SHAPE OF MY HEART
Irish
Pride series, book three
Kemberlee
Shortland
Cover design by Kim Killion at Hot Damn Designs -- http://www.hotdamndesigns.com.
Gráinne has moved back to Dublin to get her life straightened out. She
dreams of college and a better life. She’s working for her brother, Kieran, in
his newly reopened pub, The Blues Tavern, but the money isn’t enough to support
herself and pay tuition. Moonlighting at The Klub! as an exotic dancer seems to
be her answer fast money.
John ‘JD’ Desmond is a detective working undercover in the Blues Tavern.
The Klub!, owned by Jimmy Malloy, is being used as a drug front, headed by the
notorious Taylor Wade. JD had intended to get Gráinne to snitch for him, but
when he falls in love with her, things get complicated.
When Gráinne witnesses Jimmy’s murder, she and JD are forced to go on
the run until Wade can be apprehended. Wade lives up to his nickname, The
Hunter, and JD and Gráinne quickly find themselves at the end of a gun and
running for their lives.
Over
the next couple hours JD tread lightly around Gráinne and peace settled between
them. He hadn’t had the opportunity to talk to her again with the evening prep,
but as he looked at his watch he knew her shift ended soon.
He’d
tried almost every tactic he could think of to get her to reveal more about
herself and he was getting anxious at her continued aloofness. He didn’t want
to have to resort to seducing her. While the idea of getting her into bed was
appealing, he just preferred to do it under other circumstances. He fancied her
like hell, but he couldn’t let his libido get in the way of his job. She was
his best hope at getting the information he desperately needed. So he’d have to
resort to another tactic if he was going to get her to talk. Blackmail was one
he was loath to use, but at this stage in the game, he had little choice.
There
was a lull in the pub now that the afternoon crowds were gone and the evening
prep had been done. If he was going to confront her, he had to do it now.
Gráinne
stood at the end of the bar flipping through a magazine. The twinkling
Christmas lights over the back bar shone on her dark hair. As she moved, the
highlights reflected like electric current through the strands curling around
her face. His heart thumped a little harder looking at her.
He
reminded himself he wasn’t here to bartend. He was here to gather information.
His future depended on it. He couldn’t afford another wasted day so it was now
or never.
His
pounding heart made it suddenly hard to breathe. He hated having to do this to
her.
“Gráinne,
can we talk?”
“Talk?”
She put her magazine aside. “About what?”
“I
think you know.” He locked gazes with her. He could tell she was nervous by the
way she started fidgeting.
Then
she turned away, refusing to look at him for longer than a millisecond. “My
love life is none of your concern,” she told him, reminding him unnecessarily
of their previous discussion.
“That’s
not what I’m talking about.”
“Then
I don’t know what you mean.” She spun on her heel, intent on leaving the bar
area.
He
grasped her arm. To his surprise, she didn’t struggle. But something odd
happened as he loosened his grasp. He felt something powerful pass between
them. His fingers tingled as he touched her. It radiated up his arm and shot
through his body.
For
the second time today, he felt himself stiffen, and wished that circumstances
were different, that she was naked beneath him and gazing up at him with eyes
he knew would undo him.
She
glanced over her shoulder, but not directly at him. “Let me go.” Her barely
audible words shook him back to the moment. It wasn’t a command, but he
couldn’t help noticing her words were tinged with pleading.
“Will
you stay to talk with me? I think this is important.” His own voice was softer
now. When she relaxed he reluctantly released his hold. She kept her gaze
averted, her arms folded protectively in front of her, refusing to look at him.
He knew she was waiting for something, anything, to draw her away.
Reaching
under the bar, he extracted the black plastic sack he’d brought in with him
today. He knew the item inside would shatter any peace he hoped to make with
her.
He
looked at the sack for a moment, thinking about what could never be between
them. There was a job to be done and it didn’t include getting emotionally
involved. He hoped the more he reminded himself of this fact he’d eventually
come to believe it.
Sighing,
he extracted a black velvet bra and held it up for her inspection. She only
cast it a side-glance.
“I
take it you know where I got this.”
“Anne
Summers?”
“No.”
“Well
then, I have no idea.”
He
saw her swallow hard then move over to the taps to pour herself a cola. She
swallowed deeply from the glass.
“I
think you do. Let’s not . . . dance . . . around the subject, Gráinne. We both
know where I got this, and I’d lay odds at Paddy Powers your brother doesn’t
know what you’ve been up to.”
His
heart ached as he forced himself to goad her.
The
look she shot him would have incinerated the average man, but he wasn’t
average. He was a man with a mission, and Gráinne was the only one who could
help him.
“By
that look, I’d say I’ve hit the nail on the head.”
“So,
what of it.”
“Why
haven’t you told Kieran?” he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
“I
somehow doubt he’d understand why I’m . . . moonlighting.”
JD
chuckled lightly. “Moonlighting? Is that what they’re calling it these days?”
“Just
stop. What do you want from me? Not that it’s any of your business what I do on
my own time.”
“I
need your help.”
A
single brow arched over her eye. “With what? Wait, let me guess,” she seethed,
throwing her hands on her hips. “You want a private show. Or you want me to
entertain some friends. And you’re going to use this,” she fingered the bra he
still held in his hand, “as a bribe to get me to do it for free.”
“Not
quite. While I wouldn’t mind a private show, it’s not entertainment I’m looking
for.”
“What’s
this?” Kieran suddenly appeared behind the bar, startling them both. JD saw
Gráinne’s face go pale, and thought she would faint then and there.
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