Loch and Key: McLaughlins, Book 3

by Shelli Stevens

  “Aye, well I think I’ve changed my mind. Perverted, cheating narcissists aren’t my type.”

  Rage killing her buzz, she turned and walked away, but the hand that grabbed her hair jerked her back so hard tears sprang to her eyes.

  She stumbled in her heels, falling back against him and crying out with fury.

  “Let me go, you bloody—”

  His hand slapped across her cheek, sending her head brutally to the side. The move wasn’t hard enough to leave a mark, but shocking enough to stun and incapacitate her for a moment.

  And he took that instant to push her to the ground, hands everywhere, as he tried to push her skirt up above her waist.

  She clawed, fought, screamed against the hand over her mouth, even as part of her wanted to deny what was about to happen. It couldn’t. She wouldn’t let it. Terror and adrenaline kicked in and she fought blindly with the instinct to get away. She may as well have been a mosquito up against a bear, and her fear only seemed to fuel his arousal. His strength.

  Everything went hazy and dark for a moment as she retreated into herself mentally. She was brought back into reality when someone lifted her up off the ground.

  It was her brother Ian, and before he rushed her into the pub, she was vaguely aware of Charles’s body lying bloody and lifeless on the ground.

  Her head had been spinning. She’d been in such distress and shock that even with the relief of her family rushing to her side, her stomach heaved up all the vodka she’d drunk.

  With questions being fired at her, the police being called, she curled up on the floor and faded into the darkness.

  “It’s fucking freezing out here.”

  At the sharp words, Kenzie blinked from her thoughts and glanced up to see Delonna stepping out of the bar.

  “Hey, you okay? You look upset.”

  “I’m fine,” Kenzie said quickly, shoving her hands in the pocket of her jeans. “Just a bit hungry. I’ve not eaten since before we left the house this afternoon.”

  “Ah, yeah, seriously. I’m going to head back into the kitchen once you leave. See if there’s any meat pies left from the dinner special.” Delonna glanced her way. “So this sailor guy.”

  “Brett.”

  “Okay. Brett. You realize he’s not going out to meet you tonight just for the food, right?”

  “I know.” Kenzie’s stomach did a little flip as she imagined exactly what Brett was after tonight. “It’s not likely he’s going to get it. From me at least.”

  Reaching her car, she turned and gave Delonna a swift hug. “Thank you, sweets. If I don’t text you by midnight, call the police.”

  “I’m pretty sure you’ll be fine.”

  “Me too. I’ll be home tonight.”

  Delonna arched a brow and pursed her lips. “You don’t need to, you know. You could go have fun.”

  “I could, aye.” She climbed into her car and started the ignition.

  “But you won’t, Miss I-Belong-in-a-Convent.”

  “The nuns wouldn’t have me. I fuckin’ swear too much.” Kenzie gave her friend the finger and then shut the door. As she drove off, she glanced in the mirror and watched Delonna walk back inside, clearly laughing.

  And this was why they would work well as roommates.

  By the time she arrived at the restaurant, her stomach was on spin cycle. She drew in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, before climbing out of the car and walking into the restaurant.

  She spotted him immediately near the front, alone in a booth with what looked like iced tea in front of him. His gaze lifted then and landed on her. The scowl that had been marring his face vanished as he stood and pulled out the chair across from him for her.

  “Wasn’t sure if you’d changed your mind,” he murmured.

  Wincing with guilt she gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I got a bit delayed. I’ll say that when I make a commitment I generally keep it.”

  “It’s a good quality to have.”

  She couldn’t help but smile as he pushed her chair in. “Tell me, Brett, would that be a Southern accent that accompanies your charming manners?”

  “It’s actually faded some, but yes, ma’am.”

  Ma’am. Hmm. Did she attribute the formal address he’d used several times to the military training or being raised a Southern boy? Maybe a combo of both.

  “Where are you from, Brett?”

  “New Orleans up until the day I enlisted. How about you? I notice you’ve got yourself somewhat of an accent too. Scottish?”

  “Aye. Edinburgh. Though I’ve actually lived more of my life in America than I did Scotland.”

  “Scotland would be amazing to visit.”

  “You’ve never been? I’m sure you’ve traveled extensively with the Navy.”

  “I’ve traveled a lot, yeah, but not necessarily the places you’d hit up as a tourist spot.”

  “Ah, that makes sense.”

  A waitress, an older woman who looked like someone’s grandmother, appeared to take their order and Brett glanced at Kenzie.

  “What’ll you have to drink?”

  She hesitated. With friends, she’d order a beer without missing a beat, but since this was the first time she’d been out alone with the man, she wasn’t sure it was such a good idea.

  “A Sprite would be great.”

  “All right.” The waitress nodded. “Anything to eat?”

  “Mozzarella sticks,” Kenzie replied immediately.

  She glanced at Brett, curious to see whether he’d be shocked or surprised. Amusement flickered in his eyes, but that was it.

  “And an order of wings with the hottest sauce you have,” he added.

  The waitress nodded. “All right, I’ll put that in for you guys and bring you your Sprite and another iced tea.”

  “Wings hmm?” Kenzie murmured.

  “I love them, I don’t care how bad the sauce is that they put on it.”

  Well, there you had it. The man had a taste for crap food as well it seemed, but, shite, he must work it off fast. Again her gaze was drawn to the broad, muscled chest beneath his shirt.

  Something stirred inside her. Interest mixed with awareness in the opposite sex that she hadn’t let herself feel in a long time.

  “Why are you here with me, Brett?”

  Mid-sip of his iced tea, he took a moment to swallow before setting his glass down.

  “I told you back at the pub, but I’m happy to say it again.”

  “Right, no, you did tell me. I just…I don’t get it. All right, so you think I’m pretty—”

  “It goes beyond the looks.”

  She shrugged. “You don’t really know me, how can you say that?”

  “You’re right. I don’t. But even if I’d been blind and simply gone by the couple times we’d spoke, the sound of your laughter, I would’ve been drawn to you, Kenzie.”

  Despite her reluctance to be charmed, a little bit of pleasure slipped into her bloodstream, making her pulse skip faster and her head feel lighter.

  “But surely you’re looking for something more at this moment. I mean, there had to be a dozen women at the pub who were prettier than me, some with outstanding personalities to match, who would’ve taken you home in a heartbeat. You’re dead sexy.”

  “Dead sexy?” The slow, pearly white grin he gave in response only confirmed her dead sexy remark. “And what makes you think that’s all I’m looking for?”

  “Really?” She barely avoided rolling her eyes as she laughed. “Look, I’m not daft. You’ve just told me you were only recently off the ship. Surely you’re looking to have sex. As are most of the sailors in the pub. Can you tell me, honestly, that you weren’t hoping I’d go home with you tonight?”

  He cradled his iced tea in his hand and stared at her over the rim of the glass. “No. I can’t actually.”

  It was both a relief and a disappointment to hear it. If she were honest with him he might walk right out that door and want nothing to do with her after this.
But half the reason she’d offered to take him to dinner was to give it to him straight. Help him realize what he was getting into if he were truly interested.

  “I understand the whole having needs bit,” she said carefully, “but I must be honest too. I don’t move that fast. I’m not the sort of girl who simply goes home with a guy. I’m pretty careful with who I sleep with.”

  “That’s respectable.”

  His words made her laugh silently. Somehow she’d become the respectable girl. A decade ago that would’ve been a joke.

  “Thank you. I think.”

  The waitress returned with her drink and set another iced tea in front of Brett.

  Kenzie took a sip of her soda, watching as Brett stirred in several packets of sugar.

  “It’s that Southern thing,” he explained, “and y’all don’t have sweet tea up here.”

  “Not really, no. I get it. I like my tea hot and sweet.”

  “Hot and sweet.” He tilted his head and gave her a glance over. “Now doesn’t that just sound like a good description of you.”

  “Charming. I suppose I set myself up for that.”

  “As much as I’d like to take all the credit, you did.”

  Laughing despite herself, she shook her head. “Anyway, as I was saying, if you want to go find another more, um, accommodating woman after dinner, I won’t be offended.”

  Okay, maybe she’d be a little disappointed, which was probably the most she’d let herself feel for a guy in forever.

  Not wanting to dwell on that dismal realization, she waited for his reply.

  Chapter Three

  Brett stared at the woman across from him. Despite her casual statement that he could go bang some other chick tonight and she wouldn’t care, there was tension in her shoulders.

  Damn, but if she wasn’t the sexiest and most puzzling women he’d ever met, and it was almost as if she didn’t give a flying fig about being sexy or flirtatious.

  Like what she was doing right now. The way she played with the straw in her soda, sliding her fingers up and down the plastic and stroking a finger over the top. He’d bet all the money in his wallet it was subconscious.

  But whether subconscious or beautifully calculated, the gesture was so seductive all he could think about was her fingers doing the same damn thing on his dick.

  Dragging his mind from his filthy hand job vision, he tried to remember what he was supposed to be answering her about. Oh right. Her half-assed encouragement that maybe he might want to find another woman later if he wanted to get laid tonight.

  The idea was so off-putting he couldn’t help but give a soft, harsh laugh. No other woman was going to be able to substitute for Kenzie right now. He wasn’t like one of his younger sailors who simply needed release and would take it with any willing woman.

  He wanted to get off tonight, just as much as the next guy. But he got the feeling Kenzie would be worth the wait.

  “I’m enjoying my time with you,” he finally answered, “and I’m actually okay with the knowledge that you’re not looking for sex tonight.”

  Skepticism flashed across her face. “Seriously? Because I know you guys have been holding off on the ship and you must be horny as hell.”

  While maybe she wasn’t looking for sex tonight, she certainly didn’t seem shy discussing it.

  Deciding to see exactly how comfortable she was, he pushed it a little further.

  “Well, yes, most of us probably are horny as hell, but while we may not be sleeping with our women, it doesn’t mean we’re not getting off.”

  Her cheeks filled with color, and her gaze with realization. “Oh. Oh right. I mean, I guess it’s only natural taking care of business yourself. I mean, I do it.”

  Christ Almighty, he didn’t need that visual right now. Sweat broke out on the back of his neck. He really didn’t need to think about Kenzie in bed, with her fingers—

  “So maybe you don’t really miss sex all that much?” she asked with a slight frown.

  “Of course we miss it, frigging your hand is nothing compared to a flesh and blood woman.” His voice was a rasp now. “Which is why we make sure we’re ready to meet our women when we come home.”

  “What do you mean by ready? Or do I want to know?”

  He leaned forward slightly and covered her hand with his. It was meant to be conspiring, but really he just wanted an excuse to touch her.

  “You tell me, Kenzie, do you really want to know?”

  She bit her lip, glancing at his hand and almost hesitating, but she didn’t pull away. She gave a quick nod. “Aye. Tell me.”

  “BOCOD,” he whispered.

  “BOCOD? What’s that?”

  “Beating Off Cut Off Date.”

  Her eyes rounded. “Shut up.”

  “No really, it’s a thing.”

  “You, like, stop getting off so you guys have this pent-up frustration. Then you arrive home and go at with your wives and girlfriends.”

  He grinned, amused by her response. “And boyfriends for some. Times are changing. But yeah.”

  “Wow.” She bit her lip, her eyes dancing. “I love it.”

  Even though her delighted words were backed up by her relaxed body language, surprise slid through him.

  “You do? Really?”

  He traced a thumb over her knuckles, loving how soft the skin was. Luxuriating in the fact that he could finally touch her. Even in such a small, innocent way.

  He heard the soft hitch in her breathing and her gaze never left his.

  “Yeah. It’s actually kind of sweet.”

  “It’s not sweet, it’s hard as hell.”

  “No pun intended?”

  “Actually, yes—” he glowered mockingly, “—pun intended.”

  She laughed then. A loud belly laugh that wasn’t the slightest bit sexy or feminine. Several people turned to glance their way. He loved her laugh, in all its bawdy, unrestrained glory.

  The waitress arrived with their food, setting it down on the table. Brett pulled his hand away reluctantly. It’d be a little weird trying to eat holding her hand. He’d gotten away with it in the moment, but something told him she would get skittish after too long.

  “Anything else I can get you two?” the waitress asked, giving them both a knowing look.

  “I think we’re good.” Brett smiled. “Thank you.”

  “Must be nice to have your man back, dearie,” she said, winking at Kenzie. “Welcome home, sailor.”

  Kenzie froze, a mozzarella stick halfway to her mouth, her eyes wide.

  “She must have assumed because we were getting along so well,” Brett assured her, reaching for a wing. “Don’t look panicked.”

  “Aye, of course. It’s just, it threw me off balance for a moment,” she muttered and took a bite.

  “That makes two of us.”

  They ate the greasy food quietly for a moment. When he reached for his iced tea, she spoke again.

  “One thing I’ve always loved about this island is how supportive most people are of the Navy. How warm and welcoming they are when you guys return from being deployed. Or how everyone pulls together when you leave.”

  “I agree. You find that in a lot of military towns.” He gave her a curious glance. “You must see a lot of sailors and spouses come in and out of the pub. It’s not far from the base.”

  “We see a good amount,” she agreed. “We’ve seen several couples married after meeting at McLaughlin’s.”

  “And I’m sure a good amount get divorced from too many nights there.” The words were out with a bitter edge before he could stop them.

  Her gaze swung to his, full of shock.

  Shit. Why the hell hadn’t he filtered himself?

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing.” He shook his head and reached for another wing.

  “No, it’s quite clear you meant something, so maybe you should elaborate.”

  Her brows were drawn down and he knew she wasn’t about to drop the subj
ect.

  “Only that sometimes married people end up cheating on their spouses after hanging out in the bars too much.”

  “That’s complete shite. Those same unfaithful bastards might be as likely to cheat with someone they met at the local grocery.”

  “Not always the man cheating, sugar,” he drawled. “Just as often, it’s the woman.”

  “Hmm.” She didn’t look convinced, but maybe slightly irritated now. “Well, I’m not on ring patrol when I’m working at our pub.”

  He needed to change the subject. Fast. He latched onto something she’d said, partly because he wasn’t sure he’d heard right.

  “Did you say ‘our pub’?”

  “Aye. It belongs to my brother, so technically it’s his. But we consider it our family pub. My parents started it when they moved here.”

  “Your parents are the McLaughlins in McLaughlin’s Pub?”

  “One and the same. We’re all McLaughlins.”

  “I guess I should’ve put that one together. Kenzie McLaughlin.” He drew out her name on his tongue. It was sexy. Cute.

  Matched her to a T. She was fun and cute.

  He watched as she pulled her drink forward and slid the straw between full lips unadorned with gloss or lipstick.

  She was also ridiculously sexy in a natural way.

  The next hour passed just as easily as the first. Conversation flowed with ease, and below the safe discussions, there was simmering heat that built. He knew it couldn’t be one-sided.

  When the bill came he snatched it and paid, despite her protests and insistence that she’d offered to buy his dinner. His mother hadn’t raised him to let a woman pay for dinner on a first date. Maybe down the road, if she threw a fit, but it was bred in him to pick up the check.

  “May I walk you to your car, Kenzie?”

  She only barely hesitated before she nodded.

  Be a gentleman. He kept the mantra in his head as they left the restaurant.

  A kiss on the cheek. He wouldn’t push her.

  But his blood was hot and pounding, and he curled his hands into fists, knowing it was going to be a lot harder than he fucking thought.

  Even though she’d been sipping beverages all night, Kenzie’s mouth was dry as sandpaper.

  Her heart beat a frantic rhythm as she walked beside Brett to her car. She’d successfully made it through dinner with him. A date. Technically it had been a date, right?