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“ T his isn’t how I wanted my day to go.”

The announcement was met with a mix of stares ranging from pitying to uninterested. Ellie pressed her lips together and resisted the urge to throw a temper tantrum the likes of which her travel companions had probably never seen before.

Aside from the fact that she was relatively sure she’d never thrown a tantrum, Ellie was just angry enough to try.

“Even though this didn’t turn out the way you thought it would,” Gwen replied, shaking her hair free from the elastic, “it’s not the end of the world.” She smiled gratefully as the lone flight attendant placed a glass of merlot in front of her. “I love you.”

The attendant smiled back at her. “Me, or the merlot?”

“Both.”

“For you, miss?”

“Merlot is fine,” Ellie replied, then caught Colin’s raised brow. “What?”

“Your aunt’s not here. You don’t have to worry about drinking a beer with us. ”

The words, an echo from the night they’d first met, washed over Ellie in a pleasurable wave, and despite herself she gave him a soft smile. “Your memory really is impressive.”

“Only when the memories themselves are impressive.”

Gwen looked from one to the other, speculation crossing her features, and Ellie quickly said, “Guinness, please.”

“Excellent.” Aidan, Emma’s husband, had joined them at the airport. He added, “I knew I liked you. I’m happy your employee could take over the bookshop for a few days.”

Ellie let out a pent-up breath. “A month isn’t just a few days.

I’m lucky that Norman is such a dedicated employee.

” Although he knows a first edition of Jane Eyre is coming in for a customer sometime this month, she added silently, and he could collect a hefty commission from that sale .

Added to the fact that he’d be paid overtime…

well, suffice to say that her fellow book lover wasn’t as altruistic as he seemed when she called him earlier.

Colin mistook her look of consternation for aggravation. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry it turned out this way.”

From the other side of the wide table, Aidan stroked his chin.

“What I can’t figure out is, if you’re as against this idea as the media is reporting, then why’d you agree to do this in the first place?

Ow!” he exclaimed. He rubbed his shin and shrugged at his wife.

“What? A mate’s got a right to ask the obvious question, lass. ”

“It’s none of your business,” Emma hissed.

To Ellie, Colin gave an apologetic smile. “He means well.”

Instead of answering, Ellie accepted her pint and the captain’s voice trickled through the speakers. “We’re starting our descent into Dublin. If everyone wouldn’t mind buckling up, that’d be fine by me. O’Malley, you want to take a crack at landing this craft?”

They were flying to Dublin first to drop off Emma, Aidan, Reilly, and Gwen, who decided to stay at Reilly’s as originally planned. Colin and Ellie would continue on to Boston, arriving in the early morning hours.

Reilly hopped up with a grin. “The benefits of owning your own plane far outweigh everything else.”

“You don’t own a plane,” Gwen reprimanded him good-naturedly.

“It’s my plane,” Aidan called after him. “Remember that.”

Reilly snorted. “Foolish lout. What good is a beast if it isn’t tamed? This aircraft has but one master…and I daresay it isn’t you.”

Aidan half rose, but Emma put a hand on his arm. “Why do you let him get to you?” she asked, exasperated, as Reilly strode to the cockpit.

“He’ll pay for that,” Aidan growled.

Emma rolled her eyes. “I’m giving up on you two.” To Ellie, she added with a conspiratorial wink, “I believe they love each other as only family can. But their inner toddlers come out much too often.”

“I’m doing it for my aunt,” Ellie said suddenly. She felt the blush rush to her cheeks as Aidan’s eyes snapped to her. “She wants to see me happy, with a family of my own. She doesn’t want me to become a lonely bookseller, invisible to the world.”

“Impossible,” Colin murmured. “You could never be invisible.”

Gwen’s eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hair, and Ellie quickly changed the subject. “I didn’t know Reilly could fly.”

Gwen shrugged. “He holds his secrets close to his chest, that’s for sure.”

“Well, I hope you have a wonderful time in Boston,” Aidan said, capturing Ellie’s attention. “’Tis a lovely city. A baby insofar as our own cities are concerned, but nice nonetheless.”

“Irish pride,” Emma said apologetically .

“Are you from Boston too?” Ellie asked Emma.

She shook her head, her blonde hair swishing. “Nope. I’m from upstate New York, but spent a long time in New York City.”

“Where I was fortunate enough to have stolen her away from her wretched job,” Aidan added.

“Best business decision I’ve ever made,” Colin agreed.

Emma rolled her eyes at the both of them as the plane touched down on the tarmac. “You two could sweet-talk the hide off a cow. Ellie, have a wonderful time in Boston. Enjoy your vacation. I’ll be in touch soon.”

Ellie and Gwen hugged, and soon it was just her, Colin, the flight attendant, and the pilot.

And seven hours in a private jet.

Colin watched Eleanor sleep across from him, her breathing deep and even.

He showed her how to pull the seat out fully so that it became a bed, and then Amanda, the flight attendant, brought over a pillow and some blankets.

Ellie pretended to sleep, and Colin felt her gaze acutely, until she really did drift off.

Now, as he studied her, he wondered what he was going to do.

A lock of her thick, chestnut hair fell over her forehead, and her face was relaxed. She looked innocent and trusting—and Colin’s instincts were clamoring. He wanted nothing more than to claim her as his mate, but he wasn’t a fool. If he claimed her, she would be tied to him forever.

Forever .

He could deal with loneliness. He could handle focusing on those around him so that the hollowness wouldn’t swallow him whole.

Protectors before him had done so, and while he knew what could happen in the worst-case scenarios, he also knew what could happen in the best-case ones.

But to tie an innocent woman to that same fate?

He was bound to her forever already. Being an O’Rourke, it was the blessing and curse given to all Protectors.

One mate. That was it. If he didn’t claim his mate, he was destined to be lonely, but she would be free.

But if he did claim her, and she didn’t love him…

he condemned both of them to an eternity of sadness.

He sat back slowly and took a sip of his water, contemplating the mess of his life right now. They’d known each other a handful of hours. It was too soon for anyone, save a Protector, to know anything about another person. It didn’t make sense, and to force something would only backfire.

She didn’t give him any outward indicators that she felt anything other than friendliness for him, aside from the one spectacular kiss.

He couldn’t claim her without knowing that she loved him; doing so would entwine them for all time.

Neither would be complete without the other, and if love wasn’t involved, it would be an unmitigated disaster.

No. He wouldn’t do that to her.

So, as he watched her sleep, he decided that he would match her with only the best his company had to offer. He would comb all of Great Britain and Ireland and find her the man of her dreams, who would give her everything he couldn’t.

He wouldn’t be another Shea O’Rourke, who claimed his mate without her love behind him.

“Mr. O’Rourke? We’re landing shortly. Can I get you anything?”

He glanced up and smiled at Amanda. “No thanks, I’m set.”

She patted his shoulder, then headed to her own seat near the cockpit and buckled in as Les began the final descent into Boston.

Colin glanced back at Ellie. She deserved happiness and stability and love.

He could give her none of that—but Celtic Connections could.

Colin unlocked the door and stood back, wondering why the hell he’d brought Ellie to his home instead of to a hotel. Because you don’t want to abandon her in a foreign city, he reminded himself. It would be rude.

Ellie stood on the front doorstep of his brownstone in the Back Bay of Boston, looking up at the four-story home. Her expression revealed nothing, but Colin hoped she liked what she saw.

Not that it would matter, he rushed to convince himself.

Her eyes met his, and her lips turned upward. “Whoa, Colin. Just…whoa.”

He shrugged, trying to remain nonchalant. “Just a pile of stones. Come on in.”

She scoffed as she stepped inside and took it all in. “These are some stones.”

He dropped their bags in the front foyer, which was a lofty term for the smallish entrance to the house. Closing the door, he let out a contented sigh. He enjoyed Ireland, but this was home. And he was glad to be back, even if only for a short time.

“Come on. I’ll give you the tour.” And damn him if he wasn’t a little bit excited to show her his house.

Which was nerve-racking on so many levels, not the least of which was that he’d never brought a woman home before.

Family, of course, and Emma when she was hiding out from her ex, but otherwise…

Well, he was sure it didn’t signify anything.

And even if it did, he rationalized, the fact that she was here meant nothing.

He was serious about keeping his distance from her.

As he followed the honey-maple floors into the living room, her scent filled his senses, and he wondered if he’d ever again be able to enter that room without thinking of it.

Colin swallowed hard. He was in deep, and he hoped he was strong enough to resist it.

Ellie followed Colin into the living room, which must have been set up by an interior designer.

The leather couches and matching recliner were arranged around a stunning arched fireplace, above which hung a massive, two-part piece of abstract artwork.

She wandered up to it, entranced by the colors and vibrancy of the strokes.