I scowl up at him. “I don’t need your protection. Especially when it’s obvious you couldn’t care less about me.”
“Maybe not. But you sure came running to us fast enough. You wanted my family’s help, and now you have it, so you have no choice but to do as I say.”
That hits a nerve. “Go to hell.”
He smirks. “We’re already there,princess.”
God, he’s infuriating! But the worst part is I know he’s right. Ididgo to the Sullivans for help, and I willingly agreed to this whole arrangement, so now I have no choice but to see it through. Even if that means letting Kieran goddamn Sullivan call the shots.
I start unpacking my bags and pull out the one thing that’s been grounding me through this whole mess, my textbooks. I make sure not to accidentally pull out the evidence folder that I brought along with me on the trip, as I didn’t trust Kieran not to have one of his brothers do a search on my room back at the penthouse.
I might have signed on the dotted line, but that doesn’t mean that I will blindly trust the Sullivans. I need to watch my own back, which means where I go, the envelope of evidence goes.
But Kieran doesn’t need to know that.
I lay out my notes on the bed among the rose petals and flip open my Economics textbook to start working my way through the practice exam questions.
My final is in a few days, and no amount of mafia drama or fake weddings is going to stop me from studying.
“What the hell are you doing?”
I don’t even look up. “What does it look like?”
“Studying?”
“Gold star.”
He walks over, grabs one of my books, and starts flipping through it.
I let out a sigh of annoyance and glance up at him.
“I was hoping you would get the hint that I want to be left alone.”
But Kieran doesn’t seem to be listening. Instead, he seems pretty immersed in economic theory. “Hello?”
“Do you need any help?” he asks without looking up from the book.
“I’m sorry, what? Did you just have a brain aneurysm?”
Kieran rolls his eyes and snaps the textbook shut before tossing it back down on the bed.
“In case you’ve forgotten, I have two younger brothers.”
“So?”
“So, I used to help them cram for their Economics and Business exams more times than I can count, so it’s safe to say I know my way around a demand curve.”
I eye him suspiciously. “Are you being serious?”
“Deadly.”
“I don’t understand you. You barely talked the entire plane ride, and now you’re offering to help me study? If you’re looking for something in return, I’m sure there’s a strip club down the street that can give you what you’re looking for.”
Kieran snorts. “Trust me, I don’t need to stick dollar bills in diamante thongs to get some.”
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot what a chick magnet your wonderful personality is.”
“It’s worked so far.”
