Page 48 of Forbidden Need

Biggs stepped away from the group. “Coffee?” Their eyes met. “Irish coffee?”

From the smile that crept to his face, she could tell he read her mind. Aye, it was probably too early for hard Irish liquor.

“Everyone here?”

Thinking of hard Irish conjured something else, someone else. That voice. Her McDade.

TWENTY

AH, CONNEL.

Striding in with Niall and Razer.

Relief. “Where’s Whisper?” she asked as the trio joined them.

“Upstairs,” Razer answered. “Taking care of business.”

In present company, she wouldn’t ask for details.

“Will she be joining us?”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Razer said, scanning the group with a darkening gaze. “Not all allies in this room.”

“We have a common goal. A common enemy,” Connel said. “What’s said in this room stays in this room. And now everyone’s together, I’ll make one thing clear. Sersha is not only under McDade protection, she is the primary McDade concern. If you disrespect her, you disrespect me. You disrespect the family. And I don’t care who you are, you’ll be dealt with.”

Okay. Lovely. Great start.

She pounced over to take his hand in both of hers, pressing herself against his arm. He just kept on sharing that glare with everyone.

“Can I have a second… do rún?”

“Mm,” he said and took her over to the bar to put her on a stool. As he moved between her thighs, she slid her arms around him under his jacket. “What’s the problem? I won’t go easy—”

“I would never ask that.” Changing him was not on her to-do list. “I…” She exhaled and lowered her volume. “It feels unfair to ask.”

“Write a hit list and we’ll eliminate everyone on it. I don’t need reasons, just names. Addresses, associates, or employers, if you have them.”

She couldn’t stop her lips from curling. “You want to murder people for me?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” he said under his breath, sweeping her hair from her face. “You should get some reward for this morning.”

“You watched?” she asked, gathering his shirt in her fists at the small of his back.

“Mm, I did.”

Pushing her shoulders back, she boosted up as he stooped and cupped her head to marry their mouths. It was impossible not to kiss him. Not to want him. The danger was as potent as ever and they had an audience. But fuck it, Connel McDade was the only spectator to her life she cared about.

“Boss!” someone shouted.

She clenched her fists hard, pulling on his shirt as he ripped his mouth away. “The superintendent’s in the room, sweetheart. Probably not a good time to shoot anyone.”

“Why do you think I’m unarmed?”

“Does kind of bring me back to my point.”

“What’s your point?”

“Everything that’s going to be shared in this room is private, right? Probably including the fact everyone’s working together.” Wouldn’t do much for McDade or McLeod street cred to be accused of cooperating with each other. Beyond her scandalous McDade link anyway. “And not-so-subtle threats… It feels unfair to be uncomfortable like this. It’s stupid, I shouldn’t—”

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