Irish Magic

by:

A.K. Hunter

When she saw him across the bar, wearing a snug, black t-shirt that read "Kiss me, I'm Irish," she knew it was now or never. He was laughing with Detective Esposito, a glass of dark beer in his hand.

Yuck. Hopefully his mouth didn't taste like that nasty stuff. That would just ruin her whole experience, and with how long Alexis Castle had dreamed of kissing Kevin Ryan, she wasn't about to let anything mess it up.

She was getting ahead of herself. Kissing was about a million steps ahead of where she was now. Step One: She actually had to talk to him. No, that couldn't be the first step. There was way too much potential for rejection.

Step one... she needed some liquid courage. Alexis took a sip of her drink, a green-tinged vodka concoction that her waiter had called The Blarney Stone. One glass and she'd be imbued with magical Irish powers, he'd said, so she'd immediately ordered two. Alexis couldn't care less about old folk tales, but she figured a little help couldn't hurt. Especially where a particular Irish detective was concerned.

It was pure coincidence that they'd ended up in the same bar on St. Patrick's Day. Alexis had met her friends there a couple hours earlier, and she'd been glued to her table since the two detectives walked in. Kevin hadn't noticed her yet, for which she was both disappointed and grateful. Much as Alexis would have enjoyed coyly nodding to him from across the bar—a sultry smile on her lips as she sipped her drink and pretended she hadn't been ogling him for nearly an hour—it was much more likely that she'd accidentally inhale her straw when his impossibly blue eyes fell on her.

"When are you going to talk to him?"

Alexis looked up at her friend Melanie, who had been watching the redhead with quickly diminishing amusement. "Eventually."

"It's been forty-five minutes," Melanie said.

"Do you know what eventually means?"

"I know that every minute you stall is a chance for someone else to make a move."

Alexis sighed. She'd been thinking the same thing. Kevin was a handsome guy. Alexis knew it, and the other women at the bar knew it.

"Here," Melanie said. "I'll go get him ready for you."

"No, no-"

Melanie winked at her friend and tossed her long blonde hair to the side, strutting over to the two detectives like a runway model. Alexis watched, terror and awe mixing as her friend shamelessly flirted with Detective Esposito. How could she be so fearless? Alexis was nervous just watching the blonde, who seemed more than capable of reeling the detective in.

Another hair toss, a flash of sparkling white teeth over ruby-red lips, and Esposito was caught. Hook, line, and sinker. Alexis almost felt bad for him, but then Melanie said something to Kevin, her green-painted fingernails pointing Alexis' way.

Those blue eyes locked on hers, widening with recognition, and Alexis had to physically stop herself from hiding under the table. He smiled at her and headed over. Oh God, she wasn't ready. Talking to him was at least six steps away. She should have had more alcohol. Was it too late to chug her drink?

"Hey Alexis," Kevin said, taking a seat next to her.

"Hi," she said somewhat breathlessly.

"Happy Saint Patrick's Day."

"You too." She sipped at her drink. Each second it was becoming more and more difficult to hide the fact that her heart was racing. She just needed to act casual. Except she had forgotten exactly what that looked like. "Nice shirt."

He glanced down at his attire. Was he blushing? No way. It had to be a trick of the light. "Lost a bet," he said.

"With whom?" One more sip. She was near the bottom now and could almost feel that subtle, heavy haze filling her mind.

Kevin tilted his head back to his parter, who was getting very personal with Alexis' friend. "Javi. He said it's time for me to get back out there. He thinks this shirt will do the trick."

Alexis nodded sympathetically. "Is it working?"

"That remains to be seen."

Heat spread across his face as he took another sip of beer. She found herself mesmerized by the color, which she had decided was alcohol induced. Drink up, detective. It certainly couldn't hurt for them to both be a little uninhibited. At the very least she could always blame any missteps on the drinking.

"I'm surprised to see you here."

His words pulled her away from obsessively contemplating the exact angle of his cheekbones. Had she been staring? Probably. "Um.. what?" Very smooth, Alexis. Now finish your drink before you hurt yourself.

"I thought you'd be studying," he said, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not some spinster who spends all her time studying." His comment, while well-intentioned, hit a little close to home. She'd expected med school to be hard; she just hadn't expected to spend literally all of her time with her nose in a book.

His eyes widened a little at her response. Brilliant. She needed to turn things around and quick. She softened her tone, drawing her teeth over her bottom lip. "I mean, I have other... talents."

His eyes fell to her mouth, and that gratifying heat flared across his face again. Thank God. She was finally doing something right.

"Oh really?"

She nodded and carefully took one last sip. By that point, her synapses were coated in alcohol and talking to him was increasingly less terrifying. Oh ethanol, you miracle elixir. She should have tried this ages ago.

"Like what?" he asked, leaning closer. His pupils were dilated, his rapt gaze narrowing to her and her alone.

Alexis steeled herself. Showtime. She wasn't going to get another chance like this. She tilted her head to the side, licking her lips. Her fingertips brushed over the back of his hand, and she felt goosebumps rise underneath her touch. "Detective," she purred. "If you want to know all my secrets, you're going to have to buy me another drink."

For half a second, as her words filled the space between them, Alexis thought she'd won. Despite her many mistakes, despite the fact that her heart was banging against her ribs like a caged animal, she'd caught Kevin in her snare and was going to take her prize.

And then he leaned back, gawking at her like he'd never seen her before. A smile spread over his face. "Are you drunk?"

Oh no. Oh no no no no no. He thought her come-on was funny? This was a joke to him? She blushed down to the tips of her toes, absolutely mortified. She didn't have a response. Embarrassment had stalled her brain, and she watched with wide eyes as his smile slipped away and a crease appeared between his eyebrows.

"Hey Irish, feeling lucky?"

Seemingly out of nowhere, a woman appeared on Kevin's lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, practically smothering him with her chest, and planted a sloppy, drunken kiss on his mouth.

After two and a half seconds of watching the man she wanted being kissed by another woman, Alexis knew it was over. She'd tried, she'd failed, and now it was time to go home.

The chilly March air was almost as sobering as her humiliation. What had she been thinking? He obviously didn't see her the same way. She'd always be Castle's fifteen-year-old daughter in Kevin's eyes, even when she was twenty-two and a capable, grown woman. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. No, dammit, she wasn't going to cry over him.

"Alexis!"

Her feet stuttered mid-step at the familiar voice. Of course he would choose now of all times to chase her. Should she ignore him? Should she be an adult and face him? Should she just throw herself in front of the nearest car and hope for a case of retrograde amnesia?

"Why'd you leave?" he panted.

"It seemed like a good time to call it a night."

He frowned at her dismissive tone, his fingers wrapping around her wrist to prevent her escape. "Are you okay? You look upset."

She forced a smile. "Just a little tired. I'm going home." She tugged at his grip, glancing up at him in surprise when he wouldn't let go.

He watched her carefully, his gaze catching everything from her too-bright eyes to the goosebumps rising on her exposed arms. "You don't need to be embarrassed," he said. "We've all made mistakes when we've had too much to drink. I'm flattered."

Her humiliation, if it was possible, increased. She'd put herself out there, and he'd chalked the whole thing up to drinking. Amnesia was starting to sound really good. Alexis shook her head, "It wasn't a mistake." Well, it was. Just not in the way he thought.

"I don't understand."

She sighed, mentally preparing herself for the inevitable rejection. Her ineptitude had carried her this far; she might as well finish what she'd started. "I like you, Kevin. A lot. I have for a while now." She dared a glance up at him, her words faltering when he gazed back at her with that same expression from earlier, like he was seeing her for the first time. "The alcohol just helped me be brave enough to act on those feelings."

She waited a few seconds, allowing her words to sink in. She'd put herself out there. He could take it or leave it.

He struggled to come up with a response, finally saying, "Castle would kill me."

And there it was. The response she had known was on the tip of his tongue. She had let herself hope he wouldn't say it, and that stupid, crazy hope had been her downfall. She pulled her arm out of his grasp with ease. "Good night, Kevin."

She walked away, and this time he didn't try to stop her.

Kevin stood in front of the bathroom mirror, his hands automatically knotting his tie, his mind fixated on the previous night's events.

He had always loved St. Patrick's Day, but this year his expectations had been low. The divorce had been settled more than six months earlier, and he'd been reluctant to go out. Since Kevin and Jenny were both Irish, March 17th had become a special celebration for the two of them, and he wasn't excited to spend it single.

Javi had been resolute. He'd shown up at Kevin's doorstep, stuffed the ridiculous t-shirt into his partner's hands and declared that they were going out.

About an hour after they'd gotten to the bar, a stunning blonde woman had swooped in. Before attaching herself to Javi's mouth, the blonde had pointed across the bar, saying, "My beautiful, incredibly intelligent friend has been staring at you for an hour, but she's too afraid to say anything. You should do something about that."

His interest suitably piqued, Kevin had followed the woman's direction, shocked to find Alexis Castle sitting alone, watching the two of them with transparent terror.

Kevin wasn't sure what had carried him over to her table. Maybe it was curiosity—why would Alexis of all people be afraid to talk to him? Maybe it was the fact that she looked gorgeous, her long red hair spilling over her shoulders in thick curls, her soft green dress hugging all the right places. Or maybe it was the fact that for the first time since Jenny left, Kevin felt something stir inside his heart.

His conversation with the redhead had been interesting, to say the least. She was obviously nervous, and she relied far too much on her drink, but he'd enjoyed their conversation. He hadn't ever interacted with her in that kind of setting, two adults conversing over drinks. Surprisingly, it was something he could get used to. He could see himself being her friend.

And then she'd started flirting with him and all of his preconceived notions were thrown out the window. He'd known Alexis since she was fifteen, and he'd watched her grow from a cute teenager into a gorgeous woman. He'd always kept a respectful distance, of course. Alexis was beautiful, brilliant, and charming—definitely the whole package—but she was also Castle's daughter. Saying she was off limits was a huge understatement.

So when she'd flirted with him, and his body had responded to that bare touch against the back of his hand with the same intensity as if she'd mounted him there in the bar, Kevin hadn't known how to respond. He couldn't wrap his head around it. There was no way Alexis Castle would flirt with him on purpose. It had to be the alcohol; it was the only explanation.

Except, it wasn't the alcohol. She had real, romantic feelings for him. Once more, Kevin was at a loss, and he'd spent the rest of the night trying to make sense of things.

Alexis Castle as a love interest. The concept was somehow foreign and familiar, like coming back to a place after being away for a long time. He liked her. He'd always been fond of her, had long admired her. She was obviously an attractive, desirable woman; his attention had been on her lips more than once the night before. Even in the cold light of the morning, he still found himself wondering what she would taste like.

Somewhere between seeing her at the bar, watching in amusement as she conquered her nervousness to flirt with him, and her hearing confession, he'd formed an attachment to Alexis. If she were any other woman, he would have already asked her out. What was stopping him? It certainly wasn't his fear of Castle. That had been the only response he could muster up in the heat of the moment, and while it was technically the truth—Castle would definitely kill him—it wasn't the entire truth.

Once more, Kevin recalled the previous night's events, focusing on the slight skip in his heartbeat when he'd seen her across the room. Something had brought them together that night, call it luck, kismet, or good, old-fashioned St. Patrick's Day magic. Why not see where it would take them?

Kevin pulled out his phone. "Hey, Beckett. Remember that favor you owe me? I'm cashing it in."

Alexis was in the middle of her third cup of coffee when she heard a knock at her door. She groaned at the intrusion. Sleep deprivation and a mild hangover were not an ideal way to start her day, and she was not prepared for unexpected visitors.

Nothing could have prepared her for the man on the other side of her door. Dammit. Was it too late to pretend she wasn't home? She was so embarrassed she could barely look at him. What was he even doing on her doorstep at eight in the morning?

"Can I come in?" he asked, smiling in a way that made her traitorous heart trip over itself.

With a resigned sigh, Alexis stepped aside to let him pass, closing the door behind him.

She turned to him, trying to clear the tension. "Listen, if this is about last night-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence. Her mouth was busy with other things, namely kissing the homicide detective who had her pressed against the door. He cupped her face in his hands, his warm fingertips pressing against her cheekbones, curling around the curve of her jaw.

His mouth was full of contradictions: soft and insistent, demanding and gentle, lips, teeth, and tongue consuming her. It was easily the best kiss she'd ever had, and coming up for air seemed like a terribly wasteful thing. Why do anything else when she could be kissing Kevin Ryan?

He brushed his lips over hers once more before pulling away; his dilated pupils spoke volumes of his own enjoyment. "You want to go out some time?" he asked.

His question brought a smile to her face. They were the exact words she'd been longing to hear. "Yes," she said, pulling him closer and slipping her fingers into his hair. "Later." She claimed his mouth, biting his bottom lip and purring in satisfaction at his hungry groan. He gripped her waist, and Alexis was soon lost in the taste of his mouth and the sensation of his hands against her skin.

Maybe there was something to that Irish magic after all.

Author's Note: This delightful one-shot is dedicated to ng22, who PM'd me yesterday to request a dose of our favorite couple in honor of St. Patrick's Day, and the amazing JJS4, who helped me figure out how to tell this story in the first place. If you like this one-shot, please review and feel free to PM me with requests.

This story doesn't take place in any particular season, nor is it canon to my other Rylexis story In My Veins.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!