Page 69 of Bound Lies

I feel nothing short of numb as we begin the walk back to the hotel in silence. The lightness of the evening has been replaced by a dark cloud, and I want nothing more than to climb into bed and hide under the covers.

The moment we step inside the safety of our hotel room, Kieran phones Ronan to update him.

I take the opportunity to sneak inside the bedroom to have some alone time, but the sight of the rose petals covering the bed hits me like a punch to the gut.

I knew that Kieran and I would have to announce our fake marriage at some point, but for some reason, looking at the enormous bed covered in rose petals makes this situation feel too real.

What the hell did I just get myself into?

There is no going back. Sean O’Keefe will likely hear of my nuptials within the hour, and the fallout could be catastrophic, not just for my family, but for Kieran’s too.

I think of Ronan’s pregnant wife, and my dinner threatens to reappear.

The Sullivans might have willingly agreed to help me for their own gain, but at the end of the day, if any lives are lost, that’s on me.

I start gathering up the rose petals and shoving them into the trash can. My stomach twists as my thoughts start to spiral, and I know it’s only going to get worse from here.

It was selfish of me to come to the Sullivans for help and even more selfish to agree to marry Kieran, regardless of whether it was fake or not.

“Riley?” I didn’t hear Kieran come in, but I turn and find him hovering in the doorway, looking concerned. He glances at the pile of rose petals in my hands and frowns. “What are you doing?”

Having a nervous breakdown?

“I need these gone,” I choke.

Kieran nods before he comes around the opposite side of the bed and starts clearing up the rest of the petals.

We work in silence, and if he notices any of the stray tears that start to fall down my cheeks, he says nothing.

“I’m going to take a shower,” I mumble, quickly grabbing my pajamas from my suitcase.

Kieran nods, and I leave him to finish cleaning up the petals as I lock myself in the bathroom to try and put some space between us.

I wish I didn’t care about Kieran or our fake wedding or any of it, but I do, and that only makes me cry harder.

My skin feels sticky from the humid Vegas air, and I stand under the waterfall shower until my skin turns pink. The exhaustion goes down to my bones, and I feel like I’ve experienced every emotion possible in the past twenty-four hours.

I wish I could stay in this shower forever if only to avoid climbing into that bed, but my eyelids start to feel heavy, so I shut off the water and towel myself dry before pulling on a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top. I barely even have the energy to brush my teeth or take my pill, but I force myself to because I don’t want to wake up with stale alcohol breath in the morning.

When I head back into the bedroom, I find Kieran trying to wedge himself into the chair, wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants.

I sigh, trying to not gawk at the sight of his abs. “You’re going to break that.”

“I’ll manage,” he mutters without looking at me.

I know I should just leave him to struggle. I know I shouldn’t care if he gets a good night's sleep or not. But I glance at the enormous bed and back at Kieran, and guilt starts to creep in.

He might be a pain in my ass, but he’s still a human being who is visibly struggling because of me.

“Just…get in the bed,” I offer as I climb into the bed myself.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not.”

“Like I said earlier, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“And I’m telling you, you won’t.” I pat the free side of the bed. “Just get in, Kieran.”