Free Foreign Affair by Amanda Martinez Page B

Irishman across from her who seemed to have her pegged to easily.
    "I'm too smart and full of passion for most men."
    The man smirked, "I'll bet you are."
    "You need to leave, he'll be back any second," Kate hissed leaning towards him. She watched his gaze dip to her cleavage.
    "You'll have to tell me your name first, love."
    Kate shook her head at the gall of this man. "You don't need my name. You need to go back to your friends. Now."
    He mockingly seemed to consider what she said and then shook his head. "Your name."
    "It's Katarina. Or Kate. Now will you please go?"
    "Katarina," he said seeming to examine how the name felt in his mouth before smiling at her. "I like it."
    Kate saw James round the corner back to the table out of the corner of her eye.
    "Great. Now leave please? Before you cause a scene," she whispered.
    The man looked amused at Kate's panic. "But you didn't ask me my name. That's just rude, Katarina."
    Kate rolled her eyes just in time to see James stop at the table, noticing a man taking his spot.
    "Hey, Kate. What's going on?"
    Kate bit her bottom lip nervously. "Umm... He," she stammered gesturing to the Irish man smiling across from her. He seemed so relaxed, like nothing was amiss in this situation.
    "Niall," he said in his brogue, sounding to her like Nyle.
    Kate narrowed her eyes at him "Niall... was just leaving."
    James raised his eyebrows. He was definitely going to tell her mother about this and Kate would never hear the end of it. "Was he? And who the hell are you, Niall?"
    Niall didn't tense, just took another drink of his whiskey and looked Kate in the eye. It would be as if James didn't exist if Niall hadn't replied "I'm the man that's going to make her fall in love tonight."
    Kate's eyes widened in surprise. She would be put off, except she was so attracted to Niall. There was a very small doubt in her mind that he couldn't achieve what he just said.
    "Really?" James looked to Kate and sternly grabbed her arm pulling her out of the chair. "I think it's time to go home, Kate."
    Niall quickly stood and glared at James. "Whoa. Don't handle her like that. Why don't you let the woman make her own decisions?" James let go of her arm and Kate absently rubbed her arm where his fingers had dug in. Everyone in the room was watching them, but Kate couldn't tear her eyes from looking between James and Niall. The angel and the devil. Her resolve was slipping. Having some fun tonight, wouldn't hurt. She wasn't going to marry James anyway, who cared?
    She couldn't conceal the ridiculousness of the situation and pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh. Niall towering over James saw her eyes light up and smiled. Wordlessly he stretched out his hand for her to take and pressed her to him. One arm wrapping around her waist and the other brushing through her side-swept hair finally resting on her cheek to kiss her. Kate let out a soft moan when his tongue dipped into her mouth, tasting her. It was a kiss of triumph for him and a relenting to everything for Kate. All of the pressure from her family to get married and fall for a boring man. When he pulled his lips away he held her face close, his thumb grazing the soft skin of her cheek and keeping her gaze in his dark brown eyes.
    When Niall looked up to James, he smiled like a boy that has just won the best prize at the fair. Kate stood upright and looked back at James, only slightly scared of the consequences of this action.
    "Wow. Screw you, Kate," he said without emotion before turning to leave.
    "I'm sorry James. I just..." she started explaining before he waved his hand over his shoulder and not stopping for the door.
    Kate might regret this in the morning, but when Niall bent down and whispered in her ear "Let's have some fun, love," she decided to worry about that later.
     

Chapter Two
     
    When Niall was a boy in Limerick, Ireland the girls never paid attention to them. They couldn't be bothered with his tall and lanky frame and the same mop of