“She didn’t listen to me before,” she pouted, confirming my suspicion.

“Then you keep telling her until she does.” She seemed to understand, and since I couldn’t think of anything else to say, I asked her about the book she was reading. She became completely animated as she filled me in on the adventures of Harriet the Spy. I was familiar with the fictional character, but she told it better.

When the sun began to set, I convinced her to come inside and found Keiran in one of the bedrooms with Maddie in his lap, holding a book. I stood back and listened to his melodic, deep voice fill the room as he patiently read to her.

“The cow mooed—”

“Do the moo! You have to do the moo.”

“The cow moooooed all the way home.” I stifled my laugh with a hand over my lips as he closed the book and set it aside.

“K—Ka…” Her nose wrinkled as she struggled to say his name. She was a light-haired version of Ken.

“You can call me Keke,” he begrudgingly offered, and I felt the shock to my heart just as it melted. I had been the one to advise Kennedy to call him by his dubious nickname and to this day, he vowed revenge. Pointing out that she would eventually outgrow the name didn’t help. He still despised it, but he would never risk hurting Kennedy’s feelings for his male ego.

“Keke, can you read another?”

“That depends… Are you going to make me moo if I don’t?”

“No, silly. That’s a cow.”

“Pick a book.” His innocent surrender drew me in until I found myself sitting between his legs with my own crossed and my hands on his shins. I needed to be in his space.

This was Keiran in rare form and something I may never see again after Kennedy grows older and Dash and Willow’s son follow.

“This one!” She shoved the book in his hand and crawled back into his lap. When her bright brown eyes rested on me, she slammed her head back against his chest and held my stare as if laying claim. My own narrowed, challenging her, even as I secretly cried a river of amused tears inside.

“Enough, ladies.” Keiran smirked but his gaze never even left the front cover. He was always aware of me even when he wasn’t watching me. “At least rabbits are quiet.”

“Yes, but they make this cute little wiggle with their nose,” I snitched.

“Yeah! Like this—” She wriggled her nose and turned her eyes to see. Keiran met my gaze and promised retribution. Maddie looked up with a wide smile, but he only stared back at her. “Try it,” she encouraged, unperturbed.

I pulled out my phone and hit record, needing to capture this moment to use as a bargaining tool later when he got me alone.

“No.”

“Pleeeeease.”

“Yes, pleeeeease. Wriggle your nose like a good little bunny.” My hole only got deeper, but it was worth it. I was hidden behind my phone, but I could see his face perfectly as the video recorded.

“Later,” he mouthed and wriggled his nose.

Maddie cackled and wiggled in his lap with glee. She even reached up to squeeze his nose, and I could practically see steam coming from his ears.

“You make a cute angry bunny,” I cooed.

His eyes narrowed, and I knew I’d gone too far. “Maddie, will you excuse us?”

Shit.

She jumped down off his lap and skipped out with the book, which had been my only chance for a weapon. As soon as the door was closed, Keiran stepped forward. I countered by taking two steps back.

“Come here.” His nostrils flared.

“No.” I giggled even though I was scared shitless. When he lunged, I squealed and turned to run. I managed to get the door open, but his hand above me slammed it closed. He smashed me against the door with his hard body and exhaled against my neck.

It wasn’t fair to be that pissed and so fucking sexy at the same time.

“The reason—the only reason—I don’t bend you over and make you scream and cry how sorry you are for pissing me off is because I don’t want to traumatize the girls, but don’t push too far, Lake. There’s always my car.”

Like the time he overheard me agreeing with a classmate that one of his teammates was pretty cute. She had a crush on him and wanted me to introduce them. Of course, I never got to explain any of this. He dragged me from the party and managed to stay pissed until we reached our rental. He bent me over the hood of his car right there in the yard for anyone to walk past and see, and pounded me until my cries became hoarse, and I admitted that Brian Hinkley was the ugliest fucker alive.