Page 6 of Love Bomb

“Nope, I’m not. I don’t care if you have boobs now, and a boyfriend called Tom, or that your hair no longer makes you look like you’ve been electrocuted. You’re still the same annoying kid I knew when I was a teen. And you don’t get to turn up after years away and start bossing me around.”

“I offered to pay you,” Rona growled as she stood to face off against him.

“And I refused your offer. What you want is illegal. You can’t blow up a listed building without permission, and if you do, they put you in jail. I don’t want to go to jail. There are no women there.” He paused, as apparently another thought occurred to him. “And I could lose my license to work with explosives, which means my entire career would be over. Not to mention it would damage the business I’m in with my brothers. You can’t have a construction and demolition company without the demolition part.”

“I can’t believe you put jail without women before losing your license,” Rona exploded. “You’re still the same horny teen you were when I left. In fact, according to the town gossip, you’re worse.” She sneered at him. “Bain MacGregor, famous for chasing skirt and thinking with his dick.”

“Hey, don’t diss my dick. It’s made some fantastic decisions over the years.”

Rona ignored him and kept on ranting. “Of course you don’t want to blow up the folly. It was built by another man who was obsessed with his penis. You must feel a kinship.”

“I do not feel a kinship with the folly. Although the proportions are impressive.”

Rona threw up her hands. “Mack Dalgliesh had a famously small dick. He was compensating.”

Bain opened his mouth to shout back, but someone else beat him to the punch.

“Hey guys, want to take it down a notch,” a voice said from the kitchen doorway. “The whole town can hear your weird penis argument.”

With a growl of frustration, Rona spun to find herself face-to-face with three of Bain’s younger brothers. They considered her with polite interest before recognition registered.

“Rona!” they cried and rushed toward her.

Suddenly, she was crushed between three massive men who’d always acted like brothers.

For a second, it felt like she was home.

CHAPTER FOUR

Typical. Bain shook his head in disgust. His brothers always did have a soft spot for his stalker. They’d treated her like a pet, while she’d spent years making him miserable. And now, they’d just fallen all over themselves to welcome her back.

There was no justice in the world.

Darach, his grizzly bear of a brother, stepped back and held Rona at arm’s length. “Look at you,” he said with a grin. “You’re all grown up.”

Kade, Darach’s much shorter fraternal twin, was equally delighted to see her again. “I can hardly believe it’s you. But I’d know that orange hair anywhere. How are you doing? What are you up to these days?”

“Aye,” Conall, their youngest brother, said. “What brought you back to Invertary?”

Conall’s eyes kept straying to the front of Rona’s jumper. Bain didn’t like that one bit.

“Oi, Conall, keep your eyes up and off Rona’s boobs,” Bain snapped.

Conall had no right to look at them, even if they were a new and unexpected addition to the demon. Rona had made it clear that her boobs were off limits. Apparently, they were only for Tom Stupid-Arse-Last-Name. Bain hadn’t met this famous Tom yet, but he already knew he wouldn’t like him.

Conall turned luminous red. “I-I wasn’t—” he started.

“It’s fine.” Rona glared at Bain. “He’s just being Bain. Don’t mind him. It’s clear we’ve all grown up some. I mean, look at you.” She squeezed Conall’s bicep. “Where did this come from? Last time I saw you, you were a skinny little thing, covered in pimples, and obsessed with drawing houses.”

Bain didn’t like that she was touching Conall, but he couldn’t very well tell her to stop without looking like a complete arsehole. Hell, his brothers had gotten hugs while all she’d done was yell at him. Even though he’d been the one to look out for her when she was a kid. And yes, he was aware he’d slammed the door in her face. But that wasn’t the point.

“He’s still obsessed with drawing houses,” Kade said. “He’s our company architect.”

Conall was still too tongue-tied to reply so he nodded shyly, which seemed to enamor Rona more.

Enough of this.

“Everybody sit down,” Bain ordered. “You’re acting like the queen has come to visit and it’s only Rona. And, technically, she isn’t visiting. She came to harass me into doing something illegal.”