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I grinned. “That’s a great idea.”

“Yeah?”

“I love it,” I said honestly.

“Then it’s a done deal.” He took the paint chips to the counter to get the colors mixed for us.

I held back, watching him with a warmth in my chest. I couldn’t believe how much my life had changed in the past year. When Eva and I had divorced, I wasn’t sure I’d be interested in dating for a long time. Now, I wasn’t sure I’d be interested in dating anyone else for a long time.

I turned my focus to Kieran, who was chatting with the paint counter guy, leaning against the counter with one hip. Once he’d set up the machines to do the mixing, the guy placed both palms on the counter and leaned in to talk with Kieran. The way his gaze raked Kieran’s body before fixing on his mouth made jealousy coil in my stomach, hot and sour.

My chest burned and I exhaled slowly, telling myself I was being ridiculous. Then, the guy said something I couldn’t hear, something that made Kieran let out a surprised, delighted laugh. My throat tightened and I swallowed against the feeling. I wanted to barge over there and assert my dominance as Kieran’s… well, what was I? Not his fuck buddy. We’d established that, at least. His boyfriend? The word made me ache with longing.

A few moments later, the paint was ready and I watched as Kieran turned to me and waved me over to pay. I nodded and stepped closer, pulling my wallet out and passing my card to the paint guy.

“Hey,” he said as he swiped my card to ring up my purchase. “Kieran, right? Would you want to, I don’t know, go out sometime maybe? Could I get your number?”

Kieran’s face fell and his brow furrowed in confusion, but before he could respond, I moved my hand to press against his lower back wordlessly.

The paint guy got the hint immediately. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It’s fine,” Kieran said, waving his hand dismissively. “I mean, I appreciate the offer, but…” He tilted his head at me.

“Yeah, of course. No worries. Is there anything else I can do for you two today?”

I shook my head, taking my card back. “That’s it, but thanks for your help.”

“No problem. Good luck with the painting,” he said, still looking flustered.

As Kieran and I walked back to his car to load it up with boxes of tile and paint, he glanced at me. “Hey,” he said slowly.

“I’m sorry,” I said immediately.

He shook his head. “No need to apologize. I wanted to say thank you.”

I frowned. “For what?”

“I liked that little display of possessiveness back there. It was kind of hot.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “If you think that was hot, just wait until you see what else I can do.” I winked at him and his cheeks blazed with a blush. The tightness in my chest loosened and my body warmed. When it came to Kieran, things were going better than I’d ever imagined they would.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Kieran

Ellis and I spent the morning ripping up industrial grade carpet and prepping the floor for us to lay the vinyl tiles the next day before he had to go into Emmages for an appointment.

Since I didn’t have much I needed to do that day before a meeting at the library, I decided to go browsing through antique shops, looking for furniture for the tattoo studio. I stopped at the biggest antique shop I could find in the area, Rocco’s, which was basically a small warehouse full of furniture. An older man, presumably Rocco himself, sat behind a counter and monitored customers as they came and went, haggling on prices whenever necessary.

“Hey there,” I said warmly, approaching the older man who was perched on a stool, leaning over and reading a newspaper.

“Welcome to Rocco’s,” he said. “I’m the owner. How can I help you?”

I gave him a big smile. “I’m Kieran. I’m new in town, staying with Lena and Ellis for a while.”

“That’s right,” he said. “You’re the interior designer who’s helping with the library project, right?”

I nodded. “But today, I’m here to help Ellis, actually. He’s opening a new tattoo studio downtown and I need to get him some good, solid pieces for the space.”