“Which makes you aliabilityif you betray him.”
“I don’t care.” I pick at my croissant.
Mila leans in, lowering her voice even more so as not to be overheard. “Look, I get it. Your father’s gone, and your family's legacy is ruined. You want someone to blame?—”
“I don’twantsomeone to blame. I already know who’s to blame.”
“Do you, though?”
“I hate him,” I hiss through my teeth as I think of my father. “Seriously, he’s insufferable. Not to mention cold and condescending. He walks around like he owns everything, including me.”
I look up to find Mila’s gray eyes twinkling as she sips on her matcha.
“What?”
“You’re putting a lot of effort into convincing me.”
“Convincing you of what?”
“That you hate him.”
“Ido.”
“Okay.”
I frown as Mila’s lips twitch at the corners. “Why do you sound like you don’t believe me?”
“Because usually when someone repeats something that often, they’re trying to convincethemselves.”
“Oh, comeon.” I scoff. “That’s ridiculous. There’snothingbetween us.”
“Except the fact that you married him.”
“It’s a business arrangement!”
“If you say so...”
I run my fingers through my hair as I swallow a groan. “He's a Sullivan, which makes him the enemy.”
“But does the enemy make your knees weak?”
I shoot her a look, which only makes her chuckle as she raises her drink in a mock toast.
“That’s what I thought.”
I sigh as I lean back in my chair and glance at the car keys on the table, thinking of Ronan.
Truth be told, Mila’s not entirely wrong. Thereisa pull between Ronan and me that grows stronger every time I’m around him. It’s simmering just beneath the surface of every argument, every stare, every stupid, charged silence that passes between us.
But none of that matters because I can’t act on it.
If I start seeing Ronan as anything more than an obstacle, I’ll lose sight of what I’m actually doing, and that could be the most dangerous mistake of all.
Chapter Twenty
RONAN
I decideto make the most of having Ciara out of the house by inviting Cormac over for a drink. The only time I’ve managed to speak to him one-on-one was at our father’s wake, and if I have any chance of influencing his decision to stay in the city, it can’t be with Kieran present.
