Jena hiccupped against his chest as her shoulders shook. Matt held her tighter. He glared at Bob the bloody butcher and couldn’t resist giving him another nudge with the toe of his boot.
“Man up,” he told the pathetically wailing guy. “You’re upsetting her.”
Ignoring Bob’s outrage, Matt led Jena to his car.
12
“Here’s what we’re going to do.” Joe led the twins, and Grunt, to a table in the corner of the pub’s restaurant. “We’re gonna talk about this calm like. Nobody is gonna freak out. We’re all friends here.”
Megan barked a harsh laugh. “No we’re not.” She spun on Grunt as he pulled out a chair for Claire. “King Kong, stop manhandling my sister.”
He growled at Megan. Megan growled right back. It was like a Chihuahua taking on a Doberman.
“He isn’t manhandling me.” Claire found her voice at last. For a minute there she’d worried she might have become permanently mute. “He’s only holding my arm. He’s stopping now. Aren’t you, Grunt?”
What the hell kind of name was Grunt?
“No,” he said.
Great, that was helpful. Claire frowned at him before attempting a smile for her sister. They all needed to calm down. This was crazy enough as it was without hysterics coming into play. She felt a tug on the seat of her chair. It jerked closer to Grunt, and the next thing she knew she was wedged against him. His arm slid around her waist. His thumb traced tiny circles on her hip.
Claire tried to shrug him off. His hold tightened. Her reaction to his behaviour confused her. Part of her wanted to run screaming in panic. The other part wanted to melt into him. He was huge, solid and smelled like a Highland forest on a warm summer’s day. He was also a strange American man who thought he owned her. Okay, it was official: she was losing her mind.
“Hands off my sister, King Kong.” Megan pointed at Grunt. “Or I’m calling my brother in.”
Claire turned in time to see her captor’s reaction to Megan’s threat. A slow smile curved his lips, turning his face from terrifyingly masculine into sexy as hell. Claire’s mouth went dry at the sight. The only thing that ruined the transformation was that the smile didn’t reach his eyes. They were hard. Calculating.
“Call him.” His voice rumbled through her. “I’ve been wondering why he hasn’t been to see me. Figured he’d want a statement. Seeing as I was run off the road by a negligent driver.”
Megan paled. Joe looked astonished. “Shit, man, that’s the most I’ve heard you say at one time in about five years.”
“Don’t faint yet,” Grunt told his friend. “I ain’t done.” He leaned across the table towards Megan. “You want to keep this whole business from your brother, and that fits in with my plans, so I’m gonna to give you that. I’ll keep things to myself. But I want something in return for helping you out.”
Claire had trouble swallowing. She didn’t need to be clairvoyant to know what he wanted.
“What?” Megan demanded.
“Claire.”
Yep, and she was right.
Megan slapped the table. “You can’t have her, King Kong. She’s a person. Not a card you trade.”
“Done dealing with you.” Grunt cut off her sister by turning in his seat towards Claire. His eyes softened. “Gonna be straight with you, baby. I like what I see and I want more of it. Never had a reaction like this before.” He gently cupped her cheek, and, to her disgust, a tiny sigh escaped her lips. He smiled, soft and delicious. “Want more of this. Want more of you. You give me a chance to get to know you and I don’t talk to your brother. What do you say, baby? I’ll treat you right. You got my word on that.”
“I don’t even know you,” she whispered.
“Gonna fix that for you, babe.”
“Claire. Resist the insanity.” Megan’s voice cut through the little world she’d fallen into. The one where only Grunt existed. She blinked at her sister as though coming out of a daze. Megan’s mouth hardened. “You’re suffering from Stockholm syndrome. Fight it. Don’t get sucked in by his blue eyes and Dwayne Johnson shoulder muscles.”
Joe laughed. “I like you, sugar, but to suffer from Stockholm syndrome you have to be kidnapped for a while. My buddy here has only been holding your sister for ten minutes.”
“Feels longer,” Megan snapped at him.
“This is between you and me,” Grunt said softly to Claire. “Give me a chance.”
“No,” Megan wailed.