Langdon clapped Kieran on the shoulder and smiled before leaving them to it.
“Will you be okay for a second?” asked Derek.
Kieran nodded. He was still staring at his bank balance. Derek got up and went after Langdon, who was already behind the bar. That man could move quickly.
“Langdon, can you do me a favour?”
“Of course.”
“I need Grant to find someone for me.”
“Are you sure about that? You’ve got a clean slate. I’d keep it that way if I were you.”
“I know, but he might do this out of the goodness of his heart.”
Langdon snorted. “Is it for Kieran?”
Derek nodded.
“He might. Send me the details and I’ll talk to him. He might be more amenable to a one-sided favour if it comes from me.”
“Okay, I’ll text you later.”
Langdon nodded and went back to his work.
Derek wasn’t sure if he’d done the right thing, but it had been playing on his mind for weeks. Could he be making ahuge mistake? Owing Grant Kincaid a favour wasn’t what scared him. It was how Kieran could react, and if it might undo this amazing thing they were building together. His gut told him to take a chance, and he had to trust it. This could be just what Kieran needed to help him heal in the long term.
CHAPTER 19
KIERAN
“She thinks I’m dead?” asked Kieran.
Derek nodded, looking unsure of himself, which was rare. What had happened to his big, confident dom? Although he still hadn’t had the full dom experience. Derek was still taking things slowly, which was frustrating but also sweet. He’d probably agonised over how to tell Kieran this news, and all he wanted to do was burst out laughing, so he did.
“Kieran, this isn’t funny.”
Derek used his stern voice, which would usually make Kieran want to drop to his knees, but today it just made him laugh more.
“You’re not angry?” asked Derek.
“I’ve given enough anger to that bitch. This is low, even for her, but it doesn’t surprise me. The last thing she’d want is for her daughter to make up her own mind about things or becorruptedby dark forces.”
Derek had tracked down his sister, Kelly. She was in her last year of studying a creative design degree at Starhaven University, in London of all places, and believed her older brother was dead because that’s how his mum had explained Kieran’s disappearance.
“I’m disgusted with her. It’s bad enough what she did to you, but to put her daughter through the pain of grieving for her big brother. Kelly idolised you.”
“Can you blame her?”
“Don’t be a brat. This is serious.”
“Do you need to punish me?” asked Kieran with a flirty smile.
Derek snorted and shook his head. Okay, so that didn’t work.
“You know, I am feeling upset. Maybe a scene would help me process my emotions.”
“What am I going to do with you?” he asked with affection.
