Page 63 of The Irish Arrangement

“I…” I clamped my lips shut as he brushed his thumb over the redness on my cheek.

Gentle. Worried. Soothing.

It was always so remarkable to witness this other side of him that he showed me.

“Tell me, Cara.” His jaw tensed as he glared down at me. “Tell me who the fuck dared to touch you.”

Furious, too. Can’t forget about his default mode.

“Who the fuck hurt you?” he demanded.

23

DECLAN

Isaw red. My entire body tensed with the need to kill someone. Not just anyone. The person who'd dared to strike my wife.

“Cara.” I tried to rein in my anger. It burned, bottled within me as I fought to speak as calmly as possible. Peace no longer existed. Only rage.

“Who hurt you?”

She shook her head, casting her gaze down as she sighed. “No one.”

“No one.” I gripped her upper arms harder. “Don’t lie. Don’t try to tell me that you walked into a fucking wall.”

The second I left her, she was hurt. It was one of my biggest fears, that I’d lose her. Now that I’d found her, I refused to consider her being gone. Life was always dangerous. People were hurt and killed on a daily basis, more so in our lives as we dealt in criminal ways of business and control.

Cara was supposed to rise above that. She was supposed to be untouched by any other man, any possible threat.

And I’d failed.

“I did bump into something.” She cleared her throat, frowning. “Someone.”

“Who?” I demanded in a low growl.

She shrugged, loosening my grip on her. “A waiter. A server? I don’t know what you rich people call them. One of those guys in the tuxedos holding up trays of drinks.”

I gnashed my teeth together, madder yet.

She was lying. It was so obviously a lie. I wasn’t familiar with all her tells, but I felt the deception between us.

Don’t fucking lie to me. Don’t.

I wanted to believe her, but I couldn’t. I longed for a reason to know why she’d try to lie, but this wasn’t the time for this bullshit.

This wasn’t the place for it, either. I’d be teaching her a lesson about lying to me. That shit wouldn’t stand. But I was sick of this stupid party. We’d shown up. People saw us. All that bull crap was over with, and I no longer wanted to stick around here.

I had to see to her cheek. I wanted to make her feel safe again. And more than anything, I had to get to the bottom of this and know who’d dared to touch her, let alone wound her.

“Ian.”

He was there, worried and attentive like always.

“Ask the men. Find out who she was talking to last.”

Cara flinched but still kept her face lowered. She had to know I had eyes and ears everywhere. While I wished I could simply get the truth from her, I knew better than to push it now. She’d learn. She’d know not to lie to me. And if it was a fucking little accident, some server crashing into her, he’d be fired.

Killed, even.

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