Page 81 of Protect Me

Fucker.

“Fine. I’ll say it. I want Sway for my mate. Our mate. She’s it for me, which means there’ll never be anyone else. Satisfied?”

“Oh, I’m not the one you need to be concerned with satisfying, brother.” Killian winks, and I picture myself sucker-punching him, which will have to do since I don’t want to wake Sway up just yet.

“I’m proud of you, Dunc.” Bracken’s serious tone cuts through Killian’s humor. “You deserve happiness. We all do.”

“The question is how to convince her to give three damaged shitheads like us a shot,” Killian says.

We all grunt at that. He’s not wrong. The three of us are a fucking mess with dark pasts and fast tempers. Convincing someone like Sway to actually choose us feels like a lost cause.

“Well, I’d say we’re off to a good start.” Bracken’s fiendish smile gets a laugh from Killian, but it has me shaking my head already.

“Sex is one thing,” I say, “but claiming her as a mate is a different story.”

“No shit,” Killian says, “I mean, we’re good, but she’s not easily swayed.” He cackles at his own pun.

I roll my eyes.

Bracken stares back at me. “We have to woo her.”

“Woo her?” Killian’s brows go up.

“Yeah, woo her,” Bracken repeats, still staring at me.

“Why the hell are you looking at me?” I ask.

“Because you’re not exactly the wooing type,” Killian answers dryly.

I scowl.

“Look, we have to win her, okay?” Bracken says, clearly warming up to his own idea. “Make her fall for us. And not just sex.”

Killian nods, a little dubious. “You’re right. Damn, I’ve never actually tried to get a girl to fall in love with me. Normally, it happens by accident.”

I can’t help but chuckle at that. “You’re so fucking full of yourself.”

Killian grins.

“Look,” Bracken says, clearly annoyed we’re not taking this seriously enough, “we need to do dinners, dates, romantic gestures, okay? Show her we can make her happy.”

“Again, you don’t have to look at me like that,” I grumble.

Killian’s raised brow says it all.

“Screw both of you,” I mutter. “I can be romantic.”

“There’s a first time for everything,” Killian says to Bracken.

“I’m going to throat punch both of you,” I warn.

“Now, that’s downright swoony,” Killian says.

I growl, and this time, they both laugh.

Assholes.

“We’re going to hunt down the bastard who hurt her and rip him limb from limb,” I remind them, glaring at them both. “It doesn’t get more romantic than that.”