Lucky This Isn't Real: MacBride Brothers Series St. Patrick's Day Fake Fiance Romance by Jamie Knight (good books to read for beginners txt) 📗

voice of my dreams say— although, finally, it was in reality that she was speaking. “Oh, my God. You’re here? Is it really you?”

I whirled around so fast I nearly fell over, making Darcy laugh. The sound was like crystal wind chimes in a light summer breeze. To my ears, at least.

“Yes, surprise!” I told her. “I’m here and it’s really me. Can I take your coat?”

I wanted to say, ‘Can I kiss you?’ but I wasn’t sure we were ready for that yet. We were both still interested, at least going by our intermittent correspondence, but it had been over three months since our last kiss, and I didn’t want to rush her.

“If you insist,” she said, with an adorable little sigh. “I can’t believe you’re here. It’s almost unreal. You should have told me.”

“I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“And it is. A lovely one.”

“I’ll be right back. I can’t wait to see more of your gorgeous face finally.

“Same!” she said, looking truly excited as well.

I went and put Darcy’s coat in the bedroom where Maggie had instructed me to lay them on the bed. As I did so, I caught a whiff of her sexy, flowery scent that had permeated the fabric and was even more motivated to get back out to her as soon as I could.

As soon as I saw her again, my eyes trailed over her curvy body and I thought about how much I wanted to take off her red blouse and black pants. In response, her eyebrow curved up at me as if knowing exactly what I wanted, and letting me know that she wanted it, too.

“Would you like a drink?” I asked.

“They’re not making you be a server, are they?”

“No, no, I volunteered, kinda. I like to be of service when and where I can.”

She smiled shyly.

“Very admirable. I’ll have a small glass of wine, please.”

“Right away, love,” I said, bowing cordially before heading to the kitchen.

Darcy hadn’t said if she preferred red or white, and I hadn’t asked. This situation led to me holding two different wine bottles in the kitchen as the party went on without me.

“What’s up?” Maggie asked, strolling in.

“Darcy asked for wine. I don’t know if she likes white or red.”

“It can change according to her mood, though I don’t think either will put her off you. If you want to play it safe, go with the white. It’s what she drinks when she’s happy.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Need a hand getting the cork out?”

“I think I’ve got it. I’ve opened one or two of these before.”

Pouring half a glass, hoping the amount counted as small and Darcy wouldn’t think I was trying to get her drunk, I returned to the swing of things. Darcy was easy to spot, even in a crowd, and I felt excited as I once again stood near her.

“Good choice,” Darcy said after the first sip of wine. “This is delicious.”

“I have an intuition about these things.”

“Do you now?”

“No, not at all,” I admitted. “Maggie helped me pick out something you’d like.”

“There’s nothing wrong with asking for help.”

“Not at all, particularly when one is at risk of making an arse of one’s self. Like, say, I dunno, steamrolling into the maid of honor as she comes down the aisle at a wedding rehearsal.”

She gave me that sweet, shy smile of hers again.

“You did fine.”

“Aye, thanks to you.”

“I didn’t do much.”

“Nah, just saved my arse.”

Darcy snorted, and some of the wine nearly went up her nose, making her sneeze in the cutest possible way.

“Bless you.”

“Thanks,” she said, as I handed her a tissue. “Do you always carry around tissues?”

“Aye, and an umbrella in the rainy season, whether it’s raining right then or not. Always be prepared. That’s my motto.”

“You have the same motto as The Boy Scouts of America.”

I laughed.

“There’s one thing I’m not, and that’s a Boy Scout.”

When dinner was ready, we all went into the impressively large dining room, the table decorated nicely with a white cloth and white hydrangeas. There were also little cards indicating who should sit where. This was exactly the first time outside of the wedding— which had been the first time ever— that I had encountered such a thing.

Maggie was somehow involved on both occasions. It was with little surprise that Darcy and I found ourselves sitting down next to each other. I would have to thank my sister-in-law later.

The chairs were set so close that our legs nearly touched. Even though we were both wearing pants, I could still feel her warmth through the layers of denim and cloth between us.

I looked to her for a reaction, and she was staring at me with a flirtatious look on her face. The urge to gently squeeze her thigh was almost irresistible, but resist it is exactly what I did.

I knew that if I kept going in this direction, I wouldn’t be able to stop, and no one wanted to see me sweep her into my arms and onto the bed where I had lay her coat. I would have to wait until later, to carry out my desires in private.

Time ticked by as it tended to do. We ate, drank, and watched the first episode of season three of Gavin’s show, and as soon as the end credits rolled, Gavin announced that season four had already been greenlit. Everyone toasted and celebrated the good news, congratulating him on his success.

By the end of the night, the guests trickled out until Darcy was the last one remaining, lingering like she was waiting for something. Perhaps she was waiting for me to make my move.

“Would you be willing to show me around tomorrow?” I asked.

Her brow furrowed.

“Willing,