Free Kiss of Fire (St. James Family) by Lavender Parker

she noticed he was looking a little worse for wear.
    “How are you feeling over there?” she said.
    “ Pretty good,” he said, patting his pockets like he was looking for something. He pushed off the stool and stood, swaying. He shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out his wallet. She slid her arms around his waist and grabbed him before he fell over. He chuckled, his chin against her hair.
    “ How much I owe you, Murph?” he said.
    “ Fuck off, O'Donovan,” the bartender said, throwing him a disgusted look.
    “ I owe you,” O'Donovan said, pointing at him.
    “ Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Murphy waved them off, shaking his head as he turned away. “Get lost.” Toni pulled O'Donovan's heavy arm over her shoulders.
    "Lean on me," she said, in the kind of no-nonsense tone her sister had perfected and he obliged her. "Where's your keys?" she asked. He patted his back pocket. She could hear the metallic clink of his keys there and she sighed with relief. She hoped he could get himself home. A backup plan would be to drop him at the firehouse, but she hoped it didn't have to come to that. She grabbed her sweater and her purse, tangling her hand in his shirt to steady him. She tried to ignore the flash of toned abs that she caught as his shirt lifted. “Come on, you lush,” she said, rolling her eyes at the warmth that flooded through her.
    Within moments, they were out the door into the warm night. He pulled her toward him, into a kind of embrace, and she fell into rhythm beside him. Occasionally he would stumble, and she would hold onto his shirt until he regained his balance. They walked like that for two blocks.
    "I hope you remember where you live," she said dryly.
    "Lovely night for a stroll," He said, his accent thicker than normal.
    "If by 'stroll' you mean stumbling around in the dark, sure."
    "Toni, you gotta learn to enjoy the little things. A cold drink, a long night, the thick scent of May flowers in the air."
    "I never pegged you as the poetic type," Toni said.
    "You don't know me, lovely. I can be downright fucking romantic." He winked at her, and she felt that now-familiar electric spark in between her legs that he induced in her.
    "We'll see," she said, not doubting him for a minute. She bet he was the penguin mate-for-life type. “So why are you drinking so much on this lovely, romantic night?”
    “Hmm?” he mumbled, tightening his arm around her.
    “ You don't seem to be very happy, O'Donovan. Happy people don't act like assholes and drink themselves into oblivion,” she said.
    “ I can't argue with that logic,” he said.
    “ Was I right?” she said, carefully.  He was being so open with her, she didn't want to ruin it. But she was dying of curiosity. “Did your wife leave you?” He surprised her by laughing, and she glanced up at him.
    “ She did,” he said. “You win.”
    “ What do I win?” she asked. He stopped in his tracks and pointed to a six story apartment building.
    "That's it. My place." He dug his keys out of his pocket and he began walking toward the building, dragging her along with him. She felt her stomach drop. She was actually going to O'Donovan's apartment. Her mouth went dry. The man was drunk, she reminded herself. Very drunk. He probably had whiskey dick. Nothing was going to happen.
    He pulled her into the elevator and jabbed the button for the fifth floor. As the elevator door rumbled closed, he was on her, pressing her against the wall.
    “Antoinette, what do you want from me?” he said, his mouth close to hers. Her heart was instantly pounding in her chest and in her ears.
    “ I...” she trailed off, her mouth dry.
    “ I think you want to torture me,” he said.
    “ I just... I just...” Toni was speechless, which didn't happen very often. I want to fuck you! her mind was screaming, but her mouth wouldn't form around the words. He was so big and warm. She wanted to crawl into him, slide herself under his skin and be as close to him as possible. She