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

Mairi turned the cat suit. There was a hole where the backside should be.

She blinked at it. “That looks cold,” she said.

Keir let out another groan.

Chapter 18

Mairi ordered delivery pizzas for dinner, and when they arrived, the teenage boy opened a box lid and grinned at her. He’d scrawled the words Marry me instead of them on the card.

“Very funny.” She took the pizzas from him and slammed the door in his face.

“Another admirer?” Keir said from where he was lounging on the couch.

He hadn’t bothered to ask anyone if he was invited to dinner. He’d just walked up the stairs at the end of his workday and made himself comfortable on the couch. Strangely, it seemed perfectly normal to have him there.

“A joker.” Mairi handed the pizzas to Agnes, who put them on their coffee table.

They were gathered around the TV, waiting for the evening news. To irritate Keir, because she’d known there was no stopping him from coming upstairs after work, Mairi had changed into the cat suit. The hole was covered by a pair of cut-off jeans she’d pulled on over the suit, and on her head she wore a black headband, complete with cat ears. From the looks she was getting, Keir didn’t know if he was turned on at the sight, or deeply repelled by the fact she was wearing a costume another man had sent her. Mairi swung her hips and grinned. Driving Keir mad was a whole lot of fun.

“So, who gave you the costumes?” Keir said at last, and Mairi wondered if his tiny brain hurt from keeping the question trapped inside for so long.

She beamed at him from where she was grabbing napkins and plates from the kitchen. “The twins. I think it was Darius’ idea, because Damien would never have thought of it. Damien would probably have sent me a state-of-the-art pocket calculator. Although, I could be wrong. He does do all that sport stuff and has the abs of a god.” She gave Keir a wistful look, as though she deeply regretted not getting her hands on those abs. Which, to be honest, she kind of did.

Keir made a little growling sound and ripped his shirt off over his head. “You call those abs? These are abs.” He pointed at his flat, ripped stomach, just in case there was any confusion.

“Put your shirt back on,” Agnes snapped from her seat at the dining table. “The news is starting.”

Agnes turned up the volume as the evening news anchor started her intro, and a scowling Keir pulled his shirt back on. Mairi ambled over to stand beside the sofa, and Keir reached up, grabbed her wrist and pulled her down beside him. She frowned at him, but didn’t move away, which seemed to calm his jealous beast some.

“You might think that the Bachelor and Bachelorette series only happen on TV,” the news anchor said, “but in the small town of Arness, one local woman is living the premise without the cameras. Here’s our reporter with more.”

The female reporter Keir had barked at repeatedly, filled the screen. “I’m in Arness, in the Kintyre peninsula. Where twenty-three men have turned up from all over the world to try to win the hand of Mairi Sinclair, after she posted online that she was looking for a husband.

“The men are already known to Mairi, as they form part of the client list she has as an online girlfriend. Here to explain is one of Mairi’s boyfriends, Sebastian Mark.” She turned to a smiling Sebastian. “Tell us more about this online girlfriend arrangement you have with Mairi.”

While Sebastian explained, Mairi looked up at Keir. “I think this was taped before I said no to his website marriage proposal. Although, I don’t think he was heartbroken when he was rejected, either. I don’t think any of these guys really want to marry me, and I’m totally okay with that.”

“So am I,” he said darkly, proving the jealous beast was still lurking.

“As you can see,” the reporter said as the TV switched to a live shot of her outside the local shop, “the men are gearing up for another evening of stunts, in an attempt to attract the attention of Mairi Sinclair. In fact, one of the men has a special display for Mairi, which is starting as we speak. Mairi, if you’re watching, this is from Jonas.”

The camera swung to show the Wookiee on the grass verge at the edge of the cliff. He was lighting a huge fireworks display he’d set up, part of which was a massive wooden stand with fireworks strapped to it in the shape of letters. It was too dark to see what the letters spelled out, but it didn’t take a genius to work out it was another marriage proposal.

As the screen cut away from Arness, and the anchor continued with the rest of the news, Mairi rushed to the window. Fireworks filled the sky and dazzled everyone who watched them. But Mairi wasn’t watching the sky; she was watching the idiot Wookiee, who was standing far too close to the firework message he was about to light. With a squeal, she turned and ran for the door.

“What is it?” Keir called as he jumped up to follow.

“The Wookiee’s flammable,” Mairi shouted over her shoulder.

She flew down the stairs at the back of their building and ran through the crowd to get to Jonas. Keir sped up and ran in front of her, elbowing folk out of the way to clear a path for her. For once, Mairi wished she didn’t have such short legs and could run faster. Short but perfect legs, she mentally amended.

“He’s lighting the words,” Mairi shouted at Keir. “You have to stop him. He’s too close.”

Keir put on a burst of speed, but it was too late. The fireworks that made up the words sparked to life. The sparks caught the acrylic hair of the Wookiee costume. And Jonas went up in flames.

Mairi screamed. Keir didn’t hesitate. He tackled Jonas, taking him to the grass and rolling the big guy around like he was a toddler. The crowd went eerily silent as Mairi fell to her knees beside Jonas and Keir.

“Jonas?” She wasn’t sure where to touch him, but she wanted to pat him and let him know it would be okay. “Jonas, speak to me. How bad is it?”