One Last Chance...
THROUGH YOUR EYES
For Your Love #3
Shannyn Schroeder
Releasing May 30th, 2017
Zebra Shout
ONE LAST CHANCE
Deirdre Murphy has had her life planned for her since she was born: Work in her parents’ noisy pub in rural Ireland. Live with her family until she marries. Marry her childhood sweetheart ASAP, since he’s decided sexy fun time should wait for marriage. None of it excites her. But before her fate closes in, Deirdre’s got one last visit to her Chicago cousins—where she can spend her mornings in a peaceful bakery, keep to herself, and savor the space she needs…. Until she meets Tommy O’Malley.
Tommy is as tough as his city and twice as ready to welcome her in. He’s covered in tattoos, stays up half the night inking them on other people, and has a reputation for being good with his hands. And he’s heart-pounding, forgot-her-words, can’t-stop-staring exciting.
Tommy knows he’s the opposite of everything Deirdre has prepared for. But to watch her set herself free, he’s willing to risk almost anything…
They got to
his bedroom, and for the first time in forever, he was at a loss for what to
do. Luckily, Deirdre had no such doubt.
She stepped
close and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I haven’t changed my mind about
this. I’m not scared. I’m nervous, yes, but that’s natural, isn’t it? Before
you got your first tattoo, weren’t you nervous?
“Shit. I
hope you won’t be in that kind of pain.”
She smiled
again. “I wasn’t talking about pain. I was referring to the anticipation. Fear
of the unknown. And then it happens and it’s never as bad as you created it to
be in your mind.”
“Really,
you’re not helping. Now I’m thinking you’ve decided this is going to suck and
you’ll be back to regretting it.”
She rolled
her eyes, but then leaned in to kiss him.
Worry and
doubt flew out the window because, when he was with Deirdre, everything was
right. His hands naturally went to her waist and inched up her shirt. When he
reached her bra, he felt lace. He pulled away with a grin. “I think I’m feeling
sexy underwear.”
She blushed
in that way she always did. “I thought you deserved some perk for putting up
with me.”
“No
complaints here.” He lifted her shirt over her head and stared at her lacy pink
bra. It was so pale, it nearly matched her skin. He kissed his way down her
body and unsnapped her jeans to see if the panties matched.
As he slid
the jeans down, he sighed at the matching set. He was fine with whatever a
woman wore because it never stayed on long, but that she’d done this
specifically for him meant something. He stripped down to his underwear and
pulled her toward the bed.
She slapped
her forehead. “I forgot the condoms.”
“I’m
prepared. But we don’t need one just yet. Relax.” He pushed her back on the
mattress and lowered himself over her. He resumed kissing every inch of her
milky, soft skin. Rubbing his nose along the crotch of her panties, he inhaled
deeply. Her arousal was evident and he didn’t bother to wait.
He slid her
panties off and licked her. Two more swipes of his tongue and her hips were
rocking.
“Tommy.”
She was breathless.
“Let me
make you come.” Taking her lack of response as permission to continue, he did.
He licked and sucked until she was moaning and her taste flooded his mouth.
While she
came down from her first—but he hoped not last—orgasm for the night, he rolled
on a condom. He settled between her legs and rubbed against her, his cock so
hard it begged for friction.
Her eyes
reopened slowly.
“Good?” he
asked.
“Lovely.”
He reached
under her and unclasped her bra. She helped by shimmying out of it so he had
access to her breasts. He sucked her into his mouth and continued to rock
against her without entering. When her breath quickened again, he asked,
“Ready?”
“Yes,
please,” she answered with a nod.
He slid
into her slowly, a fraction of an inch at a time. Braced on his forearms to
keep most of his weight off her, he struggled to maintain control when every
nerve and muscle screamed at him to plunge deep.
Then
Deirdre took control and thrust her hips up to take him. The shock of being
suddenly buried in her caused him to relax his arms and his weight came down on
her.
Fuck. He
was in trouble. How the hell was he supposed to make this last?
He propped
up on his forearms again while her body accommodated him. Her eyes were wide
and she looked pissed.
“I can’t
have fucked it up. I’m just lying here.”
He coughed
out a laugh. “I’m trying to control myself to make this last.” He closed his
eyes and rested his forehead against hers. “You’re warm and tight, so fucking
sexy right now. I want this to be good
for you.”
He felt her
shift beneath him and then she was holding his face. He reopened his eyes to
look at her. It was almost painful to look into her bright and honest eyes.
“This is
more than good for me. It’s perfect.”
In that
moment, Tommy knew that falling in love with Deirdre wasn’t likely anymore. It
had already happened.
Through Your Eyes was a fabulous story about living the life you want to live and finding the person you want to share it with.
Deirdre came back to the US, to stay at her aunt's house and spend time with her cousin's for one main reason - to get away from her family and the plans they've laid out for her. Though they believe she's getting much needed experience that will help her in the path they've set her on, Deirdre is really finding out who she is. Though she left a man behind, their relationship was on rocky ground, and with his lack of interest now that she's across the world from him, Deirdre is confused where things lie.
Tommy had wanted to ask Deirdre out the last time she was in america, when he had seen her working in the local bakery - but he was nervous about it. So when he finds her back in town, he wastes no time to ask her out, discovering that she's not exactly single. But Tommy's willing to just be her friend as he gets to know her, but the chemistry between them makes that more than a little difficult.
I really enjoyed the journey Deirdre took within this book, discovering who she was and the path she wanted to take. Learning that it was okay to want things that her family didn't. And discovering a whole lot about real love and relationships. I loved that she struggled with who she was and what she wanted, that she questioned why the man she thought she'd spend her life with seemed to be pushing her towards another.
Tommy's struggles as he tried to be a good guy, a guy who followed the rules and didn't go after what was another man's, yet couldn't forget the feelings Deirdre stirred in him. I loved his nervousness about being the right kind of guy for her, his desire to see her happy and free to be herself.
The growing bond between Deirdre and Tommy was clear from the start, their chemistry strong, the heat between them ready to combust, but more I enjoyed how they fit together. Even with the push and pull at the start, it was plain to see how much these two had found in one another.
One of my favorite things about this series is the bonds between the characters, From Tommy and his siblings, to Deirdre's cousins, there's such a unique bond between them, one that comes from growing up near each other and knowing each other very well. It's a whole different kind of family - and the feeling just grabs you and pulls you into the story making you feel a part of it all.
Shannyn
Schroeder is the author of the O’Leary series, contemporary
romances centered around a large Irish-American family in Chicago and the Hot
& Nerdy series about 3 nerdy friends finding love. Her new series (For Your
Love) will release this summer with the first title Under Your Skin. When she’s
not wrangling her three kids or writing, she watches a ton of TV and loves to
bake cookies.
Thank you so much for hosting me. I'm really glad you enjoyed the book!
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