The one I learned to hate had a certain gleam in his eyes. A promise of punishment if I complained or moved a muscle as he talked business and ate hors d’oeuvres.
I come to, and Marty’s monotonous brogue promises he can find out who I am in half a second.
“I want your trust.” Kieran’s eyes lock onto mine. He’s still holding his body over me. One word strikes me, and it’s peculiar.
Protective.
The man I once knew had a penchant for showing off his prized possession. I became a shiny trophy. To spit on. To shine. To break. The one I grew to despise showed me off like a mare with red polka-dotted bows in her hair.
But Kieran’s covering me from Marty’s gaze, not that the henchman has attempted to stare. Would Kieran kill him?
Still, regarding me, Kieran asks, “Marty, how many men have you found for Clan McFarland?”
Marty stands there, head listed to the ceiling, and nods. “Oh, hundreds at a minimum.”
While there’s no bite in Kieran’s tone as he addresses me, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put two and two together.
Marty found the men.
Kieranmurderedthem.
My abductor’s breath fans across my face. “Marty could tell me, but I want you to tell me, to trust me. Who are you, Ava?”
“What? Have I fallen out of your graces? You’re reneging on the Clan McFarland title?” The sarcastic laugh flutters from the depths of my soul.Nobody anymore.
Tiny sparks ignite along my skin as Kieran’s reverent fingertips drag over my ribs. He’s toeing the line again, becoming the enigma. It scares the ever-loving daylights out of me to trust. In a thought-provoking tone, he inquires, “Alright, let’s try. Who were the groom and bride you intended to surprise the other night?”
“The bride.” I chew my lip.
I sigh, and then it hits me. The reason I long for touch. The last manipulative asshole broke me down from brain matter to neuron. It’s not that I crave love or miss it. But in this split second, Kieran’s closeness has fucked over my neurological predisposition to be alone. It’s shooting endorphins into my bloodstream.
The stroking ceases. Kieran palms my breast in his hand, pressing his lips over my taut nipple. I shiver a gasp as he pops the tiny rock into his mouth. I bite my tongue to the throes of pleasure as he sucks my entire breast into his mouth. Letting go with apop, Kieran begins to speak. Though his tone is giving, a lethal hint laces the words. “Ava, if I have Marty look into this, you will be severely punished.”
Shit, I allowed him to manipulate me. I grit out, “The bride’s a pretty, young, richputawh—”
While cutting me off, Kieran flings an accusation. “Who married the manyoulove?”
“No,” I bite out.
Kieran’s knuckle brushes my face, but his eyes slip from me to Marty in a predatory flash. He’s ensuring the man hasn’t snuck a few peeks in our direction. Once more, I’m stunned by his nature of shielding me.
Voice thin, Kieran clips out, “And the groom?”
“Alright!” I bristle beneath Kieran’s touch. “That walking piece-of-crap was my ex-husband, Adnan. He tookeverythingfrom me.”
7
Kieran
Well, that was a brilliant turn of events. The lass claims she isn’t pining over this Adnan fellow. My mouth twists into a growl. I’m prepared to glean more information, though Marty beats me to it. “May I have a last name ple—”
“Leave us.” I snarl at Marty, blanketing my body over Ava. She brings out the worst in me. Now, I’ve the name of the man I’m jealous of.
Adnan.
Though I saw Ava in the act of taking the plunge with my own eyes, I’d not fathom it. Still, it made more sense her brokenhearted andoffingherself. I hunker down on myarsenext to Ava, shoving a hand through my still rather lengthy hair to push it out of the way.
“Arsehole, like how?”