Page 29 of Bound Lies

“Right. But if he catches wind that it’s not real… There’s no telling what he’ll do if he thinks he can still get to Riley.”

I chew on the inside of my cheek.

Every instinct I have is screaming at me to run. But where? Back to Oscar and Rion?

Hell, no. They would stick a veil on my head and march me down the aisle straight into Sean O’Keefe’s arms, and I would rather fake-marry a Sullivan than spend the rest of my life as Sean O’Keefe’s goddamn property and toy.

I sigh. “Fine. But don’t think for one second that I’m happy about this arrangement.”

Kieran mutters something under his breath, probably another colorful insult, but I ignore him.

Ronan dips his chin. “We’ll set things in motion. For now, I suggest you keep your head down, Riley. You’re in the lion’s den now.”

“Yeah. I feel very welcome.”

The brothers take their leave not long after I agree to marry into their family.

The atmosphere in the weapons bunker is awkward and tense, and I have a feeling it’s going to spread to the rest of the penthouse once Kieran and I are alone.

The five of us file out into the main living space, with Kieran and Ronan locked in a hushed conversation.

Brennan walks beside me, the light in his eyes having returned after he realized he wasn’t going to be subjected to a life of wedded bliss with me. His carefree attitude is refreshing, considering how serious the rest of the brothers are.

Cormac walks behind us like a shadow, saying nothing, but I can feel his eyes on my back the entire time.

“Have fun.” Brennan nudges me with his elbow before following Ronan and Cormac into the elevator.

I roll my eyes at him before offering him a wave as the doors slide shut, leaving Kieran and me alone once again.

Before I can even turn to face him, he stalks off without a word.

“Seriously?” I call after him.

The sound of his retreating footsteps grates on my nerves.

Against my better judgment, I hurry after him, following along until we come to what I can only describe as a man cave with a ridiculously enormous couch and TV as well as a computer setup that could rival a professional gamer.

“Luring me to your lair, I see?”

Kieran continues to ignore me, instead choosing to pour himself a drink from the well-stocked cart in the corner of the room.

I don’t miss the fact that he doesn’t offer me one.

“You know, we should probably talk about ground rules if we’re going to be living together.”

Just as I expected, Kieran’s head snaps in my direction, and he shoots me a murderous glare.

“Excuse me?”

“We’re going to be married, so I assumed we would also be cohabitating.” I plop down on the couch, making a point of making myself comfortable.

“I had hoped that we would have the kind of marriage that comes with separate apartments.”

“Is that a thing?”

“It should be.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t try to redecorate your bachelor pad or anything.”