Page 27 of Sweet Vengeance
Well, shit. I hadn’t thought that through. Mini mob it is. “I don’t know why you have to make everything difficult.”
“Not doing exactly what you say doesn’t mean I’m making things difficult. The world doesn’t revolve around you. I get that you and your cronies are used to getting your way. Everyone is afraid of you, and so they all fall in line with whatever you say, but that’s not me. I don’t care what you do to me because of it.”
My lips pull into a smile. I should be annoyed as fuck by him, and part of me is, but here he is, this nerdy, pre-law kid, who has never seen a day of violence in his life until yesterday, standing up to me. It’s…refreshing.
“We’re not going to hurt you. Stop saying that shit. And fine, then, change of plans. We’ll swing by the house and grab my things, and I’ll stay with you.”
He gasps. “What? No! You’re not staying with me.”
“Make up your mind, Kitten. Because one way or another, you’re not leaving my side. Your dorm or our house. You pick.”
“I only have one bed.”
I grin. “I think I would be an excellent cuddler. I’ve never done it before. Maybe you can teach me.”
“Oh my God. There is something wrong with you.” He turns his head, looking out the window.
Guilt immediately weighs me down. “I’m not going to force myself on you, and I’ll sleep in a fucking chair. I wasgiving you shit, but I won’t change my mind about staying together. I don’t care if I’m outside your door, I’m going to be there. The doctor doesn’t want you alone for a couple of days, and I intend on making sure that happens. And I’m not trying to be a dick here, but we don’t know if those guys from last night were just trying to scare you when they took your IDs or if they’re planning on coming back for some kind of revenge. I figure that’s unlikely, but it’s a reality you need to consider. I’m not taking a chance with you.”
Which honestly, is some fucked-up shit. I shouldn’t give a fuck about Ollie. We’re not in the bodyguard business. People need protectionfromus, but I’m over trying to dissect my behavior when it comes to Ollie.
He doesn’t answer right away, head against the window. It takes me a moment to wrap my brain around the fact that he’s probably scared. That he isn’t used to this.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” I say, trying to console him.
“I’m not your responsibility.”
This unfamiliar…possessivefeeling sends fire through my veins. “Yes. You are.”
“Why?”
Now that’s a good question, isn’t it? But again, not bothering myself with all that shit. I can want to fuck him and protect him without it meaning anything. “Because you are.”
He sighs. “I don’t understand you.”
“That makes two of us.”
“Do you really think they’ll come after me?”
“Not unless they’re idiots. The issue is, I think they might be. They have no reason to—you can’t ID them, you didn’t prevent them from stealing the car—but people don’t always do what we expect.”
Ollie nods. Finally, after what feels like incredibly toolong, he looks at me. “My dorm. Just for a few days, though.”
His answer makes things difficult for me—I’ll be running around between the house and the dorms—but still, I nod. “You want me all to yourself. Got it. We can make that happen.”
“That’s not what I… I’m not…” When I smirk, he says, “You’re such a prick!” He crosses his arms again, pissed off, and I can’t help but laugh.
“God, you’re fun, Kitten.” I think I might enjoy this situation a lot more than I should.
CHAPTER TEN
Ollie
Ihave noidea if I’m making the right decision by letting Cillian stay with me. I still can’t wrap my head around why he wants to. He pretends to flirt with me, and okay, maybe he wants to hook up with me—though I’m surprised he’d chooseme—but the sex part is a lot easier to explain than the protection piece.
Is it simply because I’m friends with Dean? That’s the only thing that makes even a shred of sense, but then why isn’t it Dean doing this stuff instead of Cillian? Maybe it’s the rules of how the mini mob run things. Maybe Tiernan told Cillian to be responsible for me because he didn’t want Dean to do it, and now he’s stuck with me.
“What?” Cillian asks.
