7. Kieran

7

KIERAN

I 'm barely containing my rage. I might look presentable in this suit, but I'm still a monster underneath. The fact that Paisley doubts her beauty because of that skinny weasel makes me want to rip his dick off right here in this room.

The second I saw her in that fuck-me dress tonight, my dick went hard, and it isn't going down anytime soon. Not with her looking like a dark angel who came straight from heaven.

If she were mine, I wouldn't have allowed her to wear that dress anywhere but our bedroom. The long black evening gown is snug in all the right places, accentuating her milky tits and the curve of her round ass and wide hips. She's a wet dream come to life.

She gapes at me, her mouth slack. I can't resist moving my thumb up to her bottom lip and running it over the plush pad. Her deep shade of lipstick stains my finger, and fuck me, I want those lips to stain my dick too.

"You're beautiful, Paisley," I repeat.

A small sound escapes her when I reluctantly pull away. Keeping my eyes locked on hers, I bring my thumb up to my mouth and suck on it. Her eyes go round.

"Who are you, and what did you do with Kieran?"

I chuckle and hold out my arm. "It's me, lass. I'm not always a big brute. Sometimes, I can be civil. Let's find some food."

She slides her arm around mine and lets me lead the way. "I don't want snails. They're yucky."

I pause and look down at her, a smile pulling at my lips. That was adorable.

"Yucky?"

Her cheeks turn a light shade of pink as she tilts her head back to meet my gaze. "Yep. Yucky. It's the official term for snails. Look it up. I'm pretty sure it's in the encyclopedia."

Holy shit. She's funny. I'm used to her being a smartass and back-talking me, but I'm not used to this playfulness. I like it. And I shouldn't.

"Okay. What about whatever that is?" I wave to a platter a waiter is carrying around.

Scrunching her face, Paisley shakes her head. "Looks suspicious to me. Like a snail or fish egg might be hidden in it."

Actually, I agree with her. All this fancy shit isn't to my taste. I can put on the suit, but that doesn't change the man, and the man likes red meat and potatoes.

"I'm not really that hungry. I do need to use the ladies' room, though. I'll be right back." She turns and starts off in the direction of the bathroom.

We're halfway through the ballroom when she notices me right behind her.

"What are you doing?"

I take her elbow and weave through the crowd with her. "I'm taking you to the ladies' room."

She pinches her eyebrows together. "I can find it myself. I don't need an escort."

"I'd never allow my girl to go to the bathroom without me, and since you're my girl this evening, I'm going with you."

As soon as we enter a wide hallway away from everyone, she stops and tilts her head slightly. "Yeah, but it's all pretend."

Using my fist, I rub the center of my chest.Is this heartburn? It kind of feels like it is, but it also feels like an ache.

"I don't do pretend."

She shoots me an exasperated look. "You know what I mean."

Yeah. And I don't like it.

Paisley shuffles her feet slightly. Right, bathroom.

"Come on, baby girl. Let's get you to the toilet."

We get to the ladies' room, and as I'm following her in, she lets out a squeak and tries to push me back.

"Kieran! What are you doing? You can't come in here."

I narrow my eyes and pin her with my stare. "Why the fuck not?"

She pinches the bridge of her nose and takes a deep breath. "Because there could be other women in here, and also because you're not coming in while I pee."

I don't know why she's so hung up about this, but instead of arguing, I stomp out to the hall and stand a few feet from the door with my arms crossed over my chest.

If she were mine, she'd have a red, sore ass for pushing me out.

But she's not, and dammit, I need to stop thinking that shit. She's Paisley. A total brat and a thorn in my side. I can't stand her. So why do I want her so badly?

A few minutes later, Paisley emerges, and she looks even more beautiful than she did when she went in.

"You didn't have to wait."

I grin and cross the hall to meet her halfway. "There's a lot of stuff I don't have to do, but the thing about me, lass, is I do what I want."

She huffs but there's a small smile there she's fighting. "Yeah, I'm kind of figuring out that you guys play by your own rules."

"Aye. Now, come on, I want to go make your ex regret the day he ever betrayed you."

" S o, what's new with you, Paisley?" Jeremy asks.

God, I want to knock his fucking teeth out. This guy is ballsy, I'll give him that. Not only do I have at least six inches on him, but probably about fifty pounds too.

His date wandered off somewhere, and he thought it would be wise to approach us. Seriously, he must have a death wish.

"Oh, um…" Paisley fidgets with her clutch purse. Why is she clamming up around this pussy? He should be the one cowering in front of her.

I slide my arm around her waist and pull her against my side, running my fingers over the curve of her luscious hip.

"Did you already tell him about moving in with me, baby?"

She goes stiff against me, but when I give her a gentle squeeze, she relaxes, and a wide, breathtaking smile appears. "Not yet, but, uh, yeah. I moved in with Kieran, and, um, we got a dog. Yep, a dog. We adopted it. His name is, uh, Buster."

Jesus. She's a terrible liar. Good for me because she'll be easy to read. Bad for her bottom.

"Buster," I repeat, staring down at her with a raised brow.

Her cheeks turn rosy as she tips her head back to look at me. "Yep. Buster."

Then she does something that totally catches me off guard. She wraps her arms around my waist and snuggles her face against my chest. Fuck me, if she wants a dog named Buster, I'll get her a dog because right now I feel like a goddamn king.

Without thinking about it, I press a kiss to the top of her head. It feels so natural, like this is what we do all the time.

"There you are! Silly, I thought you were going to come with me to find the restroom."

Paisley's ex scrunches his face at the annoying woman. "Why would I do that?"

My girl tightens her hold on me. Now, I definitely don't regret being the bulldozer she thinks I am. At least she knows I care enough to follow her. Or at least, pretend to care. For tonight.I need to remember that she's not actually mine.

"So, what is it that you do for work?" Jeremy asks.

Raising my gaze to him, I barely resist glaring. This fucking guy. He's something else. I've never met someone so stupid. Then again, he doesn't know I have a list a mile long of dead bodies under my belt. He also doesn't know he's been added to it.

"I own several businesses and invest in other people's businesses. My portfolio is quite big , but we don't have all night. To sum up your question, I have, and make, a fuck ton of money, so I can spoil my girl with whatever her heart desires."

Paisley snorts and buries her face in my armpit as she pinches my side. I'm going to spank her ass if she keeps doing that. Brat. She doesn't realize that each time she pinches me, she turns me on even more.

"What about you, Brad? What do you do?"

His face turns red. "It's Jeremy."

Looking him up and down, I let out a chuckle. "Huh. You definitely look like a Brad."

H er ex finally got the hint that he wasn't welcome and disappeared about an hour ago. Thank fuck, because I was actually considering slitting his throat right here in the middle of the party.

"I'm going to get an Uber and head home. It's late, and I'm tired."

My palm twitches. What did she just say?

"The fuck you are. How'd you get here? If you say by Uber, I'm going to spank your ass."

She narrows her eyes, and the woman who hates me is back. I think I might have been wrong before. I like this side of her. Feisty and strong. A brat. Defiant. It's thrilling. I never know what to expect out of her mouth. It's also all the more reason to spank her.

"You are really something. Do you go around threatening to spank women all the time when they say something you don't like?"

I shrug and scan the room before lowering my gaze to her again. "No. As a matter of fact, you're the only one I've felt like spanking lately. Why the hell did you take an Uber? You have access to all our drivers, who, by the way, are bodyguards and drive bulletproof vehicles."

"Just because I live there doesn't mean your men are at my disposal. I'm an outsider. Besides, the last time I checked, I don't require bulletproof cars or big Irishmen protecting me."

Taking a step toward her, I let out a low growl and feel a twinge of pleasure when she retreats a step. "See, that's where you're wrong, lass. You're just as much part of this family now as any of the other girls. And if I catch you taking a goddamn Uber again or getting into a car with a strange man, I'm going to put you over my knee."

Her eyes flash, and she lifts her chin slightly. "Your drivers are strangers."

Jesus.

"You enjoy being a brat to me, don't you?"

A Cheshire Cat smile spreads on her face. "Just as much as you enjoy being a big bossy jerk to me."

I glance over her, see her pisswad of an ex heading our way, and wrap a possessive arm around her waist to pull her into me. I've been able to rein in my temper so far tonight, but it's wearing thin, and I'm one more dumb comment away from slitting the asshole's throat.

"Let's go, brat. You can ride home with me."

If she fights me on this, I'm going to throw her over my shoulder and carry her out of here, so she better choose wisely. Over my dead body is she getting into a car with some stranger.

As if she knows I'm not going to budge on this, she drops her shoulders and sighs. "Fine. Lead the way, you big buffoon."

"You know, you really shouldn't call your man names. Maybe I should spank you for being so naughty." Then, I wink at her and chuckle at her shocked expression as I nudge her toward the exit.