“I helped raise you and you turned out decent enough.”
His jaw locks. “We’re your blood. You’re forced to like us, whether you want to or not.”
“Blood doesn’t mean shit to me. You of all people should know that.”
Taking care of my brothers had nothing to do with our shared DNA. I promised my mom before she died that I would be there for them, and I upheld my end of our deal regardless of the personal consequences.
He looks away with a sigh. “Just take care of her.”
My heart pounds harder against my chest as I reassess this entire conversation. A chill makes its way down my spine. “Are you in love with her?” The question comes out far more agitated than I’d like.
His eyes brighten as he laughs. “No.”
“For some reason, I’m finding that hard to believe.” Based on the way he speaks of her, I would be stupid to think they were solely platonic.
“We kissed once.”
Blood rushes to my ears, and I can feel the tips turning red. “You what?”
The lethality in my voice draws Cal’s eyes back to mine.
“It was a mistake.”
“It sure as fuck better be.” The glass tumbler beneath my hand shakes from how hard I grip the cylinder.
His lips curve at the corners. “I knew you were jealous.”
“As if I could ever be jealous of someone like you.”
He winks. “The way you look like you want to murder me says otherwise.”
“Torture is my preferred method of revenge, just so you’re aware.”
He breaks out into a full-blown smile. “If it makes you feel better, the kiss was terrible.”
How the fuck is that supposed to make me feel better? I can’t get the image of them kissing out of my goddamn brain, no matter how much I try to wipe my mind of the last five minutes of this conversation.
Why does it bother you in the first place?
Because she told me they are just friends.
Right. You keep telling yourself that.
“You’re really selling me on the idea of marrying her,” I reply with a dry voice despite the anger burning within me.
His chest shakes from quiet laughter. “It had nothing to do with her. I was drunk, and she was lonely. The result was awkward to say the least.”
“She was lonely?”
“Of course she is. Her being friends with me should have been your first clue.”
“I wasn’t aware she felt that way.”
“What? Do you expect her to talk to you about it? Unlike the rest of the human population, you like being by yourself.”
I bite down on my tongue to prevent myself from saying too much.
Growing accustomed to something doesn’t mean I like it. I just learned to prefer it over the alternative option, which includes letting people get too close. What’s the point when they always leave anyway?
I take a sip of my drink to wash away the bitter taste of weakness from my mouth. “Kiss her again and I’ll enjoy ripping your tongue from your throat.”
He holds up his hands. “The only reason I told you about our kiss is so that you can stop thinking I want to make a move on her. I’m not interested in her like that. Trust me. ”
“Because the kiss was terrible,” I repeat back in a voice erased of any emotion.
“Because she was never meant to be mine in the first place.”
Damn right she wasn’t. Fake marriage or not, Iris is destined to be with one man and one man only.
Me.
8
IRIS
“O h, fuck off. I can’t believe I woke up early for this shit!”
I bolt upright in my bed. It takes me a few seconds before my disoriented brain catches up to the fact that I’m sleeping in Declan’s house.
My house.
I run a hand across the crumpled sheets, trying to smooth out the evidence of me tossing and turning all night. Sleeping in a new place is always weird, but sleeping in the same house as my boss? I still haven’t fully processed the idea. Maybe because I’m still trying to come to grips with the way my whole life is being turned upside down.
“Another rain delay?! Since when are the stewards afraid of a little summer shower?” Declan’s booming voice has me jumping out of bed.
I check the time on my phone and groan. “Six a.m.?” It should be a capital offense to wake anyone up this early on their one day off.
Declan is all about rules, so maybe it’s time I enforce a few of my own, starting with quiet hours between 11 and 7. I’m quick to take off my bonnet, fix my hair, and switch my PJ shorts for leggings before rushing out my door.