Carson (Dangerous Doms 4)

“Alone?” he asks.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. They’re so fucking predictable.

“No,” I snap. “I’ve got the guard with me, but they’re under my invisibility cloak so I can at least pretend to some feckin’ privacy already.”

His jaw firms, and he wraps the dirty rag around his hand. “Is that right?” he asks. “Keenan approved of this, did he?”

I normally have the guard follow me to work, until I’m safe inside the hospital, and they’re waiting for me when I leave. No one at the hospital knows this, though.

“Since when do I have to get damn near everything approved by Keenan? Next thing you know I’ll have to tell him when I wipe my arse.”

“Good idea,” Lachlan says, his eyes flashing at me. “I’ll call him right now.”

And the son of a bitch takes his mobile out of his pocket.

Thankfully, Fiona chooses just that moment to come into the garage. She’s the spitting image of her sister with her flaming red hair, freckled cheeks, and pouty lips. She looks from me to Lachlan, and freezes. Her eyes widen, and she drags her gaze down his naked torso, but doesn’t linger. She snaps her eyes back up to his face and flushes red.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she says. “I was just… well, Keenan said I could…” her voice trails off.

Lachlan reaches behind him and takes a black t-shirt from a shelf. When his back’s turned, she lets her gaze roam over his naked, muscled torso with unreserved lust. I bite my lip so she doesn’t see me smiling. For a younger guy, he is quite the picture.

He tugs the t-shirt over his head and turns to look at her.

“Keenan said you could what?” His voice is hard and stern, and she squirms a little.

“Go for a little test drive.”

He purses his lips and his jaw firms. “Test drive? You mean with someone else, aye?”

This car’s hers, then, but she isn’t legally allowed to drive until next year.

“Well,” she says, pausing to bite her lip. “Sheena was going to start teaching me, you know.”

“I know,” he says. “That’s why I’m here. Checked the tires, checked the oil. Wanted to be sure it’s ready before you go.”

“Thank you,” she says softly. “But Sheena can’t come.” She looks to me. “Do you have time, Megan?”

“So sorry, love,” I tell her. “But I have to go to work.”

Liar. I hate lying.

She sighs. “My friend Nicola taught herself, you know. She just—”

“Just what?” Lachlan snaps. “Got behind the wheel of a fucking car and watched YouTube videos to teach herself?”

“Well, no, she—”

“Took her life into her hands breaking the law? Hmm?”

Fiona clams up.

“You know the law,” he says, pointing a finger at her. Oh, Lord, he’s intimidating when he looks at her like that. I give the lass credit. Even I would’ve run for cover if taken to task by a man like him. But he isn’t finished yet.

“The law says you hold a learner permit before you start anywhere near the public roads, and you only drive alone if it’s a work vehicle.” He pauses. “Like a tractor. And until then, you do not get behind the wheel of that car.”

She scowls at him. Oh, how I know that feeling. It’s amusing to me how clear he is about the law when he’s a man of the Clan who flaunts laws just about every day.

“I’ll take you,” Lachlan says. “Let me get my keys and wallet. We’ll drive down behind the church. Parking lot’s empty, you can practice there. With me. With your seatbelt on and two hands on the fucking wheel.”

Fiona’s eyes look like full moons. “You don’t have to do that,” she stammers. “No, really, Lachlan, I—”

“I’ll be right out. You stay right there.” He goes into the house, and the door slams behind him.

I turn to look at her and shake my head. “Infuriating, isn’t it?”

“Aye.”

I want to tell Lachlan it may not be the wisest idea for him to teach her to drive. She’s liable to crash the damn car being that close to him.

Then I realize this is the perfect time for me to take my leave.

“I have to be going myself,” I tell her. “It’s likely best we keep that between ourselves, hmm?”

“Aye,” she whispers with a wink. “The girls of the Clan stick together. Don’t forget I owe you one, too, Meg.”

She ought to know about Clan girls sticking together. It was only a few months back the lass lost her head at a party and called me to bail her out. She knew that if Nolan and Sheena found out, she’d be grounded for life, but I’d been in her shoes before. It’s easy to make mistakes, and sometimes it helps to have someone in your court.

I get into the car and quickly back it out. I wave to her, back out, and get past the guard by telling them it’s just a quick errand and yes, of course Mr. McCarthy knows I’m going out alone, thank you.