by Emma Renshaw
“Fuck,” Kiernan groaned, fisting his hand on top of his thigh. He grasped my arm with his other hand and leaned closer. He was only a few inches from me, staring into my eyes. “We have a rule about dating clients. Since taking your case, Roman has been able to tell I’m interested in you. He’s reminded me at every turn of this rule. Reminded me that because of your situation you’re vulnerable. He asked me to wait until after we found out who is responsible for the hacking to pursue you. I didn’t agree, but…I didn’t exactly disagree either.”
“Would you get fired?” My brow furrowed and I pursed my lips. I didn’t want him to lose his job or, even worse, his best friend because he was dating me.
He shook his head. “Probably not, but I do have a responsibly as the second-in-command at the company. If I break whatever rule I want, why wouldn’t the people below me?”
“Then why didn’t you wait?”
He laughed humorlessly. “I couldn’t, Caroline. You’re addictive and sweet. So damn sexy. I tried, but I wanted you so badly, and every time I saw you, that want grew until I couldn’t resist kissing you. Being with you.”
I nodded, going to check the noodles. I drained them and rinsed them, and I ran through Kiernan’s words in my mind as I plated our dinner. I placed a bowl in front of each chair and sat back down. I twirled spaghetti around my fork, but I didn’t take a bite.
“The second the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them,” he said. I found his gaze, searching it. There was only honesty there. “Please believe me. I will fix this, Caroline. I’ll go to Roman first thing tomorrow and make it right.”
I sighed. “I don’t want you to lose your job.”
He shook his head. “I won’t. Roman wouldn’t know what to do without me. And even if I did, it would be worth it, Caroline. Roman will be pissed I lied to him, but I’ll handle that.”
“I do believe you, Kiernan.”
“I’m so sorry, Caroline,” he said, framing my face with his large hands. His eyes bounced back and forth between mine before his lips descended and landed on mine. I melted under his kiss for a moment before breaking it.
“I’ve been put in the shadows my entire life, I couldn’t take it if you put me there too.”
He shook his head. “I’ll make sure you live every day of your life in the light. You could never be in the shadows. You are my light.”
“If we need to wait until you and Maddox catch this guy, we can do that, but…” I bit my lip, looking down, feeling shy now that I was about to lay my feelings on the table. I wasn’t saying those three little words. I wasn’t ready for that, but I was admitting something huge. “I’m not ready to let you go.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to let you go, sweetness,” Kiernan said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I lifted my gaze and met his, breaking into a beaming smile.
“You’re definitely all light, baby. Never let anyone take that away,” he said, staring at me. His lips tilted up. “Even me if I’m being an idiot.”
I laughed and leaned forward, looping my arms around his neck. “Deal,” I whispered. “Are you hungry?” I asked, a blush rising on my neck and cheeks.
“Yeah, but not for spaghetti.” He smirked and picked me up from my chair, putting me on the table. He flicked the button of my jeans open and dragged my jeans down my legs. I lifted my shirt, tossing it away, not wanting to waste a second. He stood up, shedding his shirt and jeans before leaning over me and taking my mouth in a heated kiss. It was all tongues and passion and unsaid promises.
His lips trailed down my neck to the tops of my breasts. He peeled down the cups of my bra and took a nipple into his mouth, keeping his gaze on mine. I arched my back and reached around, unhooking my bra before flinging it aside. Kiernan’s fingers skimmed down my sides and pulled my panties down my legs. He got rid of his briefs a moment later and bent to grab a condom from his jeans.
I grabbed his hand and shook my head. “I’m on birth control. I…I trust you,” I said softly.
His eyes heated and he nodded before covering me with his body and kissing me again. A kiss I felt down to my toes. Kiernan’s fingers found my clit and slid lower to my entrance. “You’re so wet,” he said, nibbling along my neck.
I nodded. “I need you. Now. Please, Kiernan.”
One second I was empty, and the next Kiernan slammed into me. We were a frenzy of movement. A bowl of spaghetti crashed to the floor, but Kiernan didn’t stop. I met every thrust with a roll of my hips.
“I’ll never hurt you again,” Kiernan promised.
My nails raked down his back, and his fingers circled my clit. His tongue swept into my mouth. I was consumed with Kiernan. In this moment, he was all I saw. All I tasted, felt, heard, and smelled. I loved every second and didn’t want this moment to end, but I couldn’t stop the orgasm that was crashing into me.
“Fuck,” he groaned. I threw my head back and came on a cry of his name. He followed me a minute later with my name on his lips.
33
Kiernan
The wind snapped the door back, after I yanked it open, and it hit the side of the building. I was on a mission. Since the moment I’d dropped Caroline off at her clinic, I’d been moving with a purpose. I’d gunned my truck on the way to MarxMen. Most mornings I stopped by the desk to check in with whoever was manning it, but this morning, I didn’t even offer a chin lift. Roman’s office was my destination, and I wasn’t going to stop for anything else.
My boots squeaked against the coated and stained concrete floor. Every thud was a warning to Roman that I was coming and a reminder to myself of my new priorities. All it took for a man to shift his way of thinking, his entire way of life, was for the woman he was meant to be with almost walking away and the knowledge that she’d forgiven him. When I’d woken up with Caroline in my arms and our legs tangled together that morning, I’d known I’d sacrifice anything to keep her in my life.
I entered Roman’s office without knocking, shut the door firmly behind me, and stood in front of his desk with my legs shoulder width apart and my arms crossed over my chest. A ghost of a smile flickered over his face.
“Are we doing this?”
I nodded once.
“About damn time,” he muttered under his breath, sitting up in his chair and tossing the pen he was holding onto his large matte black desk. Most of MarxMen was modern, sleek, and done in tones of blacks and grays. Roman’s desk was the only matte piece in the building. He gestured to the charcoal leather chair across from him. I sat, keeping my arms crossed over my chest.
In our years of friendship and brotherhood, I’d never laid down an ultimatum. We were usually on the same page. Our relationship was set in stone. He was the broody and cocky man who needed to be in control, and I was the guy that poked at him until he cracked. I knew he had my back, and there wasn’t another man I would trust to keep me alive under fire, but I wouldn’t be playing by his rules anymore.
Friendship or not.
Brotherhood or not.
Caroline was mine and that’s the way it would stay. I wasn’t going to wait until the man who was after her was caught. Life was too short and too much could happen. I’d live the rest of my life in regret if I let a day pass without the knowledge that she was mine and something happened to her. I shook that thought away. Nothing would happen to her. I wouldn’t allow it.
“I’m with Caroline. I have been for a while, and that’s not going to change. I don’t give a fuck about the rule. If you have an issue with it, I’ll quit.” I lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug.
Roman arched one eyebrow. “And if you quit, what would you do?”
I shrugged again. “Open my own firm or become a cop. I don’t know, but I’d figure it out.”
“You couldn’t be a cop,” Roman said, leaning back in his chair and bringing his hands behind his head. He shook his head once. “You fucking hate red tape more than I do.”
“I’d do anything to be with her. Even if that
means dealing with red tape and spending the rest of my career filling out paperwork.”
“You hate paperwork.”
I snorted. “I know. She’s worth it.”
“You love her,” Roman stated, readjusting himself again. He propped his elbows on his desk and steepled his fingers, staring at me. Waiting for me to either confirm or refute his statement.
I hadn’t told Caroline I loved her. I’d never been in love. Hell, I think the bastard sitting across from me was the first person I’d actually cared enough about to love, but the brotherly love I felt for Roman was a far cry from the all-consuming ache I felt with Caroline.
I loved my friends. I didn’t have trouble saying that.
I wasn’t sure I was ready to say I loved Caroline, but I knew I couldn’t imagine a day without her, and when I pictured a future, she was the future.
“I haven’t said those three little words to her,” I said before pausing for a moment and adding one final word. “Yet.”
I uncrossed my arms and leaned back in the chair, propping my feet on Roman’s desk. He reached across and hit my boot with his hand. “Dammit, Kiernan, get your fuckin’ feet off my desk.”
I didn’t move them, just waited for him to tell me if I was sticking around or choosing between a life in uniform and opening up a new business. “Jackass,” Roman muttered. I smiled.
“When are you going to get it through your thick skull?” Roman asked.
“Get what through my thick skull?” I snarled.
“That you’re my brother. Have been for a long damn time. That’s not ever changing.”
I stayed silent and watched him. I knew he was my brother. I knew he’d risk his life for me, and I’d do the same for him and his family. I had always considered him my brother, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever considered myself to be his. Roman pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment before meeting my gaze again.
“Do I want you breaking the rules we have in place for a reason? No. Of course not. But it’s not like you’ve ever listened to me. Didn’t listen to me in Afghanistan. Sure as hell didn’t listen to me when we were stateside and opening up MarxMen. And you don’t listen to me now either.”
I chuckled and shrugged. It was true. I couldn’t deny it. I’d always listened to his instructions and then put my own twist on it. Usually to his annoyance, which only added to my fun.
“I only need you to be honest with me. Well, that and finally invest in MarxMen. I wanted you to when we started it, and I want you to now. It’s ridiculous that you haven’t.”
“I didn’t want the responsibility,” I said.
He arched his brow again. “You took it on anyway.”
I licked my lips, dropping my feet to the floor and leaning my elbows on my knees. I nodded slowly. “Alright. I’ll invest. Some things I was spending money on, I no longer am.”
“Does that mean you aren’t sending money to your parents anymore?” Roman asked. I met his gaze and turned my head to the side. I’d never talked about my home life. Caroline was the first person I’d told.
“I’ve known all along,” Roman said and smirked. “Think you’re the only one who can dig into another person?”
“That’s not right,” I said.
He scoffed. “Sure. Like when you masterminded and helped Caleb feed me information about Harper when I was trying to move on and thought she was better off without me.”
“That’s different,” I said. “You were being an idiot, and you always belonged with Harper.”
“And you were being an idiot for helping feed your dad’s addiction for so long. You haven’t answered me. Are you done sending money?”
I cleared my throat and stared at the picture on Roman’s desk. It was of him, Harper, and Caden the day Caden was born. I looked at the next frame. My lips tilted up on the sides. It was me, Roman, and Caden at a baseball game. The hat on Caden’s head was too big for him, and he was holding cotton candy that was smeared all over his face.
Roman truly had always been my family.
“Yeah, I told my mom I was done. That she was welcome to contact me if she left my father. I gave her a large lump sum and said that’s it.”
Roman nodded. “How much?”
I sighed, shaking my head. “Seventy-five grand.”
Roman whistled. “You did the right thing. Consider that your first investment in MarxMen. Getting them off of you is probably the second best thing you’ve ever done. I’m proud of you.”
I laughed, uneasy with the compliment. Roman wasn’t the type to lavish praise on people, so coming from him it meant a lot. “What’s the first? Reconnecting you with Harper?”
Roman shook his head. “No, that was all me.”
I laughed. “Sure, whatever you tell yourself.”
“The first is Caroline. She’s good for you. I don’t even know her, and I can already tell that. Bring her to dinner.”
“I don’t know if she’ll be up for that after yesterday.”
Roman scoffed. “It’s not really an option. When I tell my pregnant wife Kiernan is with someone, she’ll have the whole thing set up, and you’ll be there whether you like it or not. Or Harper will bring the whole party to you. You know she will. And what my pregnant wife asks for, she gets.”
I laughed. “I’ll ask and see. I’ll run away with Caroline to some remote island if she’s not ready to have dinner with everyone.”
“I wouldn’t put it past Harper to find you,” Roman said and grinned. “You are our family, Kiernan. You’re our son’s godfather and our future daughter’s godfather. If Caroline is yours, that means she’s ours too. If she makes you happy, then she’s already my sister.”
I nodded. “She’ll come to dinner,” I muttered.
34
Caroline
Kiernan cupped my knee and squeezed before rubbing his thumb along the inside of my knee. “It’s going to be okay, sweetness.”
“I’m meeting your family,” I said and released a long breath. “And when you told me that they would like to have dinner sometime, I didn’t really expect for it to be two days later. I got home late and we’re going to be late.”
Kiernan shrugged. “So we’re a little late. It’s not a big deal. I promise.” He took his eyes off the winding road in front of him and winked at me. We were driving a little outside the Austin city limits to Liam and Savannah’s house. They lived on the lake. “And Harper works fast. She probably wanted to have the party that night, but Roman bought us a few days.”
I smoothed my hand down the front of the dress I was wearing. It was a little cool tonight, the first hints of fall blowing in. I had on a burgundy sweater dress, with short sleeves and a deep v in the front, paired with tan suede booties. The dress was a little tighter than I normally wore and hugged my form. “You look beautiful,” Kiernan said.
He pulled into a long driveway leading up to a stunning house with large windows. Kiernan helped me from his truck and grabbed the Crock-Pot from the back seat. I grabbed the flowers I’d brought for Savannah and took a deep breath.
“I promise it will be alright. Besides you brought queso, who couldn’t like you after that?”
I chuckled and shook my head. “Here’s hoping,” I said.
Kiernan led us up the front walkway and to the door. We stood there for a moment before he leaned down and whispered, lifting the Crock-Pot a little bit. “My hands are full, sweetness. You’re going to have to knock.”
I raised my fist and knocked on the door. It swung open a second later. I’d already met Harper and Ava and knew they were stunning beyond belief. What was it with these people? The brunette woman standing in the doorway, with a large smile on her face and emerald-green eyes, was drop-dead gorgeous. I swallowed and smiled.
“You must be Caroline. I’m Savannah,” she said. “It’s so good to meet you.”
She opened her arms for a hug. I hugged her back before handing her the flowers. “These are for you. Thank you for having me. I hope it’s alri
ght, but I brought some queso since I knew we were having enchiladas.”
Savannah’s eyes lit up. “That’s perfect! Come on in. Hey, Ki Ki,” Savannah said and stood on her tiptoes to press a quick kiss on Kiernan’s cheek.
Kiernan groaned. “Only the kids are allowed to call me that,” he muttered.
Savannah looped her arm through mine and brought me into her living room. She had gray couches with touches of blue throughout the room, and the back wall was floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of the lake. The sun was dipping below the horizon, and she had the perfect view in her living room. I looked over my shoulder at Kiernan.
“I’m going to set this down. I’ll be right back,” he said, planting a swift kiss on my lips.
“I’ve got her,” Savannah said, waving Kiernan away. She stopped in front of the couch. “Ready for a lot of names? We’re a pretty big group.”
Harper and Ava were sitting on the couch with two other women, who were just as pretty. One was holding a baby. “This is Harper, Ava, Iris, and Tate. Those three rugrats running around are Caden and Avery. Caden is Harper’s and Avery is mine. Lilly is Ava’s. And Iris is holding little baby Wren. All the men are outside, but this is probably easier instead of you meeting everyone all at once. When it happened to Ava, she was a little freaked.”
Ava scrunched her nose. Her deep blue eyes were wide as she nodded. “It’s so true! There were so many of them, and I wasn’t expecting it.”
I chuckled and waved at them. “It’s great to meet y’all.”
“Uncle Ki Ki!” Avery shouted. I turned and watched Kiernan come into the room, bending to scoop up Avery. He tossed her in the air and caught her.
“Hey, pretty girl,” he said and set her on his waist. He strode to my side. “Avery, this is Caroline. Caroline, this is Avery, my best girl.”
I smiled. Avery didn’t smile as she stared at me. “Are you Uncle Ki Ki’s girlfriend?”
“She is,” Kiernan said.
