Nooo.
This was such madness!
Not falling in love had been a regret when I thought I was dying. Since that wasn’t my reality, and marriage to the Beast of Boston was…
I was totally freaking out.
I wasn’t afraid of him, but of my feelings.
Marriage meant love to me. A vow of eternity. He’d take my body, but what about the rest of me?
I’d considered death and what it had meant. I had to switch gears and consider life with him and what it would mean.
If eyes were the windows to soul, his were crusted over with gray ice and frozen shut.
How was a mere human woman supposed to pry them open?
The car door flew opened and Cian took me in, like maybe I had changed in the last few minutes, and he was searching for the difference. If he noticed anything different, it was going to be the panic crawling up my chest, about to seize my throat. I hoped my eyes hid the signs of strangulation well.
Even though I’d only met him, I sensed that he was about to reach for me. It was like he’d take a breath before hauling me up. I went to step out of the SUV on my own, but he blocked me.
What’s the issue?I was about to ask.I can’t run. And even if I did, there’s nowhere for me to run to.The castle was set on acres, and the land backed up to mountains. It seemed like a water source was close, maybe on the other side. The fresh scent of water flowed through the chilled air. The castle was secluded and well-fortified against enemies. But the words stumbled around in my brain as I got lost in his stare.
How am I going to survive this?
Whatever was going on between us was so…intense, it was hard to breathe. It was like a constant tease of the moment before we’d kiss.
A whimper escaped my mouth. His eyes flew down to the sound. His head tilted and his nostrils flared. I was trying to understand him, how his mind worked and how his mouth seemed not to, and it seemed like…he was trying to understand me too.
There was something so primal about this man. It was like he was raised in the forest around the castle, and someone had plucked him out of the wild and set him down in a busy city bustling with people. I wasn’t sure if he could talk or not. He’d responded to the noise I’d made—but maybe it was my lips. Could he even hear me?
It was like he could hear my thoughts, or maybe my eyes had probed too deep into his. His gaze flew to the side, a frustrated noise coming from his throat. It was close to a growl. He stared into the distance for a few seconds before he stepped away from the door and let me out.
“Come on.” Keenan gestured to the castle. “Let’s give you the tour.”
Keenan and Fiona went in ahead of us. Cian followed behind, but he wasn’t far. I could feel his stare on my back. He was watching my every move.
“Castle Beatha.” Keenan nodded to nowhere in particular as we entered. “It has been in the O'Callaghan family since it was built in the 1800s. Cian O'Callaghan built it for his wife—Beatha. The castle has a lot of history, but it can keep for a while longer.”
It was exactly how I pictured an Irish castle would look—stone walls, massive rustic fireplaces, even sconces on the walls for candles. The furniture was antique, and the fabrics looked rich.
It was romantic.
Also...huge. It hadwings.
“You’re welcome to any rooms except for the ballroom on the West Side.”
“Why? Is it being worked on or something?”
Keenan ran a hand over his face. “You’re just not allowed. No one is. But if ballrooms tickle your fancy, we have another.”
Cian came to stand next to Keenan. He crossed his muscular arms over his equally muscular chest. It was like he was daring me to fight him on this, to push the issue. It was his castle, though. I was just a prisoner who’d be shackled to him through marriage at some point.
I shrugged. “No ballroom on the West Side. Got it.” I wasn’t even sure whether I could decipher east from west, but I didn’t plan on exploring. I’d probably need a map.
“I’m sure you want to wash up,” Keenan said. “Beatrice—that’s Mrs. Sweetman—set everything up for you before we landed.”
Keenan led me to a bedroom. At the end of the hallway, doors were shut to another room. I wondered if it was Cian’s. It seemed like it would be the master suite.
