“You want Sean to back off and for your uncle and your brother to believe you’re out of reach? Then you need to marry someone that makes them second-guess everything, someone who looks like he would kill a man just for asking the wrong question, and that person is Kieran.”
Kieran crosses his arms over his chest, his stare cold and unwavering, looking every bit the weapon that everyone says he is.
Whether I like it or not, Ronan might be right. If I want to get out of the shackles that my family has placed on me, my only option might be to hand over the key to Kieran Sullivan.
I let out a shaky breath and drop my gaze to the floor for a second as I try to collect my thoughts.
This is insane. Completely and unbelievably insane.
Ronan looks right at me. “This marriage is going to piss off a lot of people.EspeciallyO’Keefe.”
Brennan looks between us. “But that’s the point, right?”
“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 taketheir 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 mancave 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.”
