Page 42 of Heated Rivals
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Carrigan barely made it through the door when Aiden appeared, grabbed her elbow, and hauled her upstairs. He didn’t say a word, and she kept silent because yelling at him right now would undoubtedly bring one—or both—or her parents down on her. Aiden and she might not be as close as they used to be, but his anger was still preferable to Seamus and Aileen’s.
As soon as he closed her bedroom door behind them, she shoved him away. “Get your goddamn hands off me.”
“Where the fuck were you?” He took a step toward her, but seemed to think better of it and circled her instead. “Those are the same clothes you were wearing last night, aren’t they?”
“You’re not my keeper.”
“Wrong.” He ran his hands through his dark hair, making it stand on end. “Jesus, Carrigan, I know you’re having a hell of a time with the way things are going, but can you stop being so goddamn selfish for one fucking second andthink?”
For the first time since he’d towed her up here, she actuallylookedat him. Aiden had always been theclassically handsome one of her brothers. Teague was dark and brooding. Cillian was the edgy, too-gorgeous one that made women lose their minds. Aiden was the rock.
He looked like he was cracking under the pressure. There were dark smudges beneath his green eyes, and he’d lost weight recently—weight he didn’t need to lose. She reined in the impulse to yell at him like he was yelling at her, and sat on the edge of her bed. “Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not fucking okay.” He paced from one wall to the other and back again, each step jerky with barely restrained fury. “You disappeared without a trace from that restaurant and turned off your phone. The only message you got out was telling Liam not to worry.”
She was going to have to send Liam a gift basket of whiskey. “It’s fine. Obviously I’m okay.”
“It isnotfine.” He looked like he wanted to shake her. “Last time you disappeared like this, that bastard Halloran threatened to send us your head in a basket if we didn’t comply. He would have, even though Callie turned herself over in exchange for you. Do you have any fucking idea what it did to me to sit here all night, wondering if I’d ever see you again, or if one of our goddamn enemies—who seem to be multiplying by the day—had gotten a hold of you?”
No, she didn’t have any idea. She hadn’t stopped to think that anyone would worry about her. She’d assumed that they’d be so caught up in their own dramas that she could slip back into the house without a word. “I—”
“You can’t keep doing this—the clubs, the men, the drinking. I know how much these little escapades mean to you,but it’s not safe.”
She knew that. Of course she knew that. But she’d weighed her growing panic over the approaching deadline against what could possibly happen to her while she was out and about.
Nothing’s going to happen with me when I’m with James.
She didn’t have a right to that belief, but she couldn’t shake it. He might have been the reason she was taken the last time, but so much had changed since then. Hell,everythinghad changed. She couldn’t say as much to Aiden, though. “I’m sorry I worried you.”
“Which isn’t the same thing as saying you won’t do it again.” He dropped next to her on the bed with a sigh. “We might be at peace, but that doesn’t mean a damn thing and we both know it. There are more enemies to fear than just the Hallorans.”
Considering she’d spent the night with one and was no worse for wear, she believed it. Except…“What other enemies?”
“I don’t know.” He laughed, but not like anything was funny. “All I’m getting are rumors and things that could be coincidence. Father thinks I’ve lost my mind, but I can’t help feeling like someone is circling us, looking for weaknesses.” He grabbed her arm. “Promise me you won’t go out alone anymore, Carrigan. I couldn’t handle it if something happened to you.”Again. The last word might be unspoken, but it still stood between them. The truth was that she was a liability, and her habits made her even more so.
“You know I only have until my birthday to make a decision.”
He didn’t lookat her. “I know.”
“And you’re still asking me to be good and stay out of trouble, even though this is my last chance at a little slice of freedom?”
“I am.” A muscle in his jaw twitched. “I might be a dick, but I think your life is worth more than your happiness.”
She wasn’t sure if she agreed. Oh, Carrigan didn’t want to die. She’d come face-to-face with that fate in the Halloran house and she’d fought tooth and nail to avoid it. But happiness was such a delicate and fleeting thing. She’d gotten a glimpse of what it might feel like last night with James, and she craved more, like a junkie jonesing for her next hit.
She couldn’t make the promise Aiden wanted—not without lying. She slipped her arm free of his hold. “Let’s get through this wedding, and then we’ll talk.”
“Carrigan—”
“I’ve got to shower and get changed. I’ll make sure I apologize to Mother for missing the activities she had planned today.” Maybe if she kept talking, he’d realize there was no way in hell this discussion was happening today—or ever.
Aiden sighed again. “Fine. You win this time. Get your shit together and I’ll see if I can calm down Father before the rehearsal. Don’t be late.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She held her breath until he left her room, closing the door softly behind him, and then lay back on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Aiden didn’t understand what he was asking of her. He felt bad about it, at least in theory, but he was like Seamus in only seeing the bottom line. The only difference between her brother and father was that her brother would lose his mind if he lost her. Even with all the changes he’d gonethrough lately, she never doubted Aiden loved her. That love wouldn’t be enough for him to defy their father’s plans for her, but it was there nonetheless.
But obeying meant never seeing James again. Never seeing those icy blue eyes flare hot with desire. Never losing herself in his arms. Never delving into the secrets he carried around with him like Atlas carrying the world.
