Lucy might not have grown up in a crime family like me, but she knows enough from what I’ve told her over the years, which means when I come clean about who I’m currently living with, I’m going to be in for one hell of a scolding.
“Kieran Sullivan.”
Lucy stares at me for a moment before bringing the bottle of wine to her lips.
“I realize this is a lot to take in.” My stomach twists at the look of horror on my best friend's face.
“So, I’m guessing your family doesn’t own this place?” She looks around the room again.
“No…”
“You keep talking, and I’ll keep drinking.”
By the time I’ve finished recounting the entire story, from how I overheard Oscar and Rion discussing my impending nuptials to Sean O’Keefe down to my dinner date with Kieran Sullivan, Lucy has drained half the bottle of wine.
“I’m glad I bought this. Christ, it’s like I’ve woken up inside some insane version ofThe Bachelor.”
“You’re telling me…” I sigh, flopping down on the bed.
“I mean, I was starting to wonder if you were going to check yourself into a convent after graduation, and now you have two guys wanting to marry you?”
“I think you’ve missed the point of my story, Luce.” I snatch the bottle of wine and take a swig.
“This is…”
“Insane? Moronic?” I hand back the wine.
“Kinda hot.”
“Lucy! This is Kieran Sullivan we’re talking about!”
“I know, which is what makes it so hot. I mean, we’re talking about you getting fake married to one of the most dangerous men in the city.”
“Believe me, I’m not thrilled about it, but I have no other options. Oscar wasn’t going to stop Rion from marrying me off to Sean, so I had to do something.”
Lucy’s face hardens at the mention of Sean O’Keefe. She’s never met the man, thankfully, but she knows enough about him to understand that being his wife is nothing short of a death sentence.
“What a creep.”
“Well, hopefully, he will back off once he catches wind of the fact I’m married to Kieran.”
“So, why Kieran? Why not one of the other brothers?” She props up on an elbow.
“I didn’t exactly get to choose. Ronan decided it was the best move in terms of optics.”
“And how does Kieran feel about all this? I bet he’s thrilled to be tying the knot to a hot redhead,” Lucy teases.
“Trust me, I think he’d rather throw himself into traffic than marry me.”
“Seriously?”
“The only reason he agreed to any of this is because Ronan told him to.”
Lucy rolls over to rest on her stomach with her feet up in the air. “Still, he’s way hotter than Sean.”
I laugh, choking slightly on my sip. “I was expecting you to warn me to stay away from Kieran, not climb into his bed.”
“I’m not blind, Riles. The man is sexy as hell and also a lot more trustworthy than Sean O’Keefe, who, by the way, is going to be majorly pissed off when he finds out about this.”
