Page 4 of Líadan's Code

Now, if I end up with a black eye, no one cares except Brendan.

“Lía, it’s a party, he’s not selling your virginity,” Brendan snaps, watching my spiral. “Breathe. If you wear your hair down, it’ll help with some of the skin the dress exposes. Keep your mouth shut, and please don’t piss anyone off. Dad didn’t tell me anything about this party. I think he’s purposely keeping it from me.”

“Is that normal?” I ask. “You’re part of the family, and you handle most of their dirty work. I would think you’d know more.”

“Milseán, our fathers refuse to tell me anything and you know it,” he grumbles, snagging my hand to pull me closer. His arm wraps around my waist the moment he can reach it and I melt against him.

He’s my port in the shit show of my life. Ever since he went to Ireland, he started calling me his milseán. I finally looked it up online because he’d never tell me what it meant.

It means sweetheart, and the casual way he uses it makes my stomach clench and flip flop. I try to ignore the butterflies I feel whenever I’m near Brendan, but I think it’s a lost cause.

“Maybe so, but I have a really bad feeling about this,” I whisper as he kisses my forehead. My skin breaks out in goosebumps at the contact. Our friendship is as platonic on the surface as possible. It has to be with how closely I’m usually watched.

“I’ll try to sneak by during it and check on you,” he says, rubbing my arm, thinking I’m cold. He doesn’t know he’s the reason for my goosebumps in my knee-length blue, sleeveless dress.

“Promise?” I ask softly. The dread is moving through my body slowly, making my limbs heavy. My heart begins to pound, as if trying to warn me.

I hear you loud and clear, I just don’t know why I’m so afraid.

“Before I go, I have a present for you,” Brendan says softly. “You’ll have to hide it from your father…”

“I hide a lot of things from Daddy,” I remind him, looking up at him.

Tossing the dress onto my bed, he grins as he gazes down at me. “You manage to hide some things better than others,” he teases me. “Alright, so I actually have two gifts for you.”

Picking up the bag I didn’t realize he walked in with, he pulls out a box and hands it to me. Slowly, I open it to see a gorgeous single solitaire floating diamond necklace. The diamond is large enough to be the star of the show and stunning.

“Is this the one I’m hiding?” I breathe, eyes wide. I don’t own much jewelry, because Daddy doesn’t see a reason for it. My closet has clothing, shoes, makeup, and bags, but for some reason, he draws the line at jewelry.

“It is. I wanted to take you out for your birthday, but your father has other plans I see,” he mutters. “The oddest thing is I cleared it with him a few weeks ago. He wouldn’t have just forgotten this.”

“Sometimes, Daddy will nod at whatever you say to get you out of his face,” I mutter. I can’t take my eyes off how pretty the necklace is. It’s extra special because my best friend gave it to me.

“We’ll find a reason for me to wear it.”

“Yes we will,” he agrees. “The next present you can wear in your hair and will double as a weapon. They’re pins to hold your hair back.”

Pulling out the second box, I find they’re actually thin knives that have been sharpened and disguised as hair pins.

“I can wear my hair half up, half down tonight,” I murmur, lips pressed together as I try to imagine what it’ll look like. “If this is really some odd set up to hurt me, this won’t matter, Brendan. Daddy has been acting so weird, but he’s never punished me in front of a large audience before. I don’t even know what I could have done to deserve a public punishment.”

“Anyone on the outside thinks you’re a pampered mafia princess,” he says, smirking. “They’d be so wrong though, milseán. If running away wouldn’t get us both killed, I’d take you and go.”

“I know,” I whisper.

“Lía?” he asks hesitantly, glancing at the door nervously. “There’s one more thing…”

“What?” I ask, eyes wide as I move to hide my presents away. If he thinks someone is coming, I can’t be caught with these.

“Have you ever been kissed before?” Brendan asks. “God, please say no, because I’ll have to kill the person who took the privilege of your first kiss from me.”

Biting my lip to hide my smile because I love how fierce he sounds, I shake my head. “Never been kissed, Brendan. Why?”

“Because in case you weren’t listening, it belongs to me,” he growls, backing me into the wall. He has broad shoulders, his black hair is overly long and hanging in his face, and his tattooed arms bulge with muscles as he cages me with his body. Yet, I’ve never felt more safe in my life.

His face angles slightly as his lips descend on mine. A soft brush of them doesn’t feel like enough, making me whimper.

“I wasn’t done making you mine yet, milseán,” he whispers, licking my bottom lip to make them part.

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