I've had enough of men telling me what to do. This needs to end. "I don’t need you. I’m fine."
Turning my back on him, I ignore everything that just happened, and I open the hall closet. It holds everything that I have, other than food. Grabbing out a pair of sweats and a T-shirt to change into, I close the door and head to the bathroom, the whole time feeling his eyes on me.
I lean against the door as I let out a breath, willing my body to relax. It won't do me any good if I stay tense. Once I've calmed myself, I look to the shower and yearn to feel the hot water on my skin. Shaking my head at the thought, I dismiss the idea. I shouldn't leave Kieran alone for too longor make myself that vulnerable. With my luck, he would try to come in.
Quickly, I change my clothes, the whole time wishing that when I leave this bathroom, Kieran will have taken the hint and left. Opening the door, I peek out, looking into the living room.Nope, he’s still there. Of course, he’s looking all sexy. Story of my life.
I continue to ignore him as I go through the rest of my bedtime routine. Walking into my tiny kitchen, or more accurately kitchenette, I pull out the kettle to heat the water for my tea. Once the water is done, I leave it to steep, and look up at Kieran. He hasn't moved, still just sitting there with his perfectly styled dark blonde hair, his green eyes boring into me, probably waiting for me to freak out over his "proposition”.
I shake my head as I go back into the bathroom to do my skincare routine. What the hell is he thinking, anyway? Getting married is a preposterous idea. Why would he even want to marry me? There's nothing specialabout me. I’m the stupid girl who did what her mother said and ended up doing some pretty bad things without even realizing it.
There’s no way he came to find me just to ask me to marry him. There are other reasons, and I need to know what they are. I return to the kitchen and finish making my tea, then taking it over to the couch, I sit down in silence. I try to focus on my tea but fail when I keep looking at him from my peripheral vision.
I can tell he knows because he keeps smirking at me. This is nonsense. I can't help him like he thinks I can. Placing my mug down on the side table, I decide he needs to leave.
Standing up, I place my hands on my hips and look down at him. "It's time for you to go, Kieran."
"No," he replies.
“It’s my fucking apartment. Get out,” I yell back at his infuriatinglygorgeous face.
"I said no," he replies as calm as ever, pissing me off even more.
I need to get out of here. Away from him.
"Fine. If you don’t leave, then I will."
He just shrugs his shoulders as if he couldn’t even be bothered. "Suit yourself."
"You are so infuriating!" I shout at him.
The fact that he thinks he can just take over my apartment and boss me around is maddening. I'll show him. I go over to my closet and start throwing my clothes into the old duffel bag I stole from my mother's house when I left, muttering under my breath, "I don’t even know where you got this idea of marrying each other from, but it's ridiculous. I don’t even like you."
"You were meant to reign, not hide away in squalor," he says in his deep voice that is suddenly closer to me than before.
"Why would you even say that? I'm meant to live my life on my own terms. Not being forced to get married,"I quietly say.
“Just look at you,Mo bhanphrionsa. You have an air about you that makes people fall to their knees including me. You are strong and loyal, holding more power in one finger than you even realize.”
Feeling even more confused, he keeps leaving me with more questions than answers. I can’t help but murmur, “You don’t even know me. And if you did, you would know that you can’t force me into a marriage with you.”
"I know more than you think. I haven't forced you, have I?" he says as his lips meet my neck, causing me to freeze in place. This is the second time he's been in my space intimately.
"Well, no,” I say, my gaze drifting to my feet, feeling flustered.
“Exactly. So I’m not forcing you. Yet,” he whispers against my skin, his soft pillowy wet lips trailing down the side of my neck.
My nipples pebble with each and every kiss. I hate the way my body reacts to him.My mind focuses on each kiss, wondering if he will take it further.
Suddenly, I’m brought back to reality when he mutters against my skin, "I just take what I want and need, and right now that is you,mo bhanphrionsa."
A wave of confusion comes over me when I feel a tiny sting right where Kieran was kissing me. "Did you just drug me?"
"Yes," he answers as my vision starts to blur, and my body feels as if it's swaying.
"I hate you," I croak and his mouth opens, but before I hear what he's saying, everything goes dark.
nine
