Page 124 of Bound Lies

“This is kidnapping!”

He hits the elevator button. “Tell that to the cops.”

My cheeks are on fire as Kieran carries me out of the hotel to his waiting car.

When he finally sets me down on the ground, I attempt to break free, but he slings an arm around my waist and pulls me flush against his chest as he unlocks the car.

“You are such an arrogant, controlling⁠—”

Kieran yanks open the passenger door of his car and thrusts me inside without a word.

I twist toward the door, ready to bolt again, but he’s already pulling something from his pocket, and my jaw drops when I realize what it is.

“You are not serious.”

Kieran doesn’t say anything as he grabs my wrist and locks one side of the handcuffs around it before attaching the other side to the door handle.

“Are you out of your mind? You can’t just cuff me to your car!”

“I just did.” He slams the door closed and walks around to the driver’s side and slides in behind the wheel.

“Why?”

“Because you clearly have a death wish, and I don’t trust you not to throw yourself out of a moving vehicle into oncoming traffic.”

“Screw you, Kieran.”

“You want to act like a brat?” He shifts the car into drive. “Then I’ll treat you like one.”

“What if you crash the car, and I’m cuffed to the damn door?”

He smiles smugly before pulling away from the curb.

“I’m not going to crash. I’m way too good a driver for that.” He puts his foot to the floor.

The car lurches forward, and I brace a hand on the dashboard as I scowl at him.

“You’re such an ass, you know that?”

He doesn’t reply, and I refuse to talk to someone who handcuffs me to a car. So, I sit in my anger for the entire drive back to the penthouse, staring out of the window because if I catch sight of that smug smile, I swear I’m going to lose it.

When we pull into the private underground parking garage, I dig my heels in again as Kieran walks around the car and opens my door.

“I’m not going inside,” I state when he uncuffs me.

“Yes, you are.”

“Nope.”

“I swear to God, Riley.”

“You’ll have to physically drag me inside.”

I regret suggesting it the moment the words leave my mouth as Kieran does exactly that.

No matter how hard I fight him, I’ve got nothing on his strength, so I spend the entire elevator ride up to the penthouse thrashing and cursing as he holds me over his shoulder.

When the elevator doors finally slide open, he storms inside and drops me onto the couch so hard I almost bounce right off it.