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

They ate fish and chips, drenched with salt and vinegar, while sitting on the bench overlooking the bluff. The wind from the Atlantic had a bite to it, which made Keir grateful for the hot food sitting in his lap. He would have been even more grateful if Mairi had been snuggled against his side, but she wasn’t. She was as far away from him as she could get without leaving the bench.

Below them, unseen in the darkness, waves battered the craggy coastline, setting up a steady rhythm to fill the silence between them. Silence Keir wasn’t sure how to break without pushing Mairi further away. He’d made good progress with her today, gotten further than he’d managed to in years of trying, and he didn’t want to go back. She’d stopped telling him not to call her Rusty. She didn’t move away from him when he drew near. And best of all, he’d gotten to kiss her. Now, all he wanted was more. If he had his way, he’d have thrown his food to the seagulls, grabbed his woman and carried on where they left off in the hospital parking garage.

“That kiss was a one-off,” Mairi broke the silence, addressing the elephant on the bluff. “I don’t want you to think there will be a repeat performance.”

And just like that, Keir lost his appetite. He leaned back in the cold wooden seat, knees wide, arm stretched along the back, but still Mairi was out of reach. It seemed that no matter what he did, Mairi was always out of reach. She was also talking rubbish.

“That kiss was phenomenal,” he said. “It would be criminal not to repeat it.”

“Please. The kiss was average.”

She rolled her eyes as the orange glow from the street lights hit her hair and made it look like she had a halo. He snorted at the sight. Mairi was no angel.

“That’s why you were clinging to me like a limpet, and mad as hell when the Wookiee snatched you away.” And there was a sentence he never thought he’d say. “Because it was average?”

“Even if Jonas hadn’t acted like a four-year-old retrieving his favorite toy from another kid who’d stolen it, that kiss was coming to an end.”

“You were trying to climb me like I was a tree and you were a monkey. I bet, given five more minutes, I could have had you naked in the back of my car.” Bloody “average” kiss his backside.

“Look, I realize you think you’re God’s gift to women, but the truth is, the kiss was average. I know this is a blow to your male ego, but you keep telling me you’ve grown up these past few years, so suck it up like a man.”

“That’s it.” He crumpled up his fish and chip paper and dumped it on the ground at his feet. “Get over here. I’m going to prove to you that the kiss was way above average.”

“What? No!” She jumped to her feet and took two steps back, still clinging to her food. “I told you the kiss was average. Why would I want to repeat it?”

“Because you’re lying, Rusty, and one kiss will prove it.” Keir got off the bench and stalked toward her. Mairi held out her hands, which were full of the unwrapped newspaper bundle that held her meal.

“Back off,” she said. “I’m serious. There will be no more kissing.”

Yeah, he might have believed she was serious if her eyes weren’t sparkling and she wasn’t trying hard not to laugh.

“There will definitely be kissing. A man has a right to clear his name, and you have maligned mine with your accusation that I have an average technique.”

“Maligned?” She grinned, then quickly changed it to a frown. “Do you even know what that means?” She took two more steps back.

“I demand a fair trial.” Keir sped up, closing the gap between them. “I demand a do-over.”

Her eyes were still sparkling, and she was trying not to grin. The sight made Keir’s blood heat and convinced him that proving his kissing prowess was the right way to go—for both of them.

“You can’t always get what you want, Keir. You’ll just have to live with the fact you can’t kiss worth a damn.”

“We’ll see about that.” He closed the gap between them in one step and reached for her.

Mairi squealed, and a laugh escaped on the heel of it.

“Not going to happen,” she taunted. “I don’t want any more of your soggy, average kisses.”

“Soggy?” That was it. He lunged for her.

Mairi jerked away from him. Her eyes widened. Her footing slipped. Keir felt time slow as she fell over the edge of the bluff and into the blackness. He threw himself after her, grabbing her shirt to stop her from plummeting. It was too late. She went over the cliff, taking him with her.

???

Mairi screamed. Her food went flying. She grasped for Keir and held on tight. But it was too late. She was falling. Straight. Over. The. Bluff. They bounced off bushes and dirt, scrambling for a hold to stop their descent. Mairi’s hip hit something sharp and then they jerked to a halt. Keir grabbed her shirt and pulled her tight against him.

“Don’t bloody move. Not one inch. Do you hear me, Mairi?”

Yes, she heard him. It was the only thing she could hear over the sound of her blood rushing through her veins. It took a second to realize she was flat on her back with Keir on top of her.