Serves the bastard right.
Kieran checked the time on his phone, again. Lily had picked one o’clock. He’d picked the place. O’Malley’s was a brewery he’d taken each Sullivan sibling to on their twenty-first birthday. Tradition required their first beer be the house brew. The choice was theirs afterward, and the menu boasted plenty of options. As far as day drinking was concerned, O’Malley’s was as good a place as any, but their zesty beer cheese and baked pretzel was the best in the city.
Rachel might’ve also mentioned Lily loved brunch. How convenient. O’Malley’s had a great brunch menu on the weekends.
Kieran relaxed his jaw and leaned back against the brick facade separating the brewery’s tinted storefront windows. Hetilted his phone’s screen toward his face. 12:48 p.m. Maybe he was a little early.
Or she’d chickened out. He wasn’t delusional. She was, at the very least, attracted to him, but he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the way she’d reacted when Sebastián grabbed her arm at the barbecue. Jumping at the grab, sure. But a full-on strike to the chest?
Lily might as well have been a rag doll the few times they’d filmed self-defense videos for Hit It, but he should’ve noticed how easily she followed his direction. Like she’d been guided through the moves before. Had anyone else palmed her hip like he had? Had some other trainer felt the strength of her pulse under their thumb and its twin against their leg?
“Wow, you came early.”
Kieran blinked, the heat waves of memory evaporating with the ironic twist of amusement deep in his gut. “Not something I’m used to hearing.”
He lifted his head and allowed himself to take her in. Her bare shoulders and collarbone were on display with an off-the-shoulder white dress. She’d gotten a little sun, most of it in her cheeks.
Lily removed a wide-brimmed straw hat from atop her head and shook out the soft waves of her hair. “Is the hat too much?” The movement shifted the loose fit of her dress, making him all too aware of how the sun shonethroughthe linen-like material and silhouetted the toned sweeps of her curves.Fuck.
Kieran pushed off the wall. “Maybe for inside.” He indicated her outfit with an up-and-down flick of his hand. “You look—” Beautiful. Gorgeous.Like I could lift the fabric all the way to the elastic band at the top, remove whatever gravity-defying strapless you have on, and lick and nip and suck on those tits until your pussy’s drenched and ready for me.“—good.”
Disappointment flickered across her face. “Oh, thanks.”She’d worn makeup. Not for him. ForCarter. This was all in preparation for her date with Carter.
Irritation was a riptide in his veins.
She recovered enough to flash him one of her breezy smiles. “Shall we?” She adjusted the strap of her tasseled crossbody purse as she inched forward.
He opened the brewery’s door and smirked at the surprised pop of her lips. “Not every day you get to be a princess’s first date.” He bowed his head but didn’t break eye contact. “It’s a pleasure, Ms. Parker.”
* * *
“So,” Lily began, her gladiator sandals bumping his calf as she crossed her legs under the table. “What’s Carter like?”
“A pretentious asshole.” The words were out of his mouth before he could even think.
Lily lifted her menu, her full lips curving into a smirk of her own. “Fits right in with you, doesn’t he?”
“Touché.” He set his menu aside and considered angling his body to the side. When he brought his siblings to O’Malley’s, they sat at a spacious booth. Sitting at the two-person table with Lily, he had almost no leg room. But if this were a real date… He planted his boots on either side of Lily’s feet, the warmth of her seeping through his jeans. A flush spread like watercolor across her chest, the pigment originating somewhere beneath the neckline of her dress.Interesting.“This being our first date and all, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bring up other men.”
Lily snorted and rested her fingertips on the delicate line of her collarbone. “My apologies, Mr. Sullivan.” She laid her menu on the table and treated him to a shy smile. Her knee bumped his. By accident? “So, while we wait for our server, what are we supposed to do?”
“Small talk, usually.” He pinched the corner of one of theprinted coasters on the table and tipped it onto its edge, shifting his pinch to each corner as he turned the square on each of its sides. “How was your day?”
The light of the industrial lamps hanging above them dusted her shoulders with gold, highlighting the smattering of freckles on each. “Uneventful. Woke up to an ambulance siren. Edited some videos over coffee. Made a ‘Get Ready With Me’ video.” She swirled her fingertip over the table’s wood grain. “Showed up for a date at a restaurant that looks a little rough on the outside.”
“It’s what’s on the inside that counts.” He winked. Flirting with Lily was easy. Like they’d been born to circle each other like fighters on the mat.
“What about you? How does the great Kieran Sullivan start his day?”
Time to mess with her. He lifted his brows. “Like any hot-blooded man starts his day.”
Her blush flared brighter.
He leaned forward. “With a shower.”
The server appeared right as Lily’s shoulder blades smacked against the leathery seatback. “Welcome to O’Malley’s. What can I get you two to sip on?”
“The house whiskey. Neat.” Kieran tapped the table twice. “I’ll take the bill as well.”
