"Do it!" he yelled over the music. "Do I have to dare you again?"

"You are wild!" she shouted in return.

He hoisted her up on the bar. The polished wood was cool against her bare feet. Everyone cheered and encouraged her on. She shook her head causing her long dark hair to whip across her face, and she pushed it back so she could see him. Sasha couldn't seem to stop smiling when she saw his face.

Adrian began to clap his hands, and the crowd joined in. "Dance!"

Sasha grinned and let the music wash over her and began to move her hips and swayed to the beat. It wasn't like dancing to hip hop or techno in the club. Each sound in Irish folk music seemed to filter into her blood, and she immersed herself in the resonance. Not caring what her body did she just felt and moved until the music stopped, and the crowd practically roared their approval. She opened her eyes and looked down to where Adrian stood. His eyes were dark, and she could see the blatant desire there. It burned her like a flash of fire to the center of her being. He held out his hand to her, and she placed hers in his with trust. With one tug he pulled her, and she fell into his arms.

"Let's get you home," he murmured against her ear.

She shivered and nodded, and amidst the clapping he grabbed her shoes and they ran out of Faraday's pub and into the cool night. Sasha was barefoot and giggled like a school girl as they raced to the river front. She barely noticed the streets were empty as they passed the pier. The steamboats stood silent and docked in the black water until a new day started and they would continue their tours.

They stopped in a little alcove where the air smelled sweet with magnolias and was still thick with the summer humidity. The trees with moss and honeysuckle vines made a canopy around one lone bench. It was a heady mix that heightened her senses even more. In the midst of all of it there was Adrian, who was the most potent of all.

Their eyes locked, and with each step forward he took, she took one step back until she felt the wall against her back. Her hands were behind her back, and she felt the rough texture of the handmade bricks against her fingertips. He bent low until their lips met in a kiss that sent heat through her body in waves. Sasha gave a soft cry when he pulled her hard against him, and he groaned low in his throat. Adrian sank his tongue into the depth of her mouth and lifted her into his arms as if she weighed nothing. He strode toward the bench and sat with her legs straddling each side of his lap. It rode her dress high up to her waist, and she was pressed intimately against the bulge of his arousal in his pants. Unable to resist, she rubbed against him, and the friction made her moan into his mouth. She wanted him. Everything about the night was pulling her to this moment, and she was caught up in a force that she couldn't deny.

"Just one taste." His voice was husky with desire when he spoke.

He pushed the straps of her dress down her shoulders until she felt the heated breeze against her skin. Vaguely she heard the calls of the nightingales in the dark silent night, but she lost all reasoning when his calloused hands cupped her breasts and brought her erect nipples to his lips. His mouth closed over one of the tight beads, and her head fell back in pleasure. Adrian sucked the nipple hard into his mouth, and his tongue flicked over her nipple in gentle strokes. He moved to the other, giving it the same attention while she writhed in his arms.

"More," she begged wantonly.

"Sasha, any more I'm going to end up taking you right here," he growled. The Irish in his words was even more pronounced. "I'm trying to be a gentleman here."

"Who said I want a gentleman?" She met his heated gaze. "Been there, done that. I don't want a man who's afraid to take what he wants."