At last, he cleared his throat. “Okay, I’ll go sort out Sean.” And then he was gone, closing the door firmly behind him.
Mairi stood there, staring after him until Agnes walked in front of her. She held up a glass full of water and threw the contents in Mairi’s face.
“What the hell, Agnes?”
“I thought you needed waking up.” Agnes glared at her. “You want him. He wants you. This is painful to watch. Get a grip, pull up your big girl knickers and sort this out. You think that man is going to hang around here waiting for you forever? He isn’t. Not if he thinks you still hate his guts. Stop letting your fear rule you, or you’re going to lose him. Is that what you want? On top of that, the rest of us are fed up with you two circling each other. It’s making us nauseated.”
She stalked away, leaving Mairi to drip onto the debris-strewn carpet.
Chapter 23
The meeting took place on the green outside Edna’s shop. Under Agnes’ instruction, Keir and the fake boyfriends put together a small stage in front of the cliff. Seeing as Mairi would be using it, they built it far enough away from the edge not to be a danger. They rigged up a microphone and a large screen with a projector aimed at it—because Mairi had insisted that Sean give his confession in a bullet-point presentation format her guys would understand.
Not that Keir had seen Mairi since he’d dragged his brother into her flat. According to Agnes, she’d needed the time to plan what she was going to say at the meeting. Knowing how little thought Mairi put into everything she did, Keir suspected she was just napping.
“Are you going to hit me again if I talk to you?” Sean asked as he came up beside him.
“Depends on whether something really dumb comes out of your mouth.”
“I wanted to check that you weren’t still planning on running away.”
“Yeah, there’s a good chance you’re going to get hit again. I don’t run. I never run. And I’m definitely not running now that I’ve managed to get Mairi in my bed. I’m going to hang around and wear her down with great sex, until she realizes she loves me and has to marry me for real.”
“Good plan. How long do you think that will take?”
“The way Mairi holds a grudge? Five, maybe six years.”
“You two have a seriously twisted relationship, you know that, right?”
“Aye.” Keir grinned with pride.
Behind him, the grass had filled with people who’d come from far and wide to witness Mairi’s announcement about whom she’d picked to wed. They were going to be disappointed. Which made Keir want to cackle with depraved laughter.
Two news crews had set up near the front of the crowd. They’d been joined by two other crews, from the main morning TV shows. A food truck was parked in the far corner, ready to sell hot pies and chips to the masses. Over the road, Edna’s shop was doing a roaring trade, and the woman was actually happy for once.
The night was mild, and the sky was clear, making it easy to see the carpet of stars above, and if you concentrated hard, and listened beyond the chatter of the crowd, you could hear the waves lapping at the base of the cliff. It was a perfect night for Mairi to put an end to this mess.
Keir and Sean stood at the edge of the stage while the geeks tweaked the sound system and computer setup they’d rigged up for Sean’s confession As Keir watched, a ripple started at the back of the crowd and grew as it edged toward the front—Mairi was coming.
The crowd parted in front of him and he saw her clearly. She was wearing curve-hugging jeans, a black t-shirt with Can’t Tie Me Down in white letters across her chest and a pair of well-worn cowboy boots she’d owned for years. Her hair was wild around her shoulders and her lips were painted pink. She took his breath away and made his head spin.
Mairi walked straight up to him and smiled wide. “We ready to start?”
“Aye.” He nodded to the t-shirt. “Subtle.”
“I thought so.” She pushed her shoulders back and stared him in the eye. “You going to be here when this is over?”
“Rusty, you couldn’t drag me away. We have things we need to settle.”
“Not settle,” Mairi said with a sparkle in her eye. “Explore.”
That one word made his knees weak, and he almost crumpled to the ground before he locked them in place. There was no time to answer her, to ask what she meant, because she was already climbing onto the stage. The lights came on, and there she was, in the spotlight— with the vast, dark sky as a backdrop.
“I won’t say thanks for coming,” Mairi said into the microphone, “because I’d have preferred it if you’d all stayed home and minded your own business.”
There was laughter. That was the Scots for you—insults rolled off them like water.
“As you know, a week or so ago, the Girlfriend website was hacked, and a message appeared telling my online boyfriends that I wanted a husband.”
There was a cheer, and Mairi waited for it to pass.
“You guys just glossed right over the word ‘hacked,’ didn’t you?” More laughter, and she shook her head. “Anyway, I don’t want a husband. I didn’t post that message, but I do have the person who did. Sean, get up here.”
Sean looked at the crowd and turned green.
“Don’t make me hit you again,” Keir told his brother.
“I’m telling Mum on you,” was Sean’s very mature reply.
Sean climbed onto the stage and stood beside Mairi, looking like he’d rather have had a root canal at the same time as a colonoscopy.
“This is Sean,” Mairi said with a smile. “He’s the idiot who thought it would be fun to hack my site, and he’s here to explain how he did it, in a way that will make you lot believe him. If you listen carefully to his convoluted and technical explanation, I’ll have some fun things to tell you after he’s done.” She smacked him on the back—with force. “Get on with it.”
Sean tapped his laptop keyboard, and the screen behind him filled with an image of Mairi’s Girlfriend page. That’s as far as Keir got before he tuned his brother out. Instead, he watched the geek boys as they listened to the explanation and saw the moment they believed Sean had done it, their faces filled with shock, disappointment and then anger. Sean had made no friends in this crowd.
When Sean was done, Mairi took the mic back from him. “There it is. I’m truly sorry for the misunderstanding.” She looked down at her men. “I’m especially sorry to you guys, because I have no intention of marrying any of you. That doesn’t mean you aren’t great guys. I want all of you to come up here, because I have something I need to say to the world.” She looked over at the morning TV reporter. “You’ll record all of this for the show, right?”
He gave her a thumbs-up.
The men shuffled onto the stage behind Mairi, their shoulders slumped. The sight made Keir feel sorry for them. Their faces were flushed, and they were clearly embarrassed that they’d fallen for Sean’s lies, and now the world would know how dumb they’d been.
“Are you sure about this, Mairi?” one of the guys asked. “We could still woo you and see where it goes.”
She shook her head and then took the microphone off the stand. She held it close to those perfect lips. “I’m having sex with Keir.”
Keir staggered back a step as all eyes turned to him. Yeah, he hadn’t been expecting Mairi to broadcast that little tidbit.
“Is this the kind of situation where you try something before you buy?” one of the other guys asked. “Are you going to have sex with all of us?”
“What? No!” Mairi glared at him. “I’d expect better from you, Raymond.” She turned to the crowd. “I want to make this clear right now. I am only having sex with Keir. I’ve only ever had sex with Keir, and I intend to keep on doing it—solely with Keir.”
Keir lost the ability to breathe as a cheer went up. His brother patted him on the back.
“Guess hacking her site was worth it after all,” Sean said.
“Don’t think that lets you
off the hook,” Keir said through his shock, and Sean looked miserable again.
“Typical,” John, one of Mairi’s guys, said. “You’re having sex with the guy with abs and no brain. That’s why we don’t have a chance. Women always go for looks over substance.”
Keir took a step toward the stage, his fists clenched. He’d had just about enough of these guys. Sean put a hand on his arm to stop him. “Don’t punch a geek in front of the cameras.”
“That’s not true,” Mairi said. “Darius and Damien have abs, and I’m not sleeping with them.”
“It’s true. We have great abs,” Darius said, then he elbowed his brother and they both flashed their abs to the crowd, who catcalled and whistled.
“Is this going to turn into a Full Monty situation?” Sean said. “Because I really don’t want to be here if it does.”
“We’re getting off track,” Mairi said. “I’m not getting married to any of my online boyfriends, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about each of them. In fact, they are some of the most amazing guys I’ve ever met, and I want to introduce you to them.”
There was another cheer as Mairi called Amir forward. “This is Amir. He’s from Pakistan and is a genius in genetic research. He’s also pretty damn good at playing online poker, because he beats me all the time.” She wrapped an arm around his waist and smiled up at the man who was only a few inches taller than her. “Amir took me on the most romantic date I’ve ever had, and I will never forget it. He is a kind, caring, loving man who deserves a woman who will appreciate everything about him.”
Amir’s face turned a deep red, and he clearly didn’t know what to do with himself. The crowd clapped and whistled. Some chanted his name, and he started to laugh.
Mairi kissed his cheek and moved on to the twins. “This is Darius and Damien,” she said. “Darius isn’t looking for a wife just yet, but his brother Damien is. Damien is a programming genius who enjoys playing football, rock-climbing and kayaking. Damien and Darius saved my life this week when I fell over the cliff. They did it by rappelling down to me and bringing me back up. These guys are genuine heroes. So, if you’re a woman who appreciates a hero with a big side order of geek, Damien is the guy for you.”
As there was more applause, Keir felt a warmth spread through him. His woman was a genius.
“She’s getting them wives,” Sean said, sounding slightly awestruck.
“Aye, she is.” Keir looked at her with pride.
“Come here, Sebastian.” She grabbed the guy’s hand and pulled him to the front of the stage. “This is Sebastian. He’s from Canada and is an incredibly loyal friend, as well as a genius with artificial intelligence. I had to force Sebastian to be here tonight, because he didn’t want to leave his friend alone in the hospital. Sebastian is sweet and funny and is able to translate Wookiee into English, which is a skill that might come in handier than you think.”
There was laughter and whistles for Sebastian.
“Pass me the photo,” she said to Sebastian, who handed her a large photo of Jonas, sans Wookiee mask. There were gasps from the women in the crowd at the sight of his model-perfect features. “This is Jonas. He couldn’t be here tonight, because he suffered burns this week when he got too close to a firework display. Jonas suffers from debilitating shyness, but he is one of the most amazing men I’ve ever met. He’s a programming savant who became a millionaire before he turned twenty. He is also fluent in Wookiee.”
There was laughter.
“Where can I sign up for one of these guys?” a woman shouted.
“I want one too,” someone else called out.
Mairi beamed at them. “You can sign up on the Mairi’s Wedding Facebook page, which I now control.” She shot a warning glare at Sean, who hurriedly gave her a thumbs-up. “I’ll be working to find romantic partners for all my men, and I will be very strict in vetting any applicants, because these guys deserve only the best. Which, for the record, isn’t me, but I can find it. I’m good at that.”
Once the cheering settled, Mairi continued to list the attributes of each of her men, and her new business was born.
“She wants me to set up a website for her and maintain it,” Sean grumbled. “I wondered why she needed one. Now I know. And she wants me to do it for free.”
“It’s the least you can do.”
“I have to update the Girlfriend site as well—make their security ironclad and reimburse them for the revenue they lost.”
“You really are a numpty.” Keir didn’t want to get into the details of his brother’s idiotic idea. He was too busy watching his woman woo the crowd for her fake boyfriends. She’d been born to stand for these men. She was the best advocate they could ever have.
“It was worth it,” Sean said with a grin. “She plans to keep having sex with you.”
“Yes, she does.” Keir flashed a wicked smile at the woman on stage, who flushed when she saw it.
“That’s about it,” Mairi said. “Except for Roberto. Roberto got lost riding his scooter into Glasgow. If anybody finds him, can you please mail him back to me?”
The crowd went wild and surged forward, swamping the men, asking for autographs and making them stutter and blush. Through the mass of people, Keir lost sight of Mairi.
“Can you wind this up and send everybody home?” he asked Sean. “I’ve got a woman to track down.”
He pushed his way into the crowd, keeping an eye open for wild red hair.
Chapter 24
There was no sign of Mairi in the crowd, so Keir headed to the garage to see if she’d made it back to her apartment. That was when he found her. She was sitting astride his motorbike, just like she’d done the first time he’d ever set eyes on her. And just like then, he was pulled to her side by an invisible rope that tied them together, one that never faded and was impossible to break.
He prowled straight for her, her eyes heating as he got closer. At last, he stood in front of her, brushed her hair from her face and fought the urge to kiss her until they were both wild with need.
“Where are we going, Rusty?” he said.
“Wherever you want to take me,” she answered.
“I want to take you everywhere.”
“Okay,” she whispered, never taking her eyes from him. “I have a confession.”
“Yeah?” His heart stuttered, and he hoped this was a good confession, because he didn’t think he could take one that came with disappointment. Not when she was finally looking at him without the fear that had lived in her eyes for far too long.
“I still love you,” she said.
Keir breathed in her words, with his eyes closed, and his head bent forward. He’d spent years dreaming of hearing those words from her lips.
“I want to put the past behind us,” she said. “I want to try again.”
He shook his head, hardly believing this was real. “You destroy me,” he whispered before he threaded his fingers into her hair and pulled her lips to his.
She tasted of strawberries and chocolate, and she sank into his embrace without a moment’s hesitation. He kissed her long, hard, deep—stamping his possession on her mouth. Letting her know, through his kiss, that he was never letting her go. Never again. When they broke for air, he rested his forehead against hers.
“I have a confession of my own to make,” he said.
“Yeah?” She slid her hands under his shirt and up his chest, distracting him with her sensual touch, until she caressed the tattoo that sat over his heart. “Does it have anything to do with this tattoo that looks suspiciously like curly red hair?”
He smiled and pressed a kiss to her nose. “You figured that out, did you?”
“It wasn’t exactly subtle, babe.”
His heart thrilled at the endearment, but he had to get rid of the last barrier between them. “I need to tell you about the night I left you.”
“I don’t need to hear it, Keir. I’ve thought about it and realized that I was too hurt and angry to notice something obv
ious about that night.”
He stilled, hardly daring to breathe. “What was that?”
“That it was completely out of character for you. You wouldn’t have left me unless there was a good reason.” She frowned. “It has something to do with whoever was in that car with you, doesn’t it? The people you wouldn’t sell out to the police.”
“Aye, Rusty, it has a whole lot to do with them”—he took a deep breath—“and the fact I wasn’t even in the car.”
He watched realization dawn. “It was Sean. You took the blame for him. He was always in trouble back then. You stepped in to keep him from getting some serious jail time, didn’t you?”
“Aye. I thought they would give me a rap on the knuckles and send me away, but they sent me to jail instead.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You were mad, gorgeous. Spitting mad. We couldn’t trust that you wouldn’t take our secret straight to the police. Then I’d have stayed locked up for lying under oath and perverting the course of justice, and my idiot brother would have done time too.”
She huffed. “Okay, I’ll give you that, because it’s exactly what I would have done.”
“I left you that night because I had to save my brother. I had to buy him a chance to get away from the losers he was hanging out with and turn his life around.”
“And he did.” She didn’t sound happy about it, and he suspected that it would take his grudge-bearing redhead years to get past it.
“Aye, but you need to know I would never have left your bed for something less than that. Something less than life or death.”
“He didn’t die,” Mairi said with a pout. “But I can fix that.”
“Don’t tempt me. Between that night and this mess with the hacking, I’m sorely tempted to put him out of his misery as well.”
“Agnes says I stay angry for an unreasonably long time and that I can’t think rationally while I’m like that. There’s a good chance I’ll make Sean suffer for years. I feel I should tell you this, because of the whole brother love thing.”
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