Page 236 of The Villain We Tempt

My jaw tightens.

“Well, I’m just glad he’s getting the help he needs for that nasty alcoholism of his,” My uncle says with a glint in his eyes.

“You implying something here, Cil?”

“What, that my dear great-nephew engineered the removal of the professor he TAs for, so that he could teach the class of a young woman he’s got a bit of thing for?” He snorts. “Why on Earth would I imply that?”

I drum my fingers against the side of my glass.

“You know, scenarios like that remind me of someone…” he murmurs.

I clench my teeth, fighting back the demons inside.

“Whatever Seamus was,” I growl, “I amnot?—”

“Lochlan.”

Cillian stops me with a slight smirk as he drops a hand to my shoulder.

“I was going to sayme, you daft cunt. And congratulations.”

My brow furrows. “For?”

“For your plan to get close to her working,” he laughs.

I nod sullenly as I return to my drink.

“Aha.” Cillian nods slowly. “I see I was right in my concern that you’d manage to fuck it up.”

I shoot him a glare. “Excuse me?”

“Well?” He shrugs and dramatically looks around the bar and under his stool.

“Exactly what are you looking for?”

“Your girlfriend,” he smiles thinly at me. “But, I don’t seem to see her.”

I sigh. “What about her not being in a bar drinking with us at two in the afternoon makes you assume I fucked things up?”

“Nothing. The fact that you immediately went on the defensive and got all worked up about itdoes, though. So does the fact that your hand has been in a fist ever since I brought this girl up.” He clears his throat. “Sorry,allegedgirl.”

I scowl at him. Fuck, you can't get a thing past this guy.

Cillian grins, sighs and claps me on the shoulder. “So: how’d you fuck it up.”

My eyes narrow. “I didn’t?—”

“Lochlan…”

I exhale heavily and swear under my breath. “Stalked her, spied on her, generally invaded her privacy andmaybedidn’t stop when she asked me to.”

My uncle clucks his tongue against his teeth and nods sagely. “Yep, that’ll do it.” He frowns. “You’ve apologized?”

“Obviously. Multiple times.”

“And she knows how you feel?”

I roll my eyes. “Cil, I just said I’d apologized?—”