Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Iread over the papers again. “Are these real?” I ask Connor. He just handed me the box he took from his family’s vault. He thinks his father wanted him to find it, to find these documents. But why?
“I think so,” he says.
“That means…” I let my words trail off, afraid if I say them out loud it will come back to bite me in the ass.
“Maybe,” Connor says.
“Do you think your mom knows?”
“More than likely. Judging by the date, they were already married, Aurora.” Connor’s lip tilts up in disgust.
“Oh shit, that’s… wow. Okay, what are we doing about it?” I don’t care what cliff I have to jump off. I will do it holding his hand.
“We keep celebrating our honeymoon and forget about all of this for a couple of days. I have Patty setting some shit up back in Dublin.” Connor takes the papers and shoves them into the box, locking it up and then sliding it into the backpack he brought with him.
“Well, do Justin and Rose have money? Because I could use some clothes.”
“Do you really think I’d make you poor, Aurora?” Connor laughs and pulls out a black card from his wallet.
“I could handle being poor just fine,” I huff.
Connor blinks at me. “The shoes you wore to school were two-thousand dollars, at least. The car you drove, upwards of three hundred grand. The bags you’d bring, ten to twenty. Do I need to keep going?”
“It’s not my fault my parents buy me nice things,” I counter. “I can shop cheap. There must be like outlets or something here, right?”
I am not that high maintenance. Do I like nice things? Sure, who doesn’t? Do I need them to be happy? Absolutely not.
“Princess, we are far from poor. You do not need to shop cheap. Ever. I will make sure you don’t lose your lifestyle.”
“Connor, I don’t need money. I just need you.” I mean it. “In fact, I don’t even need to go shopping. I can just wash the clothes I borrowed from Aisling. It’ll be fine.”
“We’re going shopping, princess. I’m not sure we’ll find the stores you’re used to here, but we will find something,” he says. “Are you keeping that on?” He points at the shirt I’m currently wearing.
After we showered, he pulled a spare shirt out of his backpack and handed it to me. “Do you have another one?” I ask him.
“No, but I also don’t need one. We’re on an island, and it’s hot as fuck outside. I’ll be fine,” he says.
“Okay, I’m keeping it then. Besides, I like being able to drool over these…” I run a hand down his abs.
“Drool away, princess. They’re all for you,” he says, pressing his lips against mine.
Once I have pants and shoes on, Connor takes hold of my hand and we walk out of the villa. Out of our little bubble.
“Are you sure no one will know us?” I ask him.
“Do you know anyone in the Maldives?”
“No, but I know plenty of rich assholes who like to vacation.” I shrug.
“No one will see us, and if they do, we’ll just have to make sure they can’t talk,” he says.
“We can’t kill everyone we see, Connor,” I tell him. How the hell am I the one being reasonable here?
“If it means you stay safe, then I will slaughter everyone who sets their eyes on you.” He’s serious.
“Let’s just get what we need and go back to the villa,” I say. “How do you even know where we’re going?” I have no idea where we are, but Connor is navigating his way around as if he’s been here before. “Please tell me you haven’t brought other girls here, Justin.”
“Before you, princess, I never met anyone that was worth taking anywhere. I came here with my parents a few times,” he explains.
“So people will know you then?”
“No, my parents used aliases. They came without security. It was the three of us, and I was Justin.” He smirks.
I’m on high alert, even though Connor is acting like he doesn’t have a care in the world. “Think they have a pharmacy?”
“They do. Why? Are you sick?” He pauses to look me up and down.
“No, I want Plan B,” I remind him.
“Right. I forgot,” he says, looking away.
“Connor, as much as I want to have your babies, I do not want to bring a child into the world when we’re in the middle of a war, and I do not want to bring a child into the world before we have our life really settled.
” I sigh. “You have to go to Harvard, remember? What are you going to do? Take a baby and a diaper bag with you to lectures?”
“If I had to, I would.” He shrugs.
We find a few little cute boutiques in town, and I manage to get some bathing suits and sundresses. Ones without a three-figure price tag, which I point out to Connor. I don’t like that he thinks I’m such a princess—
Is that why he calls me that? Does he think I’m a spoiled brat?
“Connor?”
“Yeah?”
“Why do you call me princess?” I ask him.
“Because you are my princess, and your name is Aurora. You know, Sleeping Beauty?” he says, as if I have never heard of her.
“So, not because you think I’m a spoiled brat, then?”
“Well, I mean, you are fucking spoiled, Aurora. You just have to blink at your father and he’ll get you whatever you want. But, no, you are my very own princess.”
“You’re wrong, you know,” I say.
“About what? I’m never wrong,” Connor balks, clearly offended.
“My dad doesn’t give me everything I want. He would never get me a gun. My brothers taught me how to shoot, but my parents never knew they were doing it.”
“They wouldn’t let you have guns?” Connor repeats, almost as if he doesn’t believe me.
“The oldies always said I was too unpredictable and not rational enough to have a gun.” I roll my eyes.
“Here’s the pharmacy,” Connor says, leading me inside.
Once we’re out, I take a breath and look back over a shoulder. “Well, that was an experience,” I tell Connor.
“Yeah, she’s lucky she’s still breathing,” he sneers.
We were just given a lecture about safe sex. I went in and asked for Plan B, and the lady went on a tangent about how young I was and that I should be more responsible. Connor’s head was vibrating. He didn’t like how she was speaking to me. I didn’t either, but I wanted that pill. Speaking of…
I pull the pill out of the packet, pop it into my mouth, and Connor hands me a bottle of water.
“So, what now?” I ask him.
“You hungry?”
“For you? Yes.” I let my eyes travel up and down his now-clothed chest. As soon as we found the first boutique, I bought him a shirt and made him put it on. I don’t like other women gawking at him, and they were.
“Food first,” Connor says and starts dragging me across the street to a restaurant.
“Fine, but I would prefer you in a bed with room service. People are looking at us,” I whisper.
“People are wondering how I scored a beauty like you—that’s all.” He laughs. “Besides, we can just strip off right here. I could spread you out across one of the tables and give them something to really look at.”
“You wouldn’t.” I raise an eyebrow at him.
“You’re right. I wouldn’t want anyone else to see what’s mine underneath those clothes.”
We approach a restaurant, and Connor asks for a table for two. Then we follow the hostess to the back, where we’re given a little spot in a corner, and I’m thankful for the privacy.
“You really are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” Connor says once we’re seated.
“Thank you.” I smile across at him. “Is this you trying to get into my panties, Connor? Because you should work on your lines.
“No, this is me telling you the truth. If I wanted to get into your panties, Aurora, I’d just remove them,” he says.
“Well, you are literally the only person I’ve ever thought was attractive,” I tell him, because it’s true. My body hasn’t reacted to anyone before him.
“Good. If you do ever, you know, react to someone else, let me know,” he says.
“Why?”
“So I can make sure they’re dead.”
“Connor, I’m never leaving you. You are stuck with me forever.”
“Forever isn’t long enough, princess.” He leans over and our lips join. It’s moments like this that make me so glad I decided to kidnap him.