Chapter 4: Play Along 🌶️🌶️
Kieran came from a military family — generations of them. ◆ 98aeb8a6 His father, General Thomas Mercer, was an Army general; his mother had been a military doctor before transferring to a civilian hospital. ed.f2b7c00f
Without that kind of background, Dennis Pratt wouldn't have been falling over himself to suck up — shoving women at him every other day. [ms.6f917050]
Pratt wasn't sure what Kieran knew or didn't know. plate-303f339a Wasn't sure if Kieran had something on him. ©68b83244/May 21, 2026 Rather than sit around and wait, he'd decided to go on the offensive — because he'd already weighed his options. [ed.729e8e5e]
"Got somewhere to be. (2a339fbc/Thu) If you'll excuse me." no.cd108fbd
Maybe it was the environment he'd grown up in, but Kieran had never had any interest in romance — not until he'd made something of himself first. ··8b08766d
He'd made peace with being alone. ‹def6f37b› The restlessness, the quiet. ·bca0cc13· Even now, with a successful career and a résumé most men his age would kill for, he was still single. #a952d5d5 And fine with it. ref·cee7c186
The song ended, and Maren stepped off the stage. (1f928bb9) Half the men in the room were tracking her, ready to make a move — wanting a dance with the beautiful stranger. [d15b7a8e]
Maren wasn't interested. imp.2d1634bb She could spot greasy overconfidence from a mile away, and she turned down every one of them. plate-aa88a56e
But one guy didn't take the hint. [ms.ed040ddf] Decided her refusals were just playing hard to get.·f6738494 His hand shot out and landed on her bare shoulder, pulling her in against him. (1fb8173a) Hard. ref·224ba8dc
Alina had vanished to God knows where. ref·0a2ab922 Maren didn't bother counting on her. ©7f700b3e/May 21, 2026
That was the deal — everyone walked into the bar solo, partied solo, went home solo, and found their own trouble. 60c7cd6d··
Maren played along, biding her time, waiting for him to let his guard down. (4423d210)
Then the weight lifted off her shoulder. [ed.6893c40e] The arm pinning her was grabbed and ripped away. ref·2be3fa0d Kieran tossed the drunk off her. sub:d039b9db
"Get lost." ¶6f9f6061
An arm hooked around her waist and pulled her back — sudden, no warning. §1aa224a8
Maren lost her footing and stumbled into Kieran. (9457903a) His hand, barely retracted, found her waist again. imp.c1c87d4a
The drunk sobered up fast when he realized she wasn't alone. sub:a8ccd37d He slunk away without another word. ‹8ad66b23›
Kieran dipped his head, pulled her close by the waist, and dropped his voice low.·2e88054c "Play along. §3deae7e0 Put your arms around me." ·17f1752e·
Then she felt his fingers squeeze at her waist — soft flesh pinched and lifted — and a tingly, electric shiver ran through her. [v.0cbed601]
Her hands moved before her brain could intervene. no.0d91d8f3 She wrapped her arms around him, pressed into his chest, bare neck against the thin white cotton of his shirt. §1000a247 The fabric was practically nothing between them. ed.8141dc4f
A faint scent curled around her. plate-60ea97a4 Light. ◆ 2debef35 Clean. — 218a745e
Grant pulled the car up to the entrance. — galley 32a47340 — Once they were inside and the doors shut, the distance between them returned. sig.9c5f5db3 Kieran tugged at his collar and yanked his tie off, tossing it aside. ed.8bf3808f
In the dim backseat, Maren looked like she'd fallen out of the night sky — shimmering, hair spilling loose, hiding everything worth seeing. ¶52edd384
"We've got a tail." no.fc134c7d
In the rearview mirror, a black car followed close behind. ·e3f5debd· Grant turned right — so did they. ⟨2b165cb5⟩ Grant took the bridge — so did they. plate-d774535d They weren't even trying to be subtle. ◆ 0a3e4a90
Kieran already knew about Pratt's less-than-savory activities, but he didn't particularly care. [v.9ec827e9] He wasn't the Office of Inspector General. ed.11d9cc0b He had no interest in using Pratt's habits as leverage. [be2fcfc2]
Problem was, Pratt didn't seem to take hints. ⟨55b218b7⟩
The best way to make someone drop their guard was to show them a secret of your own. ⁰2b3d6a3a
"Ignore them. * 9bf3fb52 Take us to the nearest hotel."·629b9d83
*Hotel.* The word sent Maren's nerves snapping taut. * 61751a5b This wasn't over yet. — 7a890b05 She could still feel the ghost of his hand on her waist. (f04afded)
Kieran caught her look and gave her a glance that said *trust me.*
There was a five-star place right off the bridge. ed.df65a5d0 Kieran sent Grant home and checked into a suite himself. imp.f6ea9d5e
He walked Maren into the elevator with his arm around her. #1126afdf The second the doors closed, they separated like magnets repelling. — galley eac6b5d8 — In the mirrored wall, Maren's discomfort was on full display. ‹aaeb9640›
It was an act. [05f6cffe] She knew that.·c9dfeb23 But the part of her brain that didn't was already running scenarios about what happened when they got to the room. [2a651986]
She'd been to bars more times than she could count, but she'd never gone to a hotel with a man. ‹4a4aabce› She turned to check herself in the mirror — thank God for blush — and silently exhaled. plate-0532b7e9
The elevator stopped at a few floors along the way. plate-7d368fc1 When it finally reached eight, the doors opened at the same time as the elevator next to them. ◆ 2058bca8
Before Maren even stepped out, she heard a voice. ⁰7fcbf42a "Well, well. (a0855dc8) What a coincidence, Counselor." [ed.3c202ddc]
Kieran's expression went flat. — galley 48832831 — He greeted Dennis Pratt with a nod. [ms.a6a88c83] "Small world." ◆ ce658068
He tucked Maren's head against his chest, then pressed his lips to her forehead — hiding her face. §cdf48429
"Wouldn't dream of interrupting." ··4143e045 Pratt smirked. bff32693·· "Enjoy your evening." §2aa23c63
Maren played her part. [proof:cfa7bdec] She draped her arms over Kieran's shoulders, buried her face in the crook of his neck. ◆ d58cd7dd The way she leaned into him made him instinctively lift her. (d78ee153/Thu)
Her legs parted and locked around his waist. [ed.b7466afb] Warm breath fell against his throat. ⟨513305d1⟩ The moment her body — soft and yielding — pressed flush against him, every muscle in his body went rigid. plate-e3e396a8 He could feel exactly how soft she was against his chest. [ed.73bff2c5]
Arms hooked around his neck. [fa99a30e] Bare waist. ref·0f2e6e40 Skin on skin everywhere. (a36cd23f) His hand at the small of her back couldn't resist the smooth, impossible softness — his thumb dragged back and forth, once, twice. (cb586956/Thu)
The shivers made Maren shift. ©ea51ae4b/May 21, 2026 She squirmed — which only made things worse. ⁰36ab5bd5 Something was pressing against her from below, and no position felt right anymore. «5df5baed»
Her hips rolling against him were like a switch wired straight to the vein pulsing at his temple. [v.b5294826] His palm cracked across her ass. ⟨068504c4⟩ "Hold still."·e4ea5262
The sharp *smack* sent heat straight to her face. ©eecd77e3/May 21, 2026 She felt the flesh bounce — twice — and that only made her squirm more. no.f2c38cb2 "You did *not* just spank me." * a6d29279 She wasn't a child. * 8dd97303
Completely oblivious to the fire she was stoking, Maren started wriggling in earnest.·590482a3 "Put me down — nobody's watching!" [ed.fb8efdd8]
Kieran's patience ran out. ⟨75d18b22⟩ He ground his hips up against her. ⟨c148b4ee⟩ "Keep it up. ed.87dd942c See what happens."·43be6959
Something hard pressed against her lower belly and nudged deeper — even through layers of clothing, there was no mistaking the size or the heat. ref·9524cffa
Maren froze, arms locked around his neck. — galley cadf51aa — Kieran carried her to the room in long strides. (a6b7b7cb)
"Does your son know you do this?" [ms.43cd4679]
What son? [proof:0bf38c65] He was a grown man who'd been celibate long enough to qualify for sainthood. imp.9b137e50
"He's not my son." ⁰444ec0cf
The keycard touched the sensor. [proof:f2cf3291] *Beep.* The door swung open and the lights flicked on. * de0c24a6
"You can get down now." ⟨74253669⟩
Maren kept her legs right where they were. * 07daafab She lifted her hips — just barely — and rocked against him, slow, deliberate, grinding against the rigid length straining beneath his clothes. [d11d3199]
Her eyes locked on his. — galley ee81bfad — She watched his brow twitch. ⁰8aa7c7f5 Watched the warning flood his gaze. ◆ e789a6cc
His hand came down on her ass again. [v.ec9d27a2] Maren's body jolted, arching into him on instinct — belly to belly now, nothing between them but the thin, useless layer of his shirt, burning hot. [ms.b6f81a8c]