"Hows it goin?" he asked Dylan and Aidan, who were stacking some gla.s.ses in a crate.

"Good." Dylan nodded to the door. "Theyre lining up already for lunch. How was the parade kickoff?"

"Its fun to see the whole thing come together. Too bad the snow started, though."

"Was there the usual lineup?" Aidan asked him as three of them headed into the restaurant s.p.a.ce, all carrying a crate.

"Yeah. The 69th Infantry Regiment led off." It was followed by bands, firefighters, military and police groups, social and cultural clubs, county a.s.sociations, and more, all creating a procession line of more than one-hundred-and-fifty thousand people.

"You can go back later and see some of it." When they set all three rubber crates on the bar, Dylan slipped behind it and nodded to the other end. "Sweeney"-whod recently closed his bar-"came over at nine. Said if we needed help, hed even do it for free. I felt bad for him, so I hired him for the day."

"Oh, good. The firefighters came from his bar to ours. We owe him." Pat glanced at his watch. "Maybe I will go back to the parade sometime today. We all have to take the breaks we scheduled."

Aidan turned the jukebox on, and soft Irish music drifted into the air. It made Pat smile, then he noticed Dylan studying him. "You okay?" Dylan asked.

"Yeah, better now."

Aidan had sauntered over and caught his remark to Dylan. He gave Pat a long look. "What else you do this morning, big bro?"

Pat could feel his face color. "None of your business."

"He got laid," Aidan said to no one in particular.

"I wouldnt pick on my s.e.x life if I were you, Romeo."

"Touche."

Aidan walked back to the tables and Pat turned to Dylan. "Brie phoned me on her way to the Hamptons. She heard about the picketing on the car radio."

His brother raked a hand through his hair. "h.e.l.l, everybody caught it."

Dylan filled him in on the short-lived protest.

"Glad they left." Pat started to the bars opening.

"Wait a sec. You really get laid this morning?"

"Dyl..."

"No, Im just asking because you called me Wednesday about fighting with Brie."

Glancing around the pub to make sure Aidan wasnt paying attention, Pat dropped down on a stool, and Dylan put a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. He wrapped cold hands around it. "Jesus, we fight like cats and dogs and then tear the covers off the bed."

"Ha!" Dylan braced his hands on the bar. "Dont look a gift horse in the mouth."

"I know, but we have to find a way to get along better outside of the bedroom."

"Sorry. I realize that." Dylan glanced at his phone, which was on the bars surface. "So, Pat, how do you confuse an Irishman?"

Yeah, some Irish humor would put his head on straight. "I give."

"Put two shovels against a wall and tell him to take his pick..."

Pat laughed out loud.

"There, thats good to see. Now try to enjoy our favorite day."

A little while later, after another text came in, Aidan asked, "Where you getting all these jokes?"

"Another Irish friend."

"A la.s.s?" Pat grinned. "A redhead?"

"n.o.body important. Look, we only have five more minutes till the lunch doors open. Wed better finish up."

Pat made his way behind the bar, wondering why Dylan had changed the subject so fast.

As she rang the doorbell, Rachels heart beat in her chest at a clip. Despite the cold weather, her hands were clammy. Hed texted her a half hour ago.

Any chance you can get away for a late lunch? I dont have time for our big talk. But I have an hour for...whatever She texted back, Absolutely.

His response: My place. Three oclock.

After the second buzz, Dylan yanked open the door and dragged her inside. He drew her into the living room off to the left. Shed never seen his place but took in the fireplace, already lit, and blankets on the floor in front of it. He shoved off her coat, lifted the sweater over her head and hastily removed the rest of her clothing. His pants, the only thing he wore, took seconds to peel off.

"In a hurry?" she asked, chuckling.

He grasped her arms gently and rubbed up and down. "Fifteen minutes over, fifteen back. That only leaves me a half hour to have you."

His word choice made her body tighten. From the time hed called, shed gotten aroused just thinking about the sculpted muscles of his chest and his incredible scent. Tugging her to the floor, he covered her body with his and claimed her mouth. His was insistent, pressing hard, then nipping her lips with his teeth.

She slid her hand lower to grasp hold of him. He was hard and pulsing. He must have been thinking about her, too. When his mouth moved to her breast, she said, "Yes, Dylan," and squirmed as he suckled her.

After mere seconds, she yanked him up. "I cant wait any longer."

"Me, either, love." He slid back to his b.u.t.t, spread his legs, then pulled her over his thighs; on her knees, she straddled him. "I like this best," he whispered as he positioned her. "I get to see all of you."

His gaze locked with hers; he lifted her up and entered her slowly. She had to close her eyes with the fullness of him, his hardness, until his possession was complete. When she looked at him again, he was smiling. He drew back and thrust into her. Once, twice, then both of them went over the edge. Light collided with pure sensation as he emptied himself into her.

Afterward, they cuddled side by side under one of the blankets, staring at the fire. A little breathless, she murmured, "Id say we got that done in time."

Laughing, he held her close to his heart. "That we did, darlin."

Letting herself enjoy the total alignment of their bodies, she nuzzled his neck, sweaty now from exertion. Then she drew back. "Why did you call me?"

Brushing her hair from her face-it was damp-threading his fingers through it, he said simply, "I got lonely."

She rolled her eyes.

"No, really. Pat had wild monkey s.e.x with Brie this morning before he came to work. At the pub, Aidans falling all over C.J. because shes pregnant. Somethings going on with Liam and Sophie-they keep looking at each other like long-lost lovers, and even Ma and Pa are dancing in the kitchen, holding hands in the bar. St. Paddys Day brings out the romance in all of us, I guess."

"It sounds lovely."

"It is." He kissed her nose. "But I wanted you there with me."

"Hmm," she thought as she closed her eyes. "Thats even lovelier."

Dylan returned to the bar less lonely and nostalgic than when hed left an hour ago. The pub was hopping and there were lines snaking around the building; the parade had ended minutes ago. Irish music and good-natured joking rumbled through the place.

Pat called out, "Great, youre back. We got swamped."

"Why didnt you call me?" Though he would have hated to miss his tryst with Rachel.

"We all need some time off during the day. But Liam didnt come back at three, like he was supposed to."

Behind the bar, Dylan tied a towel around his waist. "How come?"

"He called and said his errand was delayed. Whatever the h.e.l.l that means." Pat threw Dylan a rag. "Wash some gla.s.ses with Sweeney. We keep runnin out."

Dylan settled himself in front of a sink and flicked on the water. As he watched the basin fill, he could still picture Rachel, asleep by the fire, cuddled up in maroon fleece. The covers highlighted the s.e.xual flush on her face. Hed awakened her when he was ready to leave, but shed snuggled back in and asked him to set her phone alarm for an hour. He hadnt had the heart to make her leave with him.

Pat glanced at Dylan. "You take a shower?"

Hed had to. Hed been covered with sweat and s.e.x. "Yeah. Needed waking up."

Nodding, Pat scowled at the crowd of people eating the lunch Bridget and Aidan were serving. "Where is our brother?"

"Right here."

At the sound of Liams voice, Dylan glanced up and his jaw dropped. He and Sophie had entered from the back; Liam wore a pristine charcoal-gray suit and pinstriped tie and Sophie had on a lacy beige dress.

She grinned. "Hi, everybody."

They were holding hands and smiling as if... And suddenly Dylan knew what had happened. But he didnt steal their thunder.

Aidan and C.J. joined them from where theyd been cleaning tables. And over the cacophony of St. Patricks Day revelers, Liam announced, "We got married at the church."

Dylan slipped under the bar opening and grabbed Liams arm. "Congratulations, man."

Patrick followed Dylan, clapped Liam on the shoulder and kissed Sophie. "So, you did it! On our favorite day."

"Yep." Liam looked past his shoulder at Aidan who was glaring at him. "A. You mad?"

"Did you break Mas and Pas hearts?"

He shook his head. "Nope. We just told them. They understood. Theyre coming down for some champagne."

"What about the boys?" C.J. asked. She still had a soft spot for Mikey.

"They said it was cool, they wanted Sophie to live with us. We took them out of school early so they could come. Theyre with Ma and Pa now."

"That why you did it?" Pat asked.

"Yes." Sophie finally spoke. "We didnt want to plan a whole wedding, invite legions of firefighters and all the ONeil friends and family along with everything else a wedding entails." She gazed up adoringly at Liam. "We couldnt wait that long."

C.J. threw her arms around Sophie. "Im so happy for you."

"Thanks. Nothing against weddings. Yours was beautiful."

Just then the boys raced through the back door and skidded to a halt. They eyed Dylan and his brothers. Mikey asked "You guys mad? 'Cause we got to see it?"

"Nope." Dylan lifted Mikey up. "Its cool, isnt it?"

Cleary, your normal teenage boy, uncharacteristically hugged his dad and murmured something to him. He laughed aloud. "Yep, son, we wont."

When Ma and Pa came down, they popped some bubbly and Pat was pouring it into gla.s.ses when another person entered the pub through the back.

"Well," Dylan said with a smile. "Alls right with the world."

Pat looked up. "You can say that again." He grinned. "Come give me a proper welcome, wife!"

Still half asleep, Rachel stirred. The hard surface beneath her poked into her flesh. She sniffed. The scent of...fire. And tickling her skin was the softest fleece shed ever felt. Where was she?

When she opened her eyes, she smiled. Dylans house. Theyd grabbed a quickie, the colloquial term for meeting on the fly and making love. Tumultuous love. She could still hear his desperate pleas of need. Feel the scratchiness of his beard on her breast. She shivered just thinking about their time together. Afterward, shed been exhausted. Hed had to leave, though, and had kissed her and set the alarm so she could get an hour more shut-eye.

It took her fuzzy brain a minute to realize the alarm had not gone off. Searching for her phone, she found it and saw that the battery had drained and the device was out of power.

Wrapping the heavy fleece around her, she sat up, then stood to check the clock on his television cable box. Green numbers blinked five-thirty. Uh-oh. It would take her thirty minutes to get back to the studio. Maybe shed just shower here, then dress and get her makeup done at the studio. But she was going to be much later than usual and needed to call in.

She glanced around. Dylan didnt have a landline. She caught sight of his laptop on the dining room table. She needed to email her staff. One of them could call her a cab. Shed go for Jeannie, who, though she wasnt crazy about Dylan, was the most circ.u.mspect and wouldnt ask questions.

Still wrapped up in the fleecy blanket, which smelled like Dylans after shave, she crossed in bare feet to the dining room, sat down and booted up the computer. Moving the cursor to the browser, she stopped short. The icon was next to the trash; parallel to that was a folder t.i.tled Rachel.

Dont look at it. Its private. h.e.l.l have a fit.

She sat back, remembering how a lock of hair fell across his eyes as he braced himself above her.

How he said he cared as he kissed his way down her body.

Hed touched her like she was a precious gem.

But then, she remembered other comments.