Come Monday (6 page)

He took her hand as she turned back toward the bar. “Um, I’d like you to meet my family.” During his arrival, the men had joined together to form a united front behind the counter. “This is my father, Patrick. Pop, this is William Wallace.” Pop came around the bar and took Will’s hand in a firm, quick handshake. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Collins,” Will said genially.

“And you. Scottish?”

Will shook his head. “Actually no. My father’s side was originally Polish, until Ellis Island Americanized them.”

“Polish, eh?” Pop asked.

“Of course, when you throw in my mother’s German ancestry, I think it’s safe to say I’m a mutt.”

Pop laughed and slapped Will on the shoulder. “Well, better a mutt than a Scotsman.”

“Pop,” Keira warned, trying to steer the conversation back to safer waters.

“These are my brothers,” she said, hoping to get this nightmare beginning of a date over with. “You know Tristan. Standing next to him is Ewan and that handsome one on the end is my baby brother Sean.”

Will shook all three men’s hands.

“And these are my sisters, Teagan and Riley.”

“I see beauty runs in the family,” he said as he smiled at her sisters. Both of them nodded appreciatively and Riley gave her a thumbs-up and mouthed
he’s hot
when Will turned back toward her father.

“I see you’re a Ravens fan,” Will said, pointing to the endless array of football knickknacks gathered behind the bar.

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Mari Carr

“Is there any other team worth rooting for?” Pop asked.

Will smiled devilishly and Keira rolled her eyes. “Oh crap, you like football?” she muttered, suspecting Will’s next words could easily be his last.

“Didn’t I mention I’m originally from Pittsburgh? My parents still live there. Kind of hard to grow up in that city and not be bitten by the bug.” Pop’s eyes narrowed. “I should warn you now, William. We don’t speak the name of that other team in here.”

“Well now, that seems mighty unsporting of you, Mr. Collins. I mean, after all, Super Bowl champions deserve some respect. You gotta admit that record—”

“Luck. It was all dumb luck,” Pop insisted.

“Four Super Bowl wins in the last decade is luck?” Will asked.

“Do you hear this?” Pop asked, gesturing at the men seated at the bar, ready to jump into his favorite pastime—arguing about sports.

“Uh, Pop,” Keira said quickly. “Will and I really need to get going. I’ll let you two bash heads about football another time.”

Will smiled and placed an arm around her shoulder. She tried not to show how much his simple, proprietary touch affected her.

“I’ll take good care of her, Mr. Collins.”

“Ach, what’s with this ‘Mr. Collins’ stuff? We’re in the pub. In the pub, I’m Pat.”

“It was nice to meet you, Pat, in spite of your misguided loyalty to the Ravens.” Will and Pop laughed and she breathed a sigh of relief. This first meeting had had all the makings of a major disaster, but Will had disarmed them all—well, her Pop and sisters—with his charm. Her brothers were clearly a different story as they remained still as soldiers, throwing threatening glances at Will.

Pop and the girls said their goodbyes and returned to Sunday’s Side.

“Well, I guess we’ll be going,” she said. Then, simply because she owed him, she turned to Tris. “Don’t wait up, baby brother.”

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Come Monday

Tristan scowled at her as Sean walked over to her and Will.

“Be careful,” he said with a mischievous grin.

She mimicked his usual reply with a roll of her eyes. “I will. Good night, Sean.”

“Ready?” Will asked. She nodded and they left the pub together.

As they walked to his car, she fought to find a way to apologize for her family converging on him on their first damn date.

“You have a terrific family,” he said before she could word her apology. “It was nice to meet them all together like that. Now I’ve got faces for all the names.”

“You can’t be serious,” she said. “That was horrible. Facing a firing squad would have been less intimidating. I’m so sorry they ganged up on you like that.” He opened the passenger door but halted her before she got in. “It wasn’t terrible, Keira. You have a lovely family and they clearly love you. I’m an only child and my parents and I aren’t close. I enjoyed seeing yours in action.” He bent down and kissed her lightly and as easily as that, her body shifted from first to fourth gear—without stalling.

“I love your kisses,” she whispered when they broke apart. He was looking at her intensely, seriously, and she wondered if she’d said something wrong.

“I know this is only our first date, but after spending the last few weeks with you, I feel as if we’re much further along,” he said.

“I know what you mean,” she said. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to finally be able to touch you, to kiss you like this.”

“How far are you willing to go, Keira?”

She wasn’t sure if he meant tonight or in the future, but she realized either way, her answer was the same. “As far as you’ll take me.”

“God, I hope you mean that,” he muttered, and she placed her palm against his cheek to reassure him.

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Mari Carr

“I do,” she said. She suspected from his comments the previous night that his desires ran a lot darker and deeper than her past lovers’, but given the intensity of her fantasies these past few months, she didn’t think that would be a problem. They appeared to be standing on common ground in terms of passion.

She got in the car and he crossed around to the driver’s side.

“Where are we eating?” she asked as they buckled up.

“It’s a little place called Tulley’s. It’s on the south side and a bit off the beaten track.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“It’s a small place. The owners are friends of mine. I called and told them we were coming. They’ve assured me they’ll save the best table in the house for us.”

“Sounds wonderful. Will I meet your friends?”

“Yes, I have a feeling that they’ll be anxious to meet you. I don’t date often.”

“Neither do I,” she confessed.

Will pulled into the parking lot, trying to calm the blood coursing through his body as Keira’s words resounded in his brain.

As far as you’ll take me.

Dear God. If she only knew the Pandora’s box she’d opened with that simple statement. He’d been battling with his conscience since last night and had almost convinced himself that, for their first date, he should keep things simple, safe. He didn’t want to frighten her, yet her words had dragged the raging beast within him to the surface and he wasn’t sure he could beat it back into submission. Keira, however, may be a different story.

He got out of the car, placing his hands on his hips when she emerged before he reached her door.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

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Come Monday

“Getting out. Isn’t this the restaurant?”

“I mean you should have waited for me to open your door.” She waved him off with a soft laugh. “I’m the oldest of seven, Will. Believe me, there’s very little I can’t do for myself.”

He didn’t share her mirth. “That isn’t the point. When you’re with me, I’ll take care of you.”

Her smile dimmed in the face of his seriousness. “I didn’t mean to insult you. I’m just used to looking out for myself.”

He gave her a grin and walked closer, trapping her between him and the open car door. “That isn’t a good enough excuse. After all, I opened your door for you back at the pub. I think perhaps you should be punished for your transgression.”

“Punished?” she whispered. He watched her face very closely, fully prepared to back off the moment he sensed she was afraid. His cock went into full alert when her face betrayed not fear, but excitement.

“You were a bad girl and correction is required.” She placed her hand on the car to steady herself and he was treated to a quick glance of her nipples as they tightened beneath her loose-fitting blouse.

“Give me your panties,” he commanded.

“What?” she asked.

“I don’t ask twice, Keira. Take off your panties and hand them to me. Now.” She glanced around the dark parking lot and he realized her hesitance wasn’t based on disbelief, but rather concern at being seen.

“No one can see you. You’re perfectly shielded between me and the door. Even if that weren’t the case, I would expect you to obey. You have five seconds to comply or I’ll add another punishment.”

She quickly—and with surprising efficiency—pushed her panties down. She bent slightly to pull them over her shoes before rising to give them to him.

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Mari Carr

He took them, his chest tightening to discover them damp. “So wet,” he murmured, leaning closer to her. She closed her eyes and he knew she expected him to kiss her. He grinned at her sweet innocence. “I’m going to expect a taste of you before the meal is over.”

Her eyes flew open. “A taste?”

He lifted her panties to his nose and inhaled. “You smell delicious.” She blushed at his words, watching as he tucked the delicate lace into his sports coat pocket.

“Come. Let’s go get something to eat. I’m starving.” He gripped her hand and led her to the restaurant. The hostess smiled when she saw him and immediately directed them to the table he’d requested.

In addition to owning the restaurant, his friends, Kent and Jessica, lived a D/s lifestyle. Keira took in the dimly lit, romantic atmosphere as they walked to their table.

The restaurant was designed with lovers in mind and most of the tables were filled with couples sitting close, talking quietly.

The hostess took them to a private round table in the corner before returning to her station. Keira started to sit down, but Will stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Pull your skirt up as you sit. I want your bare bottom on that seat.” For just a moment, she looked like she wanted to protest his demand and he wondered if she would balk. Again she took in the surroundings then turned, smiled sweetly at him, and did as he commanded with more grace than he’d ever seen. Jesus.

She was a natural submissive.

He quickly took the seat next to her, anxious to hide the truth of her power over him. His cock was threatening to rip through the fabric of his dress slacks.

“I have to admit this feels very strange,” she said once they were both seated.

“And yet there you sit. Why?”

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Come Monday

“Why?” she asked, no doubt surprised he would question her obedience. “I was hoping you could tell
me
why.”

He smiled, reaching over to grasp her hand. “You are an incredible woman, Keira.

Trusting, intelligent, lovely. I can’t tell you how lucky I feel to be sitting here right now.”

“I was sort of thinking the same thing. Not about me,” she added quickly, with a laugh, “but about you. You make me feel things, want to do things I’ve never—”

“Let’s not question it yet. Perhaps we could just go with the flow. See where tonight leads.”

“I’d like that,” she said.

The waiter appeared with a water pitcher and Will grinned as she quickly glanced down to reassure herself the man couldn’t see anything. She was perfectly covered from everyone’s eyes by the long tablecloth and her position at the table. Her back was to the wall and she was neatly tucked into the corner, hidden from most of the other diners. In fact, there was quite a lot he could do to her at this table that no one in the restaurant would be able to see. The idea of playing with her, touching her as they ate, sent a fresh pulse of arousal through his body.

So much for taking things slow, Will.

He was chomping at the bit to advance their relationship from first-date status to a full-fledged D/s bond. He needed to get control of himself or she’d run screaming from the room.

The waiter finished filling their water glasses and asked if they’d like anything else to drink. “We’ll have a bottle of Silver Oak Cabernet. You like red wine, don’t you?” he asked, looking toward Keira. He was far too accustomed to ordering for his dates and for a moment, he forgot himself.

“I love it,” she confessed.

The waiter smiled and left to retrieve their wine.

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Mari Carr

“So you come here a lot?” she asked.

He nodded. “As often as possible. As I said, the owners are good friends and the food is delicious. I also like the atmosphere.”

She looked around. “The décor is beautiful and it feels as if we have the place to ourselves.”

He grinned. “The privacy is one of the things I like best about it.” He rested his right hand on the back of her chair, relishing the nearness of their bodies. She leaned closer and he lightly brushed her lips with a delicate kiss. “I believe you promised me a taste of you,” he murmured against her mouth.

She moved toward him again but he retreated a few inches. “Not your lips, though they are delicious.”

She shivered and he moved his hand from her chair to drape around her shoulders.

He wasn’t sure if the move was meant to pull her closer or prevent her escape at his next request and he struggled not to consider the act too much. “Run your finger along your pussy. Gather up some of the arousal there and feed it to me.” She looked around the restaurant at the other diners but he cut her perusal short, pulling her gaze to his with his left hand on her cheek. “Don’t look at them. Look at me and do what I’m asking.”

She pulled in a deep breath and he silently cursed himself for even starting down this path. What if he’d read her wrong?

She licked her lips, and then, so slowly he thought his heart would burst at the image, she ran her hand under her skirt. He followed her progress with his gaze and his breath caught when she opened her legs. Her damn long skirt prevented him from seeing her touch, but when the pace of her breathing picked up and her eyes began to drift closed he knew she was enjoying the feeling of her own fingers against her flesh.

“Keep your eyes on me,” he said. “Are you wet?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

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Come Monday