Chapter 4

I didn't expectto get released from prison as fast as I did, but the lawyers figured out some loophole. Sometimes the law works in your favor.

When I first got out, I was too ashamed to face Patrick. He had to know I was out since he was paying my attorney bills, but he didn't try to contact me either. So I stayed in my house—the other one I own, not the one I lived in on his estate. I didn't think he'd want me there.

But after Iseult told me that Eriu was taken, I went out on my own to look for her. I was in a deep state of torture knowing someone could be hurting her.

I was worried that it was the gang I was a part of, but I quickly learned it wasn't them.

It was someone else: Sergey Marinov, father of the current Pakhan of the Bratva.

The war between the Irish and Russians all began with that prick. After a disagreement between Patrick and Sergey over land, he took Eriu's mother and killed her. Patrick, of course, took revenge and killed one of Marinov's sons. An eye for an eye. That started an all-out war, and in the end, Konstantin, the oldest, and his three brothers called a truce.

Their father disappeared soon after that, but waited three years before he came after Iseult when she was seventeen. She fought like hell and escaped, but not before she took one of his eyes, and the bastard waited a long time before he took Eriu as payback.

Now he's rotting in the ground. Thank feck nothing happened to her. I would've raised hell on that entire family.

After Eriu was rescued and I saw for myself that she was safe, I returned back to my home. Until one day, weeks later, I got a call from Patrick, asking if I wanted my job back.

I didn't hesitate. I said yes. Of course I'd say yes. Why did I think I'd refuse if I ever got the chance to be close to her? To protect her? I'd never turn that down. I didn't want some other man where I belonged.

I didn't even care that I had to move to New York. I'll be there for Eriu, and I won't fail her this time. She is under my constant care and protection.

Patrick did forgive me for what transpired with Eriu the night she drugged me, but he also knew me well enough to appreciate that I was ashamed for failing at my job. But he told me he trusts me, and that meant more to me than he realized.

So I won't fail him again. I watch her every move.

Before Eriu moved into her dorm, I had it bugged. Didn't want to add cameras so I don't invade her privacy that way. I also added a tracker to her car. Even her cellphone is tapped. I ran background checks on her friends too, who all came out clean.

I know every move Eriu makes before she makes it. Just like I know she'll be going to a party tonight, where I'll be watching everything she does.

She needs to be protected. Too many could use her as a pawn in the dangerous world she's a part of. She doesn't truly realize the danger she's in just by existing. Her father has many enemies, and to add mine to the mix is even worse.

I continue to listen to her and Karen talking about the party, about how Eriu should seduce me. It's too bad I'm a lot stronger than either of them gives me credit for.

The things I want, she'll never know.

When I'm alone, when it's safe to think about her, that's when I let my true intentions roam free. Her as mine, the object of my every desire, my wife, the mother of my children. It's what I want.

But we don't all get things we want in life. I should know. I lost everything when I lost my brother.

I'm relieved I wasn't married. They would've killed my wife. They would've killed our children too. They have no limits.

They could be anywhere. They could bloody well be in New York, waiting for the perfect time to take me out, and everyone I care about.

I won't let that happen.

I won't let Eriu die.

It's why we can't be together.

It's too bad I can't tell her that.

ERIU

I pull down the fiery-red minidress, hoping my behind doesn't pop out of this thing as we stride up toward the frat house.

I don't dress like a nun, but this is way too short. But Karen insisted, and I didn't want to disappoint her or ruin my chances of Devlin eating his heart out.

Maybe that's what he likes, women who dress like this. I guess we'll see.

She wasn't lying about my makeup either. I look like one of those pinup models: smokey eyes, pink lips, blush and shimmer on my cheeks. My hair is down, the large curled ends hitting the small of my back.

"You look hot," Karen whispers. "Stop fidgeting."

We stroll up the steps toward two guys who are checking people in by the entrance. They appear visibly high or drunk, I can't be sure which. And they seem to only be letting the girls in and refusing many of the guys.

Peeking behind me, I find Devlin moving closer, his eyes concentrating on mine. For a moment, I find them drifting from my head to my legs, and I immediately shiver.

When I do, he catches himself and his jaw flexes.

I gulp down the nerves riding up my throat and fight to shake off the goose bumps threading my skin.

But that'd be hard to do.

He noticed me.

He was staring at me like a man would look at a woman he wanted, and it thrilled me.

I definitely noticed him too, but then again, I always do.

He looks incredible in a suit jacket, a baby-blue button-down beneath, with navy dress pants. Every sinew, every muscle is on full display. I start to wonder how he looks without his shirt on. I bet he has abs for days, and I crave to have my hands on him, to feel those ripples.

Oh my God… I can't believe I'm picturing him like that.

My face goes hot, and I peer back at him, wondering if he knows what I was just thinking about. His eyes are hard and unrelenting.

Of course he doesn't know what I was thinking. That would require him to read minds. Then again, this is Devlin we're talking about.

I glance at the girls standing behind him, and they sure notice him too, whispering with each other as they peep at him with flirtatious smiles. Some of them are aware of my connection to him, but not all of them.

I don't even know how he'll get into the party. Those guys are going to wonder why he's here. He doesn't pass for a twenty-year-old. They'll think he's someone's father, and Devlin won't take no for an answer. Then we'll have trouble.

Maybe I can convince them he's with me.

As soon as we're one person behind to get inside, Devlin strolls up to the back of me, his warm, howling breaths skating down my nape, making it hard to breathe.

"That dress is far too short," that husky timbre drawls out with a deep whisper. "You shouldn't be wearing it."

I gasp when his palm cups my elbow, jolting every molecule. I'm not sure if he doesn't like me in this dress because he's jealous or because it doesn't look good on me.

"Too bad I don't care what you think," I breathe with a quick glance behind my shoulder, swallowing down the jittering nerves.

His eyes turn arctic and dangerous, and a growl deepens in his chest. But he doesn't say anything else, though his hand remains on me as we climb a final step until we reach the top.

"Hey, Karen!" One of the guys hugs her. "You two can go right in."

When Devlin tries to follow us, the guy stops him.

"Whoa, dude." He chuckles dryly. "I don't know where you think you're going, but you can't go in."

Crap.

Devlin curls an arm around my lower back and brings me flush against his side. My entire body shivers. This is the closest I've been to him.

His eyes take on a demonic turn as they zero in on the college guy.

But it's hard to concentrate on how bad this situation could get when he's touching me this way, the woodsy, masculine scent of his cologne invading my nostrils.

Thoughts of his mouth on mine, thick fingers stripping off my clothes, pummel into my mind and I almost let out a moan.

"He's with me, boys." Karen gives them one of her sultry smiles. "I promise he won't cause trouble, right?"

She tries to loop her arm through his, but he gently flings it away, holding on to me tighter.

She passes me a knowing smirk.

Devlin eyes the kid like he's about to remove his head from his shoulders. And he just might if we don't get him inside.

"Okay, cool," the guy retorts. "Just keep the beast on a leash, will ya?"

He laughs, and Devlin's body jolts.

"Okay, come on, you two." Karen struts inside while I try to yank Devlin, who's rooted, staring at the guy.

"Devlin," I whisper. "Come on before they kick us all out!"

"That wouldn't be so bad," he spits through clenched teeth, zeroing his concentration on my lips.

His gaze turns hooded, cheeks hollowing, and I almost forget how to breathe.

Quickly facing forward, we start for the door. I'm grateful he hasn't thrown me over his shoulder and taken me back to my dorm yet.

As soon as we're all in the house, Karen grabs my other arm and gives him a once-over when he refuses to leave my side, holding on to me, his fingers digging into my hip.

"You can let go now. She's safe with me."

"Right," he mutters gruffly, but his hold on me disappears, and I feel a chill that wasn't there before.

"Stay back and behave," Karen tells him. "Eriu deserves a fun night with how hard she studies. Nod if you promise to behave."

She pops out her large breasts; her dress is blue and just as tiny. I know she hopes to get his attention, but his eyes don't budge from mine, and he doesn't nod or say a word as he crosses his arms.

"Okay, well…" she adds. "I will take your silence as a yes. We'll be going now."

But as we head for the table filled with alcohol bottles and plastic red cups, he follows me, keeping just enough distance that I don't feel his body pressed up against mine like it was before.

He stands there, surveying the place, the bustling of college kids and loud music not fazing him at all. I'm sure he's been at his share of college campuses and parties, though I don't really know much about his past, other than his brother's death. He never actually told me how he died. Once he got arrested, I never brought any of that up again.

I often wonder about his past and who he was before he began to work for my father. He's always been secretive. I just wish he wouldn't be with me.

"He's intense." Karen bumps my shoulder, already drinking some concoction she created. "This is for you."

She passes me a cup, and I take it, inhaling the smell of something sweet.

"What is it?"

She scoffs. "Alcohol. Drink it and have a good time, for fuck's sake!"

I gander a look at Devlin, whose eyes narrow as he sees the cup in my hand.

He doesn't want me to drink…

The corner of my mouth tips up, and as it does, I toss the alcohol down my throat and gulp it down. My insides burn, but the sweetness nicely masks the liquor.

His nostrils flare, and the intensity written on his features sends my pulse thumping. He's always so stoic. I like getting a rise out of him, even when it's miniscule. It shows I can make him react. And the more I try, the harder he will have to work to fight it.

I drop the cup on the table.

"More," I tell Karen while my eyes remain fixated on his, and the small shake of his head, telling me to stop, has me popping a brow and smirking.

"That's my girl!" Karen gets all giddy as she makes me another drink.

When she's done, I drink that too and…well…that one, I'm definitely feeling.

"Did you add more alcohol to this one?" I cough out into her ear, hoping he doesn't notice.

"Hell yeah, I did! Maybe if you're a little drunk and wobbly, he'll have a reason to touch you. Then who knows what'll happen?" She winks.

"You're worse than Kayla."

She also thinks it's a good idea for me to make Devlin jealous.

"That I am." She tilts up her chin and grins. "I just want you happy, and you haven't stopped talking about that man since the moment you transferred. So, Mission: Fuck Your Bodyguard is in full swing."

I laugh, shaking my head. She's always been supportive of my infatuation with a man I have no business crushing on.

Karen doesn't know who my family is. All I told her was that my father is a businessman in Boston and he has always been overprotective, so of course he wouldn't allow me to attend college in New York without eyes. She easily bought it.

"Ladies!" Adam and Camden, two guys I know from some classes, pass by, giving us both a hug.

I've grown suspicious of everyone. It's hard to trust people with everything my family and I have gone through. But I have to be a normal person too.

The guys make their own drinks while Adam gives me sheepish glances. His tall, rugged athletic vibe would potentially interest me, especially with his pretty-boy looks, but there's only one man I want. The one who's currently staring a hole into the back of my head. I don't have to look behind me to know he is.

"Wanna dance?" Adam asks.

Of course I don't. He's not Devlin.

As though hearing the question, I find Devlin moving up a few steps from the corner of my eye, only a few feet between us now.

I want to say no. I should. I don't want to lead a guy on. But it's just a dance, not a marriage proposal.

"You better say yes," Karen whispers into my ear. "Devlin is going to lose his shit with some guy being all up on your ass looking the way you do."

"You think?"

"Hell yeah, I do!"

Adam comes to stand next to me, his body a bit taller than my five-four. Not like Devlin, who is a good foot taller.

I let out a wistful sigh. Will I always compare every man against him? What is it about Devlin that makes me like him?

He's barely said much to me in the years he's been my bodyguard, but when he does… Those moments are what I wait for.

I know behind that rough exterior is a man who wants someone to love him. Why can't that be me? Why won't he allow it?

Because you're eighteen and he's thirty-five, and your father would probably hang him for it, especially if he takes your virginity.

My virginity is like a gift for my future husband. This patriarchal nonsense has me wanting to sleep with just about anyone so that maybe whoever my father finds for me will no longer want me. I don't want a man who values my purity more than me.

Would Devlin care? I doubt it. He doesn't seem like the type. But I've saved myself for him anyway.

Guess that will be for nothing since he has yet to ask my father for my hand, and once my father finds someone for me, he won't have the chance anymore.

"So, how about that dance?" Adam's hazel eyes glimmer with interest, and not the creepy kind.

He genuinely seems like a nice kid. I've never heard anything bad about him around campus.

"Sure." I smile politely. "I'd love to."

Maybe this is, in fact, what Devlin needs.

Adam grabs my hand and leads me to where a bunch of people are already dancing. At first, he keeps a distance, but as the song progresses, he curls his hands around my hips and brings me close, staring down at me, a smirk on his face. He seems shy, not like your typical jock.

As he spins me around, I find Devlin's clenched jaw and a fist tight at his side. He looks ready to rip the poor guy's head off.

Instead of being afraid of what he might do, I grin and throw my arms around Adam's shoulders, gyrating provocatively. Devlin has never seen this side of me, and frankly, neither have I.

When I continue, I feel the heat of a body behind me, and I instantly know it's him. Adam's brows knit as he stares past me.

"Stop dancing with him. Now," Devlin warns into the crook of my neck.

That seductive tone, the warmth of his breath, makes my heart race. But I ignore him, letting him think he's in control.

His growling is hot and heavy against my nape. "Eriu…I'm not playing." His palm lands across my hip and my pulse quickens. "You're barely dressed, and you're dancing all over him."

"Excuse me?" I turn around abruptly, before blurting a quick apology to Adam, asking him for a minute.

He nods, giving us a curious look before he leaves.

"I'm having fun," I snap at my broody jerk of a bodyguard. "I don't know who you think you are, telling me how to dress or how to dance, but you have no say in my life."

His expression narrows. "We're leaving. You're drinking too much. Anyone here could spike your liquor."

"Well, you'll be here, won't you? Knight in shining armor." I pop a sassy brow. "Last time I checked, you don't own my body. You're here to watch me, and there's nothing I'm doing wrong. Daddy never cared if I drank. So go ahead. Call him and tell him what a bad girl I'm being."

I fold my arms over my chest, and his eyes turn to slits as his vision follows my movement, seeing the way my breasts pop.

"Like what you see?" A grin spreads on my mouth. "I won't tell."

"Eriu…" In an instant, he slants his face close to mine, his hot breath caressing my lips. "You're playing a real dangerous fecking game."

"Maybe it's time I dabbled in a little danger. Would fit right into my family, wouldn't I?"