“I know it.”

Of course he did. She bet he just knew everything. How a Southern boy—and there was no mistaking that accent—knew his way around Cork was a mystery. Even if he was a world traveler, he seemed more the type to immerse himself in Dublin’s frenetic energy and partying than the slightly calmer western half of the country. Then again, it was Ireland. Drinking was practically the national pastime. This guy probably fit right in.

Which reminded her—she had no idea what his name was. Alexis turned around as they stepped back onto the street and nearly gasped out loud. She’d caught glimpses of him on the road back from Blarney Castle, but they’d been just enough to place the tall, lumbering blond who seemed to cart around a chip on his shoulder. And then, when he’d come around the corner of the alley, she’d been more concerned with fighting for her life than checking him out.

Now…now, she was forced to admit that he was attractive in a rumpled, roguish sort of way. His shaggy blond hair and almost-beard made him look like he’d be more at home wearing flannel and chopping wood than globe-trotting, but who was she to judge? She almost laughed. Who was she kidding? She was judging the hell out of him. He wore faded jeans and boots that looked like they’d seen some use. Against her better judgment, she lifted her gaze to the black T-shirt hugging his shoulders and biceps, highlighting the tattoos crawling down his arms. Only one side was finished, though, but he moved before she could pinpoint exactly what the tattoos depicted.

“Why don’t you whip out your smartphone and take a picture? It’ll last longer.”

She didn’t bother to correct him. Alexis had very specifically left her cell back in Pennsylvania when she left. She didn’t want her sister, Avery, or any of their friends to have a way to track her down. This trip was something she had to do for herself, and that meant stepping away from her pregnant sister and the overprotective Flannery brothers. They’d only become more protective since Avery and Drew got engaged. She wasn’t anywhere near as close to them as her sister, but they were still like stand-in older brothers when it suited them. She had a feeling it would suit them just fine in this situation. It had been annoying when she was a teenager. Now, with Ryan an experienced pararescuer and Drew the town sheriff… Yeah, it had passed beyond annoying and into the downright ridiculous. The fallout when she got home was going to be a nightmare, but maybe then she’d finally feel centered enough to deal with it.

In the meantime, she had this guy to deal with. “What’s your name?”

He hesitated, and she wondered if maybe he’d tell her to screw off. Getting a drink with him wasn’t mandatory by any means, but she refused to do it while considering him “that guy” in her head. Finally, he sighed as if resigning himself to something—probably her company for however long it took to down a drink. “Luke. My name is Luke.”

It seemed too clean-cut a name for him. He looked like someone who would be called Jake, or Murphy, or Adonis. She bit her lip. No, not Adonis. He was attractive, but he wasn’t that attractive.

Sure. Just keep telling yourself that.

“I’m Alexis.” Then, before she could talk herself out of it, she turned left toward the corner where she could already hear strains of a jaunty fiddle coming out of the pub.

Chapter Two

Alexis could feel him at her back all the way down the street and through the pub door, and she wasn’t a fan of how crowded the bar suddenly seemed as soon as Luke followed her in. He wasn’t one of those massive meatheads, but he took up more than his fair share of space. He wasn’t touching her, but his presence made it hard to draw a full breath.

Probably because he was such a pushy ass.

As if her thinking it was his cue, he shouldered past her and led the way to two stools tucked into the back corner of the bar. She spared a look around as she followed, taking in the Christmas lights strung across the ceiling and the band huddled around a tiny table, playing music and singing in such thick accents, she could barely understand the words. But, God, it was beautiful music. It simultaneously tore at her heart and made her toe want to tap in time. She spared them a smile as she took the seat beside Luke.

He glowered at everyone, and even the grizzled old bartender seemed hesitant to approach. Alexis sighed, already regretting agreeing to this drink. She was going to end up stuck here for hours because he was scaring off the locals. “Hey, you, tone down the He-Man menace.”

“He-Man was the good guy.”

She eyed him. It just figured that he’d know that. He’s probably a Superman fan, too, if the hero complex that made him chase me into an alley is anything to go by. “That doesn’t make him less scary to your average joe—and if you don’t knock off the bitch face, we’re never going to get drinks.”

He blinked, drawing her attention to the fact she could actually tell his eye color now. It aggravated her for absolutely no reason that they weren’t anything as mundane as blue or brown or even her own hazel. No, this ass had a green so light, it could almost be termed sea-green. Luke’s brows dropped, which didn’t do a single thing to help his angry expression. “What the hell is ‘bitch face’?”

“You should know. It seems to be your permanent expression.” And what did he have to be so angry about? They were in a beautiful city, rich with history and lore and a thousand other things. She’d been here only two days and she already felt a little lighter on her feet—something she would have thought impossible even a month ago.

Except she had just kicked the hell out of his knee. If it was as she suspected, and he had an old injury there, that would certainly explain some of the nasty attitude he was throwing her way.

That, and the fact that he’d shown up to save her, and she hadn’t needed saving in the first place. Something like that would piss off her ex something fierce. She glanced down at the bar. Damn it, I came here to move into the future, not dredge up the past. “Have you ever tried being nice to people?

“We can’t all be dancing through the tulips and breaking into song with whatever animal happens to be closest.”

Alexis blinked. “Did you just compare me to a Disney princess?”

His grin shouldn’t have sent a spark through her, but she rationalized that it was anger making her perk up—not anything so stupid as desire. Luke propped his elbow on the bar and leaned against it. “If the glass slipper fits.”

He looked so incredibly smug, she wanted to grab the nearest drink and throw it in his face. He really thought he had her number. She wasn’t sure why she was surprised. Sometimes it seemed like everyone she came into contact with, from her judgmental grandparents all the way down to the waitress at her favorite diner back home, thought they knew all there was to know about her. Why would this man be any different? “You don’t know a damn thing about me.”

“I know enough.” Luke’s gaze raked over her, seeming to take her in and dismiss her in one smooth move. She hated him for it. People had been doing the same thing for most of her life—looking at her for what she could bring to the table, or what she could do for them. All found her disappointing. They never cared enough to look beyond the surface.

“What are you running from, princess?”

Everything.

But she didn’t have to come halfway across the world to cry her heart out to some man who no doubt couldn’t care less. She wasn’t looking to be saved, or for outside fulfillment. She wanted to get right inside her own head.

He wouldn’t understand that, though, and it was definitely too deep for bar talk. “I’m here to be a tourist. Same as anyone else.”