Black Swan Affair by K.L. Kreig Read Free Book Online

like it. Maybe Killian’s type isn’t a strong, feisty woman who can handle a four-wheeler, fillet a fresh-caught fish, or open her own business. Maybe it’s a weak, dependent, whiny one with catlike claws, a cutting tongue, and an eye for Louis Vuitton.
    “It was,” I pipe up, suddenly furious that Killian thinks he has a right to act all high and mighty that I got married and actually had the audacity to have sex. With. My. Husband. “In fact, we hardly left the bedroom.”
    That part is somewhat true. I think for the first three days I was so distraught at what I’d done I made myself sick. It was either that or the sushi we ate on the plane. I blamed it on the sushi, of course.
    I glance up at Kael, very much aware he’s now staring at me along with the “Illians.” When I see a broad smile and a twinkle in his eyes, I immediately match it. Then I melt a little when he leans in and kisses me on the lips. It’s sweet and genuine, not a fuck off to his brother, but an I love you so very much one instead.
    My nose burns a little. I do not deserve this man. In any way, shape, or form.
    MaryLou’s words play around in my head. That’s because you haven’t tried making room for anyone else. I think maybe she’s right. I haven’t. It’s time I try with the man who’s currently looking at me as if I’m the single match that lights his entire world.
    “Well, if it isn’t the Shepard brothers. What brings y’all out on a Wednesday night?”
    Thank God…a life raft in the way of one Patsy Leddy. With a wink and peck to my cheek, Kael faces our waitress. “We’re celebrating, of course. Mavs and I just got back from our honeymoon. We were giving my brother and his lovely wife here the lowdown.”
    “Yeah, congratulations. ’Bout time you two finally tied the knot. I always thought you were meant to be together.”
    I bite my lip, forcing my eyes to stay on Patsy instead of straying to Killian. She was in Kael’s grade but went to the public school. She is a total sweetheart, not a malicious bone in her body. If she’s saying this, it’s not because she’s heard rumors and is trying to be spiteful like Hamhock; it’s because she truly believes it.
    “Thanks, Pat. How’s Tommy? He staying away from abandoned wells?” Kael turns back to me and grins like a kid in a candy store.
    Patsy laughs, taking the joke in good humor. She may not have gone to Saint Bernadette’s, but everyone knows the story of how Kael Shepard knocked Tommy Johns out with a single punch to the jaw and was not only suspended for three days but was grounded for a month. I was furious with Kael. I should have been the one grounded. I wanted to be the one to knock “the hole” on his ass that day. Teach him a lesson. To this day, I still don’t care for Tommy Johns, but Kael and Tommy get along great. Then again, Kael is magnetic. He gets along with anyone.
    And now, Patsy is engaged to Tommy “the hole” Johns. They’re to be married the day after Christmas. “Not many abandoned wells on the corner of Main and Lake. And you know he goes by just Tom now.”
    “Yeah, yeah. He’ll always be “the hole” to me, though.”
    She giggles again then asks, “Now, what can I get the newlyweds to eat?”
    Kael looks to me first. I give him a soft smile. “Did Hank make his kick-ass meatloaf tonight?” I ask her.
    “You know it.”
    “Then I’ll take that.”
    Kael orders the same thing. Killian orders a burger, medium rare. And Jillian orders a salad.
    “No dressing. No olives. No onions. No croutons. No cheese. Banana peppers if they have them. If they don’t have banana peppers, tell them not to just throw a yellow pepper on because it’s not the same thing. Oh, and make sure the tomatoes are on the side of the plate. The side. If they’re not on the side, I’m sending the entire thing back.”
    Killian’s face gets stormier with every curt demand. “So…you’re just getting a plate of Gucci food then,” he says to