“Right now?” He grinned, lifted her chin and planted a quick, hard kiss on her mouth. “We’re saying good-night while I’m still enough of a gentleman to let you walk away from me.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know,” he said and stepped back and away from her. “Dina, I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone before, so I’m giving you fair warning. Leave now, or wake up in my bed.”
Heat pooled in her center and her breath came just a little bit quicker. “I’m not sleeping with you, Connor.”
“You’re right about that, anyway,” he said wryly. “Sleeping wasn’t what I had in mind.”
More heat flared until Dina felt as if she might simply spontaneously combust right there on the patio. Funny, all it took was warning her away from him to make her want him even more. How twisted was that?
“Connor—”
“Do us both a favor and go to bed, okay?” He scrubbed one hand across the back of his neck, then let his hand fall to his side.
“Fine. I’m going.” She hadn’t taken more than a few steps, though, when his voice stopped her.
“Oh, yeah. We’ll be going to Ireland in a few days, if there’s anything you need to take care of before we go.”
“Ireland?”
Dina was being treated like a princess.
And she felt like a fraud.
For heaven’s sake, she’d been whooshed through security, bypassing the thousands of people lined up at the other terminals, in favor of the charter jet area that was practically empty in comparison. That’s when she discovered that flying on a KingJet was a far different experience than flying coach on a regular airliner.
The KingJet boasted comfy leather seats, a full bar and three cribs bolted to the floor to accommodate sleeping triplets. There was room to wander around and a bathroom—complete with shower—that was as luxurious as the rest of the plane. During the long flight to Ireland she’d relaxed by watching movies on a big-screen TV while Connor buried himself in work.
Once they landed, they were all once again hustled through customs without having to wait like every other human being on the planet and ushered to a limousine complete with a liveried driver. The ride from Shannon airport to Ashford Castle took an hour and a half, but Dina was so busy with the triplets and admiring the view out the windows, she hardly noticed time passing.
Just the day before, she had been at home, scrambling for work—and now she was in Europe. Sadly, she hadn’t had to do much in preparation for this trip. She had no immediate jobs lined up and so no reason to tell Connor she couldn’t go with him. And now, as the beautiful countryside streamed past the car windows, she was glad for that.
Connor had been in Ireland before and enjoyed playing tour guide. “In a day or two, we’ll drive over to Cong and take the kids for a walk through the village.”
“Okay,” she said, smiling. “What’s Cong?”
He laughed. “Just a really beautiful village in Ireland, but they filmed The Quiet Man there. You know, the John Wayne movie?”
“I love that old movie,” Dina said.
“Yeah, me, too. They’ve got a statue in the village commemorating the film, too. Plus, you can visit a perfect replica of the cottage they used. There’s nice shops, some good restaurants and great pubs. You’ll like it.”
She was sure she would. What she wasn’t sure of was why Connor cared if she was having a good time or not. But that question went unanswered as the limousine turned in to a long, graveled drive at the end of which the castle waited.
Once the car stopped, Dina stepped out and right into a fairy tale.
The castle was amazing. Weathered gray stone, trailing ivy, glorious flower beds in vivid colors, forests and a long, winding drive. There was a fountain in the center of the yard and a lake spread out in front of the castle, where sunlight glinted off the surface like handfuls of diamonds.
Dina stood in one spot and did a slow turn, trying to take everything in and failing. It would take months to appreciate the whole picture. She had never seen so many different shades of green, though. Standing there, it was like being inside an emerald and watching sunlight play among the shadows—cool and warm at the same time.
“It’s a rare day for Ireland in June,” Connor was saying. “Usually the skies are gray and the wind is cold and generally it’s raining. The sun must be shining today just for you.”
She laughed, delighted at the thought, even though it was ridiculous. Then she shook her head and, speechless, stared at the castle itself, from the ground all the way up to the battlements, where she guessed ghosts still walked.
“You like it?”
“Oh, I really do,” she admitted.
“It’s the oldest castle in Ireland,” he said, “and that’s saying something. I think it dates back to twelve hundred something.”
“And it’s still here,” she mused, and her fingers itched to touch the gray stone, to feel it hum with history and the memories of everyone who’d ever been here. Smiling to herself at the silly thought, she turned to look at Connor. “It’s incredible. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”
He stared at her for a second or two then said, “Yeah. Just what I was thinking.”
Dina didn’t even know how to respond to that and thankfully, she didn’t have to. A small crowd of people rushed from the castle down the drive to the car. A short man in a sharp black suit and carefully tended hair walked directly to Connor and held his hand out.
“Mr. King,” he said, in a voice brushed with a lovely accent. “So good to have you back again. We’ve your usual suite prepared for you.”
“Thank you, Sean,” Connor said, shaking the man’s hand. “Dina, this is Sean Flannery, the castle manager.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“And you, madam,” Sean said, taking her hand in a firm grip before turning back to Connor. “We’ve also taken care of your special requirements. The extra bedroom is equipped for your triplets, and may I add my congratulations to you and your lovely wife.”
Dina blinked, surprised. Then she realized she shouldn’t have been. Why wouldn’t the hotel staff assume she and Connor were married? They were traveling with triplets, after all.
“Oh, thank you, but—”
Connor dropped one arm around her shoulders. “My wife’s tired from the flight, Sean, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to get us checked in right away.”
“Certainly.” He waved a hand and suddenly the throng of hotel employees with him descended on the limo, taking luggage out of the trunk and hurrying toward the arched stone doorway.
Dina gave Connor a look, but he shook his head as if to say later, so she let it go. Instead, she turned back to the limo and leaned inside. She unhooked the babies from their car seats and one at a time, she handed the kids out to Connor, who corralled them on the pristine lawn. But the triplets had been trapped for too long and refused to stand still. The three of them took off in different directions, toddling unsteadily across the grass, squealing and babbling as they went.
“We should catch them before they ruin the flower beds or fall into the fountain—”
“They’re