“Do you know Henry Liddington?” asked Derek.
Grant’s nostrils flared, and his eyes narrowed. Who the fuck was Henry Liddington? Clearly, someone Grant wasn’t a fan of.
“What the fuck has he got to do with anything?” asked Grant.
“He owes me a favour,” said Derek. “You’ve got forty-eight hours, or he’ll deal with Carl for me.”
“He needs to keep his fucking nose out of my business.”
“And he will, if you deal with Carl in the next forty-eight hours.”
Grant glared at Derek one last time before looking at Kieran. His eyes softened, and he gave Kieran a brief smile before walking out. The door closed behind him, and Kieran released the breath he didn’t know he was holding.
Before he could say anything, he was being pulled into Derek’s arms and carried into the living room. He didn’t need to cry, but he wouldn’t turn down the opportunity of being carried by this man.
“Who’s Henry Liddington?” asked Kieran.
Derek sat down on the sofa, keeping Kieran on his lap.
“A man who has more money than God, and makes Grant Kincaid look like a playground bully.”
“Is he a competitor or something?”
“No. Henry’s from old money, and he basically owns the city. He also has no conscience, and he owes me a favour.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I did.”
“Why?”
“Because I always want you to feel safe.”
Kieran felt so overwhelmed with emotion. Before he could overthink it, he leaned forward and kissed Derek.
CHAPTER 16
DEREK
Kieran was kissing him, and he couldn’t help but lean into it. His lips were soft, and there was a hesitancy to the kiss. Derek used his tongue to tease at Kieran’s lips, and he opened immediately. He pulled Kieran closer, deepening the kiss further, which caused his body to relax. It was perfection, and he got lost in the sensation as their tongues caressed each other. It wasn’t a heated kiss, but gentle, and Kieran felt so perfect in his arms. He was aware his cock was hard but thought nothing of it until Kieran wriggled on it. Coming to his senses, he pulled away from the kiss.
“Kieran, I’m sorry.”
“Please don’t say that. I couldn’t bear to be rejected by you.”
“Hey, look at me.” He took hold of Kieran’s chin gently, making their eyes meet. “This isn’t a rejection. There’s nothing I’d love to do more than keep kissing you for the rest of the day. I just don’t want to take advantage when you’re vulnerable.”
“I’m not going to break, you know.”
“I know, but it’s only been two weeks. Are you sure you want to do this?”
Kieran got off his lap, and Derek couldn’t help but reach out for him. What he wasn’t expecting was for Kieran to drop to his knees and bow to him.
“What are you doing, Kieran?”
“Isn’t this what you prefer?”
“Get up. Come and sit here,” he said, patting his lap.
