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Page 23 of Dublin Charmer (Emerald Isle Mafia #5)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Nyx

T he wind whips blue hair across my face as I help Piper drag a heavy wrought-iron bench into a storage shed that’s bigger than most peoples’ houses.

Harper is following, struggling with a stack of cushions that keep threatening to fly away.

The three of us are half-struggling and half-laughing, trying to get the hatches battened down before the storm hits.

“Shit!” Harper lunges to catch a pillow that breaks free. “Incoming!”

Piper turns just in time to get her hands up to catch it before it smacks into the side of her face. “This storm’s coming in fast.”

I glance at the darkening sky. The temperature’s dropped at least ten degrees since dinner, and the air has that electric feel that precedes something nasty.

Across the courtyard, Finn and Bryan hustle to get the last vehicles inside. Finn catches my eye and gives me a quick nod before disappearing into the garage.

“Here, let me get that door.” I prop the bench against my hip and reach for the shed’s padlock.

Piper shakes her head. “I’ve got it.” She produces a key from her pocket. “I swear, Tag has this place locked down tighter than Fort Knox.”

“Smart, though.” I think of the security measures I have in place for my trailer. “Preparation is everything.”

We wrestle the bench inside, and Harper dumps her armload of cushions onto a shelf.

“How are you holding up?” Piper pushes a strand of dark hair from her face. “If anyone knows how stressful it is to feel helpless while waiting for news about your brother, it’s me.”

A gust slams into the shed, rattling the walls. “I’m trying not to think about what happens if this doesn’t work.”

Harper grabs a patio umbrella that’s starting to roll away. “The Quinns will come through. When they give their word, they mean it.”

“Even for someone who was hacking their systems a week ago?” I can’t help the skepticism in my voice.

Piper laughs. “Especially then. You impressed Finn. That’s no small thing.”

“And Tag respects anyone who can challenge them,” Harper adds, stacking terracotta planters. “The boys aren’t perfect, but loyalty runs deep with them.”

We dash back out for the last pieces—a pair of deck chairs that nearly take flight as we grab them.

“Finn seems different with you,” Piper says as we struggle against the wind. “More centered.”

“The reality is, I barely know him,” I protest, though the memory of his hands on my skin says otherwise.

Harper smiles knowingly. “That’s the Quinn way. They fall hard. They fall fast.”

The first ice pellets begin to strike the ground around us, tiny crystalline bullets. Finn appears at the courtyard door, waving urgently.

“Everybody inside, now!” he calls over the howling wind.

As we rush toward shelter, I realize I’m starting to believe that maybe—just maybe—these people will help me save Gio after all.

Finn

The fire pops and crackles, casting dancing shadows across Nyx’s face. Outside, the storm rages like a wild beast trying to claw its way in, but in here, wrapped in oversized robes with steam still rising from our skin, we’ve created our own pocket of warmth.

“Better?” I watch her cup the mug of hot chocolate between her palms. Her hair is darker when wet, electric blue dulled to midnight. Still damp from the shower we took to ward off the chill.

“Much better.” She sinks deeper into the nest of pillows we’ve created on the floor in front of the sitting area sofa in my bedroom. The firelight catches in her eyes when she looks at me. “Your family really knows how to prepare for a siege.”

“Tag’s paranoia finally pays off.” I stretch my legs toward the fire. “Though he’d prefer to call it tactical readiness.”

A particularly violent gust rattles the windows. Nyx glances toward the sound, then back to me. “Do you think my trailer will be all right?”

“I think so. I pulled it up tight to the house, and Connor and I anchored it the best we could. I’m sorry it didn’t fit in the garage.”

She shrugs. “It’s bigger than the average vehicle, for sure.”

The two of us sit in companionable silence watching the flames and sipping on hot chocolates spiked with Baileys Irish Cream. I could get used to this. There’s something about having Nyx here with me that is profoundly ‘right’.

“What happens after we get Gio back?” I ask the question and then wish I hadn’t, but know I can’t take it back. “After your brother is safe and you help us take down Gravely. What’s next for Nyx?”

She traces the rim of her mug with her finger. “What will the mighty Quinns do when there’s no war to fight?”

That’s easy. “Officially, we’ll rebuild. Help South Dublin recover. Make sure something like Gravely never happens again. Privately? We have Baby Q coming in a few weeks and the twins are engaged to Harper and Nora. So, there will be weddings and all kinds of family moments to look forward to.”

She smiles as she looks at me. “You and your brothers seem as excited for Laine’s baby as Tag does.”

“Aye, we are. We live together, and we face the world as a united family. We’re all getting ready for the addition to the family. I’m stoked to be Uncle Finn.”

And I want you to be around to share it with.

It’s what my heart is saying, but I can’t say it out loud. It’s much too soon. I’ve known her for less than two weeks, and more than the first week of that was as a nameless cyberpunk playing cat and mouse with my network.

My brothers’ laughter still hurts. When they found out I was crushing on Ginny, they made me feel like a fool. Tag said I was too eager, and I needed to play it cool. I’m trying with Nyx, but my instincts are screaming that she’s special and that I’d be a fool to let her get away.

“So? Any ideas going forward?”

She shrugs, her robe slipping slightly off one shoulder. “I haven’t thought that far ahead. For years, it’s just been about surviving. First after Papa died, then keeping Gio safe. Planning for a future feels indulgent.”

“Fair enough, but in a world where Gio is safe and the two of you have the chance to make choices, what’s one thing you’d want? Surely, you’ve daydreamed about something.”

She nods and takes another sip from the rim of her mug.

“I’ve often wondered what it would be like to live somewhere permanent…

to have a place where I could have a little patio with a barbecue…

maybe a little garden. My nona used to have the most incredible garden and when we stayed with her, Gio and I would pick tomatoes and peppers and oregano right off the plants and make tomato sauce and preserves with her. I’d love to be able to do that.”

“Do you have your nona’s recipes?”

“I do, somewhere. It’s been years since I’ve thought about that, but I had her little recipe box. It must be in my storage unit back in Milan. When Papa died, Mr. Rossi’s lawyer handled all the packing up of the homes on the estate. He put my family belongings in storage.”

“Then that’s a great place to start. Maybe after this is over, you and your brother should check out the contents of that storage unit and reconnect with your past.”

Her smile is unsure, but I can tell she likes the idea. “And maybe I could get an office job and work IT. I could use my skills for something besides crime and cyber-security.”

“Your skills would be wasted working IT in an office job.”

She tilts her head, still considering. “Maybe I could consult. For people who need specialized security.”

I smile. “I know a powerful Dublin family who would contract you in a heartbeat. You’d have job security and a salary that would afford you not only a place of your own, but the money to do anything you want with it.”

Her eyes meet mine. “Is that a job offer from the infamous Dublin Charmer?”

“It is. It’s also me wanting you to think about sticking around.”

She sets her mug down and shifts closer. When her lips meet mine, they taste like chocolate and possibility. The kiss deepens, her hand sliding inside my robe to rest against my chest. The heat between us has nothing to do with the fire.

Nyx

There’s something about Finn’s kisses that breaks down all my carefully constructed defenses. The man is guileless. He speaks his truth, and in a world where everyone around me has hidden agendas and dangerous ulterior motives, it’s both unexpected and sexy as hell.

He wants me around. As a keyboard jockey to add to the Quinn team, sure, but more so as a woman.

No man I’ve ever been with has wanted me solely for me.

He knows all my deepest, darkest drama, and he’s not fazed.

The kiss between us grows hungry, and I let hope sweep me away. The spark between us ignites like a wildfire and I wouldn’t be surprised if I suddenly burst into flames in his arms.

Ignoring every self-preservation instinct I’ve had in place for the past decade, I open myself up. This isn’t just the chemistry we share or the desire to fuck each other senseless like earlier, this is… more.

Without breaking our kiss, I shift closer.

My legs slide over Finn's until I'm straddling him, my robe riding up my thighs. His hands grip my hips, fingers digging into my flesh with a desperation that matches my own. He’s hard and ready beneath me, and I grind against him, eliciting a groan from deep within his chest.

His mouth moves from mine, trailing hot, open-mouthed kisses down my neck, his stubble rough against my sensitive skin.

I gasp, my head falling back, and his hands slide up my body, untying my robe and pushing it off my shoulders.

The firelight dances across my bare skin, and Finn’s eyes roam over me, his gaze as hot as his touch.

"Yer so bloody beautiful," he murmurs, his voice ragged with desire. His hands cup my breasts, thumbs brushing over my nipples.

I arch into his touch, a soft moan escaping my lips.

I reach between us, my hand wrapping around his cock, and he sucks in a sharp breath. His hips jerk, his steel shaft pulsing in my palm. I stroke his length, my thumb circling the sensitive tip. He's hard and hot in my hand, and I want him inside me, filling me, completing me.

He captures my mouth again, his kiss fierce and demanding. His hands grip my ass, lifting me, and I shift my hips to guide his cock into my heat. Both of us groan as I sink onto him.

Finn drops his head back and I lick the bob of his Adam’s apple. His skin tastes salty and smells of his spicy scent mixed with faint traces of his cologne after a long day.

Closing my eyes, I focus on the sensation of my intimate girl parts stretching to accommodate his size. He fills me completely, and that glorious fullness makes me ache and my breath catch in my throat.

Finn's hands slide up my back, his touch gentle, soothing. He kisses my shoulder, my neck, his lips soft against my skin. "All right?" he asks, his voice barely more than a whisper.

I meet his gaze, marveling at the emerald storm brewing in his eyes. “Meravigliosa.”

He chuckles. “I hope that’s a good thing.”

“It is. It’s wonderful, marvelous… amazing.”

His smile exposes that dimple in his cheek and I lose a little more of my heart to him.

I ride him slowly, my hips rising and falling in a steady rhythm as I coax us both closer to our releases. His hands never leave my body, his touch both gentle and demanding. He meets my thrusts, his hips rising to greet mine, his cock sliding deep inside me.

The fire crackles and pops, casting shadows that dance across our sweat-glistening bodies. The room is filled with the sound of our ragged breaths, our soft moans, and the wet sound of our bodies coming together.

It's erotic, intimate, and I've never felt more connected to another person.

Finn sits forward, arching me back until he can take my breast in his mouth. His tongue circles my nipple, his teeth grazing the sensitive peak. I gasp, my pace quickening, my body chasing the pleasure that's building within me. His hands splay across my bare back, his hold keeping me in place.

I cry out, my body clenching around him.

“Finn,” I gasp, my voice barely recognizable. “It feels so good.”

He growls and leans back, shifting his hold to my hips. The pressure of his grip tightens, and then he takes control, his hips thrusting up into me. His cock drives deep, and I surrender to the bliss.

The room spins in a lazy haze as my pulse races, and my release takes hold.

I cry out, my breath coming in sharp gasps as my senses detonate. The pleasure is blinding and a rush of Italian nonsense spills from me with each wave crashing over me. My pussy is clenching, gripping and throbbing around his cock in greedy abandon.

“Fucking hell!” He groans, his hips locking as his body shutters beneath me.

I collapse forward against Finn’s chest and he rolls us to the carpet, our bodies slick with sweat, our breaths ragged and uneven. I rest my head on his shoulder, my eyes closed, my body limp.

Finn's arms wrap around me, holding me close, his heart pounding against my chest.

We lay like that, our bodies entwined, our breath slowly returning to normal. The fire crackles, the wind howls outside, but in here, in this moment, there's only us.

Only Finn and me, and this unbelievable connection that makes no sense.