Chapter Thirty-One
RILEY
I’m perchedat the kitchen island with my laptop open in front of me, bouncing my leg as I stare at the university portal on the screen.
The cursor blinks in the password box, taunting me for being such a coward.
“I feel sick.”
Kieran stands in front of the coffee machine grinding beans, wearing nothing but a pair of black joggers slung low on his hips.
I’m so stressed by the academic life-or-death moment I’m about to face that I can’t even find it in me to admire how good he looks.
“Are you sure caffeine is a good idea right now?” He leans against the counter, folding his arms over his muscled chest.
But when I stare daggers at him, he quickly pulls a second mug out of the cupboard and pours some milk into the jug to froth. “So demanding.”
“I’m allowed to be. For all I know, this day could be my last.”
Kieran chuckles. “You’re not dying, Riley.”
“I might as well be. If I fail my exams, I’ll be kicked out of school, and then I’ll not only be homeless, but ‘collegeless’ withno job prospects other than working as a barista, and I’m pretty sure I can’t survive in New York on a Starbucks wage.”
When I look up, Kieran is staring at me.
I frown. “What?”
“You’re not homeless.”
I shrug. “I mean, technically I am. I don’t live at home anymore, and I’m basically just squatting here until?—”
“Until what?”
My mouth opens and closes several times, but I realize I don’t have an answer to his question.
I hadn’t thought about the future much beyond asking the Sullivans for help and finishing my finals. But I’ve achieved both of those things.
“You’re not homeless.This—"He signals to the penthouse around us. “—is your home.”
My stomach flutters. “But?—”
“But nothing. Whatever happens with your college results, you’ll have a roof over your head and a husband who is not only insanely attractive, but also mind-blowing in bed.”
I laugh. “Well, in that case, screw college. It sounds like I’ve got everything I need already.”
Kieran winks, and that fluttering comes alive once again in my stomach.
He sets my coffee in front of me, sliding onto the vacant stool. “I don’t know why you’re so worried. You already know you’ve smashed it.”
I scowl at him. “Easy for you to say. You’ve never had to sit here and?—”
“—Ace your finals without even breaking a sweat?” He nudges my knee with his.
I narrow my eyes as I reach for my coffee. “You’re insufferable.”
“And yet, you married me.” He takes a slow sip of his espresso. “Tell you what, would it help if I said you could meet Lucy for coffee this afternoon?”
Suspicion instantly replaces my nerves, and I swivel in my seat to face him head-on.
