“I didn’t think I had to. Didn’t your father have your mother stand to his non-dominant side?”
I can say one thing for Kieran. He will be adamant about protecting me if I become his wife… just as a husband should be. I liked what he said while I was in the shower. Not the part about my being his property. I liked him saying that I would be his treasure to protect and that he would place himself between me and whatever danger was presented. And that no harm would ever come to me or our children.
His drive to keep me safe is sexy. Very sexy.
I didn’t see that protective nature in my father, and it’s shameful to admit. “My father wasn’t concerned with protecting anyone but himself. He was a real jackass.”
“I never met your father, but I’ve heard many things about him.”
I’m sure that nothing he heard was good. “You didn’t miss out on anything except evil incarnate.”
“He was killed by Sinclair, his own nephew. That tells me a lot about Abram.”
“My cousin didn’t have a choice. My father told Sin that he was going to kill his twin sons and then join The Order to lead the fight against The Fellowship.” I’ve never told anyone about my father’s heinous threats to murder those innocent babies; he brought so much shame upon our family.
“Your father should have been killed. Probably sooner than he was.”
“He was evil, and I fully understand that, but I could never bring myself to hate him because he never mistreated me. I think he loved me the only way he knew how.”
“What about your mother? I’m curious to know what kind of woman marries a man like Abram Breckenridge?”
“A power-hungry one.”
“She should have married Thane if it was power she wanted.”
“It was mortifying to have the overbearing parents who walked around acting as though they should be the ones leading the brotherhood. Completely disrespectful. Thane was too kind to my father. It took a lot of work and patience on his part to keep Dad at bay, but he did it because he loved his brother.”
“I’m sure Thane has taken responsibility for your mum?”
“Yes, but not because he wanted to. He felt it was his duty, but that doesn’t mean he or Isobel are going to tolerate her shite. Believe me when I say that she pushes them to their limits, just as my dad did.”
“Isobel told me you were being saved for someone?”
“My father wanted me to marry Sin.”
I see the same puzzled look on Kieran’s face that I’ve seen on everyone else’s when they hear what my father was planning. “Your relation is too close for marriage.”
“Technically, no. My father was adopted so we aren’t genetically tied, but that never mattered to either of us. Sin and I are cousins. We were raised together. I could never think of him in any other way, blood relation or not.”
“I guess if Abram couldn’t be leader of The Fellowship, marrying you to Sinclair was his next best option. But why you and not your sister? She’s older.”
“He never said why, but I think it’s because he saw me as a better puppet. Evanna has been too selfish and spoiled to concern herself with Fellowship business. She wouldn’t have carried out his instructions because she’d have been too busy shopping or having her nails done.” My sister has been high maintenance in the past, but I’ve seen a change in her since she fell in love with Craig. He doesn’t have the money or status to maintain the luxurious lifestyle she’s been accustomed to. But she doesn’t care, which makes me so proud of her.
“Further evidence that you are the one I want.”
No man has ever spoken to me the way Kieran does. Telling me that I’m beautiful and that he wants me and that I’m going to be his. Feeling desired and wanted… it’s intoxicating, even if it is coming from this brute. It’s a nice change from being ignored by Fellowship men.
Kieran looks at my plate. “You need to eat to replenish your strength so Nan doesn’t figure out that we didn’t fuck all night.”
Bleu says that Sin’s mouth is filthy when they’re behind closed doors. Ellison says the same about Jamie, but this crude language coming from a man is new to me.
“And after I ate all of those oysters to get my womanly juices flowing.” I close my eyes and regret the words the moment they leave my mouth.
Kieran chuckles. “That was me who got your womanly juices flowing, doll. Not the oysters.”
“I should have known that you’d be crass and bring that up.”
“It wasn’t me who brought up your womanly juices.”
Dammit. He’s got me there. I walked right into that one because my tongue got ahead of my brain. I should change the subject to something else he’d be interested in discussing.
I hold up my hand and spread my fingers. “This really is a gorgeous ring.”
“Gorgeous ring for a gorgeous girl.”
I knew that would change the direction of our conversation. “No one would ever look at my hand and wonder if I’m taken.”
“A definite warning sign for other men to fuck off.” He reaches for my hand and looks at the ring. I think he really likes seeing it on me. “I will end any man who doesn’t heed this warning.”
I think he means that.
We finish breakfast and Kieran leads me across the property to another building. “This is my private indoor range. I’m the only person who shoots here. I thought you might prefer it over outdoor shooting since it’s so cold today.”
“I appreciate that. I’d probably make you miss your target because my teeth would be chattering so hard.”
“I never miss my target. My accuracy is spot-on.”
I haven’t practiced lately. “My accuracy is not spot-on.”
“You shoot?”
That caught his attention. I nod. “I do, but I’m not the best.”
“It isn’t possible for you to be the best because I’m the best.” Kieran isn’t all serious, all the time. I like this lighter side of him.
“Cocky much?”
He chuckles. “I’m very cocky when it comes to shooting a gun.”
“I think you’re cocky about more than shooting.”
“Won’t argue with you.”
I follow Kieran to a bay and he crosses one arm over his midsection. He pulls a handgun from a holster and then repeats the action on the opposite side. I did not see that coming. “I had no idea that you had those guns on you.”
“I always have guns on me. Always… unless I’m naked. But even then, they aren’t far from my reach.” He uses his finger to beckon me. I go to him, and he places a pair of safety glasses on my face. “Stand here and show me your stance.”
I move into the position Bleu taught me. Arms fully extended. Shoulders relaxed. Feet hip-width apart. Knees slightly bent. Upper body leaning forward ever so slightly. Weight balanced. Tight grip on my invisible handgun.
“Very nice, doll. Did Abram teach you?”
“No. Sin’s wife, Bleu.”
“Ahh… Bleu Breckenridge, the former FBI agent who fell in love with and married her target’s son—the next leader of The Fellowship. Only married a year and already breeding the next generation of leaders. Two sons and a daughter. That’s impressive.”
They took in an orphaned baby girl while Bleu was pregnant with the twins. I’m not a bit shocked that Bleu refused to give her up even though she already had two sons of her own on the way. Three babies. It’s like having triplets. Bairns moving in three different directions at once. I don’t know how she does it. I also don’t know how she could want more, but she does. “Their story is an unlikely romance.”
“As unlikely as the captive who falls in love with her captor? Or the wife in the arranged marriage who falls in love with her husband?”
I could never fall in love with him—the leader of The Order. The man who kidnapped me. The man who threatened to do whatever he wanted with my body against my will. But I can’t let him know that. “I suppose stranger things have happened.”
r /> Kieran holds up one of his handguns. “What kind of gun did you shoot when you were taught?”
“Beretta.” Bleu’s gun of choice.
“Both of these are heavier and more powerful, but this one will feel more like a Beretta in your hands.”
I take Kieran’s gun and wrap my hand around it the way Bleu taught me. “Definitely heavier.”
“The recoil is going to be stronger than a Beretta, so you must grip it tightly.”
I lift my arms and relax my shoulders. “I have a tight grip.”
“Set your sights on your target. Visually align it.” I nod. “Stop nodding. You’ll lose your alignment.”
I’m getting tired of being bossed around by this man. “Stop annoying me.”
“Your smart mouth is going to get you into a heap of trouble with me. Keep on and you might find yourself across my lap getting spanked.”
I should keep my mouth shut and not provoke him, but doing so does something to me. I can’t resist poking this bear. “That’s amusing. Maybe you can be a comedian if this Order thing doesn’t work out for you.”
“I’d spank you right now if you weren’t holding my gun.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“I’d like it far more than you know.”
I bet he would. He’s probably into all kinds of kinky and sadistic things. He looks like the type. And I bet the foolish women of The Syndicate and The Order would let him do whatever he likes.
“Are you ready for your ear protection?”
“Please. Maybe then I won’t have to listen to you yammer on.”
“Your arse is going to make the acquaintance of my palm tonight.”
I’m looking ahead, so I can’t see his expression, but I slightly panic until I hear the light chuckle that follows.
Playful Kieran. He’s much more pleasant than vile Kieran. “You don’t scare me.”
He leans close so his mouth hovers over my ear. “I’m going to make you regret saying that, later tonight.”
I take my eyes off the target and turn to look at him over my shoulder. “Careful. I haven’t made my decision about the proposal yet.”
“We both know you have.” He lifts the protective earmuffs and stretches them over my head. “This is an extended magazine. You have twenty-two rounds.”
“Got it.”
He lowers the earmuffs over my ears and I resume my stance, visually aligning the center of the paper target. I fire the first shot, completely unprepared for the rearward force that pushes me off-balance, forcing my back to collide with Kieran’s front. He removes my earmuffs, and I hear him laughing. “I warned you, doll.”
“Shite. That is powerful.”
“You’re a wee one, so that’s a lot of kickback for your small upper body to handle. Does the power frighten you?”
It does a little, but I’ll never let him know. I can’t ever let him see me cower. “No.”
“Want to fire it again?”
“Yes.”
Kieran places one hand on my lower abdomen and the other on my upper back, pushing me into position. His hand on my stomach makes all of those exciting tingles I had last night return. Dammit. I hate this man. That shouldn’t be happening.
“You need to balance your body in a more forward position for this weapon.” I shift and he uses his hands to adjust my body. “Still not quite right.”
He moves behind me, wrapping his arms around my body and putting his hands on top of mine. His front presses against my back, forcing my body into the firing position. I feel his breath against my ear before I hear his voice. “You’re perfect.” His mouth grazes my earlobe and chills erupt down my body. “Don’t. Move.”
He replaces the protective gear over my ears, and I hesitate a moment before firing over and over until the magazine is empty. Incredible. The force behind this weapon is electrifying. Makes me feel powerful. Brave. Invincible.
I place the gun on the table inside the bay and remove my earmuffs. “That gun does not play.”
He takes the earmuffs from me and tosses them next to the gun. He advances and I retreat until my back is pressed against the wall of the bay. Trapped. “Watching you fire off those rounds… it was hot.”
Men will use any excuse for being horny. “All I did was shoot a gun.”
He shakes his head. “It was so much more than just firing a weapon.” I hear the sincerity in his voice. See it in his eyes.
“What does that mean?” And why does it seem to be so important to him?
“You handled my gun with confidence. You fired it with skill. No fear. No hesitation.” His hands cup the bottom of my face. He leans in, pressing a soft kiss to my mouth. “It pleases me greatly to see those qualities in my wife.”
I don’t know if it’s his hands touching my face or his lips against mine or hearing him call me his wife, but something makes those damn tingles in my pelvis return. The same ones that made me wet last night. Thank fuck I’m wearing pants.
Kieran Hendry makes me feel like a woman. A desired woman. His words, the way he looks at me, his body language. Everything he does is a huge turn-on. Yet I hate this man. Loathe him. But damn, he has a way of touching me that makes me forget every logical thought in my head. It doesn’t make sense to me how I can despise him and at the same time respond so strongly to his touch.
It’s my body reacting to him, not my head. It must be hormones and sex drive. Those two things combined have the power to make people do things they wouldn’t normally do.
“You’re trembling.” He grazes the back of his fingers down my cheek and my stomach does some kind of flip. “Do I frighten you?”
I look away because I can’t tell him that it isn’t fear giving me the trembles.
He grasps my chin and forces me to look at him. “Do. I. Frighten. You?”
“No.”
He rubs my bottom lip with his thumb. “Then what is it?”
I shake my head.
He leans in for another kiss but stops before his lips touch mine. We’re so close I can feel his breath on my mouth. Just like last night when my body turned to mush.
I’m quivering and my breath has become more rapid. I may even be a little lightheaded.
His bottom lip grazes mine, but he still doesn’t kiss me. “I’ll back off right now if it’s what you want.”
I don’t want him to back off. I also don’t want him to know that I don’t want him to back off. Feels too much like giving in to something I’m not supposed to crave.
“I’m going to kiss you.”
I’m his captive. We made an agreement. I must submit without a fight per our deal to maintain Ellison’s safety.
Yeah. Keep telling yourself that, Wes. Maybe if you say it enough, you’ll start to believe it.
His fingers lace through my hair and he holds me prisoner when he lowers his mouth to mine. I open, giving his tongue an invitation to come inside. The two meet, and together they become erotic dance partners with Kieran taking the lead.
I’ve only had one very forgettable kiss in my life. But this kiss… I could live a million years and never forget it or the way I feel right now.
He stops, his lips hovering over mine. His breath warm against my skin. “More or stop? Your decision.”
He’s asking me to venture further with him. My body says yes, but my head tells me that one more step will take me to a place I shouldn’t go with this man. I’m twenty-three and being kissed for the second time in my life. I don’t want this to stop. “More.”
His mouth drags across my jaw, leaving kisses in its path. It travels down the side of my neck and I tilt my head, offering him full access. Submitting.
I close my eyes and debate what the hell I’m doing. Kieran asked for my permission. Not my submission. I said yes when I didn’t have to.
He pushes his hand under my sweater and grips my lower back, pulling me against him. “More?” He doesn’t have to have permission to do any of this to me. I’m his captive to
do with as he wishes, and no one will stop him. Yet he’s asking for my consent.
“Yes.”
He pins me against the wall with his hips. I’m trapped with no escape. I should be panicking, but I’m not.
I have no idea what I’m doing. I only know that I like what’s happening between us more than I should.
His mouth migrates as low as it can until the neck of my sweater won’t allow him to go any lower. And despite my lack of experience at making out, I know what’s coming next. This man isn’t going to let a sweater get in his way.
My chest heaves up and down, my breathing loud. I’m shocked by the sudden and unexpected urgency I feel for Kieran. I ignore the warnings I hear inside my head telling me to stop.
His hand is moving to my breasts just as I anticipated, but I still jolt when his thumb rubs my nipple through the fabric of my bra.
“I can’t wait to have you under me. I’m going to make you come so hard. Over and over and over.” My light gasp makes him chuckle. “You’re going to love all the things I make your body feel.”
The touching. The kissing. The promises. All of it pools like pure liquid seduction between my legs, my body’s invitation for Kieran to keep going.
“You want that, don’t you? To feel passion and ecstasy and pleasure?”
Fuck. Yes.
I want that.
I jolt when I hear someone clearing his voice, but Kieran simply removes his hand from my sweater and backs away. He inhales deeply and exhales slowly. “Go the fuck away. Now, if you don’t want to die.” His jaw is clenched, and there’s a touch of growl to his voice.
“My apologies, Mr. Hendry. Your father sent me to get you.”
Kieran stands tall and adjusts his tie. “Where is my father?”
“Waiting for you in the car, sir.”
I think this means they’re leaving the compound. Something must be happening. Maybe they’re going to meet with The Fellowship Council again. Maybe I’m about to leave this place.
Kieran cradles my face and kisses my forehead, just as I’ve seen Sin do with Bleu a thousand times. It feels very affectionate. I like it.
“Escort Miss Breckenridge back to my quarters.”