“Yes?” she asks, her gaze quickly flitting to my mother’s, as if wondering if my mother can shield her from me. I feel a corner of my lips quirk up. How adorable. She absolutely cannot.
“Come here.” My mother looks from Caitlin to me, then back again.
“Now, Keenan,” she begins. “Your father and I—”
I hold up my hand for her to stop. “I know it,” I say to her. “That doesn’t change the fact that I gave her an instruction, and she’s to obey me.”
“It does, though, son,” my mother begins. “Just listen to reason—”
“She’s my charge,” I say to my mother. “And as such, she’ll do as I say.”
It’s essential I draw the boundaries where necessary and show myself to be a trustworthy, respectable, and honorable leader. “Now come here, lass.”
Her eyes unwavering, she walks to me, her steps as light as feathers. When she reaches me, I slide my hand to the back of her neck and give her a gentle squeeze. I watch as her eyes flutter closed, she breathes in, then she lets her breath out again.
When she opens her eyes, the distance of this morning has fled. “Welcome home, Keenan,” she says pleasantly, in her clear, lilting voice. She falters, as if she doesn’t know what to say next, then, “You’ve lovely parents.”
My mother grins, and I blink in surprise. “Do I? Don’t believe anyone’s ever called me dad lovely. Mam, yeah, but dad, now that’s a new one.”
Caitlin flushes madly and bites her lip. “Did I say something wrong?” she asks. “I don’t know—”
I shake my head and take her hand. “No. You don’t censor your speech and most of the time that’s adorable.”
My mother breathes out a sigh of relief, as if she’s held her breath waiting for my response. “You talked to your father, then, son?”
I nod.
“I did. This weekend, Caitlin and I will travel to Saint Albert’s. When we return, I want to make arrangements, but let me discuss them with the lass, yeah?”
My mother blinks, then beams at me. “Certainly. Oh, yes, certainly, Keenan.”
Caitlin looks back and forth between the two of us, as if trying to decipher what we’re talking about.
“Níl leigheas ar an ngrá ach pósadh,” my mother says, her eyes bright. I roll my eyes.
“You and dad are eerily alike, you know that?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Caitlin says.
“I’ll explain in private,” I say to her.
But will I? What will I say to her? How will I propose? I don’t have a romantic bone in my body. The only way of communicating is with orders and commands, and I could try to order the girl to marry me, but would that work?
“Okay,” she says brightly. “In private, then.”Chapter SixteenCaitlinHe holds me to his side with purpose, and I wonder if he’ll punish me when he has me alone. He clearly enjoys the job, and at times he’s given me reason to sort of enjoy it myself as well. Isn’t that unusual, though? For someone to enjoy being punished? It’s deviant behavior, I have no doubt, and I wonder if my naiveté is to blame. Does he take advantage of me?
Of course he does.
Then why does a part of me crave this? His stern correction and demeanor, the way he’s utterly focused on only me.
When his father and mother came to me and instructed me to come with them, I protested at first.
“Keenan said not to leave,” I told them, knowing full well I’m expected to obey him. They assured me it was fine, though. Maybe I shouldn’t have believed them. I don’t know what to expect when I return to the large house with him.
We go to the room, now fully lit with the midday sun, a tray of lunch foods waiting for us on the little desk. He strides into the room, sits at the chair, and tugs me onto his lap sideways, so my legs dangle from one side. He’s large and sturdy beneath me, and the intimacy makes me feel small and quiet.
“Now, lass,” he says, his voice gentler than I expected. I look at him expectantly, feeling only minor trepidation at what is to be my lecture, or… or something. He tucks me against one arm, and with his free hand, cups my jaw, coaxing my gaze to his. His warm, inviting scent, so masculine yet classy, makes me sigh into him.
“Caitlin, I know you were given instructions by my parents today, so this one day I’ll allow this to slide.” I swallow. Okay, then. Seems I avoided a minor catastrophe. “And I’ll speak to them of this privately as well.”
“Yes, sir.” I don’t know what else to say. “I do enjoy your mother.”
He smiles but he’s distracted. “Aye. And she enjoys you as well. In fact, I think she—”
But his phone rings. He groans, his brows snap together, and he whips his phone out of his pocket as if it’s betrayed him, glaring at the screen. He answers it, listens, then shakes his head. “I’ve got to answer this call,” he says. “Stay here and behave yourself. Eat your food.”