Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Annie
For three days, I held my resolve to not speak to Ciaran. I didn’t utter a single word to him, even though we inevitably ran into each other in the corridors. At first, he tried to engage me in conversation. When I refused to respond, he eventually got the message and gave up. It was childish, but I was determined to drive home my point. He couldn’t take away my freedom and expect me to make nice.
While I’d eaten breakfast and dinner with one or more of his siblings, Ciaran had taken his meals in his study. It was a thoughtful gesture on his part, allowing me to socialize with his family while he ate alone.
I tried not to feel bad for freezing him out, but I did. Ciaran masked his emotions well, but the way his shoulders drooped whenever he saw me betrayed how dejected he was feeling. It made it harder for me to consider him a monster for refusing to let me go home.
If I said I was happy not speaking to Ciaran, I’d be lying. Although I enjoyed spending time with his siblings, I wanted to bridge the gap with him. I understood now that he genuinely wanted to protect me. Emily had convinced me Ciaran believed I was in danger and couldn’t bear the thought of me being harmed. His desire to keep me safe showed he cared. The problem was, he went about showing me that in entirely the wrong way. If he’d told me everything up front, I’d probably have agreed to stay.
On the fourth morning after Ciaran brought me to the lake house, Emily and I sat at the table in the breakfast room. The entire house was beautiful, but this was my favorite spot. Smaller and more intimate than the formal dining room where we ate our evening meals, its walls were painted a warm yellow, and the carpet was blue. The wooden table had space for six to sit comfortably. But the best part was the bay window with views out over the lawn to the lake.
“Are you up for a bit of shopping today?” Emily asked as I sipped my coffee. “There’s a great outlet mall not far from here.”
Though I wasn’t sure Ciaran would allow it, I nodded. “Sounds good.”
“We’ll have to take guards with us.”
“That’s okay.” I’d expected as much. On my first day here, I’d spotted several armed men patrolling the grounds and realized just how important security was to the Reilly family. I guessed it was part of the mafia world I was now certain they were involved in. “If it means we can get out of here for a while, it’s worth it.”
Emily had been great over the last few days. Although she must have had better things to do, she hung around the house with me. When I preferred to have space, she backed off, but didn’t go out in case I needed her.
She shot me a sympathetic look. “You’re going stir-crazy, aren’t you?”
I couldn’t deny it. In the last couple of days, I’d swum in the luxurious pool in the basement, run on the treadmill in the gym, and spent time in the library, which was every avid reader’s dream. It still wasn’t enough to keep me occupied. I was used to doing more about the house, to coming and going as I pleased. Being stuck indoors was getting to me.
“I could use a change of scenery.” Picking up a croissant, I took a bite and almost moaned at how deliciously buttery it was.
“We’ll make a day of it,” Emily said. “We’ll do some shopping, have some lunch.” She clapped her hands enthusiastically. “Ooh, can go to the aquarium.”
“There’s an aquarium at the shopping center?”
“Yes. It’s amazing. They have all these different fish there.”
“Well, I’d hope so,” I said dryly.
Emily laughed, then fell silent as Ciaran came into the room. I couldn’t miss the dark shadows beneath his eyes, nor the stubble at his chin. Though he was dressed smartly, he looked as if he hadn’t even run a comb through his hair. He acknowledged us both with a nod.
“Good morning.”
“Hey, big brother.” Emily returned his greeting with her usual warmth.
Like me, she watched him closely as he went to the table at the side of the room and helped himself to a couple of pastries. He poured himself a cup of coffee and walked to the door.
Something inside me snapped. Ciaran looked so forlorn, I couldn’t bear to shut him out anymore.
“Aren’t you joining us?” I asked.
Ciaran turned back to me, eyebrows raised. “Do you want me to?”
“It’s your home.” I cursed myself for my response. Why couldn’t I just have admitted I wanted him there?
“Yes, join us,” Emily said more enthusiastically.
Ciaran took his usual seat at the head of the table, and Emily beamed.
“Where are Sean and Will?” Ciaran asked.
“Haven’t seen them this morning.” Emily pursed her lips. “I don’t think Sean came home last night and Will had an early start. Said he had a breakfast meeting over in Dearborn.”
“Yeah, he’s going to meet with the architects for the new hotel.”
“Great.” Emily’s shoulders rose and fell as she took a deep breath. “So, I, eh, I want to take Annie to Great Lakes today.”
Ciaran put down the coffee cup he was about to take a sip from. “Why do you have to shop at that place? It’s too big, there are too many stores and too many people. It’s a security nightmare.”
“Yes, but you know I love a bargain.” Emily flashed her best puppy-dog eyes at him. “I really want to go. Please?”
Ciaran looked at me. “If Annie wants to go.”
I shrugged. “I could do with some new clothes.”
“Okay. Max and four of my men will accompany you.”
“Max?” Emily’s face fell. “But he’s such a killjoy.”
“What you mean is that he doesn’t take your shit,” Ciaran said. “Either he goes with you, or you don’t go.”
“Fine,” Emily huffed, “but he’d better not try to boss me around.”
Ciaran smirked. “I’m sure he wouldn’t dare.” He reached into his inner jacket pocket. I was starting to wonder if he owned any casual clothing. He fished a credit card out of his wallet and slid it across the table to me. “Buy whatever you want. No limit.”
Emily grinned as I picked up the credit card and stared at it as if it was going to bite me. “You’re not going to be dull and say you don’t want to spend his money, are you?”
“Oh no, I intend to spend as much as I can.”
“Is this where you hit my bank balance to get revenge for me being an asshole to you?” Ciaran asked.
Was it an acknowledgment that he’d treated me badly? I liked to think it was.
“No, I understand why you acted the way you did.”
Ciaran stared at me for several long seconds. I squirmed in my seat as the scrutiny became almost unbearable. Then he spoke. “Buy yourself a dress. I want to take you out tonight.”
Though we still had issues to overcome, I jumped at the chance to repair our relationship. “Where?”
“A club I’m a member of.”
“Ooh,” Emily teased. “Do you mean Dominion?”
Ciaran turned to her, his eyes narrowed. “What does my innocent little sister know about Dominion?”
“Plenty. Can I come too?”
“Hell no.”
Between the name Dominion and the horror in his voice at the thought of his sister going there, I suspected it was some sort of sex club.
“Why can’t she come?” Batting my eyelashes at Ciaran, I feigned innocence. “What sort of club is it?”
Ciaran’s lips twitched. He knew exactly what I was up to, trying to embarrass him in front of Emily. “You’ll find out later.”
I held his gaze. “I can’t wait.”
Emily cleared her throat. “As glad as I am that you two are on speaking terms again, I’d rather not witness your flirting.” She pushed to her feet and looked at me. “Shall we meet at the front door in ten minutes?”
“Okay.”
After she left, I quickly finished my coffee and got up to leave the room. As I walked past him, Ciaran put a hand on my arm to stop me.
“Later.” That one word held so much promise.
“Later,” I agreed. Perhaps I should be more cautious about getting intimate with Ciaran again, but I needed to explore our attraction, to find out if it could develop into something more.
He released my arm, and I hurried off to get ready for my day out with Emily. I headed upstairs to the room I was already thinking of mine. Brushing my hair, I gathered it up into a ponytail. In case it was chilly out, I put a cardigan on over my short-sleeved dress and made my way back downstairs. By the time I reached the hallway, Emily was already waiting for me.
“Max is on his way over to pick us up. He lives nearby.”
“You don’t sound happy about it,” I surmised.
“The man’s an asshole.”
There was obvious hostility in her voice. I wondered what the story was.
“He drove me back to the hotel the night I met Ciaran. He seemed okay.”
“He used to be fun until he caught me kissing Jamie McKinlay on my nineteenth birthday. He beat the shit out of Jamie and dragged me home. Ever since then, he’s been as bad as my brothers, warning off any man he thinks will corrupt me.”
A startled laugh burst out of me. “What?”
“In our world, a woman’s supposed to be a virgin on her wedding day.”
“But you’re twenty. Surely it’s up to you….”
“Nope,” Emily interrupted. “I follow the rules or face the consequences.”
“That’s archaic.”
Tell me about it. Those assholes belong in the Middle Ages.”
“What assholes?”
We both swung around, startled, to find Max standing in the doorway. Neither of us had heard him arriving.
“Assholes like you, obviously.” Emily swept past him and got into the back of the SUV sitting outside the front door. Max watched her go with an expression that was equal parts consternation and admiration. I suspected the two of them liked each other more than they’d admit.
“Good morning, Max,” I said pleasantly. “Looking forward to a girls’ day out?”
“I’d rather have a red-hot poker shoved up my ass.”
“Charming.”
I followed him out to the car and got into the back with Emily. Max closed the door, then hopped in the front, next to the driver. As we drove off, Emily leaned closer to me so she could speak without being overheard.
“Have you decided to give Ciaran another chance?”
“I want to, but how do I know he won’t end up breaking my heart?”
“How do you know a man you meet at a bar, or go on a blind date with, won’t break your heart?”
She had a point. There was always a risk. “Are you trying to persuade me to forgive Ciaran, or put me off all other men?”
Emily laughed. “Both. I want you to stick around. You’d make a great sister-in-law.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
“You’re right. Let’s just enjoy our day and spend a shitload of my brother’s money.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I was going to find myself an incredible dress, go to Dominion with Ciaran, and see where the night took us.