Sheer Luck Read Free Page A

blinked and reached for her purse on the
bar, pulling out her cell and handing it to me. She seemed more
than a little confused and too turned on to realize what she was
doing.
    I swiped the screen and sent myself a text.
I wasn’t taking any chances in not getting her contact info. I
tapped into her settings and spoke as my thumbs went to work. “I
get regular health exams, never have sex without a condom, and I’ve
never been arrested. Talk to Aiden. He’ll tell you you’re safe with
me.” Finished, I gave her back the phone and retrieved mine from my
pocket, thumbing a text. “I put my address and phone number in your
contacts.”
    Her gaze jerked to her cell as it
pinged.
    Her text to me, which I’d sent, said: Hello, Declan. I want you.
    My response: Hello, a mo rún. You have
me.
    Slowly, her cautious gaze slid to mine.
Held. In the span of seconds, we stared at one another, her pulse
beating hard in her neck and my heart thumping against my ribs.
Anticipation coiled in my gut, tightened the base of my spine.
    After an appropriate amount of time, I
smiled. “I’m going to head back to my place now. Talk to Aiden.
Come to me afterward. I’ll be waiting for you.”
    It was a gamble, walking away from her. But
this time, I had a name and a number. If she decided not to meet me
tonight, I’d keep at her until I changed her mind. This was going
to happen. She wanted me. I wanted her.
    Heading to the table, I grabbed my coat,
said goodnight to the guys, and walked back to the bar while
shrugging into my jacket. One hand on the counter, the other on the
back of her stool, I brought my face to hers until we shared the
same air. My lips feathered hers. “I’ll. Be. Waiting.”

Day Two

     
    I stood at the wall
of windows in my apartment two hours later, staring off into the
distance at the Eads Bridge and Mississippi River. The night was
clear, stars winking against the inky blackness. Lights from other
buildings flickered. Cars passed. Still, I stood, calm everywhere
but inside me.
    It was past midnight and she hadn’t showed.
Disappointment flooded me, made me ache. And I was more than a
little shaken it wasn’t just a physical tug I felt toward her. Her
mind was fascinating, at least what I’d gathered from our short
conversation. I found myself wanting to know more about her. What
she did for a living. If she had any family.
    Sighing, I slammed the last of my whiskey
neat and headed toward the kitchen. The drink hadn’t soothed my
tension. I’d given more than ample time for her to come to me.
Though I wasn’t tired, it was best I head to bed. In the morning,
I’d call Aiden and find out what he knew about her. Maybe drop her
a text to remind her I was around.
    Desperate, much?
    I rinsed my glass in the sink when the ding
from the elevator alerted me someone was on their way up. The only
one with a key was Aiden and he’d still be at the pub. I’d told the
doorman it would be okay to let Lily up, if she showed.
    Heart hammering, I jerked my head around.
The lights above my entrance indicated the car would stop in
seconds. Frozen, my gaze riveted to the elevator doors, I
waited.
    Ding. Swoosh .
    Aiden stepped into my apartment with...Lily
behind him. My gaze went right past my brother and latched onto her
like a man starving. The familiar punch to the gut at seeing her
nearly knocked me back a step. She offered me a weak smile and
looked around, while I breathed for the first time in what seemed
like minutes.
    Aiden squeezed her shoulder. “You all
set?”
    She nodded, her smile encouraging. “Thank
you.”
    “Anytime. Why don’t you head inside? I need
to talk to Declan before I head out.” Aiden waited until she’d
walked deeper into my apartment before turning to me. “She wanted
me to bring her,” he said in a quiet tone. “I had to wait until
another bartender could fill in before leaving.”
    I nodded, respecting her caution. After all,
she barely knew me.
    “Listen.” Aiden stepped