Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
K iera
I leaned back in the leather chair, crossing my legs under the long folds of the dress, and stared Ronan down with what I hoped looked like confidence, or defiance, or whatever the hell he might potentially look at with respect. His dark eyes were fixed on me, completely unreadable, but there was a faint curve to his lips, like he was just waiting for me to snap.
“Afraid?” I scoffed, shaking my head. “Of you? Please.”
Ronan chuckled, the sound low and almost amused, but there was an edge to it that made my stomach twist. “You’re a terrible liar, love,” he said, his voice smooth and maddeningly calm.
I rolled my eyes, even as my pulse quickened. “I’m not lying. I’m not afraid of you. You’re all bark and no bite.”
His brow arched slightly, and the smirk tugging at his lips deepened. “Is that so?”
I nodded, lifting my chin. “Yep.”
He leaned forward then, his elbows resting on the table as he closed the distance between us. The warm glow of the candlelight caught the sharp line of his jaw, the faint stubble darkening his skin, and I suddenly felt much less confident about my defiance.
“You have no idea what I’m capable of,” he said quietly, sending a shiver skittering down my spine.
I swallowed hard, my fingers tightening around my napkin as I tried to keep my composure.
“Well, if you’re so dangerous, why haven’t you shut me up already?” I shot back, my voice laced with as much sass as I could muster. I don’t know why I was pushing him. Maybe it was insanity. Maybe it was something else.
His smirk widened, his dark eyes glinting with something I couldn’t quite name.
“Oh, Kiera,” he murmured, his tone dropping just enough to make my breath hitch. “Keep threatening me with that sassy mouth and I’ll make sure to deal with it even more thoroughly than I did before.”
I felt the heat rush to my cheeks, and I bit my lip, looking away quickly. His gaze lingered, heavy and unrelenting, and I hated the way my body reacted to it—the flush creeping up my neck, the quickening of my pulse, the twist of arousal settling low in my stomach.
I cleared my throat, determined to steer the conversation back to safer ground.
“Leena would kill you if she knew you what you were doing to me,” I said, forcing a smirk onto my face as I glanced back at him.
He didn’t even blink. “Good thing Leena’s not here, then.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words caught in my throat. There was something in the way he looked at me that made it clear he wasn’t joking.
And that was the problem, wasn’t it? This thing between us had been simmering for years—unspoken, unacknowledged, but always there. From the moment we met, there’d been this spark between us that neither of us had been willing to confront.
Until now.
“Ronan,” I started, my voice quieter this time.
He leaned back in his chair, breaking the spell with a casualness that felt almost deliberate.
“Enough about me,” he said, his tone shifting as he picked up his glass. “Let’s talk about the Benedettis.”
I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change in topic. “What about them?”
Ronan swirled the amber liquid in his glass, his gaze thoughtful as he stared at it.
“You asked me how dangerous they are,” he said finally, his voice calm, but edged with something darker. “Let me explain just how much power they have in this city.”
I leaned forward slightly despite myself.
“The Benedetti family controls more than you’d think,” Ronan said, setting the glass down again. “They own clubs, restaurants, shipping lines. They’ve got a hand in construction, waste management, unions—you name it, they’ve got a piece of it.”
My brow furrowed, the weight of his words settling over me. “And nobody does anything about it?”
He laughed softly, the sound cold. “Who’s going to stop them, Kiera? The cops? Half of them are on their payroll. The politicians? Same story. The Benedettis have spent decades building their empire, and they’ve buried their claws so deep into this city that pulling them out would tear everything apart.”
I shifted uncomfortably, the gravity of his words sinking in. “But… they’re just one family,” I said, though my voice lacked conviction.
“They’re one family,” Ronan agreed, his tone quiet but firm. “But they’re ruthless, organized, and willing to do whatever it takes to maintain their power. That’s why they’ve lasted as long as they have.”
A shiver crawled down my spine, and I glanced down at my lap, my fingers twisting the napkin.
“So… what does that mean for me?” I asked softly.
“It means you’re lucky you’ve got me,” Ronan said simply, his gaze steady. “Because I’m the only one in this city who can keep you out of their crosshairs.”
I looked up at him, my chest tightening. “And what makes you so sure you can handle them?”
His lips curved into that maddening smirk again, his dark eyes locking onto mine.
“Because I’m more powerful than they are,” he said, his voice calm and unshakable.
I swallowed hard, the words settling in my chest like lead.
“Are you afraid yet?” he asked, tilting his head slightly as he studied me.
I hesitated, the fire in my chest flickering under the weight of his gaze.
“No,” I lied, though my voice wavered just enough to betray me.
“Lie to me all you like, love. I know the truth,” he said, his dark eyes locking onto mine.
My heart jumped into my throat, and I hated how easily he could see right through me. It didn’t matter how many walls I threw up, how much fire I tried to muster—he saw right past all of it, straight to the mess underneath.
“You’re insufferable, you know that?” I snapped, crossing my arms tightly over my chest.
“And yet, here you are,” he said, his tone maddeningly calm. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze roaming over me in a way that made my skin flush even hotter.
I rolled my eyes, hoping it might distract from the blush creeping up my neck. “Don’t act like this is my choice. You practically dragged me here.”
He chuckled, low and rich, the sound curling through the air between us. “Dragged you? You walked into that car all on your own, Kiera. Completely bare underneath that dress, I might add.”
My face flamed at the reminder, and I shot him a glare that only seemed to amuse him further.
“You blush so very easily,” he said softly, making my stomach flip. “Is it because you’re embarrassed, or because you like it?”
The words hit me like a jolt of electricity, and my breath caught in my throat. My first instinct was to throw some smart retort his way, but my mind betrayed me, conjuring the memory of his hands on me, his voice low and commanding as his cock sank deep into my pussy.
I bit my lip, looking away quickly, but that only made his smirk widen.
“Ah,” he murmured, leaning forward slightly. “It’s the second one, isn’t it?”
“Shut up,” I muttered, my voice shaky as I reached for my glass. The wine was smooth, but it did little to ease the heat still burning in my chest.
“Don’t worry, love,” he said, his tone light, but edged with something darker. “I like it too.”
The glass froze halfway to my lips, my pulse spiking as his words settled in the air between us. I lowered it carefully, placing it back on the table with a soft clink, and turned to face him fully, my hands clenched tightly in my lap.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Don’t I?” he asked, tilting his head as he studied me. His eyes glinted with something dark and dangerous, and I felt the breath hitch in my chest again.
I couldn’t argue with him. I didn’t have the energy to fight the truth of it—not when my cheeks were burning, my pulse racing, and every nerve in my body was screaming at me to leave before I completely unraveled.
But of course, he didn’t let me go.
“You’re a very naughty girl, Kiera,” he said after a moment, his tone soft, but unrelenting.
“Yeah? Well, you’re a—” I stopped myself, glaring at the table as I clenched my fists tighter.
“Go on,” he goaded. “What am I?”
“A pain in the ass,” I muttered.
“Maybe,” he said, leaning back again. “But that sweet little pussy didn’t seem to mind all that much when I buried myself inside you.”
I shot him a glare, but the fire in my chest was flickering dangerously close to something else—something I wasn’t ready to name.
Desperate to change the subject, I blurted, “What about you?”
He arched a brow, clearly amused. “What about me?”
“Do you always get what you want?” I asked, forcing some of my defiance back into my tone. “Or do you just make everyone too afraid to tell you no?”
His lips curved into that maddening smirk again, and he took a slow sip of his whiskey before answering.
“Both,” he said simply.
“You don’t seem like the type to ask nicely,” I said, trying to sound braver than I felt.
“I’m not,” he said smoothly, his dark eyes glinting.
The weight of his gaze pressed against me like a physical thing.
“And if someone’s foolish enough to tell me no…” He let the sentence trail off. “Well, let’s just say I’m not afraid to take what I want.”
“Lucky for you,” I said, forcing a sarcastic twist to my lips, “I’m not allowed to say no.”
His eyes darkened, and for a moment, I thought he might get to his feet and deal with me again. But instead, he chuckled softly, the sound low and almost dangerous.
“I know,” he said quietly, his voice carrying the weight of a promise.
I gulped, my throat tight, and forced myself to look away.
Fortunately for me, the food arrived. The waiter slipped my meal in front of me with a quiet nod and I muttered my thanks.
My steak was cooked to perfection, its seared crust glistening under the soft candlelight, and the sides—creamy potatoes, roasted vegetables—looked almost too good to eat. Almost.
I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I took the first bite. The steak practically melted in my mouth, the rich, smoky flavor sending a jolt of satisfaction straight through me. I closed my eyes for a moment, savoring it, and when I opened them, I found Ronan watching me, his eyes glittering with quiet amusement.
“Good?” he asked, his voice low and smooth.
I swallowed, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a smile.
“It’s fine,” I said, though my tone lacked conviction.
His smirk deepened, but he didn’t push. He cut into his steak, his movements unhurried, like he had all the time in the world.
The tension between us ebbed slightly as we ate, the silence punctuated only by the clink of silverware and the low sounds of chatter humming around the packed restaurant.
“So,” I said, setting my fork down and leaning back slightly in my chair. “Are you going to tell me more about your… organization?”
Ronan arched a brow, clearly amused by my choice of words. “What do you want to know, love?”
“I don’t know,” I said, swirling the wine in my glass. “Who’s in charge of what? Do you have lieutenants or something? Or is it just you, barking orders at everyone?”
He laughed, the sound low and rich. “It’s a bit more structured than that,” he said. “We follow a traditional hierarchy—old Irish mafia roots, though I’ve modernized it where necessary. I’m the head, obviously.”
“Obviously,” I muttered, earning yet another smirk from him.
“Below me,” he continued, “are my underbosses. Two of them, specifically—Finn O’Rourke and Seamus Duffy. Finn oversees our operations in Brooklyn, while Seamus handles Manhattan. They’re smart, loyal, and they don’t make mistakes. At least, not often.”
I arched a brow. “What happens when they do?”
The look he gave me sent a shiver down my spine.
“Let’s just say I don’t tolerate mistakes, Kiera. Not from anyone.”
I swallowed hard, my fingers tightening around the stem of my glass. “Got it. Don’t screw up.”
I left the fact that he’d probably spank me unsaid.
“Exactly,” he said, his tone calm, but unrelenting.
I glared back at him and nodded slowly, trying to piece it all together. “And what about… enforcers? Or, I don’t know, the muscle?”
Ronan’s lips curved into a faint smile. “We have those too. But you don’t need to worry about them. Yet.”
“Yet?” I repeated, my eyes narrowing.
“You’ll meet them soon enough,” he said simply, pushing his plate away.
His words sent a fresh wave of unease rippling through me, but before I could respond, the waiter appeared with dessert.
It was a rich chocolate soufflé, the edges dusted with powdered sugar and the center warm and molten. Beside it was a delicate flute of champagne, the bubbles sparkling under the soft candlelight. I didn’t mean to sigh as I took the first bite, but the combination of the rich chocolate and the crisp champagne was intoxicating.
“Still just fine?” Ronan teased, watching me closely.
I glared at him over the rim of my glass.
“Shut up,” I muttered, though my tone lacked any real bite.
The champagne went straight to my head, the warmth spreading through me with every sip. By the time the soufflé was gone, my limbs felt loose, my tongue a little freer, and the anger I’d been keeping bottled up all night finally bubbled to the surface.
“This is insane,” I said abruptly, setting my glass down with more force than necessary. “You show up, and punish me like I’m some misbehaving kid, and now you’re… what? Pretending this is normal? Like this is just some fancy date?”
Ronan didn’t respond immediately. He just leaned back in his chair, his expression calm, his dark eyes glinting with something unreadable.
“Are you done?” he asked quietly.
“No,” I snapped, my words tumbling out faster now. “You think you can just waltz into my life, throw your weight around, and expect me to?—”
“Enough,” he said, his tone sharp enough to cut me off midsentence.
I froze, my heart skipping a beat as he stood, his movements unhurried.
“Come with me,” he said, his voice calm, but leaving no room for argument.
Before I could protest, he stepped around the table, his hand brushing lightly against my elbow as he guided me to my feet. The touch was firm, but not rough, and I hated the way my pulse jumped at the contact.
He led me to a private room at the back of the restaurant, the sound of the dining room fading as he opened the door and ushered me inside. The space was dimly lit, the walls lined with dark wood, and a single round table sat in the center, empty.
The door clicked shut behind him, the soft sound of the lock sliding into place making my stomach twist.
I turned to face him, my breath catching as I realized how close he was. His dark eyes pinned me in place, and for the first time that night, I felt genuinely nervous.
“Ronan,” I said, my voice quieter now.
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze unrelenting. “You wanted my attention, Kiera. Now you have it.”