Guest Post~ Deceive Me in Ireland by Whitney K-E

Harper Brooks Uncategorized February 12, 2014 | 0

DECEIVE ME IN IRELAND

by Whitney K-E

“Never call a Kerry man a fool until you’re sure he’s not a rogue.”

Her cousin, Kate had warned her about the Irish charm. And Cara had been foolish enough to ignore her. In Ireland to be Maid of Honor in Kate’s wedding, Cara hasn’t a clue that the handsome Irishman who is seated next to her is the infamous brother of her cousin’s fiancé. And William O’Reilly doesn’t plan on telling her. Not yet, anyway.

Silver-tongued and devilishly handsome, William had Cara wondering if he is the same man she met on the plane. Should she give him a chance or heed her cousin’s warning and keep him at a distance?

The same unique and quirky characters from What Happens in Ireland come together again to celebrate the wedding of Kate and Jack in the fresh and humorous sequel, Deceive Me in Ireland. Like Kate Barrow, her cousin Cara discovers that resisting the charms of an Irishman isn’t as easy as it seems. William O’Reilly is as silver-tongued as his brother, Jack and determined to make the woman realize his worth. And her own.

EXCERPT:

Slipping the dress up over her hips, Cara pulled the straps over her shoulders. Reaching around her back, she pulled the zipper up as far as she could manage. A knock sounded on the door and she froze, her wide-eyed reflection in the mirror before her staring back.

“Cara?”

Cara released the breath she’d been holding. It was Jane. “Yeah?”

“The others are here. So you better hurry up or we’ll leave without you.”

Cara gritted her teeth. Shit.

Spinning around, she grabbed the black heels she’d left on the foot of the bed. Sitting down, she slipped them on. “I’ll only be a minute,” she yelled back.

“You better. Because if you’re not, Kate said I’m to send William in to help you.”

Cara’s cheeks warmed and she paused in the middle of doing up the second heel. “All right, all right. I’ll be out in a second.”

“Right-o.”

Cara paused and listened to Jane’s retreat down the hallway.

Bloody. Scheming. Cousin.

Strapping up her shoe, she stood and marched over to the floor-length mirror. Smoothing her hands down her sides, the red satin silken beneath her palms, she assessed her appearance. She looked…nervous. And she was. She was always nervous when it came to meeting new people. But, tonight was different, wasn’t it? She sighed, her hand balling into fists. William was out there. And the second he saw her, she’d feel his hot gaze run over her.

Will he comment on how I look? Will he—

She stopped herself. She shouldn’t care about what William thought. He was a liar. And she didn’t care for them. She was big on first imptheressions and he had given her a fake one!

Picking up the clutch purse that rested on top of the dresser beside the door, she cast a sideways glance at the mirror one last time. She scolded herself almost instantly.

Stop fussing, Cara.

Stepping to the side, she turned the knob and pulled the door open. Her eyes on her purse, she stepped out into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind her. She jumped when a deep voice addressed her from the shadows.

“Evenin’.”

Looking up, Cara stopped breathing. Dear God.

William stood a few feet down the hallway with a gorgeous half-grin on his lips. Her skin prickled, a tingling sensation that started at the base of her neck and slowly drifted down her body. Her grip on her purse loosened as goosebumps broke out over her flesh.

I wish he would stop looking at me like that. It makes it so much harder to breathe.

“Yer lookin’ rather lovely,” he murmured, his voice a tad huskier.

Cara spoke before considering the consequences. “You’re looking rather handsome yourself.”

His wicked smile widened and she felt butterflies take flight in the pit of her stomach. There really was no point denying it. William did look very attractive tonight. He wore a pair of black slacks and a white shirt that was open at the neck. He carried a suit jacket in hand and Cara could only imagine how much it would accentuate the breadth of his shoulders. His hair was messy, giving him the rakish look that he always wore well. He’d shaved and his smooth jaw beckoned her touch. Cursing the temptation, Cara slipped her hands behind her back, banishing the thought from her mind.

William looked nothing like the man she’d met on the plane a few days ago and she was glad they were parting ways tonight. Had he been given the chance to ask her for a dance tonight, she might not have possessed the will to refuse.

“I see ye didn’t need me to come get ye after all,” he said, a touch of amusement in his voice. Waving his arm before him, he invited her to continue down the hallway.

Finding her legs—shaky though they were—Cara slipped past him. William fell into step behind her, the warmth of his body teasing her back. Feeling self-conscious, Cara pulled her hair over her shoulder, shielding her hot cheeks.

“Jane said I had five minutes.” She fought to keep the tremor out of her voice, but it wasn’t easy. Her whole body seemed to shake, her nerves consuming her.

God damn it. She didn’t need this.

“Ye did. I was just fetchin’ me jacket.”

Cara nodded, not trusting herself to say anything.

When William suddenly caught her hand in his, she stopped dead. He stepped closer to her and she felt his free hand brush the lingering strands of her hair off her neck. Cara shivered as pleasure ripped through her, too startled to move an inch. His hot breath grazed the back of her neck and the warmth between her thighs intensified. She imagined his lips touching the skin between her shoulder blades, his hands sliding down her body, over her hips… Her eyes fluttered shut and her knees grew weak.

His calloused finger tapped against the flesh between her shoulder blades. “Would ye like some help with this, Cara?” he whispered.

The muscles in her shoulders tightened and her eyes flew open.

Why does this always happen to me?

She’d forgotten to pull up the rest of her zipper. And of course, William had been the one to point it out to her. Not bothering to answer his question, she reached over her shoulder to fix it. But Will’s hand caught hers. Her entire body tensed.

His hand had closed around her wrist and she feared he might feel the rapid drumming of her pulse under his hand. His hold was firm, but it wasn’t cruel. In fact, she wanted to melt against him, not pull away in fear.

“My, my, lass, ye remind me of yer cousin sometimes. If yer too stubborn to accept my help, then in future, I’m not goin’ to ask. I’m just goin’ to do.” He guided her hand back to her side then raised his own to drag his fingertips up the exposed length of her spine. A shiver rippled through her and Cara locked her knees to prevent herself from giving in to the need to fall against him.

“I don’t need your help, William.” Her voice was cold and firm, a contradiction to the fire that burned through her body. She burned as if she suffered from a fever, one that was making her delirious.

In one fluid motion William zipped up her dress and Cara released the breath she’d been holding, relieved that his fingers had barely touched her.

“I know,” he said, moving to stand beside her. “But that doesn’t mean ye can’t accept my help.” He inclined his head down the hall, his emerald eyes sparkling. “Ready?”