Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
KIERAN
It’s four-thirty in the goddamn morning, and I’m still staring at the red numbers on my alarm clock.
I shut my eyes and try to force myself to sleep, but no matter how hard I try, the image of Riley’s swollen lips is seared into my mind.
She tasted of chocolate from the dessert she chose, and the smell of her perfume still lingers around me. And fuck, I couldn’t get enough.
But the look on her face after she pulled away… It was like she realized she had just made the biggest mistake of her life. Hell, maybe she did, but I can’t bring myself to regret kissing her back.
I had been trying not to all damn night, so to finally get my hands on her felt like a reward for being so restrained.
Riley might have thought my bad mood was down to not being able to stand being in her presence, and while that is partly true, it’s not for the reasons she thinks.
It’s because that fucking dress had me permanently hard and seconds away from throwing her over my shoulder and marching her back to the car so I could bring her home to my bed.
I try to close my eyes again, but then she’s there, pressed up against me wearing nothing but a scrap of silk that would have been so easy to tear off.
The way the material clung to her every curve, it was like it was stitched directly onto her skin.
I bite back a groan as my cock twitches, and I angrily reach down and tug hard on it, but it does little to ease the ache. The only thing that would is sinking my cock into that perfect little mouth…
Cursing, I shove the covers off of me and swing my legs over the edge of the bed.
I’m rock hard, and the only thing that can help relieve this tension other than pumping one out is to get my ass in the gym, which is exactly what I do because I can’t afford to be thinking about Riley Walsh as anything other than the weapon we use to take down Sean O’Keefe.
By six A.M., I’m in the kitchen, covered in sweat, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts as I wait for the coffee beans to finish grinding.
There’s no sign of Riley, and I don’t expect there to be one for a while. I know she enjoyed that kiss just as much as I did, and that terrified her.
I could see the fear in her eyes as she realized what she had done, and I don’t think falling for a Sullivan was part of her plan.
After throwing back a triple espresso, I head back upstairs to take a cold shower and get dressed for the day.
I have no intention of being here when Riley does inevitably leave her room, so the second I’m ready, I head out the door, hoping that if I avoid her for long enough, maybe I can finally stop thinking about her.
The Blackthorn isn’t technically open to the public yet, but the owners are on our books, so they let me in without hesitation.
I settle down in a corner booth with a pile of paperwork and my laptop, ready to put my head down and grind for the next few hours.
I know Ronan wouldn’t mind if I chose to occupy one of the conference rooms at Sullivan Investments, but I can’t bear to step foot inside that building if I can help it.
I don’t need any more reminders of the fact that Ronan is in charge and I’m not.
Hudson, the head bartender at The Blackthorn, sets down a black coffee in front of me without saying a word, which I appreciate.
I might be a morning person when it comes to work, but not when it comes to conversation.
“Sullivan!”
Though, it seems someone else didn’t get the memo.
I glance up, and every muscle in my body tenses at the sight of Oscar Walsh stalking toward me, looking like he wants nothing more than to run a knife along my throat.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The contrast of his dark auburn hair against his pale skin makes him look almost sickly. If he weren’t so built, I would think he had escaped from a hospital ward.
Riley has a similar complexion, and yet, there’s so much more warmth to her than Oscar, from her green eyes to the almost permanent blush that stains her cheeks.
Fuck. Now I’m thinking about Riley again.
I catch Hudson hurrying our way, looking panicked, but I wave a hand to let him know I’ve got this. I can handle Oscar Walsh with my fucking eyes closed and one hand tied behind my back.
“Trying to enjoy a coffee in peace.”
“Cut the bullshit, Sullivan.”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play dumb with me. Cameron saw you last night at Caesar’s with Riley. The two of you looked very cozy.”
And there it is.
I knew Cameron was planning on being at Caesar’s last night, which is exactly why I chose to take Riley there.
It was the only way I could guarantee that Oscar would buy our relationship.
If he found out we were married before he learned of the fact, it would look too suspicious.
I needed to make sure the information came across as believable.
“So?” I keep my tone bored.
“So? So, what the fuck are you doing with my sister?” He slams a fist down on the tabletop so hard my coffee spills.
“What I do with Riley is none of your business.”
The bastard is practically vibrating, and it takes every ounce of control I have not to smirk.
I thought winding Riley up was fun, but pushing Oscar’s buttons is coming up on a close second.
“The hell it isn’t! You made it my business the second you decided to drag her into whatever twisted game you’re playing.”
“There’s no game.”
“Bullshit!”
“I’ve been seeing Riley for a while now.”
Oscar looks like I’ve just slapped him around the face. Every emotion flickers in his green eyes, the very same shade as Riley’s, until he lets out a bitter laugh.
“You expect me to buy that?”
“Buy whatever you want, but Riley and I have been seeing each other for a while. We’ve been keeping it quiet, for obvious reasons.” I make a point to rake my eyes over Oscar. “Last night was our six-month anniversary, and I wanted to plan a nice evening to celebrate.”
“You lying son of a—”
I get to my feet and take a step closer to Oscar. Even though we’re similar in height, I’ve got at least twenty pounds on him and from the way his face pales even more, he knows he wouldn’t stand a chance against me.
“Believe it or don’t believe it, I couldn’t give a fuck. But it’s the truth, so you better get used to it, Walsh.”
Oscar goes quiet.
I can practically hear the wheels turning in his head as he glares at me, no doubt weighing the consequences if he decides to try and murder me right here in broad daylight.
“This isn’t over.” He turns his back on me, storming out of The Blackthorn.
I settle back in my seat, and Hudson immediately appears with a rag to clean up the spilled coffee.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Sullivan. I kept telling him we were closed but—”
“Don’t trouble yourself, Hudson. Oscar Walsh is hardly a threat.”
In truth, that encounter with Oscar went better than I expected.
He’s suspicious of my intentions, and if he’s this pissed at the idea of Riley and me going out to dinner, when he ultimately learns of our marriage, it’s only going to twist the knife deeper.
Let the bastard sweat.
I don’t head home until the sun is starting to set, hoping that Riley has had dinner and locked herself away in her room for the evening.
The fact that I’m having to avoid my own damn apartment only fouls my mood even more.
As I pull into the parking garage, I find Ronan standing there, leaning against his Mercedes, looking his usual murderous self. “You have got to be fucking kidding me.”
“Care to explain why I just spent two hours on the phone with Oscar Walsh?” he demands the moment I step out of my car.
I slam the door shut and turn my back on him.
“Kieran!”
“What? What the hell could I possibly have done this time?”
“You went out to dinner with Riley.”
I throw my hands in the air. “You told me to sell the lie.”
“After we got the legal part handled, and we had control of the fallout. Not for you to poke the bear.”
“I didn’t poke him. I just...let him see the stick.”
Ronan glowers at me. “You planned this.”
“Cameron was always going to tell him. We needed Oscar to believe this is real, and at least this way, he gets time to stew. And once the marriage is finalized, there’s not a damn thing he can do to stop it.”
Ronan’s jaw ticks. He doesn’t like being left out of the loop, but he also knows I’m not wrong.
“Next time, you run it by me first.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
Ronan rolls his eyes before reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulling out a brown manila envelope. “Here.”
I open it up and glance inside. “What’s this?”
“Fake passports, as well as your contracts.”
“Why would I need fake passports?”
“Because you and Riley are flying to Vegas tomorrow.”
“Vegas? How classy.”
“We need to move this along, Kieran. Oscar’s already sniffing around, and Rion won’t be far behind. If we want this to hold, we need to do it fast.”
Nodding slowly, I try to ignore the pit in my stomach.
I knew this day would come eventually, but I figured I had a few more weeks at the least.
“The plane leaves at noon, so you’ve got until then to figure out how to play the doting husband.”
“Piece of cake.”
Ronan opens up his car door but pauses before climbing inside.
“And Kieran?” He glances over his shoulder.
“Yeah?”
“Try not to enjoy it too much.”
“Believe me. I won’t.”
I stand there and watch as Ronan pulls out of the garage before taking the elevator up to the penthouse.
As I expected, when I get home, Riley is nowhere to be found, so I head straight up the stairs and down the hall to her room.
I don’t bother knocking.
I throw open the door and find Riley sitting crossed-legged on the bed with her laptop in front of her and her earbuds in.
She jumps when she glances up and sees me standing in the doorway, which has me fighting a smile.
“Jesus, ever heard of knocking?” She scowls, taking out her headphones.
“This is my apartment.”
“What do you want, Kieran?” She looks back down at her laptop.
I try to ignore the shiver that runs down my spine at the sound of my name on her lips. “Pack a bag. We’re going to Vegas.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
She sighs as she closes her laptop. “Why are we going to Vegas?”
“Because we’re getting married tomorrow.”
Her mouth opens, and then closes. “I… What?”
“You want this to work, right?” I pull the contract out of the envelope and toss it on the bed.
She snatches it up immediately and starts scanning the contents. “Well, yeah, but—”
“Then this is how we do it.”
“I thought Brennan was going to forge a certificate or something? I didn’t think we actually needed to get married.”
“Not backing out of the deal, are we?” I lean against the doorway and raise my eyebrows.
“No. I’m just…confused is all.”
“Brennan is forging the legal documents. But after our little outing last night, it seems people are already sniffing around us. If we’re seen going into some sleazy chapel, it will only solidify our story more.”
Her eyes narrow as she glares at me. “I thought you hated the idea of marrying me.”
“I do. But I hate Sean O’Keefe more.”
“Lovely. So, I’m just the lesser of two evils?”
“Exactly.”
“You’re an asshole.”
I shrug. “I’ve been called worse.”
I turn to leave, but her voice stops me in my tracks.
“Kieran.”
“What?” I glance over my shoulder.
“Last night…” Her voice falters, and I notice that familiar blush on her cheeks. “It didn’t mean anything, just so we’re clear.”
I force myself to meet her eyes. “Crystal.”
“Good.”
“Great.”
She nods once, and I quickly walk away before she can see whatever the hell is written across my face.
Because the truth is that kiss meant something to both of us, and I can’t afford to hang around to find out what.