Taking Risk Series Read online

  “He’s here,” Fiona says as she passes by me. I glance up from the pint I’m filling to look at her as she lays down a plate of food for one of my customers. Her face is flush, a grin pulling at her lips.

  I smile as I ask, “Who?”

  “Kane Levy,” she says out of the side of her mouth. “Over at the end of the bar.”

  I look over my shoulder, but before I can focus on anything, she smacks me in the arm.

  “Don’t look!” she scolds, and I laugh as I pass a pint to a college guy. He smiles his thanks and throws five euros in my tip jar.

  “Thank you,” I say before turning to Fiona. Before I can say anything, the college guy says, “You’re quare good-looking. Will ya be my missus?”

  Without my even having to look at her, Fiona says, “He wants to marry you.”

  Now see, this is one of those moments I could take a risk, or do something drastic, maybe even have the potential to fall in love, but the thought of doing any of that with this extremely cute guy has me wanting to hide under the bar. He is obviously drunk and supercute with big, brown eyes, but he’s not my type. Call me picky but I want someone who is going to make me shiver with need, and I’m not shivering. So with a smile, I say, “Not today.”

  He goes to say something more, but Fiona puts her hand up. “Brian, we’ll be having none of that. Go on now. She’s not interested.”

  He doesn’t say anything. His face falls with rejection as he turns with his beer and heads to the table where his friends are waiting. Fiona watches him, and when he sits, she turns back to me. “Be on the lookout for that one. He is quick to want to marry someone. Asks me like every month.”

  “Oh, I’m glad to see he isn’t selective.”

  She laughs as she nods. “Total eejit. Don’t pay him a bit of heed, but as I was saying, he’s here.”

  “I know, but you won’t let me look!” I laugh, but I can’t help but be as giddy as she is. She is grinning ear-to-ear, eyes bright as she watches him from over my shoulder.

  “He is so yummy. Look at those eyes.”

  I roll mine as I remind her, “I can’t! You won’t let me.”

  “Fine, go reach for that um, jug and look,” she allows. I shake my head as I turn, reaching for the jug she pointed at before looking down at where a sinfully hot man sits. Oh, goodness. No wonder she is all giddy. Dark-as-night hair, deep brown eyes, high cheekbones, and squared jaw that is covered in dark stubble. When his eyes meet mine, I turn quickly, breathless as I look into Fiona’s eyes. “Fucking hell! He is beautiful!”

  “I know! He comes in every other night, and I haven’t had the balls to say anything.”

  “You need to. He is smoking hot!”

  Fiona pauses her gaze on him, and then looks down at me. “You go chance your arm with him. He gives me the chills, and I feel stupid when I try to talk to him, but he’s checking out your arse. Go on.”

  I shake my head quickly. My heart speeds in my chest as my hands quickly cover my ass. Don’t ask me why I do that—I have no clue. “No way. He is way too much man for me.”

  Her head falls to the side, her eyes boring into mine. “What does that mean?”

  I wave her off with a nervous laugh. “Don’t worry about it. He’s obviously someone you want to talk to, and we all know the young guys come in for you.”

  “They do not! They come for both of us.”

  I roll my eyes as I wave her off. “Go.”

  “Okay, I’m going to.”

  “Good!”

  She pumps her arms as if she is getting ready to go for a run and then passes by me, sauntering toward him in a way that only a confident woman could pull off. I watch as his mouth spreads into a huge grin as she leans against the bar and starts to talk to him. I want to eavesdrop, but that’s rude, so I go back to work, hating myself for being so inexperienced.

  Later that night, Fiona and I work quickly to close everything up so we can go to bed. I’m beat and my feet are killing me, but Fiona doesn’t look the least bit tired. She is smiling, hard, and I know it’s because she spent most the night flirting with Kane.

  “He is so perfect,” she gushes as she loads the dishwasher up.

  I smile as I listen to her go on and on about how perfect he is. It’s cute. I ask her, “You ignore everyone else who hits on you—have you crushed on him long?”

  She nods sheepishly. “Oh yes, and I don’t even know what I’ll do if he asks me out! I’ll probably freak.”

  She screams, and I can’t help but scream too. I’ve never had this, the female bonding over a guy. I didn’t have a sibling growing up and not many friends. I was kind of a nerd, with my nose deep in a book. I don’t hate that about myself. I pride myself in my knowledge of the written word, but doing this, gushing with Fiona about Kane, makes me wish that I didn’t wait until I was almost twenty-one to experience this. This is something a teenager does, but while most girls gushed over boy bands, I was swooning over Mr. Darcy and Edward Ferrars. Some may call it odd that I was in love with heroes from my favorite romance novels, and maybe they have raised my expectations of men, but it’s what I did. It’s why I want to be an English teacher, just so I can share these amazing men with the youth today. So they can see that a man with manners is way better than a man with swag.

  “He has me acting a fool. It’s insane! I know!”

  I smile at her exclamation as she runs her hands through her hair. “I’m glad. You are beautiful when you smile like that.”

  She grins, but then her brows come together as she says, “Can I ask you something?”

  I nod. “Absolutely.”

  “You said earlier that he is more man than you could handle? What did you mean? It’s been bothering me.”

  I shrug, not going to answer, but she reaches out and takes my wrist with her hand. “You can tell me anything, you know that. I wasn’t trying to offend you. I just wanted to give you a chance with the first guy you fancied.”

  I shake my head, placing my hand over hers. “Not at all. I’m not offended, and I wouldn’t say I fancy Kane. He’s a good-looking guy, but he isn’t for me. Plus, you like him.”

  “Okay, but plenty of guys come in here looking a lot like Kane, and you brush them off—why?”

  I shrug again, nervous as my heart pounds against my ribs. Looking up into her eyes, I smile sheepishly. “It’s just that I’m not experienced with guys like you. I’ve never really dated or anything. My only kiss was with my neighbor. I’m kind of a weirdo.”

  “Sorry? Do you mean you’ve never got off with a fella?”

  I pause as I look into her aquamarine eyes. Did I really want to admit that right now? To my surprise, I’m slowly nodding my head, and then I say, “Yeah.”

  She can only blink as she holds my gaze. “I’m sorry, but I have no clue what to say. You’re gorgeous, Amberlyn! What are you waiting for?”

  I grin shyly as I shrug my shoulders. “I never had time. Too busy with my mom and school and stuff.”

  Her eyes fill with sympathy before she wraps me up tightly in her arms. I smile against her shoulder as I hug her back. I really love Fiona, and I feel my mom knew that I would, hence the reason she sent me here. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I instantly loved my aunt and uncle when I met them, but with Fiona, she just gets me. She understands and loves me, even when I admit horribly embarrassing things. She doesn’t make me feel like crap for it. In a way, she gives me hope with her sparkling, bluish-green eyes.

  “Well, that is going to change. I promise you that!”

  I laugh as she pulls away and says, “Maybe Kane has a friend?”

  I shrug. “Maybe, but I’m not looking for a quick lay. I want a relationship. I want to be wooed.”

  “Wooed?” she asked, obviously confused.

  “Yeah, like romanced,” I supply.

  “Oh! Sure, sure! Kane is good at wooing,” she says with a wink.

  “I don’t doubt that. He looks like it.”

  “He is and no worries.