Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
RONAN
There’s a lot of work that goes into making deals, and the main one is deciding on the right location to set the tone.
For our meeting with Ciara and Callum, I decided on one of my favorite restaurants in Soho because of its private dining room and discreet staff. The last thing I need is for some waitress to go mouthing off to the press when she hears of the deal I’m about to strike.
I swirl the whiskey around in my rocks glass as I fight the urge to spread my thighs just so I can brush up against Ciara, who’s sitting beside me. Though from her posture, she’s anything but happy about the seating arrangement.
Her legs are crossed beneath the tablecloth, and her arms are folded across her chest, which, considering the fact she’s wearing a very short and tight black dress, not only shows off a lot of thigh but also makes her tits look incredible.
I’m starting to wonder if she wore it just to torture me because that’s what it feels like.
She hasn’t looked at me once in the ten minutes she’s been here, though she’s been more than willing to offer Brennan a smile, which grates on my nerves.
She might think she’s coming across cool and indifferent, but she doesn’t know I have a keen eye for detail. I see the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes when she thinks I’m not paying attention, or how her jaw tenses every time I take a sip of whiskey.
From the looks of it, she’s either seconds away from stabbing me with her butter knife or storming out of here in a rage. And if I’m being honest, I’m not sure which would turn me on more.
The moment she walked in and I caught sight of her shapely legs and killer curves, my cock hardened. Add in the bright red lips and soft bouncy blonde curls, and I’ve got the perfect recipe for a night spent with my cock in my hand and her on my mind.
Kieran sits beside me and lets out a sigh as he taps his empty whiskey glass against the table.
“Are we boring you?” I hiss under my breath, and Kieran rolls his eyes.
“I was bored even before we got here.”
Considering the fact that our father died less than forty-eight hours ago, Kieran is acting like the entire ordeal never happened. Brennan and Lorcan are playing their parts well as they sit in on this meeting, the only evidence of their grief being the dark purple circles under their eyes.
“So, are those the contracts?” Callum nods toward the stack of papers in front of Lorcan.
Ciara’s brother sits beside her, wearing a cheap-ass suit and what smells like even cheaper cologne.
Christ, the McCarthys really have fallen from grace.
Lorcan claps Callum on the shoulder. “We can get to all of that after dinner. I don’t know about you, but I can’t do business on an empty stomach.”
Ciara tenses beside me at the mention of business, but still, she stays quiet.
I turn my attention to Callum. “This place has the most incredible steak.”
“Great.” He looks anything but pleased as he glances anxiously at Ciara.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I stop myself from smiling.
I’m not sure why Kieran was so worried about Callum when it’s clear the poor guy is seconds away from crumbling.
Ciara, on the other hand, is going to be harder to crack.
I keep my voice just loud enough to cut through the low murmur of conversation. “You know… You’ve been sitting there pretending I’m invisible for ten minutes now, princess, and I’m starting to think you’re playing hard to get.”
She slowly turns her head to face me, her eyes cold and piercing as she looks at me. “I’m not playing anything, Sullivan. I just happen to be good at pretending garbage doesn’t exist.”
Kieran chokes on his drink, and Ciara’s red lips twitch, but from the fire in her eyes, it seems she’s only getting started.
“Oh, and don’t ever call me princess again.”
“How about Tine Bheag?”
“Are you making shit up now?”
I swallow a laugh. “It’s an old Gaelic word. I suggest you look it up.”
“Now you’re giving me homework too? How…low class of you.”
Brennan smothers a laugh with a cough at her words, and even Callum winces slightly, his eyes flicking to me as he waits for my reaction. But his shoulders relax when my face breaks out into a grin.
God, she’s fun.
“You’ll forgive me for not being offended. Seeing as you’re the one being married into my family.”
Ciara cocks a brow, flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder. “Don’t flatter yourself. This isn’t a marriage. It’s a hostile takeover.”
I run my finger around the rim of my glass, trying to hold in my laughter. “Hostile or not, it’s still a binding contract. Once the contracts are signed, there’s no backing out. But your family gets my protection and my name, and I get you.”
She stiffens before snatching up her wine glass and taking a sip. “I’m not a pawn or some prize for you to collect.”
“No. You’re a queen, which makes you ten times more dangerous on the board. But don’t forget, sweetheart, that I’m the one moving the pieces.”
She sets her glass down on the table and turns her body in her seat to face me properly.
I can’t help but glance down at her chest, my mouth watering as I eye the swell of her breasts.
When she leans forward, offering me an even better view as well as a waft of her sweet perfume, it takes everything in me not to reach down and palm my length through my pants.
“You can pretend to be in charge all you want,” she whispers, drawing my attention back to her plump lips. “But let’s be clear about one thing.”
“What’s that?” My voice comes out a little hoarse.
“I don’t take orders from anyone, and especially not from you.”
It’s cute how intimidating she thinks she’s being. Doesn’t she realize who she’s talking to?
“Is that right?” I lean back against the cold, red leather of the booth and rest my forearm on the table.
“I’ll marry you to save what’s left of my family, but that doesn’t mean I’ll obey you like some docile little trophy wife. I’ll do things my way.”
Fuck. Hearing her speak the words wife and obey is doing very dangerous things to me.
“See, that’s the part where we’re going to have a problem,” I lean forward just enough to make her breath catch. “Because if we’re doing this, there are rules that will need to be followed.”
“I’m not following your rules.”
“You haven’t heard them yet. You might find you like them.”
Ciara’s throat bobs, which has my lips pulling up into a smile.
She can fight me all she wants, but she can’t hide how her body reacts to me.
“Rule number one,” I murmur. “When I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it without question.”
Her nostrils flare as anger flashes in her eyes. “Are you serious?”
“I’m deadly serious.” I raise a brow. “So, tell me, Ciara. Do you know how to be a good girl?”
Her expression doesn’t change, but the way her jaw tightens tells me I’ve struck a nerve.
“Go to hell.”
“I already live there.” I lift my glass. “You’re just moving in.”
She stands suddenly, which captures the attention of the table.
“This entire thing is a fucking joke. I’m out.”
Callum is on his feet in an instant, a look of panic on his face as he reaches for his sister. “Ciara, sit down. Let’s just finish this.”
“I don’t need to sit down. I told you, I’m done.”
She looks at me with such fury and disgust that I can’t stop myself from laughing.
“And people say marriage is boring.”
She looks about ready to smash her wine glass over my head, which I’m sure my brothers would find entertaining.
But thankfully, Callum tugs on her arm and snaps her out of her rage, at least for a moment.
“Ciara, I already told you there is no other option. We have to do this.”
“You don’t have to do anything. It’s me who’s signing my life over to him.”
I flash her a wink, which only adds to her fury.
“Do you get off causing people pain, is that it?”
“You don’t want to know what gets me off, darling.”
Kieran howls with laughter. “I’m so fucking glad you forced me to come to this tonight. This shit is entertaining.”
“I’m glad I amuse you,” Ciara fires at Kieran.
“You could do more than amuse me if you want,” he teases, which is the final nail in the coffin.
I’m all for teasing Ciara, but that privilege does not extend to my brother.
I slam my fist down on the table, all traces of amusement gone from my face as I look each and every person in the eye. “Enough!”
“Ronan, I—” Callum starts, but I hold up a hand to silence him.
I direct my attention at Ciara. “If you want to go, then go. All we need is a signature from your brother, and the deal is done. We just invited you along tonight to be polite.”
Ciara looks about ready to lunge for me, but Callum holds his arm out in front of her to hold her back.
“Ciara, please. We need this.”
I sit back and watch as a look passes between the siblings.
Callum looks to be at breaking point, and from the way Ciara’s shoulders eventually slump, she knows it too.
She sits back down beside me, her green eyes blazing with fury as she looks at me, but I don’t have it in me to feel bad for what I’m making her do. Mainly because I can’t get over how fucking sexy she looks when she’s mad.
“You might have gotten your way with this stupid marriage. But don’t think for one second that you own me.”
I take a sip of my whiskey as I try to keep my expression neutral.
“You can hate me all you want, Tine Bheag. But by the end of this, you’ll be mine in every way that matters.”
Ciara stays silent throughout the entirety of dinner, making a point not to touch her food, even though I ordered her the most expensive dish on the menu.
I can’t deny I’m having the most fun I’ve had in a while, though it’s clear Ciara doesn’t feel the same.
The moment the dessert plates are cleared, with Ciara’s unsurprisingly still untouched, we get to business.
Lorcan reads through the contracts that were drafted yesterday by our lawyers, explaining the timeline as well as the legal formalities.
Callum asks hardly any questions as Lorcan talks. If anything, the guy looks ready to get the hell out of here.
When Lorcan is done going through everything, Callum remains quiet.
My uncle pics up a pen. “Well, if you’re happy, then I guess there’s nothing left to do but sign the papers.”
I sneak a glance at Ciara, but her eyes are purposefully fixed on Lorcan.
He slides the pen across the table, and she snatches it up before pressing the tip to the paper.
But she hesitates for just a second, turning her eyes to look at me. Then, without breaking eye contact, she signs her name and tosses the pen down, a look of defiance on her face.
God, I love how she bites back.
I quickly scrawl my own name and toss the pen onto the table as well, sealing the deal.
Ciara is on her feet before the ink is even dry, storming across the private room toward the door like the drama queen she so clearly is.
But I’m right behind her, wrapping my fingers around her wrist and pulling her back.
My touch isn’t aggressive or rough, but a quiet reminder to her of who is in control here.
“Let go of me.”
I do no such thing. Instead, I give her wrist a little squeeze as I lean closer to her.
“You can run all you want,” I murmur so only she can hear. “But you and I both know you’ll eventually end up in my bed.”
She yanks her hand back, glaring at me. “In your dreams.”
“I already told you the other night, Tine Bheag, my dreams are filthy. But I have a feeling, so are yours. Oh, and to save you the trouble of translating, it means little fire.”
Her cheeks flush with anger or…something else, and my lips pull into a smirk.
Does Ciara McCarthy think about me at night, when she’s all needy and alone?
Fuck.
My cock twitches in my pants at that idea, which is only made worse when Ciara spins on her heel and walks away, giving me the perfect view of her ass.
I sink my nails into my palm, trying to distract myself from my hardening cock, before I head back over to the table and take a seat.
Callum gets to his feet. “I’m sorry about my sister. She’ll come around.”
“I doubt that,” Kieran mutters.
“You did the right thing, Callum,” I assure him. “This deal is in your family’s best interest.”
He nods, despite the uncertainty in his eyes.
Lorcan gets to his feet and shakes Callum’s hand. “Our lawyers will be in touch.”
Once Callum is gone, and it’s just my family left, I let out a long exhale as I reach for my whiskey glass.
Kieran laughs. “She’s going to kill you one day. You do know that, right?”
“She can give it her best shot, but Sullivans always come out on top.”