“Keep telling yourself that, Ciara. But I know what I saw.”
I scowl at my best friend. But from the way my heart is still pounding and my cheeks are burning, I can’t deny that my body reacted to him with a mixture of pure, undiluted hatred and…lust.
And if I’m being honest with myself, which I rarely am when it comes to Ronan Sullivan, it’s been that way since the beginning.
But the man is dangerous, and I’d do well to remember that.
Chapter Two
RONAN
The last personI expected to run into tonight was Ciara McCarthy, but I can’t deny that I’m glad I did.
The woman has guts to show her face, that’s for sure, considering her family is viewed as scum in the circles I run in.
But despite our history, I was still surprised to see her look at me the way she did, and even more surprised that it got under my skin.
The second I looked into those bright green eyes, all the air was knocked out of my lungs.
She might be a permanent thorn in my side, considering our family’s history, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the fact that she’s a complete knockout.
Her golden-blonde hair is longer than I remember, and she wears it loose around her shoulders in a way that had my fingers twitching with the need to pull on it.Hard.
And that smart little mouth…
I should not be entertaining such thoughts, but something about Ciara gets me all fired up.
She’s dangerous and tempting and everything I’msupposed to stay away from because it’s clear that she doesn’t just hate me, she flat-outloathesmy very existence.
Hatred glimmered in her eyes, as if her entire body was charged by it.
That sort of hatred is dangerous, and mixed with a sharp mouth and a body that would have most men in this room on their knees, it’s a killer combination.
Unfortunately for Ciara, it takes a lot more than that to get me on my knees.
I adjust my cufflinks as I stride across the room toward my brothers, a smirk tugging at my mouth as I think of the way Ciara’s cheeks burned as she noticed my gaze lingering on her chest. Hatred or not, there’s no denying the effect my presence had on her body.
She might think she had me fooled, but I caught the flash of need in her eyes, the way her throat bobbed as I stood a little too close.
Everyone has their weaknesses, and I always make it a point to remember them. And I have a sneaky suspicion that I might just be hers.
My brothers are where I left them, leaning against the main bar like they own the place, both with a glass of whiskey in hand.
Kieran spots me first and instantly raises an eyebrow. “Ciara McCarthy? Seriously? There are like a hundred other women in this room for you to bother.”
I shrug before waving a finger at the bartender to pour me a drink. “What? I was just saying hello.”
Kieran looks past me to where Ciara is standing, and I can instantly feel her glaring daggers at the back of my head.
My brother snorts. “Yeah. She totally loves you.”
I let out a low chuckle. “It doesn’t matter. The conversation was...refreshing.”
Brennan, the resident shit-stirrer of thefamily, grins around the rim of his glass. “Since when do you enjoy being hated?”
I accept my glass of whiskey from the bartender and take a long sip, swallowing a sigh as the alcohol burns my throat. “I don’t enjoy being hated. I enjoy honesty, which is something Ciara embodies.”
She is also the only woman in a long time that has something stirring inside me. That is equal parts exciting and terrifying.
