Page 81 of Hard
‘Woman,hauld yer whesht!’ he almost yells. ‘Jesus wept. Is she always like this?’ he asks, turning to Chastity.
‘She’s had a trying couple of days.’ He nods just once, as though suddenly understanding or empathising. But he can’t—not really.
‘Keir, I’m serious—’ I begin.
‘Sweets!’ Chas interrupts loudly. ‘For goodness’ sakes. The man on hiskneesin front of youis trying to propose.’
My head swings from Chastity to the gorgeous man on is kn—on his knees! I jump up from the chair, my hands suddenly on my cheeks.
‘No. No, no, no,noooo.’ I back away from him, finding my spine pressed up against the fridge. ‘No. You don’t mean it. B-because you can’t fix this.’
‘You’re right,’ he says, rising and stalking towards me. ‘I can’t fix it because it’s not broken. It’s lovely, and it’s new, and it’s special; so special. But darlin’, it’s also real.’
And then he kisses me, my face in his hands, his body curved around mine.
He kisses me like he’s trying to kiss some sense into me—like he’d kiss me into submission, if he could. And I imagine he could, especially as his hands fall to my hips where he pulls me against him. Against his hardness. My knees almost give way, and I moan into his mouth. But I can’t do this, can I? Not even I’m that gullible.
‘Say yes,’ he growls. ‘And I’ll make you the happiest woman alive.’
For a moment, I don’t doubt it. He could keep me on my back each day, and I expect I’d be happy—compliant, even—for the rest of my life.
‘But . . . what’s that?’ From somewhere beyond the kitchen, Chastity’s voice gets a little posher, if that’s possible.
‘If you don’t move away from that door, I’m going to knee you in your balls. Shortly following, I expect a doctor in the emergency room will tell you that you’ll never father children. On account of said testicles being lodged next to your tonsils.’
‘Come one step closer and these balls will be in your face. And not in a good way.’
‘Is that Flynn?’ I whisper. ‘She must think he’s the press.’
Keir nods, ducking his head to my ear. ‘I hate to say it, but she sounds like his kind of foreplay.’
‘Oh, please,’ Chastity calls back, her cut glass accent sharp enough to draw blood. ‘I spend my day with men, not little boys like you. In fact, I expect I eat balls bigger than yours for breakfast.’
‘Lady, I don’t give a flying fuck who you eat, or who eats you, or what you do to get your rocks off, I need to speak to Keir—’
‘If you’re a journalist, I swear, I’ll stick this very expensive Burberry umbrella up your backside and wave you around like a Guy Fawkes toffee apple!’
‘You sound like you’ve done that before.’ There’s a distinct change in Flynn’s tone. Less angry and more amused. ‘And enjoyed it.’
‘See?’ Keir whispers, his lips travelling down my neck as his hands gripping my butt.
‘Perhaps not an umbrella,’ Chas says.
‘Is this little anecdote going to make me puke?’
‘I don’t know,’ she replies evenly. ‘Are you homophobic, or can you enjoy a little gay porn?’
‘I know it’s early,’ Keir whispers, ‘and you might not feel the same way as I do, but come away with me, darlin’.
‘Just you and me?’
He tilts his head to the side as though weighing his words. ‘Sorcha and Agnes, too.’
‘You want me to marry into the family?’
‘We’re sort of a package deal.’
‘I will... come away with you on vacation, but that’s all.’He looks like he doesn’t believe me—like I’ve already said yes—but we’ll see who wins in the end. ‘Where are we going?’
