Chapter 13 #2
I start unpacking my bags and pull out the one thing that’s been grounding me through this whole mess, my textbooks.
I make sure not to accidentally pull out the evidence folder that I brought along with me on the trip, as I didn’t trust Kieran not to have one of his brothers do a search on my room back at the penthouse.
I might have signed on the dotted line, but that doesn’t mean that I will blindly trust the Sullivans. I need to watch my own back, which means where I go, the envelope of evidence goes.
But Kieran doesn’t need to know that.
I lay out my notes on the bed among the rose petals and flip open my Economics textbook to start working my way through the practice exam questions.
My final is in a few days, and no amount of mafia drama or fake weddings is going to stop me from studying.
“What the hell are you doing?”
I don’t even look up. “What does it look like?”
“Studying?”
“Gold star.”
He walks over, grabs one of my books, and starts flipping through it.
I let out a sigh of annoyance and glance up at him.
“I was hoping you would get the hint that I want to be left alone.”
But Kieran doesn’t seem to be listening. Instead, he seems pretty immersed in economic theory. “Hello?”
“Do you need any help?” he asks without looking up from the book.
“I’m sorry, what? Did you just have a brain aneurysm?”
Kieran rolls his eyes and snaps the textbook shut before tossing it back down on the bed.
“In case you’ve forgotten, I have two younger brothers.”
“So?”
“So, I used to help them cram for their Economics and Business exams more times than I can count, so it’s safe to say I know my way around a demand curve.”
I eye him suspiciously. “Are you being serious?”
“Deadly.”
“I don’t understand you. You barely talked the entire plane ride, and now you’re offering to help me study? If you’re looking for something in return, I’m sure there’s a strip club down the street that can give you what you’re looking for.”
Kieran snorts. “Trust me, I don’t need to stick dollar bills in diamante thongs to get some.”
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot what a chick magnet your wonderful personality is.”
“It’s worked so far.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
“Oh, yeah? Care to give me a review?”
The temptation to launch my textbook at Kieran’s head is overwhelming, but if I bring him back to New York with brain damage, Ronan might actually kill me.
“Underwhelming.”
Kieran barks a laugh, and the sound has my own lips twitching.
“I don’t have time to stroke your ego, Sullivan. I really need to study.”
“And I’m trying to help you, but you’re the one talking about strip clubs and stroking.”
I groan, burying my face in my hands to hide the fact my cheeks are on fire. “Oh, my god. You’re not helping!”
“Come on, Walsh. It could be a good bonding exercise for us.”
I lower my hands, shooting Kieran a glare. “I highly doubt that, but fine. You can help me study, but if you derail my focus, I have every right to kick you out of this hotel room.”
“You mean the bedroom, right?”
“No. I will call security and have you escorted off the premises because that’s how serious I take my studying.”
“Damn, I didn’t realize I was marrying such a nerd.”
“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me.”
“I’m sure. But I have a condition too.”
I groan. “What now?”
“You’re having dinner with me once you’re finished.”
“Fine. But if you’re anything like you were last time, I’m bailing halfway through.”
Kieran holds up his hands. “I’m a changed man.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
I’m sitting crossed-legged on the bed, surrounded by flashcards, while Kieran is sprawled sideways across the armchair, with one arm slung behind his head and the other flipping through my textbook.
He’s annoyingly relaxed whereas I feel like a live grenade that may explode at any moment.
I might be in Vegas in a honeymoon suite, but my final exam is in three days, and I can’t afford to fail.
“Supply and demand curves,” he announces.
“Hit me.”
“Let’s test this in real time. Demand for your attention seems sky-high, but your supply is pretty limited.”
I don’t even bother looking up from my notes.
“That’s because the supplier’s dealing with a negative externality.”
He snorts. “That was savage.”
I lob a flashcard at his head, and he catches it with one hand as a hint of a smile tugs at his lips.
“Let’s try another, then. You’ve got two hours before dinner, and you can either study with me, or drink your body weight in minibar rosé and take a nap. What’s the opportunity cost?”
“My sanity. Which, thanks to you, I’m rapidly losing.”
He laughs, and a shiver runs down my spine at the deep, rumbling sound.
“That’s not how utility works, princess.”
“And that’s not how fake husbands talk to their fake wives.”
“Touché.”
I quickly glance back at my notes. “Game theory. Let’s do that next.”
“Ah, the prisoner’s dilemma. That seems perfect for us. So, wife, do you rat me out or do you stay loyal?”
“Flip,” I reply without hesitation. “In a heartbeat.”
He laughs again, and this time, I can’t hide my smile.
“Good to know where we stand.”
“Don’t take it personally. It’s just…strategic self-interest.”
“How about elasticity of demand?”
“Depends on the product. Take you, for example—”
“Are you objectifying me?”
“For the sake of the metaphor, yes. So, I would consider you an inelastic good. No matter how much of a pain in the ass you are, people still put up with you.”
Kieran’s shoulders shake with silent laughter.
“Careful there, Riley. You’re dangerously close to admitting you need me.”
My throat goes dry as his dark eyes lock onto mine from across the room.
I know I should shut this down, but the way Kieran is looking at me is making me want to throw my notes aside and forget all my morals.
This isn’t real.
I would do well to remember that Kieran is not here by choice. Whatever is brewing between us is purely down to forced proximity, nothing more. If I was a random girl at a bar, he wouldn’t look twice at me.
The thought should have me sobering up, but instead, it only makes my stomach turn to lead.
“I think I’m done,” I say quietly as I close my books.
Kieran watches me closely as I start tidying up my things.
Only when I stand in front of him and hold out my hand to take back my book do I look at him again.
“So, dinner?”
I sigh, snatching back my book. “I remember the deal.”
“I’m flattered by your enthusiasm,” Kieran teases as he swings his legs around so that he’s sitting properly in the chair.
I glance down, and a rush of heat comes over me as I imagine him spreading his thighs so I could sink to my knees between them—
“I’m going to take a shower,” I blurt.
“Was that an invitation?” Kieran smirks.
“You are such a pig, you know that?”
“And you continue to act surprised.” He leans back in the chair and spreads his thighs apart.
He’s so damn big that he could easily crush me, and the thought has me squeezing my thighs together.
“Enjoying the view?” he asks when he catches me looking at him.
“I find it sickening.” I storm into the bathroom, making sure to flip him off over my shoulder before slamming the door shut behind me.
He keeps chuckling long after I’ve stepped under the water, so I quickly turn the temperature to cold, hoping to put out whatever fire Kieran Sullivan seems to have ignited inside me.