her, leaning forward to take her hand and pull her down onto his lap. As if he knew that she was in unfamiliar territory, he directed her.

  “Put your legs through there,” he said, indicating the space between the armrest and seat. “Now lean back against on me, and I’m going to put my arms around you like this.”

  With her body sideways against his, she could lay her cheek perfectly on his shoulder.

  “You good?” he asked. “Comfortable?”

  Tierney couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so good or so comfortable, and she sighed, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply.

  “Mm-hm,” she murmured.

  He cleared his throat, shifting a little. “This might be harder than I thought.”

  “What?” she asked.

  “I’ve been fantasizing about you for two weeks, Tierney. Suddenly having you on my lap is…well…”

  She knew what he was talking about; she could feel a particular part of him swelling and hardening in his jeans beneath her bottom. Her cheeks flamed so she kept her eyes closed and buried her head deeper into his neck, her forehead resting against the warm skin of his throat. She felt him swallow and clear his throat again.

  “Tell me what your captain said,” she asked him.

  “Right. Right. Um…Sean and four of his top guys were arrested. He finally scheduled a meet-up with Ray to find out where I was hiding out. Apparently, he had no idea where I’ve been. So you’ve been safe this whole time.”

  “Of course I have,” she said, “because you wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”

  He took a breath, but it was choppy, and she leaned back to look into his eyes. “Are you—are you okay?”

  He reached for her cheek, cupping it as he shook his head back and forth slowly. “No. No, I’m not okay. I’m…I’m dying here, Tierney. I don’t want to talk about Sean. I don’t want to talk at all. I want—”

  “I know,” she said, her voice deep and breathless. “Me too.”

  He pulled her face closer to his, tilting his head as her lips drew closer. “Maybe just…one…kiss.”

  The first time Burr had kissed her, it was gentle and tender, a mere brushing of lips to tell her thank you, to tell her good-bye. But this kiss was nothing like that one. This one was hot and fierce, hungry and demanding, and Tierney felt it from the tips of her fingers to the nethermost corner of her soul.

  His tongue bathed hers in ardent strokes, his fingers threading through her hair. She moaned her pleasure, arching against him, frustrated by the confines of the chair as he tilted his head to reseal his lips over hers, their teeth clashing as they sought closer contact, a more intimate connection.

  “Aisling. Aisling. Sweet Tierney,” he murmured, running his lips over the soft, sensitive skin of her throat, pressing little kisses to her pulse and her jaw and her chin. His fingers tangled in her hair, holding her steady as he brushed his lips against hers. “Tabhair póg dom.” Kiss me.

  She was bolder now, licking the seam of his lips before seeking his tongue, her own sliding slowly against the velvet heat of his. He groaned, his fingers almost painful in her hair as he demanded more from her, but it was a good pain—it meant that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. For a girl like Tierney, who’d never been wanted like this, it was heady and arousing, and she wanted more, so much more…which is why she whimpered softly in protest when he drew back.

  “We have to stop,” he said breathlessly, breaking off their kiss but resting his forehead against hers. “Oh, God, we should stop.”

  “No,” she mewled. “No. Sean’s in jail. I’m safe. We don’t—we don’t have to stop,” she said, reaching for him, trying to pull him closer for more.

  He took her hands in his, leaning back a little more so that he was out of reach.

  “Lord knows how much I want you, Tierney. It’s no secret,” he said, shifting beneath her, his erection pressed unmistakably against her. He searched her face as though trying to figure something out. “But…you’re so…” He took a deep breath and released. “I need to know…Tierney, when was your last time? How long has it been?”

  “Oh. Umm.” Her racing heart sank, and she looked away from him, sliding her hands away. “It’s been, um…I mean…” She gulped, her voice barely audible when she added, “I mean, I’ve never actually…”

  She couldn’t bear to finish the sentence. Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she held it for a second, mustering the courage to meet his eyes again. When she finally did, his eyes were wide, his lips parted in surprise. Her cheeks burned, her embarrassment so sharp, it almost hurt.

  “You’ll be my, um…my first,” she whispered, wondering if he’d push her away, if sleeping with a twenty-seven-year-old virgin was too ridiculous to fathom.

  “Oh, sweet girl,” he said softly, reaching up to cup her face. His voice was deep and breathless with emotion, his eyes locked with hers. “Are you sure you want to give that to me?”

  Her eyes filled with tears as she nodded at him.

  “I’m sure,” she said, twisting her head so she could press her lips to the palm of his hand.

  “I’ve already taken so much from you,” he said.

  “Nothing I haven’t freely given,” she said.

  His tongue slid between his lips to wet them, and he leaned forward, pressing a sweet, soft kiss to her lips. When he leaned back he nodded at her, but his tone was serious. “Take tonight to think about it, okay? Please? So I’ll know it was what you wanted and not just…some hasty decision.”

  “But tomorrow you’ll be gone,” she said quickly, scanning his eyes.

  He looked away for a moment, then nodded. “Then take two nights. I’ll be back on Wednesday. No matter what you decide, Tierney, I’ll be back. I care about you.”

  Gently, he pushed her head against his shoulder and put his arms back around her. Tierney snuggled against him, enjoying the heat from the fire and the warmth from his body, still uncertain about a possible future for them but relieved that he’d be back so soon.

  “Tell me what you’re going back to.”

  “Well…Sean’s been arrested. The arraignment’s on Wednesday. I’m going to say a few words to try to convince the judge not to offer bail. I want him to stay in jail until his court date.”

  “Will you see your family?” she asked, flattening her palm against his chest, over his heart.

  “I don’t…I mean, I want to, but I don’t know if they’ll want to see me.”

  “Burr, they will.”

  He flinched, then tightened his arms around her. “You don’t know them.”

  “I know Irish people. We’re clannish. We love our families.”

  “We also hold grudges,” he said darkly.

  She could only imagine how he felt—returning to Boston alone to put away the monster who wanted him dead, then showing up at his sister’s house by himself, anticipating hostility. Her heart swelled with compassion, with deep affection, with a longing to soften everything for him, to support him, to let him know that he wasn’t alone.

  “I could go with you,” she whispered impulsively.

  He froze. His whole body stilled. In fact, if her hand wasn’t resting over his heart, she’d wonder if it had stopped beating.

  Had her suggestion upset him? “I mean…I don’t have to. I just hate the thought you going back alone and I could—”

  “You’d do that?” he asked.