Can't Tie Me Down! (Sinclair Sisters 1)

“No!” The last thing Mairi wanted was to share a tiny room in the university halls of residence with Agnes during exam time. Apart from the fact she’d likely kill her sister if they were living in such close quarters, these exams were important. Agnes had been working toward this for ten years. Mairi wasn’t going to blow it for her. “I’ll be fine here, and I promised Gladys I’d take her to her chemo appointment tomorrow. Don’t worry. I know these guys. They’re harmless.”

“You don’t know them,” Agnes said. “You know their online personas. You don’t know anything about them in real life. What if one of them is violent? Or can’t take no for an answer? It isn’t safe. I’m sure Gladys will understand if you don’t make it this time.”

“It’s her last appointment. I can’t miss it because there’s a bunch of harmless guys parked outside our door.”

“Harmless? You don’t know that. You only know what they show you online. We’re isolated here. We don’t even have any neighbors to rely on. The garage is empty all night, and the shop over the road shuts at eight. The nearest person to hear you scream is Old Man McIntosh, and he’s deaf as a post. No, if they aren’t going to leave, you need to come to Glasgow with me. It’s the safest thing to do.”

Mairi opened her mouth to argue, because she would rather walk barefoot on Lego than go with her sister, but Keir beat her to it.

“I can stay here and watch her while you’re gone.”

Mairi’s eyes snapped to his face in time to see a slow, wicked smile appear.

“Thank you, Keir, that’s a weight off my mind,” Agnes said at the same time as Mairi screamed, “Hell no!”

Keir just looked smug.

Chapter 4

“I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve,” Mairi said. “But whatever it is, it isn’t going to happen. You should go home. I don’t need, or want, you here.”

“Thanks for clearing that up.” Keir dumped his overnight bag on the end of the single bed that Agnes used. “I promised Agnes I’d stay to watch your back, and that’s what I’m doing.”

The sisters shared the only bedroom in the tiny flat. At one point they’d painted the walls lavender and changed the old brown curtains for cream ones. The carpet was still the brown and orange swirling-vomit pattern it had been when Keir bought the building. It had never occurred to him to change it, and the sisters had never asked him to. Now, looking at the hideous thing, he wondered exactly how old it was and how many generations of dust were firmly embedded in its pile. He hoped like hell Mairi didn’t walk around in her bare feet on that health hazard, and he made a mental note to get new carpet for the rental.

“Agnes isn’t here,” Mairi snapped. “She won’t know either way if you stay or not. Why don’t you do us both a favor and go home?”

“Because,” Keir said, “Agnes was right. Somebody needs to watch over you. There are more than twenty men out there, all fixated on you. You can’t stay here alone.”

“They aren’t fixated on me.” She stomped to the window, threw back the curtain, and opened it wide. Music poured in. “You hear that? They’re on the second verse of ‘Star Trekkin’.’ They’re having a campout. They’re probably sitting around their campfire, telling horror stories—like the time they were forced to use Firefox instead of their usual web browser, or the day Apple was late releasing a new product. They don’t care about me. I’m perfectly safe here alone.”

“You aren’t safe. You’re delusional. And I’m fed up arguing. It’s late. I’m tired. I’m going to sleep. Here.” He pointed at Agnes’ faded pink duvet set, which looked like a holdover from her childhood.

“A gentleman would sleep on the couch.”

Keir snorted. “Maybe if he was four feet tall, he would. And we both know I’m no gentleman. Now, if we’re done here, I’m going to turn in.” He grasped the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head.

He heard Mairi’s sharp intake of air and glanced over at her. She was gaping at him, but snapped her mouth closed when she realized he was watching.

“What are you doing? Put your shirt back on. Nobody wants to see that.” She pointed at his abs. The abs he kept in pristine condition, for the sole purpose of taunting her with them as soon as the sun came out and his shirt came off.

Keir smiled knowingly and folded his arms over his chest, making sure that his triceps bulged nicely, and his abs were tucked in tight. “Are you worried you won’t be able to resist me, gorgeous?”

“As if! I’m worried the sight will scar me for life.”

“Sure you are.” With his eyes still on hers, he flicked open the top button of his jeans.

A gorgeous pink flush swept up her throat to her cheeks, and Keir remembered a time when he’d followed the path of that flush with his lips. Her eyes jumped from his jeans to his face.

“You’d better not be thinking you’re sleeping nude.”

“Rusty, you know I always sleep nude.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t call me that. There will be no nudity in this room. If you want to sleep nude, go home and do it there.”

“Chicken,” he taunted, earning a scowl. “But, just for you, I’ll keep my shorts on.” He flicked the second button open.

The flush on her face deepened. “Keep your jeans on too.”