But I don’t. I keep my hands above the waist. But I don’t stop kissing her. I want her soft and lost and dazed. And the only reason I don’t go down that particular rabbit hole right now is because I know I have to stop, and I’ve got to rein myself in. Otherwise…
I’d be fucking her senseless right about now.
There’s a rapping sound on the window, and it takes me a moment to realize that we’re here.
I check my watch. It’s showtime. Everyone should be here.
Clive opens the door. I get out, discreetly adjustingmyself, and then I haul her out, throw her over my shoulder again, and walk inside.
I kick the door to the main office open with one foot dramatically, and Molly’s diatribe stops dead as I dump her in front of her mam and my brothers.
She wobbles, but I put a hand at her lower back to steady her.
“He’s insane. Fire him. Right now,” she says.
I slap a hand over her mouth and whip out the ties and make quick work of her hands, then put my hand on her shoulder and say, “I caught her sneaking around, trying to go and see this Leon guy who’s mixed up with a cartel.”
“I knew it,” Cloris says. Her narrowed eyes snap to her daughter.
“I think we should talk privately,” I say.
My hand lands back on her mouth before she can say anything, and she bites me again, so hard my cock twitches.
I force her into the small room in the back and tie her to a chair.
“I fucking hate you,” she hisses.
“In this case you can, but it’s for your own good.” I kiss her one more time. “God, do you taste so good. Sorry, Molly.”
And before she can say anything else, I gag her.
Then I close the door and join the others.
“She is my child,” Cloris snaps.
“One that’s been lying and trying to escape all day.” I embellish the events at the Manhattan Ballet, as well as her texts with Leon. I make up shit about Leon himself. I’m fairly certain he’s connected to organized crime, so I don’t feel bad. But then I drop the bombshell.
“Here’s the thing, Cloris. I’m more than a regular bodyguard, and you need what I offer. The power of connections behind me. Of understanding the criminal mind. Your daughter needs protection because someone’s been threatening her.”
“I don’t need mafia.”
“We are the Murphy family,” Callahan says easily, “but this is Declan’s business. We’re here to know what he’s up against, and what support he might need. But this is a legit business. And as he said, with connections. I know you understand that.”
To her credit, she doesn’t step back. Most would.
“We know your husband’s been taken,” I say, even though we don’t know anything for sure. “I’ll assume there’s pressure on you from some unsavory sources. We can help. We’ll look into his disappearance, take care of any troublemakers where you’re concerned, and find who’s stalking Marlowe.”
There’s a moment’s silence as Cal leans against the desk. Seamus watches the room. Torin, too.
“I have board members to keep happy. This needs to be discreet. There’s a merger I’m negotiating, I can’t have trouble.” She blows out a breath. “If this was a year or so down the road, I could simply marry her off and she’d be her husband’s problem.”
The hairs on the back of my neck spring to attention. “She has a husband waiting?”
“Whether she likes it or not. It’s a complicated, arranged marriage to clear some…debts.” Cloris looks at us. “Not all debts are money-related. I need the debts squared; he needs a cleaner reputation.”
“Cleaner reputation?” I ask in silky tones, ignoring Cal’s warning look. “Like a virgin? You’d sell her?”
The woman stalks up to me, but I don’t backdown. She might be used to commanding boardrooms, long before what I assume her figurehead company president husband went off into the dark night, but she doesn’t intimidate me. My mam’s a different beast entirely, and she can make all of us quake if she chooses to.
