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With the five hour time difference, it’s after midnight by the time we arrive at our hotel in Belfast. Erin is staying at the same one as us, much to my annoyance. I assumed she might have family here she could stay with, but I can’t help but feel some sympathy for her when I see the look of sheer anguish on her face as Shane checks us in to the presidential suite under Mr. and Mrs. Ryan.
Jessie Ryan is the name on my false passport, after all, and I can’t very well pretend to be his sister, can I?
I know that she comes off as a cold, heartless bitch, but I can imagine how much that must hurt. I glance at her but she avoids my gaze and for the first time ever, I feel like she is the one who may be envious of me. She had this incredible man all to herself. He was going to marry her. I know that the end of their engagement was due to her lying to him, but Shane is as loyal as they come. I bet they would have stayed together forever. It can’t be easy to spend so much time with him and be reminded of what she’s lost. Especially when I’m tagging along for the ride this time.
When Shane unlocks our room with the electronic key, he opens the door and I step inside. The room is palatial, with floor to ceiling windows, a huge living area and a bar.
I kick off my sneakers and flop down onto the huge sofa. “This place is bigger than the house I grew up in.” I smile at him as he tips the bellboy before walking over to me. He lifts my feet and sits down beside me before placing them over his lap.
“Bigger than the house I grew up in too.” He cocks an eyebrow as he looks around the room.
“I thought your family always had money?”
He nods. “My father always had money, but he squandered most of it on women, fast cars, and anything else that gave him a buzz. It wasn’t until I started earning for myself at fifteen that my brothers or I had any real money.”
“You started working for your father at fifteen?”
“No.” He shakes his head and smiles. “I started getting paid for it at fifteen. And I made much smarter investments than my father ever did.”
“How old were you when you made your first million?”
He tilts his head to one side as he considers my question. “Twenty,” he finally answers.
“Wow!” I stretch my legs over his and he rubs my feet. “You’re pretty amazing, Shane Ryan.”
“Well, that means a lot coming from you, Jessie Ryan,” he smiles at me and I feel the heat building in my core, but then I’m reminded of when we checked in a few minutes ago and I feel a pang of guilt. “What is it?”
“You think that was a little insensitive before? Checking in as Mr. and Mrs. Ryan?” I bite on my lip.
“Why?” he frowns.
“Because that was almost you and Erin. She looked really hurt, Shane.”
He reaches over and brushes his fingertips over my cheek. “She knows who you are to me. She chose to travel with us. To stay at the same hotel as us. I’m not going to apologize for being with you, Jessie.”
I swallow hard. This man makes my entire body tremble with need just talking to me. “Okay,” I breathe.
He stands up and holds out his hand to me. “We’ve got a long day tomorrow. I have to go meet with some of my father’s business associates and fake a smile while they pay me condolences for my loss. I want you to come with me.”
I take hold of his hand and allow him to pull me up. “Of course. I’d love to meet some of your old friends.”
“There won’t be any friends of mine there, sweetheart, which is why I want you with me.”
“I will be anything and do anything you need me to this week.”
He arches one eyebrow at me. “You’re going to do as you’re told the whole time we’re here?”
“Yes.”
“No attitude? No acting like a brat?”
“No!” I frown at him. “I am not a brat!”
He slides one arm around my waist and pulls me closer to him, brushing his fingertips over my cheek with his free hand. “That doesn’t sound like much fun at all,” he grins before he hoists me up onto his shoulder and slaps me on the ass before carrying me to the bedroom, which is almost as big as the living area outside. He throws me onto the huge super king-size bed and I bounce into the middle with a giggle.
My stomach growls loudly as he holds himself over me and I blush. I didn’t eat much of my meal on the plane, conscious of Erin watching every move I made.
“We should get some room service,” Shane says as he checks his watch.
