Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Our kissing doesn’t go too far. We’re in the middle of an important operation and we’re both aware that we have to be on our best behavior. But there is a part of me that wishes he’d drag me into his lap and sink his dick between my legs.
“I need to go check on Liam,” he says after another few minutes pass. He checks his watch with a slight grunt. “I think he’s behind schedule.”
“Are you worried?”
“Not yet, but I’ll feel better if I make sure he’s okay.”
“He’s a good friend, isn’t he?”
“One of the best. Stay here and don’t move.” Finn pushes open the door and gets out. “You’re safe. Just keep your head down.”
I watch my husband disappear into the night. He quickly crosses the street, walking with his hands in his light jacket. Liam’s on the other side of the building watching for any sign of Dermot coming back and he was supposed to check in, but it looks like he’s slightly late.
It’ll be fine. Liam’s not putting himself in harm’s way. Not tonight, at least. I slump down in my seat, watching the building, and I almost scream when there’s a knock at the window. My heart’s racing wildly as I look over to find Finn’s brother Cormac peering in at me with that eerily calm stare of his, like the guy’s never felt an emotion in his life.
The Ghostman. The family’s murderer. I shiver and push that thought aside. He’s my brother-in-law.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, rolling down the window. Cormac climbs into the car instead. There’s a slight resemblance between him and Finn, but they’re also total opposites in a lot of ways.
“It’s done.”
“Seriously? All the boxes are planted?”
“All of them. Wasn’t difficult.”
“Dermot has some serious security—”
Cormac stares at me. “Like I said. It wasn’t difficult.”
“Right. Great. Fantastic.” My pulse hammers in my chest. This is good news. We came here tonight to frame Dermot as planned. Cormac volunteered to go inside because apparently, he’s very good at this sort of thing. But why does it feel like something bad is happening?
“If I had known what they did to my brother, they would all be dead by now.”
He says this as if he’s reciting the weather, and I absolutely believe him. “I don’t think Finn wanted anyone to know.”
“You’d be dead too.”
I let out a soft grunt of fear and have to physically steady myself. “Uh, right, but what happened to him was before my time.”
“I know. I’m glad you married him. I’m not good at restraint. I would have burned your entire bloodline to the ground.” His lips press tightly together. “I still might.”
Jesus Christ, this guy’s intense. “I wouldn’t mind that, if I’m honest with you.”
He looks straight ahead. “I have a question. I need honesty. You and my brother are sleeping together.”
The way he jumps around between topics is extremely unsettling. I shift uncomfortably in my seat. “I mean, we’re married, and I guess—”
He holds up a hand. “I don’t care. I want to know something. Do you love him?”
I laugh, unable to help myself. He’s not smiling at all. “That’s a little… I don’t know. How am I supposed to answer?”
“Love isn’t complicated.”
Yep, he’s definitely a crazy person, because that’s just about the least true statement imaginable.
I rub my forehead. “Liam didn’t call in because you wanted to come talk to me without Finn, right?”
He nods once. “Yes. You figured it out. Now answer me.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“The truth.”
I open my mouth to tell him no, our marriage is fake, it’s an arrangement that neither of us wanted, but I can’t make the words come out. I don’t want to lie to him, and I realize that wouldn’t be true. In shape maybe, but not at the heart of what we’ve become.
“I think I do,” I say quietly, my voice very small. “We fit together. We went through the same thing… but he’s also a good man. He survived it in a way that I didn’t. I want to be around him all the time… I think that’s love, isn’t it?”
“Love was overwhelming for me. It nearly broke me. I felt like I was dying, like if I was apart from her, my body would crumble. Anything less and what’s the point? So tell me the truth. Do you love him?”
I nod slowly. “I love him.”
“Good. He deserves that. Maybe you do too.” Cormac gives me the ghost of a smile. Probably that’s the closest he gets to happiness. “Welcome to the family.”
Finn comes striding across the street. He looks unhappy when he spots Cormac sitting with me and leans down to talk into the window. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to still be inside?”
“All done.” Cormac gets out and steps aside. “I was just having a chat with your wife.”