“It was a good kiss,” she allowed.
“A good one?” he asked disbelievingly.
“Okay, a great one,” she said fast. “But Dair, I—” she cut herself off.
“What?” he asked.
She shifted her attention to the muffins.
“Ye what?” he pushed.
She looked to him and his chest felt like it caved in when he saw her face.
“I’m radioactive,” she whispered.
“Come again?” he whispered in return.
“You saw what happened with Chad.”
“Aye,” he agreed. “What does that have to do with you?”
“I picked him.”
“Lassie—”
She shook her head and cut him off. “No. I’m not…I don’t think I can…I’m no good for anybody.”
Oh, aye.
Now he was angry.
Being angry, and for other reasons, he didn’t temper his movements.
Oh no.
He stalked to her, and she retreated until she had her back to the wall. He caged her in with his body and held her jaw in both hands, dipping his head so his face was right in hers.
“That twat was the cheat,” he ground out. “Not you. He wanted you. He was devastated ye scraped him off. How he thought he could treat ye like that and still keep ye, I dinnae ken. I dinnae care. But his shite has not one fucking thing to do with you.”
“But I?—”
He got so much closer, their noses brushed. “Not one fucking thing, Blake. Hear me?”
Even in his hold, she nodded slowly, her violet-blue eyes big and locked to his.
“Your mother is a waste of space,” Dair continued. “Not you. She may not have done anything in her life, but you’ve earned the love and respect of everyone around ye.”
“They’re only?—”
His fingers tensed. “Bloody hell, fucking stop it, woman.”
She blinked and grew stiff and angry in his hold.
There was his Blake.
“We’re going out tonight. We’re talking. We’re figuring this out,” he decreed. “I live in Scotland. You split your time between here and New York. But we both have the means to get to each other. There’s always rugby to call, so I’m not as free as you, but we’re both in this. We both want this. So tonight, we’re going to talk about it and sort it.”
“You’re being very dictatorial,” she snapped.
