LITMIR.BIZ

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are ya readin’?” he asked.

      “Jane Eyre,” she replied.

      “Interesting?” He approached the blanket and sat down in front of her, then took the book from her fingers. “Would I like it?”

      “It’s really not a book for blokes,” she said. “It’s romantic.”

      Declan nodded as he examined the back of the book. “Blokes can be romantic.”

      She laughed. “When were you ever romantic, Declan Quinn?”

      “I wasn’t. Just said I could be if I wanted to be. So what would it take?”

      “For what?”

      “For you to go out with me?” Dec asked. He’d learned it was always best to use the element of surprise. And to display complete confidence, even if the odds of her agreeing to a date were astronomically low. If he caught her off guard she was more likely to think he’d done this before—and say yes.

      “A lot more than you have,” she said.

      “Like what?”

      “A car for one,” she said. “I’m not going to be ridin’ around town on the back of your bleedin’ bicycle.”

      “I have a car. And a chauffeur,” Declan said with a grin. “It’s a Rolls, you know. All the big rock stars have ’em.”

      She considered his point for a long moment, as if the thought of riding around in his grandmother’s Rolls Royce appealed to her. “What about nicker?” she asked. “I’d expect you to take me somewhere nice and that will cost.”

      “I’ve got money,” Dec said. “My nana gives me a big allowance and I never spend it all. I suppose I’d even have enough to buy you some flowers, or some candy.”

      “Well, aren’t you a cheeky little hoor.” She tipped her head to the side. “Do me up, will ya?”

      Carefully, Dec reached down and picked up the straps that fastened the back of her bikini together. He slid the hook through the loop, then glanced over to the trees, wondering what Ian was thinking. The skin on Kitty’s back was smooth and warm from the sun. When he finished, she sat up and readjusted her top until everything was properly covered, though not quickly enough to avoid giving Dec a nice view of her perfect breasts.

      She wrapped her arms around her legs. “So, where are you going to take me?”

      He dragged his gaze away from her chest and sent her a charming grin. “Wherever you want to go.”

      “To supper,” she said. “At a nice place, with table linens and fancy silver. And then to the flicks. And after that, a ride around the city.”

      “And when would you be likin’ me to take you on this date?” Dec asked.

      “Friday evening. You can pick me up at six. Do you know where I live?”

      He shook his head. “But I’m sure I can find out.” Dec rose to his feet, then rubbed his palms on the back of his jeans.

      She gave him a smile that made his stomach do a little cartwheel. “It’s a date then. Friday at six. Now, hump off. And tell your brothers I can hear them up on that wall.”

      “I’ll tell ’em,” Dec said. “And I’ll see you on Friday.”

      Kitty stretched back out on the blanket and unfastened her top again, then grabbed her book and started to read. Dec decided to walk back to the house through the garden, leaving Ian and Marcus to wonder exactly what had transpired. If he was lucky, they’d heard it all and would be suitably impressed.

      There wasn’t a girl in the world he couldn’t charm. And it was obvious that Kitty was no exception. She was one of the prettiest girls in her form at school and she was going out with him. He jogged toward the house, but before he reached the door, Ian and Marcus came crashing through the garden gate, both gasping for breath.

      “You crazy git,” Ian said. “You asked her out, didn’t ya?”

      Dec nodded. “I told you I would. Did ya hear? She said yes.”

      Ian braced his hands on his knees and gulped in a few deep breaths. “What the hell does she see in a kid like you?”

      “She doesn’t see a kid,” Dec said. “She sees a man.”

      “Oh, yeah, right. You’re a man, you are. Well, tell me, Mr. Man, what are you going to do when she wants to snog in the backseat of Nana’s car? ’Cause that’s why she wants to drive all over Dublin with you. And what about when she sticks her hand down yer pants and wants to—”

      “What’s snog mean?” Marcus asked.

      “Never mind,” Ian said. “Kitty Donahue is used to goin’ with older boys. You better be ready to handle yourself or it’ll be a big embarrassment.”

      Declan frowned. He hadn’t really thought about all the things that might go wrong. “I know what I’m doing,” he muttered. “And don’t go givin’ me advice, Ian. You haven’t ever been on a date, so what do you know?”

      “About as much as you do, little brother.” He paused, kicking at the dirt with his toe. “So do you love her?”

      Dec shrugged. “Nah. I’m only gonna fall in love once when I’m old. And I’m gonna love her until the end of forever, just the same way our da loves our ma. Until then, I’m gonna mess around with as many girls as I can.”

      Dec followed Ian and Marcus into the house, glancing back once into the overgrown garden. Kitty Donahue had seen something in him, something she found interesting. Now, he’d just have to make sure he lived up to her expectations.

      Even if he did mess up, the experience would have to count for something. By the time he was eighteen, Dec fully intended to have women figured out from top to bottom, inside and out. There’d be no guy alive who would have more women, except maybe James Bond.

      1

      SHE CAUGHT HIS gaze from across the room. Declan Quinn glanced over his shoulder at the beautiful blonde in the slinky blue dress. She gave him a seductive smile, an unspoken invitation to approach, and Dec let his gaze drift lazily from her face to her tanned and lithe body.

      Her dress, cut low in the front, left her arms and shoulders tantalizingly bare. Though the length fell slightly below her knee, a deep slit offered a view of a well-toned thigh. From the moment she’d entered the party, they’d been caught in this silent dance, two strangers…interested…attracted.

      Declan was never one to shy away from any interest from the opposite sex. But tonight, it could be no more than a casual attraction. Besides, it was obvious what she was looking for. From the huge diamond on her finger and the old man on her arm, she’d settle for a quick roll in the hay with a man half her husband’s age.

      Dec had a strict policy of never mixing business with pleasure, no matter how stunningly attractive and warmly willing that pleasure might be. He was here in Newport to do a job, to provide security for Edward and Eva Winslow’s annual garden party. Screwing one of their guests in the hall closet just wasn’t considered professional behavior.

      Dec’s cell phone buzzed in the pocket of his linen trousers and he snatched it out, turning away from the doe-eyed beauty. “Declan Quinn,” he murmured as he stepped off the terrace and into the house.

      “Hi, Dec, it’s Sally Hughes over at Bonnett Harbor P.D. Your brother asked that I call you.”

      “Is everything all right?” Dec asked, an uneasy feeling rushing over him. His older brother, Ian, was the police chief in their hometown of Bonnett Harbor, a small village across the waters of Narragansett Bay from Newport. “Are my folks all right?”

      “Sure, sure,” she said. “I’m calling about Eden Ross. She’s been spotted over at the Sandpiper Motel.

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