Chapter 6

Why did I agree to cook for them? I can't cook for shit. And why steak? I should just admit defeat right now.

Cian, Darragh, and the girls are watching Encanto; I can hear Cian singing the "No One Talks About Bruno" song at the top of his lungs.

"Hey, Love," Sullivan says, striding into the kitchen. He looks around and is probably wondering why I haven't started cooking. "Is everything okay?"

"No, I should never have offered to cook. I barely know how. And steak—everyone eats it differently. I'm an idiot. It's why I could never be someone's girlfriend. Who doesn't know how to cook? Ask me about sex—I know all about that."

The deep rumble erupting in his chest has me slapping him, and he grabs my wrist, pulling my body into his. "Anytime you want to teach me sex stuff, just say the word. None of us wants to push you right now, not until you're ready. But steak, I can do."

Sullivan pulls out two aprons and throws one at me. I can't help but laugh when he turns around and his apron has the body of a naked woman on the front. "Nice tits."

He looks down and smiles. "Not as nice as yours."

Sullivan walks me through each step of making dinner, from washing the potatoes—apparently, they like boiled whole ones—to seasoning the steaks. He puts the steaks on a damn chef's grill because of course they have one in their kitchen, and while they're cooking, I step up behind his gigantic frame, wrapping my arms around his waist and placing my head gently against his back.

"Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me?" he asks.

"For wanting to take care of me, but I'm also sorry I don't know how to accept your help. Growing up the way I did, you learn not to accept help from anyone, as it comes with strings attached, and when it's time to pay up, it's never good."

Sullivan removes the steak and turns to look at me. "There are no strings, Harper. All we want is you here with us. If you want more freedom, we can move you out to the pool house, but know Ronan won't be happy, and you will have security at your door. If you want to work again, just say the word."

I laugh. As if they will let me go back to The Range—they have said as much. "What is the point? I have been told if I go back, Cian will camp out in my room. Besides, I'm not sure I can let a stranger touch me again."

"If you could do anything, what would you do?"

Sullivan stumps me with that question; I have never thought about it because there was no point. As I only had a basic education, any job I would be qualified to hold would earn me minimum wage. Working at The Range was a way to protect myself while making good money.

"Honestly, I don't know."

"You know Ronan bought The Range for you, right?"

My eyes widen. I knew he bought it, but for me? "Why would he do that?"

Sullivan laughs quietly. "If you haven't figured it out yet, Love, we are all head over heels for you. He knows how much the place means to you, and your boss wanted out. Maybe you could run the place. It's currently being renovated, and the security is being upgraded."

"He did that for me?"

Sullivan nods. "Mostly, he did. We are also down a bar right now, and Ronan hates having meetings at the house. So it is also a place we can meet privately and talk business, and the fact the uncles can't invite their bar flies works out well for us. If they do want to get laid, they can pay for it or go elsewhere."

"I would be safe there?"

"You would, and you would also be a legitimate business owner."

Could I manage The Range? Being the boss would mean I no longer have to sell my body. I never thought I would see the day I'd think those words, and I'm not even sure I believe them enough to say them out loud. "And he would let me run it by myself?"

"Who is he? If he won't let you run it, I'll kill him, then it's yours," Ronan says entering the kitchen.

"Technically, it's already hers, and you would have to kill yourself," Sullivan says.

Ronan chuckles. "So I take it Van spilled the beans. Yes, The Range is yours, and you can run it however you like, but security on premises is nonnegotiable. I sat down with Lady Maine and the other workers to ask what they thought was fair with pricing, as security isn't free, and they all agreed it's fair to raise the hourly rates slightly to cover the cost. Feel free to do whatever else you would like."

"This is for real? Like real, real?!" I ask, and Ronan nods.

"Ahhhhh!" I squeal and launch myself at him. He catches me as I wrap my legs around him. "I will pay you back."

"I anticipated you might say that, and I have a payment schedule outlined in my office. There are also papers you will need to sign."

Leaning forward, I press my lips to his.

Ronan turns us around and places me on the kitchen island, deepening the kiss.

Sullivan clears his throat. "I hate to stop this, but dinner needs to be served, and with young girls wandering around, adult stuff is better suited to the bedroom."

Ronan pulls back and smiles at me. "And you all call me Daddy? I think that title needs to be given to Van."

"Actually," Darragh says, and we turn to see him leaning against the entry to the kitchen, "Daddy is now my title, and where the hell is the food? We need to eat before I kill Cian. His singing is driving me insane."

I chuckle as I slide off the counter. Sullivan places plates where my ass just was, and I wait for some snarky comment from Darragh, but it doesn't come. Once the food is plated, we all carry it out to the dining room. Sadie and Eloise race in to pick their seats, and Darragh goes to help Cian, but comes back alone.

"The asshole punched me in the gut, and he is on his way."

Darragh takes a seat beside the girls, while Cian hops into the dining room on one leg, all smiles.

"See, I can do it myself," Cian states, taking a seat beside me. Ronan sits at the head of the table.

A young girl who I have only seen in passing walks into the room, her attention riveted on the book she is reading. When she looks up and notices we are all staring at her, she pauses.

"Sorry," she says, her face turning bright red.

"Is it one of your sex books with all the men?"

I slap Cian across the chest. "Leave her alone. What she chooses to read is her business."

"Harper, this is Maddie. She is staying with us for a while," Ronan says, introducing us.

"Nice to meet you," I say to her, and she smiles.

"Day one eating as a family," Ronan continues. "I expect everyone here daily, and we will eat at five, so the girls are fed."

"Five?" Cian whines. "That's a late lunch." I poke my finger into his ribs. "Fine, five works."

"Good, that's settled. Harper has also agreed to take over The Range, and security will be with her at all times. I will work closely with her until she gets the hang of things."

As I cut into my steak, I listen as Ronan talks, but some things are not in a context I truly understand. The girls are too young to pick up much, and Maddie is preoccupied with her book. She pre-cut all her food and is eating one-handed while reading; every now and again she pushes her glasses up her nose but never looks away from the pages.

"Harper and I will start her training at six tomorrow," Darragh says, and the adults at the table turn to look at him.

"Six, as in A.M.?" I ask, and he nods, shoving a piece of perfectly cooked steak into his mouth. "When I start back at The Range, I won't be here at six."

"Like fuck you won't," Sullivan snaps. I slowly turn to look sideways at him. He never speaks like that, especially not around me. "Shit, what I mean is there's no way you are working seven days a week. Hire a manager if you need to, but some nights I want to snuggle, okay?"

I snort. "That's a bit presumptuous of you," I tease. I don't know if I'm ready for anything more than snuggles, but the kiss with Ronan earlier made me horny as fuck.

"If you want to sit on my face first, that's also fine with me," he says.

Sullivan's beard does things to me. When he talks about eating me out all so he can, in his words, "savor the smell," it makes me want to rub my pussy all over the man and stake my claim. That thought has me pausing mid movement, my fork frozen in the air.

"Why would Uncle Van want you to sit on his face? He won't be able to breathe."

Everyone at the table laughs at Sadie's words.

"He was just joking," Darragh says, throwing Sullivan a look.

"It would be a good way to die," Cian adds under his breath, only loud enough for me to hear him. Moving my hand to his knee, I dig my nails in. "That's just foreplay, Sweetheart."

The rest of dinner is uneventful, and I must admit it's nice to have a family.

Growing up, it was mostly me and gran. Occasionally Mom would show up, then she and gran would fight, ruining the night. Or Jordyn and Pixie would come over, and on those nights, we felt like an actual family.