Tiernan A Dark Irish Mafia Romance - Jane Henry Page 0,37

stay up here while I have a meeting.”

“Can I come?”

I shake my head. “Not this time. I know I’ve been fairly easy with you, Aisling, but remember, lass. You’re still prisoner here.”

Her eyes narrow on me. “Why?”

I stand and give her a stern look. “Isn’t it obvious? Because you witnessed me murder a man, and we won’t have you ruining anything by tattling on us.”

“I won’t say a bloody thing!” she says, getting to her feet.

I take her hand and tug her back to the bed. “You stay here and lower your voice. That very well may be true, but until you’ve proven yourself trustworthy, you’re under my charge.”

She sputters and fumes, her fists clenching together in anger.

“And unless you want a proper punishment when I return, you’ll behave in my absence as well. Understood?”

She crosses her arms on her chest like a petulant child. I’ve half a mind to turn her over my knee before I leave. I shake my head and point my finger at her. “I warned you, lass. Behave.”

She’s out of the bed and following me, angry that I won’t give her any freedom. In two seconds, I’ve got her over my shoulder. I bring my palm down, hard, on her arse, and plop her back on the bed.

“Now then, we’re back here, are we?”

I’ve got her restrained, and I reach for the bedside table. The cuffs haven’t been used since that first night.

“Tiernan,” she says, pleading. “You wouldn’t!”

“I’ve a job to do, lass,” I say sternly. “And I can’t have you getting in the way. If you do anything to jeopardize the safety of the Clan, you won’t like what happens.”

She opens her mouth to protest, then slams it shut again. She eyes the cuffs, and bites her lip, but doesn’t speak. I capture her wrists between my fingers and arrange her arms up over her head, then slide the metal cuffs in place.

“Now, behave yourself and when I return, I’ll unfasten these.”

She isn’t the angry girl I brought here the night before. Instead of the fury and screams, she looks resigned. Almost doleful.

“Thought we had something, you know,” she says in a little voice that wavers as if she’s sad.

Mother of God.

“Had something?”

She blinks back tears. “I thought we… I know it was just sex, but I… well…” Her cheeks flush, and she jerks her chin toward the cuffs around her wrists. “Now it seems we’re right back to square one.”

I stroke my chin, letting my gaze wander over her body. I nod thoughtfully.

“I kept you busy while you were in the throes of withdrawal, Aisling, aye.”

She swallows. I kneel on one knee beside her, and run my finger down the side of her face, gently caressing the soft, supple skin until I get to her mouth. I trace her full lips.

“Doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it, lass.” I bend down and brush my lips against her cheek. “Doesn’t mean I don’t think you’re stunning. And it sure as hell doesn’t mean that I only used you.”

I frame her body between my hands, bend, and kiss the top of first one breast, then another, when I realize the time. Bloody hell. Tardiness to a meeting’s a major infraction.

“Fuck!”

She jumps. “What?”

“I’m late for a meeting.”

She actually giggles. “Did I distract you that much?”

I wag a finger at her. “You did. Ought to give you a proper punishment for that.” She bites her lips, her eyes shining. “I’ll be back soon.”

I shut the door behind her, and take off at a run.

I make it downstairs just as Cormac does. He gives me a grimace and shakes his head.

“Where the bloody hell were you?”

I grunt. “Tending our prisoner. You?”

He grunts. “Aileen needed me to unravel her bloody necklace. Going shopping with Fiona this afternoon.”

We go to our meeting room right on this floor. Cormac might be given a reprieve as Clan leadership, but I’ll have no such luck.

Everyone looks up when we enter, and Keenan’s gaze goes straight to the clock. We’re both a full ten minutes late.

“You’re late,” he says, his voice harsh and stern.

“Sorry, Keenan,” Cormac says. “Lost track of time, but I found Tiernan on the way.”

The others laugh, but Keenan doesn’t.

“And you,” he says to me next. “What’s your excuse?”

“Negotiations with the prisoner,” I mutter.

Boner snorts, and Tully slaps my back.

“Bollox! Negotiations, my arse—”

Keenan clears his throat, and the room stills. “Enough of that. See to it it doesn’t happen again, Tiernan.”

He turns to a corner of the room. “Father? You’ve news for