Page 52 of Surrender
Her breath caught for half a second. “Still want that kiss now?” she teased, chin tipping up, the fight still flashing a spark behind her eyes.
Keefe smiled slowly. “Are you asking me or threatening me?”
“Depends,” she murmured. “You gonna behave?”
He stepped in fully, one arm bracing the wall beside her head, eyes locked on hers. “Absolutely not.”
And just like that, the space between them disappeared. His mouth found hers in a kiss that was hungry and hot, laced with leftover adrenaline and the kind of relief that came when the danger passed—but the tension didn’t. Her hands curled into his shirt, grounding herself, and his fingers brushed her jaw, her neck, like he couldn’t decide whether to worship her or pin her there.
Someone wolf-whistled from crowd. “Oi! Keefe! Save it for after closing!”
They broke apart, breathless and flushed. Gwen smirked, wiping a smear of lipstick off his mouth. She didn’t give a damn who said it or who saw. She loved this man and if she wanted to kiss him, she would.
Once the pub had finally closed, Gwen, Keefe, Sophie, and Ginny collapsed into chairs around a corner table, limbs heavy, backs aching, and breath still coming in after the chaos.
Sophie rubbed her temples, then glanced across at Gwen. “Ruby, thanks for pitching in tonight. You really pulled through. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
Gwen, who was holding a bag of ice on her hand, shrugged her shoulders. “I couldn’t very well watch you all run around half crazed while I put my feet up and scratched me arse, now could I?”
That earned a round of tired laughter. Sophie met Keefe’s eyes over the rim of her glass, a silent acknowledgment passing between them. Despite her lingering suspicions, Sophie liked Gwen. And after tonight? She respected her.
“Did Keefe remember to invite you to the christening? It’s our cousins’ twins,” said Sophie. “We would love to have you there.”
Keefe blinked, then glanced at Sophie. His sister had just given her blessing. No fanfare. No fight. Just... welcome.
He slid his arm around Gwen’s shoulders and kissed the side of her head. “They’re all eager to meet you. Please say you’ll come?”
“I—”
The kitchen door swung open. “Hey, guys.” Liam strolled in, smiling as he headed toward Sophie, who tipped her head back for a kiss.
“Hello, my love,” she said, already smiling at the sight of him.
“You look beat.”
“It was a busy night,” she said after a kiss.
“I’ll say it was a busy night,” Ginny groaned, nearly horizontal in her chair. “We had our first bar fight. Ruby here handled it though. Like a boss.”
Gwen’s back stiffened at the sound of Liam’s voice. She hadn’t turned around—hadn’t needed to.
Liam circled the table and came to a dead stop. “Gwen?”
Keefe blinked. “Liam, this is my girlfriend, Ruby. Ruby, this is?—”
“Liam,” Gwen interrupted quietly. Her stomach dropped. Her throat tightened. She hadn’t known Sophie’s husband was Liam Gallagher.
Keefe looked between them, confusion creasing his brow. “Wait, you two know each other?”
Liam didn’t answer. He stared hard at Gwen, his jaw tight. Giving her exactly two seconds.
Gwen sat straighter, turned to Keefe, and met his eyes head-on. “My name isn’t Ruby,” she said softly. “It’s Gwen. Gwen McKenna.”
The silence was brutal.
“What?” Keefe blinked, shaking his head. “I... I don’t understand.”
Sophie’s chair screeched as she shoved back from the table. Her voice dropped into something deadly. “You’re Darcie’s sister?”
