Like the one who had her panting after him like some kind of fool. He hadn’t taken advantage of it last night, but that was more about his restraint than her morals.If he’d kissed me…
Her body flushed hot at the thought, and she had to fight not to squirm. This wasn’t her. Sex had a place, and she indulged whenever her hormones got too out of control, but it was always with appropriate men.Safemen.
Aiden O’Malley was many things, but appropriate didn’t begin to enter into the equation, and safe wasn’t even in the same universe. He was dangerous in ways that had nothing to do with the family he was born into, and everything to do what how he frayed her control without even trying. He was a man who inspired the kind of lust that left nothing but ash in its wake.
She had no intention of letting this devil’s bargain put her in the ground.
No, the only reason she was doing this was to see justice done when it came to Dmitri Romanov.
Justice sounds a whole lot like revenge.
She shoved the thought away. She’d deal with it when she was finally face-to-face with that monster. In the meantime, she had other things to worry about—like the fact that she was about to meet her fake fiancé’s family.
“We’re here.”
She jumped. The town house they’d pulled in front of was a monster. It reeked of money and pretentiousness, the massive front door sending a very clear message to people like her: You are not welcome. She didn’t come from money, but she’d encountered it enough to recognize it on sight.
I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.
Charlie climbed out of the town car, fighting the urge to throw herself into the backseat and demand that Liam take her back to New York. No matter what her former brothers in the NYPD thought of her, she wasn’t a coward. She could walk into this situation and be cool and collected, and not lose her head and do something reckless. Shewould.
Taking down Dmitri Romanov wouldn’t restore her good name, regain her father’s respect, or give her life back, but it was better than the alternative. Wasting her life away playing poker.
Before she could reconsider, she strode across the sidewalk and up the stairs. She hesitated for half a second, wondering if she should knock, but if she was supposedly Aiden O’Malley’s fiancée, this would be her home. She would rule at his side. Her stomach fluttered, but she wasn’t sure if it was nerves or flat-out fear.
This isn’t for real. I’m playing a part, not diving headfirst into the dark side. Dadwould—
But she couldn’t think about her father without her chest twisting into knots. There wasn’t a more by-the-book man than John Finch. For her father, there were no shades of gray—there was only black and white, right and wrong. He wouldn’t approve of this plan, and if he found out she was “engaged” to Aiden O’Malley, he might arrest her himself. She didn’t know what he’d charge her with, but her dad could be a genius when it came to the law.
“Charlotte?”
She realized she was standing on the top step, staring blankly at the massive door before her.Get it together.She dredged up a smile for Liam. “Charlie. Please. No one calls me Charlotte unless I’m in trouble.”
He nodded, but he studied her like she was a bug under a microscope. “You don’t have to do this, you know. He’d find another way if you changed your mind.”
She hadn’t known him long, but she recognized the words as the truth. Whatever Aiden’s endgame, he wouldn’t let a little speed bump like her bolting affect his plan. In reality, though, it wasn’t about him. It came down to her—her and Dmitri Romanov. She may have never met the man face-to-face, but she’d seen his dirty work the few short years she’d worked as a cop. She’d seen how he’d benefited from cops turning against everything they were supposed to stand for.
Theychose that. Those cops compromised their honor of their own free will.
She knew that. Romanov hadn’t put a gun to their heads and forced them into anything—he’d just offered a truly outstanding amount of money for them to look the other way when it suited him.
It made her sick to think about.
“I know.” She gave Liam a weak smile. Then she took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked into the O’Malley home.
***
Keira O’Malley froze at the bottom of the stairs as the woman walked into their house like she owned the place. She was pretty in an alternative sort of way, her long white-blond hair pulled back to reveal that her temple was shaved on one side, and though she wore a designer dress, she didn’t look comfortable in it. More than that, though, she was a fuckingstranger. “Who the hell are you?”
That was when she caught sight of Liam at the woman’s back. Keira waited, sure that he’d toss this chick out on her ass, but he just followed her inside and shut the door behind him. He shot Keira a look likeshewas the one out of line. “Keira, meet Charlotte—Charlie. This is Aiden’s fiancée. Charlie, this is Keira, Aiden’s youngest sister.”
Keira clutched at the banister to keep from toppling over. She searched Liam’s face, but there wasn’t any amusement to indicate that this was a goddamn joke. She shook her head, but it didn’t do a single thing to stop the rushing in her ears.Aiden’s fiancée?When had her brother found time to get engaged?Does everyone know about this except me?
She turned without another word and marched up the stairs. Every single fucking person in her family was looking out for themselves first. If Aiden thought she was going to sit here like a good girl until he shipped her off to be the slave-bride of Dmitri Romanov…
Her traitorous body warmed at the thought of what, exactly, would be required of her if she married Dmitri. Hewas beautiful in the way of fallen angels, even if he was an evil bastard. God had really broken the mold with that one—or he would have, if she believed in God anymore.
Something terrifyingly like a sob lurched in her chest, and she broke into a run the rest of the way to her room. No one called after her, no one chased her down to see if she was okay. It wasn’t self-pity that drove her to the window of her room and had her wrenching it open. Itwasn’t.
