“Do you remember the time in Singapore? You nearly got arrested for that one,” Trip Cassidy pointed out as he sat next to his girlfriend, Willa Malone. “My birthday celebration almost got ruined because of you.”
Vanessa quirked an eyebrow and poked Samuel in the ribs. “Oh, it did, did it? Remind me to ask you to explain that later.”
“It’s not as bad as you think,” Samuel quickly defended, running his hand through his dark hair. “You can get arrested for having chewing gum in that city.”
“But I’m betting it wasn’t because of chewing gum,” Wade countered with a chuckle.
“I’d definitely suggest keeping that story to yourself,” Trip pointed out. “Some club experiences are best left in the past where they belong. Otherwise, you might get us all in trouble.”
“It sounds like we’re sitting with a bunch of troublemakers,” Celeste teased with a wink. “Good thing the four of you managed to land yourself some good women to keep you in check.”
Samuel glanced over at Vanessa, wondering what she thought about the remark that lumped them together as the newest couple of the group. She seemed unaffected by the comment, which Samuel wasn’t sure was a good or bad thing. Deciding to do damage control, he leaned towards her and whispered, “I didn’t put that idea in Celeste’s head, I promise.”
Vanessa nodded as she turned her attention to him. “It’s not surprising she thinks that’s the case. We’ve been spending a lot of time together during this trip.”
“I hope that’s okay. I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else.” He knew the words were revealing, but he didn’t care. It was the truth. Even though he could have his pick of the single women that came along on the trip, or even some of the locals, he only wanted to spend time with Vanessa. He didn’t know how it happened, but in two short days, she’d managed to completely captivate him.
“Blarney Castle! I can’t believe we’re going here,” Willa gushed as she lunged across her boyfriend’s lap and looked out the window.
Samuel had been to Ireland on many occasions for business, even doing a taste of Ireland special on his show, but he’d never managed to make it to the famous castle. “I wonder what we’re going to do here,” he mumbled to himself.
Willa must have overheard him because she blurted out, “I hope we get to kiss the Blarney Stone. I could use the gift of gab.”
“I remember when I was doing research for my special on Ireland, I saw a quote by Irish politician, John O’Connor Power. He defined the gift as ‘flattery sweetened by humor and flavored by wit.’ The quote stuck out to me because it sounded like the recipe for the perfect dish.” Samuel wondered if they were there to visit the stone. Tantalizing images of Vanessa kissing the stone danced through Samuel’s mind, making him hope that everyone’s guess was correct.
“From what I remember from world history, the legend says that when someone kisses the stone, they can coax anyone into anything,” Tara explained.
“Some of the men around here already can do that,” Celeste jested as she gestured with her head towards her husband. “Roger doesn’t need any help in that department.”
The group laughed as the limo pulled into a private driveway behind the castle. Everyone piled out of the vehicles, huddling together as Simone moved to the front. “As many of you may know, we’re here at the historically famous, Blarney Castle. I’ve arranged for us to have private, full use of the castle and gardens for the entire day. Michelin-star chef, Aiden Kelly, will be providing a five-course tasting menu with wine-pairing later this evening. In the meantime, we are going to have a docent give us a tour of the castle, including a viewing of the Blarney Stone.”
As they weaved through the halls of the castle, their tour guide did an excellent job of explaining the history and folklore that surrounded the area. By the time they reached the tower that was home to the famous stone, Samuel was certain they knew everything there was to know about the place.
“Who wants to be the first to kiss the Blarney Stone?” the docent asked as they came to a stop in front of the carboniferous limestone, built into the battlement of the castle.
“I think it should be the birthday boy,” one of the women shouted from the back. “I can help him if he needs it.”
Samuel wasn’t sure who it was, but from the flirty tone, he was fairly certain it was one of the single women he invited along before Vanessa came into his life.
“How about it, do you want to go first?” the friendly brunette tour guide asked, gesturing towards the stone.
He glanced around, wondering what he should do. He saw Vanessa out of the corner of his eye and realized this was the perfect opportunity to get close to her again. “I think I’ll give that honor to Vanessa Lewis.”
Vanessa’s eyes grew round with surprise as she looked from the stone to Samuel and back again. “Are you sure? I don’t want to steal your thunder.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. Here, I can help you,” Samuel offered as he reached out and guided her over to the spot where she needed to lay down.
Reluctantly, Vanessa took a seat on the parapet’s edge, then arranged her floral dress around her legs. As she leaned backwards while holding onto the iron railing, Samuel placed his hands on either side of her torso, making sure to keep a firm but gentle grip on her.
There was a gap between the ground and the stone, giving full view of the eight-story plunge to the ground. Even though the gap was covered by steel bars, it did little to make Vanessa’s position less precarious.
“You’ve got me, right?” she stammered out, the sudden appearance of fear audible in her voice.
Samuel could feel her body shaking. He was tempted to pull her back up so he could alleviate her fright; however, he didn’t want to rob her of this special moment. Instead, he reassured her, “Of course; you don’t have anything to worry about. I won’t let you go,” Samuel promised.
Slowly, Vanessa tilted her head back, elongating her neck. Samuel watched her lush lips pucker and graze the surface of the stone, causing a rush of desire to course through him. Never had he wished so hard to be an inanimate object as he did in that moment.
“Okay, I’m done,” Vanessa’s wavering voice rushed out, causing Samuel to realize that he had been standing there like an awestruck idiot for all to see. “You can pull me back up.”
Samuel did as she requested but stumbled in the process. Vanessa tripped and jerked forward, causing her to land firmly against his frame. The proximity of her soft body and heady honeysuckle scent did little to assuage his racing pulse. As he stared into her gorgeous green eyes, all he wanted to do was close the microscopic distance between them and claim her mouth with his own.
“Who wants to kiss the stone next?” the docent asked, as she ushered them out of the area of the stone, breaking his contact with Vanessa.
“How was it?” Samuel asked with curiosity. “Did you feel the magic spark when you kissed it?’
Vanessa let out a laugh as she shook her head. “I think it was mostly fear that consumed me.”
“You were brave to do it,” Samuel encouraged with a smile as he moved towards her, closing the unwanted distance between them. “I could feel you pushing through your fear. If anyone deserves a special gift because they did it, it’s you.”