Page 85 of Bound Lies

I scoff. “Asserting dominance? You could have been killed!”

“Better me than you,” he growls.

“That’s not the point, Kieran.”

He finally looks at me then, his dark eyes simmering with rage.

But I don’t look away.

“What would you rather me do, Riley? Let them follow us home?”

“I don’t know! But there must have been a better way⁠—”

“There was no other way! I had to send a message to Sean to let him know that he can’t walk all over me.”

“There is always another way. But you just have a habit of acting first and thinking later. Maybe there’s a reason Ronan’s in charge and not you.”

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret them. It was a low blow that I knew would get to him, and from the way his jaw tightens, I know it worked.

His knuckles turn white as he grips the steering wheel, and he refuses to look at me.

“I didn’t mean that.” But I know it’s too late.

His answering silence is louder than any argument we’ve ever had.

The rest of the ride home is quiet. I can practically see the storm swirling behind his eyes, but he doesn’t speak a single word.

I feel like the world’s biggest bitch.

I didn’t say it because I believed it. I said it because I wanted to hurt him, just like he hurt me when I overheard him talking to Ronan.

Somehow, Kieran Sullivan has gotten under my skin in a way I never saw coming, and now my chest aches when I see him hurting, and my mind can’t stop replaying the feeling of his hands on my skin and his mouth on mine.

Even now, when I’m angry and hurting, I’m still thinking about him.

And it’s killing me.

Chapter Nineteen

KIERAN

Riley and I have barely spoken two words to each other since our little encounter with Sean’s men yesterday. A few days ago, I would have been reveling in the peace and quiet, but after the night at the pool, I find myself missing the sound of her voice.

Fuck, I’m in deep.

I thought perhaps she was too, but now she’s acting…different. Every time I look at her, it’s like she’s somewhere else, lost in her own thoughts.

Gone is the girl who clung to me in the middle of the pool like she couldn’t get close enough to my body, who kissed me like she wanted to forget the rest of the world even existed.

What the hell changed between last night and this morning? Because I have a feeling it’s not just the run-in with Sean’s men.

She knew the risk that followed us back from Vegas, so my actions should have come as no surprise. After all, I was only trying to keep her safe, and she knows that. Which means her mood must be because of something else.

Was it the sex? Has the post-orgasm high worn off and left nothing but guilt in its place?

I frown at the thought as I continue to grind the beans for my espresso.

It’s barely seven in the morning, but I’ve already finished my workout and checked in with Brennan regarding the fake marriage documents.