Unfortunately for my fluttering vagina, it’s the wrong thing to say. There is a sharp intake of breath as Niall steps away from me. I feel the absence of his body heat acutely.
Turning around, I can see the anger, the frustration, and thehungeron his face. My vagina flutters again. But he’s tucking all his emotions behind a blank mask until only his heated eyes burn out, per usual. Boo. I want to see theotherlook again.
“Finish up. I’m taking ye home, andthis timeye’re staying there,” Niall growls. I scowl up at him, but he’s already stalking away. I sigh, turning to serve the next patron at the bar with a smile.
He’s a good-looking guy. I think he might be Italian, probably with the Italian Mafia. A bunch of them are here tonight. His eyes roam over me, and he’s flirtatious as all get out.
It’s silly because I’m not interested in him in the slightest – I am frustrated at Niall’s blanking me out when he clearly wanted to bend me over the bar and screw me – butI flirt back with this dude, mainly out of spite.
My spiteful flirting pays off because he tips big, winking at me. Unfortunately for him, Niall is waiting on the other side of the bar, glaring at me like he wants to throttle me.
“I’ll take over, Mellie.” Zara, a bartender from the main bar, is standing beside me, probably at Niall’s bidding.
“Thanks, Zara. Sorry about this.”
“Not a problem, girl. I’m going to make wicked good tips in here!”
Sliding out from behind the bar, I move to get my things from Fiona’s locker. As I pass them, Niall grabs the Italian guy by the throat. Oops. Probably shouldn’t have flirted with him.
Niall
Once I’ve finished feeding this Italian arsehole some of his teeth, I stalk off to wash the blood off my hands and meet Mellie near the coat check.
She doesn’t speak, falling into step beside me as I walk out to the parking lot and open the passenger door. I don’t hesitate this time, grabbing her waist and lifting her into the SUV. The lass lets me buckle her in, watching with huge, silent eyes as I stomp around the hood and sling myself into the car.
I grip the steering wheel hard as I drive her home, gritting my teeth. She doesn’t speak, but her eyes are glued to my knuckles, which split against that prick’s face.
“It was just a little bit of harmless flirting,” she says in a small voice. “He tipped me well.”
“Ye shouldn’t have even been there for him to tip,” I snap back. The lass flinches, staring at me with rapidly blinking eyelids.
Jesus fuck. I school my face back into a blank mask. I’ve never been anything other than controlled or downright taciturn with the lass because that’s what I need to do to tamp down on my fuckingcravings.
Gripping the steering wheel even harder, I’m fucking relieved when we pull up at her building. Shoving out of the SUV, I round to her door and lift her out, dropping my hands away from her waist like it is burning hot the second she’s steady on her feet standing beside the vehicle.
Without touching her, I shepherd her to the door of the building, crowding her space until her back is pressed against the glass of the front door. The lass swallows as I get up in her face, my mouth inches from hers.
“I don’t care that I’m not going to be at the club for a few days. Ye’ll stay here until yer hand is healed, or I will come and find ye and drag ye back myself. And if I have to do that,amhuirnín, make no mistake, I’ll tie ye to the bed and lock ye in.”
Because she smells so sweet and I’m still fucking pissed at that Italian cunt, I fist my hand in her hair and slam my mouth down on hers, licking my tongue into her mouth, eating at it.
Jesus fuck, she tastes just as sweet as she did earlier today when I couldn’t help myself and kissed her twice while I was cleaning her cuts up.
Before I lose my head, intoxicated by her taste, her hands slide up my sides, bringing me back to reality with a thud. I remember myself, shoving away from the lass. Mellie looks dazed, blinking as I jab my finger at the door.
“Get the feck inside, and ye stay there.” I glare as her eyes widen at the darkness in my face. She wrenches the door open, fleeing from me.
Crossing to the SUV, I sling myself into the driver’s seat, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath to calm myself. I shouldn’t have lost my temper. Ishould nothave kissed her.
Jesus fuck. Amelia Rogan is going to be the death of me. I need to fucking stay away from her. It’s one of the reasons I agreed to this fucking job for Seamus.
Chapter Fourteen
NIALL
It takes me two days to track down the Bulgarian responsible for the attack on Paddy’s car while Tiggy was in the back seat. Two days too long, according to Seamus, the impatient prick.
I leave the arsehole strapped to the table in the soundproofed basement at Oracle for a day to let him stew in his fear.