Danny closed his eyes and leaned back against the couch. He'd decided he wasn't going anywhere. He was a gentleman, and could act as such. Even if it was incredibly difficult.
The pretty girl sitting to his right had a lot to do with the level of difficulty he was experiencing. She was gorgeous, funny, and obviously didn't mind his company. And they were alone. The soreness he felt helped bring his mind from that fact.
"Why are you here?" Beth asked quietly.
"What'd ya mean? At your house?" He was genuinely confused.
"No. BallyK."
He sighed, "Don't know, really. The main reason is for Razor. He needed a better life than the one he was getting in my back garden." He bit his lip, contemplating his next words. "And, I think I kind of...lost myself in Dublin, ya know?"
She looked towards the fire. "Not really. I don't think I've ever even found myself much less lost myself."
Her voice held such an edge and a bite. The firelight made her eyes shimmer and cast a deep glow against her porcelain skin. Danny admired her.
"You are breathtaking, ya know." Had he really said that out loud? He wasn't meaning to.
Beth shrugged.
He wondered if he'd stepped out of line. "I'm sorry if I-"
She reached for his hand, "No, you're alright. It's just...no one has ever said anything like that to me."
"You're jokin'."
"Boys tend to shy away from me. Probably because of my parents, and what they do."
Danny smirked. It made no difference to him. Her father could be the Pope and it still wouldn't stop him from doing what he was about to do.
He leaned closer to her and watched as her eyes shifted from his face towards her lap where their intertwined hands lay. He used a finger to hook her chin and bring her eyes back to his.
Those eyes. So beautiful. So...vulnerable. Suddenly, he realized that he couldn't do what he was about to do.
"I want to kiss you,"
"Then what's wrong?"
He sighed roughly. "I'm not very good at this, and-"
"And you're over-thinking?"
Danny smirked. "Probably." He let a strand of her hair slip through his fingers.
Beth swatted his hand away and laughed at the shocked look on his face. She leaned away from him and propped her feet up on his lap. If Danny Byrne was feeling tortured, she'd play hard to get and make it really fun.
