Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 92734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
“Promise me you’ll leave.” She rummaged around and found her panties. “We’ve already been gone too long.”
“So determined to see the back of me.”
She yanked on her dress and, even in his frustration, he made sure he zipped it up slowly so he didn’t damage the fabric. Carrigan turned around as soon as he was done. “Apparently I’m going to have to be the one who has enough common sense for both of us. You can’t be here. This can’t happen like this. Not where we could be caught.”
Her reasoning was sound, but that didn’t stop the bitterness on the back of his tongue. “Got it. I’m your dirty little secret.”
“Do you want a war?” She shook her head. “You know what, no. I’m not doing this. Not now and not like this. If you want to have a conversation like reasonable adults, call me later.”
She was right. He knew she was right. But that didn’t kill the urge to drag her back into his arms and kiss her until she stopped telling him all the reasons they were shitty for each other. He opened the closet door and motioned for her to precede him. “After you.”
“You… God, you drive me so wild.” She grabbed the front of his shirt and kissed him, moving away before he could do anything about it. Right into the hallway where two of her brothers stood, shock written across both their faces.
Well, fuck.
Aiden grabbed her arm and the younger one grabbed him, slamming him against the wall. “I’m going to fucking kill you.” James didn’t fight back, just let the little shit shake him.
“Cillian, no!”
Aiden gave Carrigan a shake, too, and that set James’s temper off. He grabbed the kid and glared at the O’Malley heir. “You can be pissed at me all you want, but you hurt her and I’ll take your fucking hand off at the wrist.”
Aiden didn’t let her go, but he didn’t shake her again, either. “I think it’s time you left.”
Hell, James agreed with him. He caught Carrigan’s gaze. Unfinished business, lovely. She frowned, obviously worried her brother was going to take him out back and shoot him. “I think you’re right.” He shoved Cillian away and made a show of dusting off his shirt. “I’ll be seeing you around.” He turned and made it all of one step before Aiden’s voice stopped him.
“My sister might be ready to forget what you almost did to her, but I damn well haven’t. You fucking touch her again and it really will be war.”
* * *
Carrigan’s brothers dragged her back to the reception. Aiden stopped just inside the door, his grip on her arm tight enough to bruise. “You will go to the banquet table, sit your ass down, and smile like nothing’s wrong. You will give your planned toast. And then you will sit there like someone who isn’t a fucking traitor until it’s time to go home. After that, we’ll deal with this.”
She’d never feared her brother before, but she’d never seen him with another man’s murder in his eyes, or with that bone-deep disgust he turned on her. She’d fucked up, and they both knew it. Carrigan gave a jerky nod, and walked to the wedding party’s table on shaking legs. Teague sent her a questioning look, and she somehow managed to dredge up a smile for him. “The food looks great.”
The rest of the reception passed in a blur. Every time she looked up, she found Aiden or Cillian glaring at her, a physical reminder of the talk she had coming. She tried to dredge up some righteous indignation. Good lord, she tried. But there was nothing.
She’d been sleeping with the enemy.
Worse, she could still feel the imprint of his mouth on her skin, his hands on her body, his cock inside her. Even knowing the trouble that was coming, she still wanted James almost more than she wanted her next breath—which just proved she was too stupid to live.
They saw Teague and Callie off in a flurry of bubbles. Carrigan was an island of misery in the midst of all the joy, her glowering brothers flanking her as she walked to the waiting town car and they got in on either side of her. She barely had time to take a breath before Aiden started in. “What. The. Fuck. Is. Wrong. With. You? James fucking Halloran? Seriously, Carrigan? How fucking stupid can you be?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, staring straight ahead. “I’m not stupid.” They didn’t know James. They didn’t understand that what he and she shared was something she couldn’t make herself pass up. “You don’t understand.”
“No, I goddamn well don’t. He kidnapped you. Christ only knows what he did to you when you were in his house.”
Carrigan turned to glare at him. “Christ has nothing to do with it. I know what happened—and, more importantly, what didn’t happen—to me. And it’s a moot point now anyway.”