Read Hard Irish for Free Online Page B

offensive tackle, as a flying bar stool smashed into the wall where she’d been standing.   He grabbed the heart-shaped ass he so admired and twisted to take the brunt of the fall.  Splintered pieces of wood rained down on them. 
    Jared’s pulse kicked up about ten notches.  Just an adrenaline rush.  It had nothing to do with the scorching feel of her long, lean but curved, just-right body plastered to him or the thick-lashed, narrowed green eyes, the color of spring clover, staring at him.   Her curtain of dark hair fell about them, framing her face that could only be described as beautifully determined.  Her sun-kissed skin glowed like warm honey and an even sweeter-looking, lush mouth softened her dominant nose, chin, and brow.  She smelled of citrus and coconuts, making him want to lick just to see if she tasted that way, too.
    The fear was still there in her gaze, along with surprise.
    Jared spoke, hoping to reassure her.  “I don’t know who that jerk coming after you is, but I do know two things.  He doesn’t deserve to be in any universe you’re in.  And I’d do just about anything to take that fear out of your eyes.”  He slid his hands up from her delectable bottom to pull her tighter to his chest.  “Please tell me he isn’t your husband.”
    She blinked at him a moment before she exhaled and whispered.  “Ex.  He’s my ex.”
    He brushed back a wave of hair that had fallen across her face.  It was like heavy silk.  “Best news I’ve heard all day.  I’ve half a mind to kiss you and show him you’ve moved on to bigger and better things.”
    She arched a skeptical brow.  “I’ve lost my mind, because I’ve half a mind to let you.”
    “Two halves make a whole,” Jared whispered.  He leaned up slowly, giving her plenty of time to back off before he claimed her full mouth.  Explosive didn’t come close to describing everything that coalesced in a kiss that moved from sweet to spicy with a stroke of his tongue.
    The bar fight, the advancing mad-as-hell ex, the very fact that he needed air to breathe, completely disappeared from Jared’s consciousness.  All he could think about was the woman in his arms kissing him like there was no tomorrow.  

C HAPTER F OUR
     
     
    Rocky’s heart sped.  She went from questioning Mack about her father, as she dominated the pool table, to having Collin come after her, and lying in the strong arms of a stranger who wasn’t like a stranger at all.  It was as if she were free-falling into a dark, pleasurable abyss that sucked every care and worry from her mind.
    Kissing her rescuer had thrust her from  a half-formed notion of showing Collin she’d found someone else, into an encounter with a man who had her more aroused than she could ever remember being.  Either that, or the act of kissing a stranger with her ex bearing down on her, had given her an unbelievable adrenaline rush.  Because, for the first time in her life, she lost sight of where she was or who was around her.  The feel of the tall, dark, and devastatingly handsome man against her had short-circuited—everything.
    Being the boss over a crew of construction workers had made her draw a hard line of propriety a long time ago.  She’d never let that line lax and had never let any of the men get anywhere near it.  Ever.  They gave her respect with a bold, capital R.
    Most of the crew was at Sally’s celebrating Mack’s birthday and were likely getting an eyeful, but she didn’t care enough to stop the moment.
    Had some latent need for revenge against Collin suddenly unleashed itself?
    She didn’t think so.  What had captured her and fueled her desire for more was the stranger kissing her.  Not only did he smell and feel like heaven, but the man was a master of kiss.  The right amount of pressure.  The right amount of tongue.  The right amount of give, take, and tangle.  He took charge enough to lead her, but then relaxed into her every move to match her.