His Wicked Celtic Kiss (2 page)

Too bad none of it was true.

• • •

As a former overweight girl, working in a bakery was temptation to the extreme for Julie. Every day she found herself surrounded by luscious cinnamon buns, delectable cookies, and fresh, warm bread. It was crazy really, like a recovering alcoholic working in a bar. But it was a good challenge, too. If she could work here and not be tempted to throw herself face first into the display case of chocolate-chip pecan cookies, then perhaps, she figured, the war had been won.

The battle, however, had been a long and brutal one. It had taken years for Julie to lose the excess weight through sheer willpower and determination, and staying diligent and focused remained an absolute must. She knew if she fell off the wagon, she could easily balloon back up to her former weight of 250-plus pounds in no time.

Julie eyed the cookies and beads of cold sweat broke out on her skin. Her mouth twitched. How tempting to slip one in her apron pocket. Who would miss it? She took the inventory. Julie shook her head, trying to rid herself of the temptation.
Stealing a cookie like a naughty little kid.
Instead, she reached in her pocket, pulled out a stick of gum, popped it in her mouth and chewed furiously.
Get a grip, girl.
She tore her gaze away from the baked goods and glanced at the clock. Her boss, Veronica “Ronnie” Barnes, was in the process of moving her belongings into her new boyfriend Nick Crocetti's apartment across town. She'd be back any minute and she'd be expecting an answer.

Ronnie had offered Julie her small apartment located behind the bakery rent-free. Julie's current apartment had become a financial strain and the generous offer was well-timed, but living in the back rooms would make temptation even harder to ignore. Waking up to the odor of baked goods each morning would be utter torture, worse than water boarding. It would be a real test of her new-found willpower. Tapping her nails on the counter, Julie weighed the options. Skinny and broke or fat and comfortable? She grimaced. She'd already spent far too many years being the latter combination.

Suddenly a black Lincoln Navigator roared around the corner and into the parking lot, skidding to an abrupt stop in front of Titus Bakery. She watched as Nick climbed out of the passenger side, opened the back door and held out his hand. Ronnie took it and stepped out like she was a starlet going to a movie premiere. Who would have thought that Nick, the big, tough, rugged biker whom Julie nicknamed
The Terminator
, would turn out to be such a tender, loving pussycat?

Then the driver's side door opened, and Lorcan Byrne stepped out. Julie snapped her gum and chewed faster. Utterly gorgeous. Lorcan was pretty rather than rugged, but there was no mistaking his masculinity. It came off him in waves. And don't get her started on that voice of his. The deep, playful, Irish lilt rolled off his tongue like pure, wicked sin.

Lorcan was almost as sinful as the chocolate-chip pecan cookies.

He stretched, his tight black T-shirt riding up over toned abs and Julie nearly swallowed her gum.

Maybe
as
sinful.

He lifted the dark aviator sunglasses he wore off his forehead, and bright blue-green eyes nailed her with a searing look.

Maybe ...
more
.

It was a darn shame the man wanted nothing to do with her. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot. Julie winced as she recalled the disastrous, so-called double date she and Lorcan had with Nick and Ronnie about … Could it have been only six weeks ago? It seemed an eternity.

Julie sighed. It hadn't been a real date, of course. They'd been there as friends of Nick and Ronnie respectively, no other reason. But there was no denying his drop-dead good looks, and the evening had been awkward, her inner strength shaken each time he'd turned those eyes on her and spoke to her with that sexy accent.

Julie had actually thought she'd managed to move past her self-image issues with the weight loss, but Lorcan had brought them roaring back. When she'd looked at him the terrible memories of what she'd endured when overweight returned, which wasn't fair as none of that was Lorcan's fault. In fact, he had been charm itself, which had made her even more uncomfortable. Thinking back, when he'd touched her arm ... it had been electric, pure and simple. Every nerve ending snapped and crackled with life. Though he'd pulled away from her in obvious revulsion. His reaction put the nail in the coffin for the evening and she'd gotten the hell out of there. The few times they saw each other since had been weird to the extreme. Three weeks ago, they had reached an agreement to be polite for Nick and Ronnie's sake. This would be the test.

Ronnie stepped between the two very tall men, looped her arms through theirs and smiled warmly at them both as they walked towards the shop. Nick held the door open and Ronnie stepped through first. “Julie, we're back!” she called out. “One more trip should do it.”

“Lorcan and I can take the last boxes over then come back and get you, Ronnie,” Nick said.

Lorcan smiled. “We can all go out to dinner after, what do you say, Julie?”

Caught off guard, Julie was rendered speechless. This must be one of those times Lorcan spoke about when they'd conversed last. The “we should try and be civil for our friends' sakes” moments. She didn't know how to respond. “I have plans,” she offered lamely.
Yeah, hand-wash my bras and clip my toenails. Big plans.

Ronnie shrugged. “Another time, then.” She clasped Nick's hand and walked toward the back hallway. She halted. “Oh, are you taking the apartment, Julie?”

Way to put her on the spot. Everyone stared at her waiting for a reply. It made financial sense. Why procrastinate?
Make a decision.
“Yeah. Thanks, Ronnie. I will.”

“Wonderful! And I'll even loan you my boys to help you move. They're very good.” Ronnie winked as she and Nick headed down the hallway.

Lorcan stopped and gazed at Julie, his thick, dark brown eyebrows arched sexily. “Plans? Do you have any this Saturday night, darlin'? You do recall we discussed going out to dinner?”

He can't be serious.
When he'd tossed out the casual invitation three weeks ago, she'd thought he didn't mean it and merely acted at being polite, solicitous, and nothing more. “A date?” she snorted.

Oh, God.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Julie wanted to recall them. The unlady-like snort was a nice touch
.
Lorcan laid his hands flat on the counter and leaned forward. A subtle whiff of his expensive cologne assaulted her senses, the scent making her light-headed.

“A date,” he nodded. “I'm all for it. Why not? You get off at six on Saturday?” His deep voice rolled huskily.

Julie couldn't speak. Her body and voice froze into inaction. She gazed into his eyes, which were large, expressive, and an indescribable shade of blue-green she'd only seen once before, on a late-night travel show about diving in the Spanish waters off Cortina. His mouth was cradled by the most devastating dimples she'd ever seen.

Lorcan reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. Her eyes widened. No—he wasn't going to—he did. He kissed it. Those full, sensuous lips roved over her knuckles, nibbling delicately on each one. Turning her hand over, he kissed her palm. Those half-hooded gorgeous eyes looked at her with such heat they melted the last vestiges of the frozen effect. Now she felt as if she were on fire. She sucked in a deep breath and exhaled. She couldn't do this.

“I don't think so, but thanks,” she answered in as steady a voice as she could muster.

He dropped her hand, and for a split second, appeared to be shocked. Lorcan recovered quickly. The smile he flashed seemed rigid and didn't go all the way to his eyes.

“Fair play. Another time, then.” Lorcan winked and sauntered toward the back apartment.

Julie exhaled a shaky breath. This was for the best. Placing past self-loathing issues aside, she had no idea why he asked her out. Better to nip this in the bud. He was too much of everything she had ever wanted in a man—physically speaking—with his perfectly proportioned face and six-foot-plus tall, athletic body. Her reaction to his touch confused her, and she didn't need that in her life at the moment. She watched him step into the hall, his tight jeans accentuating his lean musculature. Yes, everything she ever wanted, but would never have.

• • •

Lorcan entered the small connecting hall between the bakery and the apartment. Laughter drifted out from the back rooms. He leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath. She refused him?
This is a first.
Not to sound
too
conceited, but when he made an overture toward a woman, rejection had never been the end result.

Because Lorcan Byrne was an indisputably handsome man.

This wasn't arrogance. He knew it was all part and parcel of being the lucky recipient of a DNA jackpot courtesy of his parents. Lorcan didn't consider himself vain, hardly gave his looks much thought, but through the years he hadn't shied away from using them when the situation warranted it. Sometimes … No,
often
in his previous occupations, it had come in handy.

When he was a wee lad in Dublin, the older ladies who lived in the same row of ramshackle flats as his family would pinch his cheeks and openly admire his beauty. Lorcan discovered a teasing wink and a broad smile would warrant an extra biscuit or a bag of crisps as a reward. Occasionally, if he was lucky, a few pence would be pressed into his hand, and then he'd treat his best friend, Sully, and his cousin, Ronan, to sweets at the corner shop.

Whether he charmed candy from old ladies or, as he grew older, sex from the young ladies, Lorcan had learned that good looks opened many doors.

But not with Julie Denison. She'd practically slammed her door right in his face.

When they'd gone out to dinner with Nick and Ronnie some weeks back, she hadn't even looked at him, barely spoke to him, and when she did, it had been a snide remark about his job running the club, The Playpen. She'd called it the Bada Bing, and referred to him as an Irish Tony Soprano. Actually, he'd been amused by her curt, wry remarks and overall sense of humor. The lass showed spunk. He liked that, and to be honest, he hadn't expected that response as Julie wasn't the type of woman he was usually attracted to. Yet, when he touched her arm, she recoiled in disgust. But he had felt a wave of heat move through him with such intensity he'd thought he'd been burned.

Muttering colorful Irish curses he'd first heard from his grandfather, he ran his hands through his long hair in frustration. Why did this woman affect him? She wasn't a classic beauty, but whenever she looked at him with those wide, stunning eyes—which were a glorious shade of hazel dotted with dazzling flecks of gold—warmth sizzled through his entire body. Her hair and face may be considered ordinary, but her skin had an attractive luminescence and her body had curves he'd love to explore. Since he usually dated tall, slim ladies, Lorcan had never expected a shapely woman to attract him. Especially not one who clearly thought he was a lowlife thug. But she did. Lorcan glanced toward the bakery. Julie was the farthest thing from those phony arm-candy model types. Maybe that's what appealed. He wanted to get to know her better. She intrigued him very much, more than any other woman had in ages. Where did he want to take this? He had no idea. Didn't want to think too far ahead. One thing he did know, he wasn't going to give up so easily. He always did enjoy a challenge, and it had been too long since he'd felt his interest piqued this way.

He strode into the back rooms and caught Nick and Veronica in a passionate kiss. Speaking of interest being piqued … “Bloody hell, you both need to be hosed down,” Lorcan teased.

Nick and Veronica broke apart and laughed. Nick handed him a box. “Thanks for helping us out.”

Lorcan flashed them one of his easy grins. “Aye, what are mates for?”

• • •

On her lunch break the next day, Julie made her way across the street to the small park area to enjoy the fresh air and warm August sunshine. After settling herself on a bench under a shady alder tree, she pulled a plastic bag of celery and carrot sticks out of the paper sack and frowned. Her lunch.
Yuck.
She reached in and drew out a small Tupperware container filled with fat-free ranch dip. Maybe if she closed her eyes, she could imagine the celery and carrots were actually mozzarella sticks, deep fried to a golden brown, and when she bit into one, hot, squishy, delectable cheese would ooze down her throat. A slight moan left her lips at the thought. Instead she had a Bugs Bunny buffet. How tempting it would be to swing by the White Owl pub on her way home and order the appetizer platter consisting of those mozzarella sticks, plus buffalo wings, deep-fried zucchini, and potato skins slathered in butter and sour cream.

Drool clustered at the corner of her mouth and she wiped it away. Not a chance. Not tonight, at any rate. Julie bit into the celery stick and chewed as she glanced around at her surroundings. A goldfinch landed on a low branch above her head and twittered and warbled a musical accompaniment to her sparse, healthy meal.

People from all walks of life strolled past, a few going into Titus Bakery across the way. Business had been fairly brisk since Ronnie opened. What guts to take such a big step, Julie marveled. Ronnie had left a good-paying job in California to move back to her hometown to a new business and new beginning.

One of Julie's regrets? That she'd never accepted her parents' offer to attend university, tuition all paid. Since it hadn't been a good time in her life due to her excess weight and her terrible self-image, she'd declined, and instead spent the last ten years in dead-end cashier jobs. She wanted more. But what?

At that exact moment, a tall shadowy figure filled her gaze. Julie squinted, as it was hard to make out who it could be. Stepping out of the reflection of the sun and strolling toward her with a smooth, panther-like glide ... Lorcan Byrne. The man could be a walking supernova. Julie wasn't sure if it was the bright sun or Lorcan himself that made her corneas burn. Maybe both. The slight breeze caught his shoulder-length hair and a few strands blew across his face. His hair had a deep, lustrous sheen and was the rich shade of mahogany. Beautiful.