Page 13 of Her Irish Boss

“I didn't have any reaction except the urge to yank your tongue out when it rolled out of your mouth.”

“I'd like to see you try.” He poked Brogan's arm. “You have all these muscles, and yet I think I could still whip you in a fight.”

Rian laughed, soft and low. “Please, Cathal. Not here. Last time you dared him, you broke his nose, and he bruised your ankle so badly you limped for a week. And that was just last year.” He ran a hand over his chin. “But he has a point. You did get a certainlookon your face, Brog.”

“Mortification?” Brogan offered. If his brothers knew what rolled through his mind, they would have already beaten him. He wouldn't act on his attraction to Selena. He could maintain a business relationship with her. He’d proved that this morning. She could help the businessandbe on time. He wouldn’t call it easy, but it was possible.

Cathal shook his head. “No. Wrong again, dear brother. I know you. You wouldn't have watched it. You would have been a gentleman and said something to her. Looked away. Acted within the square box of your strict rules. Instead, you sat there, dumbfounded.”

“I wasn't exactly expecting Selena to march into my office and start stripping.” But now that she had, he still couldn't get the memory out of his mind. And she'd promised to never take her shirt off in front of him again – damn shame.

Cathal leaned forward until Brogan glanced his direction. “I think I can speak for Rian when I say that neither one of us have a problem with it.”

“With what?”

“With you getting to know the pretty waitress. It's been a long time since you've looked twice at someone who didn't act as stuck up as you do most of the time,” Rian said. His smile widened at Brogan's sharp look. “Underneath all your bossy perfection, you want the same thing Ma and Da had.Someone to sit with you at night, stare at the fire, and be content. That's why none of your other girlfriends ever amounted to anything. You tried to fit into their fancy world, and it didn't work. It will never work for you.”

“And you think Selena is that person?” Ridiculous. Neither one of them knew a thing about her. Brogan inferred more than he actually knew. She seemed nice, had made a few friends at the restaurant, and could stop his heart just by straightening his tie.

“She seems down to earth enough that it might be worth a shot,” said Cathal.

The door opened, the loan officer walked in and sat down, looking as though he had bad news. “I'm afraid we can't approve the loan. It's just too risky for that amount.” He handed Cathal the paper he held. “Your application didn't put any property up for collateral. Do you have any?”

Rian leaned forward. “There's the property back in Ireland.”

“No,” Brogan said. He wouldn't give up their family land. His parents might be gone, having died ten years apart, but that was still home, no matter how long he lived in America.

“Thank you for your time. We'll let you know if the situation changes.” Cathal shook the man's hand and then motioned for them to leave.

“We aren't putting the land up as collateral,” said Brogan as they walked through the lobby. He wouldn't let them. He'd find another way. They weren't risking their last connection to home. If he lost the restaurant, he needed a place to crawl back to.

Cathal shook his head and opened the door to the bank. “Do you ever stop bossing us around?”

Rian answered. “No. He won't. It's like breathing to him. Always in charge.” He held up his hand before Brogan couldsnap back. “Let me go to Ireland. See what equity we can pull off the land. I need to fly there anyway.”

Brogan had headed up their family since their Da died. He'd been fourteen and took on the responsibility. His brothers were more than capable of making their own decisions now. Well, Rian was. The jury was still out on Cathal.

“Fine,” he grumbled, hating to give up the control. Asking about the equity in the land wasn't signing away their ownership.

The Last Stopwas a bar at the end of a block of nightclubs and a few open-late diners. Not many people made it down this far, keeping the crowd at the bar light. That suited Selena just fine. She already regretted coming out with Katie. Her mind still reeled from her interaction with Brogan. She'd rather stay home and daydream of him than make small talk with strangers looking for a quick hook up.

“Let’s take a lap around the bar first. Scope everything out before we find a place to post up.” Katie linked arms with Selena. “Particularly, scope all the guys out first.”

“You’ve settled for guys tonight?”

“Yeah. You're not the best wingwoman to pick-up women. You're too much competition.”

Selena laughed. “Sorry. And I'll follow your lead, but I don't want to walk around too much. You parked like a mile away, I swear. My feet are already killing me.” Selena scrunched her toes around in her black stilettos. The idea of finding a guy to take her mind off Brogan interested her, but not at the expense of permanently damaging her feet.

“You look nice.” Katie squeezed her tighter. “I might have to take you home myself later.”

“I'm not that easy. Not unless you buy me a drink. I want something pink and yummy.” Selena never got a night off. And with Katie driving, she could relax. Let down her hair, literally. It fell in loose waves around her shoulders. With her strapless pink dress, it brushed against her skin with each step.

Selena didn't frequent bars every weekend. And, until her recent break-up, Katie didn't either. But going out was a nice reminder that life consisted of more than work and taking care of Mimi.

The tight pink dress had been Katie's idea. One look at Selena's knee-length, black cocktail dress, and Katie had forced her back inside to change. The too-small shoes were her idea as well.

“Oh, that guy at the bar is already watching you.” Katie led her along. “Don't look. We'll circle around. Dang, he's staring hardcore. He's gorgeous.”

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