Page 31 of Bound Lies

“You tell me. I’ve never done this before.” He reaches for the bottle.

“What, be fake-married?”

“Well, yes. But also, I’ve never had a woman stay the night, let alone live with me.” He foregoes his glass, taking a drink from the bottle.

I blink.

I knew Kieran was a bit of a man-whore, but I didn’t expect him to be the type of guy who ran from even the slightest sign of commitment.

“We need to make this marriage convincing. But that does not give you a free pass.”

“Oh?” Kieran raises his eyebrows at me and I roll my eyes.

“I’m serious, we need to have boundaries.”

“Like?”

I tuck my feet up underneath myself as I try to think of a way we can do this without me giving up all of my morals. I’m not a virgin because I’m a prude or anything, but I’ve just been so focused on college that boys simply haven’t been on my radar.

Now it’s gotten to the point where I’ve avoided relationships altogether because I was embarrassed by the fact I’ve only gotten to second base.

So, the thought of Kieran being the one to take me to third and fourth, or however many bases there are, makes me feel like a charity case.

Though, I can’t deny that I’m curious to know what skills he could teach me. I mean, he has a reputation for a reason. The man leaves a trail of broken hearts wherever he goes and here I am, practically being offered him on a silver platter.

I’m sure if I said that the only rule I wanted was that there were no rules, Kieran would be happy to oblige. He might hate me, but I’m also a girl, at the end of the day. I’m sure I could persuade him to teach me a thing or two…

“Well, I think we start with separate bedrooms,” I say quickly before my thoughts get too carried away. “I need my space.”

“Obviously.”

“And no physical contact unless we’re in public, but even then it’s minimal touching and no kissing unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“Define absolutely necessary.”

“If someone’s watching, then we can participate in very light PDA because it will help sell the lie. But don’t make a habit of it.”

“Trust me. I won’t.”

I fold my arms. “And just so we’re clear, this isn’t going to turn into anything...weird. This is fake and temporary. Once my family backs off and Sean gets the message, it’s over. Null. Done.”

“Works for me.”

We fall into silence, though my heartbeat rings in my ears as Kieran’s eyes stay on me.

I’m suddenly too aware of my hands, which are unusually sweaty. There’s one more thing.”

“Of course, there is.”

“I want this agreement in writing.”

That gets me a reaction.

Kieran’s eyes narrow as he sits forward slightly, and I catch a waft of his cologne. It’s rich and musky and completely intoxicating.

“You want a contract?”

“I trust Ronan. But you don’t trust me, and I don’t know what that means for me once I’m legally tied to you. I need to protect myself.”