He might be the prince of the Yakuza in this area, but Killian is in command of the entire Irish Mafia. If he wanted to kill Haruaki right here, right now, I think even his father would back down for fear of bringing a war with the Irish on. It’s the only thing that has kept a war at bay all of these years.
Still, Haruaki shows no fear. If it wasn’t for the fact that I could feel how tense his muscles are beneath my hand, I wouldn’t even know he was affected.
Taking a deep breath, I step between the two. Killian reluctantly takes a step away, but Haruaki refuses to stand down, making the front of his body to be plastered to the back of mine.
“You have three seconds to explain, Cleo,” Killian barks, still staring at Haruaki.
“Haruaki wasn’t doing anything wrong. He was standing here while I was waiting on the bathroom. We were being polite, as the accords demand during these required parties. Yourgirlfriendcame out and demanded I go with her.” I cock my hip, not missing the way Haruaki’s breath catches as my ass brushes his erection. “I don’t know her, nor do I care to if she thinks she can come into your life and order me around. I don’t appreciate it.” At Killian’s get on with it look I know so well, I sigh. “Haruaki was being a gentleman. He was just talking with me about where I wanted to go to school. She has no right to make assumptions, then demand I leave with her.”
“I’m not his girlfriend.” Greer feels the need to add.
We all ignore her. “You get a free pass tonight,” Killian says to Haruaki, then to me. “Say goodbye to your new friend. We have to go before your father catches you here withhim.”
Turning, my chest brushing against his, I smile up at Haruaki. “Thanks for the chat. See you around, Haruaki.”
His hand comes up to brush a piece of hair out of my face. “Kai. You can call me Kai, Princess.”
He winks, then turns and walks away, leaving me speechless.
I don’t know what I was thinking coming here. Well, that’s not true. I wasn’t thinking. I was letting my impulses lead me.
I wanted to cause trouble for the Irish, knowing they were presenting their prized possession for marriage tonight. I figured I’d annoy Shane. Maybe even hint at the fact that I know he’s been putting his nose in my business.
What I didn’t expect was her.
I’ve seen pictures of Cliona Murphy, but most of them are older. She hasn’t been on my radar in years. Why would she be? As much as we hate the Irish, we had a fragile truce with them. We leave them alone and they leave us alone. No war needed. No need for us both to lose a good portion of our ranks, leaving us vulnerable to be taken out by the Italians or Russians.
Cliona isn’t a little girl anymore. No. Now she’s a beautiful young woman.
Her orangish-red hair is curled and pinned to her head, only a couple of wisps of it falling around her face. Her pale skin is on full display in the strapless dress she’s wearing. There is no denying that it’s a wedding dress she’s wearing, tempting every man in this room to ask for her hand.
When she turns, glancing my way, I freeze. Her bright green eyes scan the room. For a moment, I thought her eyes would see me and stop. They don’t though. Instead, they continue to roam the room, almost as if she is looking for an escape.
An uncomfortable feeling settles in my chest.
I continued to watch her as she moved about the room, being introduced to each new person. Every time her hand touches another, my body tenses right along with hers, as if I’m connected to her. I watch as she rubs her neck, wipes her hands on her dress, and desperately looks around as the time passes.
When Killian O’Reilly walked up, I saw her relax for the first time all night. The tension from before fleeing her body. I watched a smile cover her face as they danced.
Then Killian left her. My feet were moving before I realized it, heading in her direction. But they stopped abruptly as her father pulled her aside. I watched as she glanced toward the bathroom. Her eyes creased in pain before he let her go.
Giving the order to Kenji to distract her guard, I had made my way to her from the other end of the hall, hiding in the shadows to allow myself another moment of observing her.
Then I stepped out, showing her the monster lurking in the dark.
I expected fear. I honestly thought she would scream, but she took me by surprise.
She was nervous, but I don’t think she was exactly afraid of me. No, Cliona was intrigued. When I moved in, feathering my fingers across her neck, her eyes flashed with heat, causing my body to react. Then she lashed out, making a stereotypical joke about my race. Normally, that would piss me off, but for some reason, with her, it didn’t.
Still determined to prove her wrong, I pressed against her, pressing my nose into her neck.
She smells divine. A mixture of floral, vanilla, and fruity. She intoxicates me.
What sealed it for me, though, is the way she grabbed my face, bringing her lips to mine.
I’ve kissed many women in my life, but never, not once have I felt anything when I did. Kissing Cliona was an experience.
When Killian caught us, I thought for sure I was going to have to fight my way out of this. My fingers were itching to reach into my waistband for one of my blades. The only thing stopping me was Cliona’s hand on my arm. The feel of her clutching to me. Then she slid in front of me, acting as a barrierforme.
