by Palmer Jones
“Fine?” Brogan repeated in a low voice.
She looked up to where he stood behind her, trying not to laugh at his offended expression.
“I still think I should have that talk,” Cathal murmured. “Maybe pull in Rian for a tutorial.”
Selena slapped playfully at Cathal's shoulder. “Don't bother. It's not like I'm going to get into details with you.”
Cathal lifted a shoulder. “Sure, then. I'll just sweet talk them from Katie.”
“Katie?” Brogan's horrified voice made both Cathal and Selena grin. “Surely, you didn't—”
“No, I didn't.” She sighed and set her interlaced hands on the table in front of her. “Brogan is amazing, and all I do is try to plan a way for us to be together again. Satisfied?”
Cathal cut his eyes at Brogan. “I'm not the one that needs to leave here satisfied.”
Brogan dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “I apologize for my brother. Both of them, as Rian would be no better if he were here. How far are you into the planning?”
“With all my estimates, at most the pub can make about three hundred and fifty.” There. She'd said it. She didn't want to disappoint him. They'd done so much to help her and, she'd failed to construct an event to raise the full amount. But she couldn't charge any more for the tickets. She'd consulted three experts, foodies who went to these types of events often, and none of them thought it'd be successful with a higher ticket price. Not with their level of clients, working-class that wanted a pint and good food.
Brogan's eyes shifted to Cathal, and he shook his head. “You know I don't want to do that.”
“Do what?” She asked.
Cathal shrugged. “Our property back in Ireland can be put up for collateral. We can pull the rest of the money from there. We already have approval from the bank.”
“Seriously? That would be great.”
“No. It wouldn't. It puts everything we have at risk.” Brogan crossed his arms.
Selena stood up, rubbing her hands up and down his biceps, trying to ease his tension. She'd never owned anything in her life except her small car. Taking that kind of risk would be nerve-racking. But she believed in them.
“Trust yourself and your brothers. If they're both in agreement, then that would mean you're outvoted in the matter.” She smiled as his frown deepened. “All three of you own the bar. All three of you own the property. Not just you.”
“I listen to them—”
She kissed him hard and quick, shutting him up. “That's not what I meant. You're not responsible for everything. The world doesn't rest on your shoulders. You aren't the only one responsible if you don't save O'Keeleys. Or if you do lose the land.” She slipped into his arms when he finally uncrossed them. “You weren't responsible for Simmons.”
His arms tightened.
“Or for Crissy.”
“How did you know about that?”
“The internet.” She glanced over her shoulder. “And a little bit from your brother.”
Cathal shrunk lower behind the screen of his computer as Brogan glared at him.
She understood Brogan and his reservations better after that. But it'd confused her as well. Surely he didn't think of her the same way, that she was playing him for money. That was worse than him hiding her away, for whatever the reason may be.
“You've got to let them share some of the responsibility.” She rose on her toes and kissed him. “Let me share it with you. I'm planning this thing. If it goes bad—”
“It won't be your fault.”
She smiled. “Hell yes, it will be. At least partly.” And she didn't have a dime to her name to help with the purchase of the building.
But she supported him because she loved him. He might not be ready to hear that yet, but she did. And pulling it back now seemed impossible.
As long as he didn't continue to hide her in bathrooms.
She kissed him again. “I need to get going. We have an early morning. The tickets to the event go on sale tomorrow. I have a few radio spots I've snagged.”
Brogan shifted away. “I'm not going on the radio.”
“No.” She pointed at Cathal. “But he is.”
“Me?” His crooked smile only added to his wicked charm. “You think I'd be good on the radio?”
“I think you'll be the best one to do it. Rian is barely participating as it is. Brogan, bless his heart, would sound like a public service announcement. You, on the other hand, have a personality.”
“I'm not sure I like your description of me,” Brogan said. “I have a personality.”
Yes. He did have a great personality. But getting him naked and coercing it out of him was out of the question. The longer he stared at her, the more she realized his thoughts had headed in the exact same direction.
“Can I come by later?” he asked.
“Please, do.” And she left, without giving in and dragging him to his glorious king-sized bed.
* * *
“Where's our famous chef?” Selena snapped out the question as she walked into Brogan's office. “I have a food blogger here to interview him now. Two more a little later.”
She'd worn a suit.
A nice, tidy suit with closed-toe high heels.
“You look very nice,” he said. That stopped her.
She smoothed a hand down her skirt. “It's Katie's.”
“You don't own a suit?” The question popped out before he realized it'd been a mistake. Her pleased expression closed off.
“No. I don't.”
“I didn't mean it as anything more than a simple question.”
Her shoulders relaxed—a little. “I know. I'm just peeved at your brother. Any idea when the famous O'Keeley will make an entrance?”
“He'll be here. He just got in this morning from Ireland.”
“Can you call him and find out when? I'd like to let the blogger know.” She tapped her foot. Her eyes narrowed. “Why are you smiling?”
“Because you're such a fierce little thing and for once your annoyance isn't aimed my direction.”
“Oh. Just wait. I'm sure you'll get the next round. Stop grinning like that.”
He waved her forward. “Then come here and let me apologize for my brother's tardiness.”
Surprise popped into her expression. He had to get past his issues. He'd taken what she'd said to heart the night before. Not everything was his responsibility. It still felt that way. Logically, he knew otherwise.
She scooted around his desk to stand in front of him.
He kissed her, refusing to give in to the urge to unwrap her, layer by layer, out of the suit. Her hips bumped against his desk. If he took another step, he'd set her on top, step between her legs, and then, help him, he’d use that one condom he’d finally shoved in his wallet.
He unbuttoned the top button of her dress shirt. And then a second one.
“Someone’s feeling frisky this morning,” she mumbled before grazing her teeth along his earlobe.
Cats were frisky. Brogan needed his hands on Selena. His Selena.
The second, third, and fourth button unfastened.
“Ms. Chapman?”
Selena broke the kiss at the sound of her name called from the dining room. Heavy footsteps headed the direction of the office.
“Shit!” She looked around, her hands gripping her shirt together.
“Down,” he murmured.
She complied before shooting him a murderous look.
Yes.
He'd just hidden her underneath his desk.
That wouldn't end well.
Not a half-second later, a large man with a long beard appeared in the doorway. “I was looking for Selena Chapman.”
“I'm Brogan O'Keeley.”
The man moved into the room. Selena was officially stuck.
“Nice to meet you. I'm Kenneth. I run a food blog. I was hoping to interview Rian O'Keeley.”
“I'm here.” Rian rushed into the room. “Sorry, just flew in from Ireland.”
&nb
sp; “For real?” Kenneth shook his hand. A little bit of awe covered the man's face. “Were you doing a food event?”
“No. Checking on some family business.” He tilted his head toward Brogan. “That I got resolved. So, everything is set.”
That meant he got the money off the land. He swallowed down that rush of anxiety and tried to focus on what Selena said.
Brogan sat down at his desk, giving him a clear view of her as she finished buttoning her shirt. She sat back on her knees, her arms crossed, glaring at him. Her bottom lip poked out a little bit farther than normal. He had a sudden urge to kiss her.
“Where is Selena?” Rian asked.
Brogan drummed his fingers on the desk. “She's currently, um, detained. She'll be along shortly if you'd like to go to the upstairs dining room and start the interview.”
Rian's lips pressed into a firm line, and he knocked on Brogan's desk. “Good luck.”
Brogan needed more than good luck. Rian and the blogger left the room, and Brogan pushed back in his chair to let Selena up. He offered her his hand, but she ignored it.
“Brogan O'Keeley,” she began, sounding just like his Ma when she was angry.
He moved back, holding up his hands, trying to contain his laugh. “I panicked.” He walked over to the door, closing it and locking the doorknob. He didn't need anyone to walk in on this.
“I'm finally going to ask this. Are you ashamed of me?”
He blinked at the left turn her comment took. “Ashamed? No. Never. I've told you that before.” He was a lucky bastard such a wonderful woman like Selena would give him so many chances. He wanted to tell everyone about her. But some things were harder to overcome.
“Do. Not. Hide. Me. Again.” She crossed her arms. “Because I think it will be pretty easy to keep my hands to myself after that stunt. Under a damn desk? Seriously!” She shouted and started to brush past him. He reached for her arm, stopping her with a soft touch. “I don't think you want to do that right now.”
“Selena—”
“No.” She turned toward him, pushing him back with one finger on his chest until his back hit the door to his office. “You don't get to touch me. Not until I tell you to.”
“Is this your revenge?” He smiled, thinking it was payback for a split second until she didn’t respond, her golden eyes serious. Now he was worried.
She yanked his head down to hers, kissing him with a wildness that rocked him deeply. He gripped her hips, but her hands encircled his wrists, slamming them back against the door harder than he’d give her credit for.
“I told you not to touch me.”
“But—”
She kissed him again. His hands fisted into tight balls. It was torture then. She apparently didn't have the same rules seeing as she explored his body as much as she pleased.
He moved his hand but caught himself at the last second. She obviously wanted to prove something. She wanted control.
He was as easily frustrated as a toddler by not getting to touch her in return.
She broke the kiss, both of them breathing heavily.
“Can I touch you now?”
“No.”
“That wasn't very nice of you,” he said. His voice sounded strained.
“Neither is someone feeling embarrassed of you.”
She'd mentioned Jacob had done that to her. Hidden her away. The mental image of her kissing him that way sent Brogan over the edge before he had a chance to pull in his anger.
“Is this how you handled Jacob, too?”
Her mouth dropped open, her eyes wide.
Wrong thing to say. Again.
She pointed her finger at him. “I accepted the way Jacob treated me. I believed, for a very long time, that I wasn't as worthy as other women. Kissing you and not letting you touch me was the revenge I thought of when you hid me in the bathroom. It was the only thing I could think to do to get that feeling out of my system. Off my skin. To feel something other than inadequacy. To feel in control and know you really wanted me.”
“I'm sorry. I didn't realize....”
She crossed her arms. “Move. I want to leave.”
He thought about forcing her to keep talking. But he couldn't do it now. Rian and the blogger expected her for the interview.
“We're going to talk about this later.”
She lifted a shoulder. “We'll see.”
He nodded and shifted to the side. She left his office. He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. Two and a half more weeks until he'd rewrite every employment contract if necessary to give himself and Selena permission to be together.
18
She hated staying mad at Brogan. Her reaction to the entire thing had been a little extreme. Selena thought back to the way his lips had twisted each time he'd glanced under the desk.
He hadn't panicked like someone might find out.
He'd thought it was funny. The man who didn't have hardly a sense of humor had thought the entire thing was funny. And she'd gone and blown it up like a big fight. Thrown Jacob in his face, knowing it'd get a rise out of him.
She'd tried to play it off, but even that had turned into a fight.
“Darling,” Cathal began, walking toward her and turning every female's head as he passed by the tables. The bartender raised her eyebrows at Selena before shifting away. A waitress picking up the drinks shared a look with the bartender. Great. So no one was allowed to know about her and Brogan, but Cathal made it seem as though they had some type of relationship.
But it also gave her a small reality check. The other employees would talk. It would make things a double standard for Brogan like he’d worried about. She understood his rationale, knew why he wanted to handle one thing at a time. First, the purchase of the bar and then the employment issue.
They had one day until the big party. She could make it.
“Hi, Cathal.” She took the papers from him as he held them out. “What's this?”
“The approval for your financial assistance for the assisted living facility.”
She scanned the paper, the words a blur. He'd done it? He'd gotten Mimi into the facility. She threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you! You're amazing!”
She pulled back and kissed his cheek.
The man blushed a little.
“Is there a reason you're kissing my brother?” Brogan's deep voice made her jump.
“Absolutely,” she said and spun around in the bar stool to face him. She passed off the paperwork. “She got in.”
It was a surreal feeling. Brogan reaching down and giving her a hug, in front of people. It wasn't a sexual hug or followed by a kiss, but it was something. He pulled back, smiling. His hand lingered on her shoulder.
Half the waitstaff on the second shift didn't know her other than working on the restaurant's promotion. Several of them watched their interaction. And it bothered her. Mostly because he'd made such a big deal about it and made her acutely aware of the attention.
“When can she move in?”
Cathal, elbow resting casually on the worn bar top, pointed at the paper. “I scheduled it for the beginning of next week to let us get past this weekend.”
“And I don't need to sign anything?”
“No. Not after you gave me Power of Attorney. I'm acting on her behalf.”
Brogan squeezed his brother's shoulder. “Good going.”
That praise seemed to light up Cathal from the inside. “Thanks.” He clapped his hands together. “I'm headed out to celebrate. I hope you allow me to help you move her there.”
“Me, too,” Brogan said. “If Rian doesn't run away after the party Saturday, count him in as well. I can set up the moving truck.” He dropped his voice. “If that's alright?”
“Yes. I would appreciate that.” She took a deep breath. “I'm sorry. About earlier.”
“No, I am.”
Cathal cleared his throat. “Good. Glad we have that settled,” he said loud enough they both turned to look at him. And then both
simultaneously realized they very much had an audience watching them.
Selena rose and closed her laptop. She’d double-checked her to-do list for Saturday twice already. “I'm headed out.”
“Have a good night.” Cathal nudged Brogan in the opposite direction. “Let’s go.”
“But—” He started to say something. The bartender watched the scene with both eyes and ears wide open. “Same time?”
Did he mean later that night or tomorrow morning? “Yes.” She'd just have to find out later.
Katie's options from before shifted through her mind as she drove home. Maybe quitting wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. At least if she quit as a waitress, she wouldn't be involved in the gossip. She wouldn't even have to work at the restaurant. Running the advertising side of their business had turned into a full-time job.
Plus she could always find another part-time job.
She did love her job, but now she knew more than ever that she loved Brogan more.
* * *
Rian muttered under his breath at the six chefs in his kitchen, working through the dishes the pub might offer at the charity event. Brogan stopped trying to understand what he said. He muttered in so many damn languages, it was a waste of time. Brogan understood Gaelic, but not enough to speak it. He knew certain words in French, could manage Italian.
At last count, Rian was fluent in Gaelic, French, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch. And maybe Mandarin. He could do his two favorite things in the world. The first was to communicate with other chefs. The second was to communicate with women. He didn't parade them around like Cathal, but he suspected his brother could charm just about any woman he wanted.
He didn't talk about it, and Brogan knew he'd never settle down, not after his last marriage ended in devastation.
Brogan leaned against the wall watching and letting the aromas from the dishes whet his appetite. The first dish they offered was fish, turbot he thought, with leeks, clam and mussel and cabbage. Everyone who'd tried it had loved it. Even Katie, who, according to Selena, lived on Taco Bell, cleaned her plate at their initial tasting.
The second dish the group had fought over. Rian initially wanted to do a Guinea hen. Both Selena and Katie had shot that one down, not that Katie was in the decision-making process, but she did represent their clientele. Cathal was disappointed with that outcome that hen was only second to the lamb in his book.