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SAOIRSE
I’m lost in a daze,frozen to the floor as I watch Rohan’s retreating frame.
What the fuck just happened?
One moment I’m swept away by the tsunami of emotions he unapologetically makes me feel, and then the next, he turns to stone, leaving me longing for the warmth he took with him.
A small part of me wants to follow him and ask him what happened, why the sudden shift from sweet and attentive to dark and detached. But the larger, more sensible side of me knows better. Chasing a guy like Rohan only leads down one road — destruction.
One thing is for sure; there are far more sides to Rohan than he allows anyone to see, but boy, is he giving me whiplash.
Peering over my shoulder, I search for Liam, but can’t seem to see him anywhere. My feet carry me off the dance floor towards the bar area. But as I crank my neck above the crowd, I suddenly collide with a solid frame. “Oh, I’m so, so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was…”
“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart.” His slow, toxic smile creeps across his face. I remember him from my English class, the guy who made the smart remark on my first day. “It’s Donnacha, right?”
He tips his chin forward. “And you’re Saoirse.”
I hold my hands out wide. “In the flesh.”
A slight laugh huffs past his closed lips. “Would you like to dance?” He tosses his thumb over his shoulder, pointing towards the dancefloor. “We can call it an apology for the shitty comment I made on your first day at school.”
Unease rolls in the pit of my stomach, and my internal sat-nav blares at me to turn around. My eyes dart around the ballroom, looking for a reasonable excuse to tell him no.
Finally, my eyes land on Liam standing at the bar talking to a man I recognise from the photo in Fiadh’s office, Mr Gabriel King, Rohan’s father. “I should probably get back to my date.” I step forward, but he shifts in front of me, blocking my path.
Donnacha’s dark eyes follow my line of sight. “Are you sure? He seems a little busy with my dad.”
My eyes whip around so fast they bulge out of my sockets. “You’re Rohan’s brother?”
At first glance, I’d never make the connection between the two, but as I look closer, I see it lingering in the finer details. His hair is slightly lighter, more brown than black, but the cut of his sharp jawline and the set of his eyes are identical. They are even the same forest shades but lack the mischievous sparkle. Donnacha’s eyes appear lifeless, void of any emotion, and it unnerves me.
Stalking forward, Donnacha forces me to retreat, and then suddenly, the cool night breeze from the balcony behind me brushes against my skin.
He steps closer, closing any space between us. His mouth lowers to my ear before he whispers, “Technically, I’m his half-brother. But, shh…” He lifts his index finger to my lips, silencing me. “Because I’m Daddy’s best-kept secret.”
My heart clammers up my throat, lodging in my airways, but somehow I convince my feet to take a few steps back. Distancing myself from him, I place myself out onto the balcony. Which, in hindsight, was a dangerous move.
Stupid Saoirse. Stay where the people are.
My stomach lunges into my chest, knitting into a tense ball of anxiety. My chest rises and falls, reducing my breaths to an erratic wheeze as I fight to fill my clenched lungs with air.
Inside the ballroom, people dance to the band, but nobody seems to notice as Donnacha creeps forward, backing me further into the dark and enclosing me so I have no way to escape. I open my mouth to scream, but nothing comes out. The sound is trapped in my throat, muffled by the blood rushing to my ears.
Tears sting my eyes, burning my retinas and the inside of my nose, but I refuse to let them fall. Fear dances along my spine, vibrating every internal organ.
Suffocated by this prowl, my eyes dart left and right as I look for an escape, but the only way past him is through him.
Taking my chance, I rush to the left, hoping to take him off guard so I can push past him. Suddenly, he grabs me by the elbow and draws me closer to his chest. “Did I say you could leave, sweetheart?”
Using all the strength I have, I tug my arm, fighting to remove it from his grip, but it’s useless. His fingertips dig into my flesh, holding me steady. “What’s the matter, Saoirse? You’ve already thrown yourself at my baby brother and Liam.”
“How did you…”
“Just because I’m silent doesn’t mean I’m not paying attention. After all, the villain always hides in the shadows, sweetheart. That way, when he strikes, nobody will be watching.”
With an aggressive tug, he spins me around, one hand coming up to cover my mouth as the other pushes me forward, shoving me against my back. My ribs greet the iron rail enclosing the balcony with a heavy thump, making me cry out into his palm.
He muffles my pleas as I beg him to stop, to let me go, but my attempts are futile. I grip the railing, squeezing so tight my knuckles turn white and my fingers go numb. Pushing against his hold, I scream into his palm.
