Lucky Charms Read online

  When introduced, Mel’s new friend smiled and his eyeteeth hung low, over his bottom lip.

  Jenna all but gasped aloud.

  “Don’t worry,” Cornelius said, just loud enough for her to hear. “He’s not a vampire.”

  “What?” she said. “Why would you think that, and how did you know?”

  He shrugged. “I did. He’s harmless enough. I have a good sense about people.”

  In the lighting, Jenna was again drawn by the mystery of his eyes. They were such a dark green with these golden flecks that appeared to dance with mischief. Maybe it was that obnoxious hair color.

  “What do you want to know about me that’ll make you more comfortable jumping into the sack?”

  “Oh, that’s a way to win over a woman!” Guess she wasn’t hiding that obvious attraction thing a bit.

  Smooth strokes brushed against her inner thigh, and he raised his eyebrow. “You start doing the talking, and I’ll use some sign language of my own.”

  She stole a glimpse at Melanie and her new acquaintance. From the way they were lip-locking, neither paid them any mind. Talk about moving fast. Maybe the bar had spiked the green beer. Then again, she barely had any over the last hour.

  Ignoring the dancing of his fingertips and the growing need to be taken, Jenna focused on the man next to her. Why did it feel like she knew him already? Or that she should know him from somewhere?

  “How long have you been living in the States?’ she asked.

  “Why do ye ask me that? What makes ye think I’m not native?”

  “Maybe it has something to do with that ‘ye’ and ‘lass’ you keep throwing about,” she teased. “Your accent gives it away.”

  A confused look came over his face, and he took a long sip of his beer. He held the glass up in a bit of a salute. “Let’s say this special night emphasizes it.”

  What did that mean? Not only was he evasive, he also spoke in riddles. “Do you ever answer anything straightforward?” She threw her hands up, exasperated, and connected with her glass. It went flying, heading straight for Mel’s white top and Cornelius grabbed it, avoiding a major disaster.

  “Wow, quick hands,” she said.

  “I’d like the chance to show you how fast later on,” he said.

  Pulse. Pulse. Pulse. No avoiding it. He was hot, and she wanted him. No matter how long they chatted, the end result was inevitable. She was taking him to bed. Dammit.

  Before she could ask another question, he started talking. “My dad came from Ireland. She met him on a trip after graduating college. Mom fell in love with him, but he never stayed around for long. I’d see him every few years. They’d never divorced, and she never dated anyone else, it just was the way it was. When I was a teenager, you know those rebellious years, I went to live with him for a spell.”

  After being away from the United States for a few years, Cornelius returned for college. He graduated from that well-known university with the Irish mascot—great rivals of USC—and worked in advertising.

  “Crazy I don’t remember running into you,” Jenna said.

  “It tends to happen, more than you can imagine,” he said. “Are you working on any brands I might know?”

  A few popped around her head, but with the nondisclosure agreements, she couldn’t mention them. That was the good and bad thing about working with major corporations. It was a thrill to see her ad or product packaging on the shelves and in magazines, but not everyone could know she’d done the work.

  “Nothing I can mention. How about you?”

  “Same here.”

  After that admission, the conversation stalled. Despite the quiet between them, Jenna continued to feel comfortable. She didn’t need to keep talking to fill up the space.

  “Any siblings?” she asked.

  “Aye. A half-sister. Katie. She’s older than me, and lives in Ireland.”

  She tilted her head, “so that means …”

  “My Dad had her before me. His first wife died, and then my mom came along. None others that I know of.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, before thinking about it. It’s not like he’d known her, right?

  “That’s all right.” He patted her hand with his other, free hand. “I’d rather not get all serious right now. But you asked me, and I think that part’s important. It’s not like he abandoned my sister and her mother. After her mum passed, she mostly lived with the grandparents. It’s hard for a single dad to raise a young girl …”

  “You don’t have to say anymore. I didn’t mean to push.”

  “And they call me Patrick. Pat for short.”

  “What?” Talk about a non-sequitur.

  “You asked earlier if they called me ‘Corny’ for a nickname. It’s Pat—my middle name.”

  “Of course it is.”

  A scream broke through the bar, and then the sound of shattering glass. Across the restaurant, two men were fighting and a woman was trying to grab the arm of one of them. When the guy cocked back his elbow, he knocked her in the face and she went down.

  “Stay here,” Cornelius said. She couldn’t think of him as Patrick. He tapped the dude kissing her friend on the back. When he looked up all glassy eyed, Cornelius said, “Keep an eye on the ladies. I’m going to see if I can help.”

  “Do you think that’s safe?” Jenna said, grabbing at his arm.

  “It’s all right.” He kissed her, with promises of more. “You’ll be safe here.”

  “Fight. Fight. Fight.” The crowd chanted. The fervor pounded inside Jenna’s head. Where were they? Back in high school? This was exactly the reason why she didn’t frequent clubs. The music turned off, and the light turned on, too bright, and she shielded her eyes. She kneeled in the booth, trying to catch a glimpse of Cornelius. He’d crashed into her life, and just as quickly, he’d picked up and left.

  “Fight. Fight. Fight.”

  Now that they’d stopped kissing, Melanie’s date appeared more interested in the chaos than her. “I can’t see shit from here. Let’s go see what’s happening.” He stood up, and reached back for her.

  “Are you crazy? I’m not going anywhere near there?”

  “Your choice,” he said. He drained his beer, belched and headed off into the surging mass.

  “Idiots and liquor,” Mel shook her head. “Where did your boy-toy run off to?”

  “See if he could help break it up,” Jenna gestured with her head.

  Mel raised her eyebrows. “All that and a Boy Scout too? Score!”

  Too bad whatever happened tonight was destined not to last. She was such a self-defeatist. What would be the odds? Now if they met somewhere normal, like through a friend or even on the job, they’d have time to get-to-know-you without all the pressure of jumping in the sack. Not that she was going to give up the potential. She’d pull out all the lucky charms to hook that honey.

  “Just call me lucky,” she said, and knelt on the bench to spot her hunk in the crowd. What if he was only using this opportunity, and didn’t come back?

  Chapter Four

  Bring it on! Whatever the fates wanted to throw at him tonight, he’d take it. After getting to know Jenna at work, and being allowed to get close to her tonight, he knew she was worth fighting for. She wasn’t going to forget him again tomorrow. After the night was through, she’d remember.

  He leaped over a rolling barstool, and ducked a swinging punch, all while getting to the source of the fight. Two men may have started it, but throw in some green beer and high adrenaline, and the chaos quickly spread. The small Irish pub wasn’t set up for security. It wasn’t a rowdy club.

  Good thing his powers came in full force on St. Patrick’s Day. Energy charged through his body to his hands. If he held them up, one would probably catch a slight green glow emanating from his skin.

  Blood trailed down a tall blond bloke’s face, while the shorter dude punched and cut from one side to the next. Cornelius angled his body and pushed through the inner circle, all the while e
valuating what needed to be done in order to break ’em up.

  When two dogs fight, the first rule is that you’re not supposed to grab one because the other can get the advantage. In this case, if it stopped the shorter aggressor, he doubted the tall guy would charge.

  “Hey, break it up,” he yelled, decision made. He stepped directly between the two, and caught the next punch, sending a shockwave of peace into the guy.

  Pow. Pain burst from the side of his head, right above his ear. Cornelius stumbled. What were the odds that the tall dude would throw a punch at the moment he stepped between them?

  On tonight, the odds would be pretty damn good. Automatically, he lifted his hand to rub his temple, letting go of the other dude’s hand. Fury fueled Cornelius’ determination and bam, the shorter guy socked him in the stomach. He doubled over.

  Fuck the peace. This shit was stopping and now. He re-doubled his strength, stood up straight and shot both arms out, grabbing the men by their collars and lifting them up. Anyone watching would recount that it was like watching a superhero bump the heads of nefarious criminals. He was just trying to get the drunken losers to stop fighting.

  The lights flickered, and a voice came over the sound system. “That’s enough!” A huge vat of liquid doused the entire lot of them from head to toe, and Cornelius dropped his charges. He sputtered out cheap green beer.

  What a mess. Two women ran to their respective men lying on the floor, and both glared at Cornelius. What the hell had he done?

  “Hey Green Giant,” a woman called out, “catch this.”

  A white towel hit him in the face, and he used it to mop up the drippings. What a great impression he’d make on Jenna.

  Someone pressed against him, and he opened his eyes to her smiling face. She reached up, touching the corner of his eye and he winced. “That looks like it’s going to hurt,” she said. “Mind if I kiss it and make it better?”

  Warmth infused his body. He didn’t need to let it get him down. Not tonight. It was all going to go his way. Tugging the corner of his wet shirt, he lifted it up, exposing his stomach.

  “You know this one hurts more,” he said. Corny indeed.

  There was something more than cornball goofy about Cornelius, aka Pat. Just when things got serious, he took it back to a humorous level. Maybe he didn’t know how to react around a woman.

  Jenna cocked her head to the side, trying to figure him out. The glimpse of his bare stomach didn’t turn her off, though. Nope. Just the perfect combination of definition and softness. A slash of red marred the pale skin. She leaned over, resting her hand on his hip, and lay her lips against his abs. He sucked in. Maybe she’d shocked him. Pushing it even more, she ran her tongue along the mark, raising goose bumps.

  Fingers tangled through her hair, and he guided her up, bringing his mouth against hers, taking her tongue. The dampness from his clothing seeped through hers, and they both were going to smell to high heaven. Thank goodness she was walking, because if she’d been pulled over, there would be no explaining the scent away.

  Pure lust rose, and her hunger to have him fully took over. She shouldn’t react so much to a stranger, should she? Why did it feel like it had been coming to this point for so long? Desire overtook common sense.

  “Why don’t you come home with me, and we can clean up?” she said.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”

  “I haven’t been more sure about anything ever before. I gotta stop and talk to Mel first, though.”

  He swung her in the direction of the booth, and slipped his fingers through the belt loops of her skirt. “Lead on. I’ll follow.”

  With each swing of her hips, he caressed the line of skin between her skirt and her shirt. Melanie was where she’d left her, looking more than bored.

  “We’re going to get out of here,” Jenna said, feeling a little bit guilty. Normally, her friend was the one with a boyfriend and she was the spare.

  “Sounds good.” Mel grabbed her purse and slid out of the booth. “It’s time for me to go home anyway. Just wanted to make sure you were all right.”

  “Can we walk you home first?” Cornelius asked.

  Mel made eye contact with Jenna. “He’s a keeper. Don’t lose him. You two lovebirds can walk me to my car. I didn’t drink too much, and I’m good to drive.”

  After seeing her friend off, Cornelius stopped by his car and grabbed a duffle bag out of the trunk. “Gym clothes,” he said, holding it up. “It’ll be much better than these smelly duds.”

  They walked hand in hand under the green-tinted streetlights, and Jenna didn’t bother telling him he wouldn’t have to worry about a change of clothes anytime soon.

  Chapter Five

  Cornelius shivered inside the entranceway. A wet T-shirt combined with the cool March air made the short walk to her pad chilly, despite the heat raging inside.

  “Let’s get you out of these,” she said, placing her hands on his chest and rubbing through the material.

  Cupping her hands with his, he brought them up to his lips and kissed the tips. “How about a hot shower?”

  “Sounds perfect, but so you don’t drip green beer all over my carpeting …” She lifted his shirt over his head, and dropped it on the ceramic tiles.

  “Isn’t this a gender-role change? Shouldn’t I be undressing you first?”

  Her smile quirked up at the side, and he placed a kiss there. Hands fumbled with the button of his jeans, and he inhaled as her cold fingers rubbed against his flesh.

  “These next,” she said.

  As his pants pooled at his feet, he yanked off his shoes and socks and stepped out of them. His cock jutted out against the material of his briefs.

  “What do we have here?” she said, looping a finger in his waistband.

  “Something that very much wants to meet your acquaintance,” he said. “But let’s get to the shower first, and I need to tell you something first.”

  If the lights were off when he shucked the underwear, it would be less of a problem. Under the brightness of the bathroom fluorescents, there would be no hiding what was in his drawers, and he didn’t feel like being tossed out when he was this close to heaven.

  The walls of her bathroom were painted a cheerful sea foam green with matching green towels and ocean blue accents. Appropriate, he thought. Boy, was he going to complement the color scheme.

  Biting her lower lip, she removed her blouse and showed off a push-up bra featuring a sexy green lace pattern. There was a scheme happening here. He cupped her breasts, leaning over and licking the tops of each one. She arched her back, and moaned, encouraging him to take it further. He reached around her back, and unhooked the bra, letting the straps drape down her shoulders.

  So long he’d been fantasizing about this moment. She’d never believe him. Not now, but maybe later.

  “You’re more beautiful than I could have imagined,” he said, before taking one of her nipples into his mouth and tonguing it until it hardened with excitement. All the while, he flicked the other with his thumb and index finger, and then switched sides. She didn’t wait for him to move on, but kicked off her shoes and took off her skirt. Without the heels, she cut off a few inches. Even cuter.

  He ran his hands over her sides and hips, before drawing her close. His cock nudged against her heat, and the only thing between them was their underwear.

  “What did you want to tell me?” she asked, breathing heavy.

  The weight of the next moment dragged him down. He hated this moment. Couldn’t bear to think how she’d react.

  “I’m a leprechaun,” he said.

  A laugh burst from her mouth. “What?”

  Her eyes were wide, and she evaluated him from foot all the way up to the top of his green hair. “You’re so not a leprechaun. You’re too big, and where’s your pot of gold?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Don’t stereotype. Not all the mythology is true. I come from a very tall lineage of leprechauns, thank you very mu
ch.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

  She grabbed a bath towel off the rack and held it against her chest. “Are you being serious this time, Cornelius? I don’t understand. Why are you telling me this?”

  Despite the physical connection of minutes ago, his erection wilted. Within the space of seconds, she looked like she regretted bringing him home. Just wait until he got to the next part.

  “Because I really like you. Like really like you, and I want to be with you tonight.” He lifted her chin so she could look at him. “And once we take this any further, I needed to tell you because you were going to find out soon enough.”

  “Because? You’re magically delicious?”

  “I’m not joking. Because there’s no hiding this thing.” He took off his briefs, exposing his wonking green cock. At this moment, how he hated the thing.

  *

  Just like in the magazine, was seriously the first thing she thought. Jenna closed her eyes, only to re-open them again. And yep, it was still there. She reached out.

  “How did you make it green?”

  “I didn’t make it green. It’s just is. Like my hair. I didn’t dye it this color. It’s natural.”

  Although it was real, right there in front of her face, she couldn’t believe it. Skin-tone, maybe even a darker shade of red or purple when erect, but green?

  “Well, that’s a nifty parlor trick. What else have you got?”

  Cornelius stood before her naked. Was that fear or regret in his eyes? Hurt? Did he really imagine himself to be some sort of mythical Irish creature? Or maybe his idea of a leprechaun was different than hers. He clutched his hands into fists, and this green light like someone would describe as an aura emanated from him.

  He glowed.

  She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, anything, and he closed the space between them, kissing her again. She transported back to that field of flowers and she danced, twirling through the daffodils. The scent of nature after a fresh rain overwhelmed her senses, and any remaining fear dissipated.

  When she opened her eyes again, the glow surrounding his body was gone, but the green cock remained, pushing against her thigh.