Chapter 7 - A Kiss Of Deception

• Kieran’s POV
• The shock on Riele’s face was as satisfying as it was inevitable. But beneath that satisfaction, there was a flicker of something else—regret? No. Relief, maybe. I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that for the first time in a long while, Riele no longer held the reins over the situation or me.
• “You’re kidding, right? She is your wife? Her…?” Her cheeks reddening with condescending disgust.
• On another day, another circumstance, I’d never introduce Andrea to anyone as my wife. Hell, she was not my class, not my taste. And the only thing she’d bring me was embarrassment. But right now, it was either her or Riele. And this wasn’t about the devil, you know—it was about the angel you barely knew yet somehow knew was better.
• I’d rather be trapped in a marriage with this amber-eyed stranger than be bound to the chaos that always seemed to follow Riele.
• “Her…name is Andrea, and yes, she is my wife. I hope this makes things clear.” I released my grip on Andrea’s shoulders slightly when she shifted uncomfortably beside me.
• Riele eyed Andrea, then me, before bursting into full-blown laughter. It was a wild and nerve-cracking chuckle that she soon dropped for a serious expression.
• “Be serious, Kieran. If you plan on scaring me away by pretending to be married, I suggest you do better than this…” She pointed her left hand at Andrea. “This low standard bitch. She’s not even your type, Kieran. I know you—you’d never stoop so low as to marry someone as ordinary and beneath you as her.”
• “Then maybe you don’t know me at all,” I said firmly, wishing she’d just leave.
• Riele’s gaze locked unto mine, and her lashes fluttered when she saw I didn’t bat an eye. “I don’t believe you,” it was a whisper of shock and disbelief.
• Every bone in my body ached to see Riele gone. Every encounter with her was disastrous and the last one had been the last straw where I swore to stay as far away from her as possible. Riele and I dated for eight inconsistent years.
• When I first met her, I was a young, broken man fleeing from the web of his parents, and after meeting her, I was left more broken than I had been.
• When we started dating, she first introduced me to the lifestyle of drugs, booze, partying, and whatever else you can think of. At first, it was thrilling; it made me forget about my parents, who couldn’t care if I lived or not as long as I wasn’t their precious Eamon. It felt relieving from all the pain, regret, and hurt. But things quickly spiraled downhill. Over the past two years, we went through a cycle of breaking up and getting back together over and over again. It became so frequent it was almost a routine.
• Now, I was done. Just done.
• I didn’t like remembering the things Riele and I had done, the people we had hurt. The lives… it was the past, and I wanted no part in it anymore. I wanted nothing to do with Riele anymore. And as hard as I knew that would be, I was ready to take my chance with this birdie, Andrea that has been put in my path.
• I was willing to use Andrea to keep Riele out of my life, even if it meant pretending to be in love with her. Even if I had to put up a show to make it believable, that’s what I’d do.
• “Maybe this would help you believe me,” I said slowly.
• Without thinking, I flipped Andrea to face me, pulling her with firm hands into my arms. She gasped from the spontaneous movement as our bodies collided. The impact of our bodies touching almost made me forget the situation at hand.
• She was so soft. Soft and feminine, and blast me for admitting, I was sure another woman had never felt that way in my arms. Her perplexed expression made her eyes twinkle mesmerizingly as if she spoke with them. I knew what they were asking, but I didn’t have the answer.
• I knew I shouldn’t progress with my intentions; it could ruin everything. There’s still time to back out of this. The loud warning in my head was ignored. It would be quick, like it was yesterday. Even if it wouldn’t be as quick, it wouldn’t mean anything. It wouldn’t even really be a kiss.
• Andrea stiffened as I brought my face forward; her eyes widened in amazement, and her palms went to my chest, shoving weakly. I couldn’t afford Riele noticing her struggles, it’d make me look like a liar. So, I pressed my lips firmly to hers hastily. But that was my mistake.
• I should have taken my time and done it slowly, and maybe it wouldn’t have felt the way it did because the minute our lips touched again, my world spun. My eyes shut involuntarily as my lips pushed for more to get a better understanding of the taste that was hers.
• Her lips tasted rusty, yet there was something beneath it, something sweet, unfamiliar, and impossible to resist. As I pressed harder, Andrea’s resistance melted, her palms no longer pushing but clutching the fabric of my shirt.
• A soft, breathless moan escaped her, vibrating against my mouth, and it sent a jolt through my chest, urging me on.
• The kiss deepened, no longer a forced act but something that took on a life of its own. I could feel her giving in, her lips moving in sync with mine, soft and hesitant at first, then more certain. She was sinking into it, just like I was, and for a second, I lost track of everything else—Riele, the room, the reason for all of this.
• It was just her. And me.
• Then, just as quickly, reality slammed back in. With a sharp inhale, I broke the kiss, pulling away. My heart pounded in my chest, louder than the silence that had settled around us.
• I didn’t dare look at Andrea, not after what had just happened, not after the way her body had responded to mine.
• Instead, I stepped back, putting space between us, my breath coming out ragged, my mind racing.
• “Kieran, you bastard!” Riele’s yelled, snapping me out of it completely. “You want to play games, yeah? Well, you chose the wrong person to do that with! I’m not going to let you just dump me for this trash, not after all the years I have spent wasting my life with you. You can’t use me the way you have and think I’d let myself be dumped like this.” The words rushed out all at once.
• Riele snatched her bag from the couch and marched to where I was. I could almost touch the anger emanating from her.
• “I’m ready to do whatever it takes to find out what game you’re playing. Kieran.” A small smile curved her lips as she glared at me. “You know me, I don’t back down from a fight. As for you,” her attention shifted to Andrea, who had been mute since the beginning, her gaze still glazed from the kiss. “Hey, I’m talking to you.” Riele poked her finger into Andrea’s chest to bring her to focus.
• “Don’t you dare touch her, Riele,” I warned. I hadn’t planned to.
• “You’d fight for her...” my words made Riele more pissed.
• “Just leave, Riele. Stop your drama and go! I don’t want you. Leave.” I gestured toward the door.
• “Fine. I’ll leave.” She turned and began walking to the door but halted and spun around again as if she had forgotten something.
• “You know this isn’t the last you’ll see of me, right? I’m the one carrying your child; unless you want a scandal and want to completely ruin this sham of a marriage, you’d do the right thing, Kieran. Don’t forget I know your dirty little secrets, and that includes your family.” A sinister grin covered the length of her face, and she walked away.
• A cold chill spread across my entire being as I watched her retreating back. Riele didn’t make vague threats, of that, I was sure.
• She was capable of despicable things, which was why I wanted nothing more to do with her. And if you were on her wrong side, she wouldn’t give up until you were burnt. Completely.
• I caught a figure walking past me and turned. Andrea was moving away, about to leave the room.
• “Andrea,” I called, and she halted before turning in a robotic way.
• “Yes,” she didn’t look directly at me. Her gaze fluttered in different directions at once.
• “About the kiss, I want you to know it meant nothing. It was just a ploy to get Riele to leave.” Deep down, I knew part of what I said was untrue. But I was never going to admit that, not even to myself.
• “There’s no need for you to explain what you did; I know when I am being used to frighten away an ex.” She eyed me gravely. “Next time, warn me so I am not too stunned. It could ruin your objective.”
• “There would be no next time,” I assured her.
• More like assuring myself, too, because there was no way I wanted to kiss this woman again. No way.
• Andrea slowly raised her eyes, and they locked onto mine for several long seconds. I found myself wondering what was going on behind those still, captivating eyes.
• “I truly hope there won’t be a next time,” she said firmly, her voice steady. Then she sized me up with a single, disdainful gaze before slipping into the kitchen.
• I stood transfixed, staring after her. Her last words clung to me like a weight. There had never been a woman who didn’t become hooked after just one kiss.
• And Andrea had just blatantly insinuated that she wanted nothing to do with it again. Even if I’d be the first to say it, I hadn’t expected her to agree so easily.
• I sighed, frustrated. This should be the last thing on my mind right now. The situation with Riele needed to be dealt with first and foremost. And the only person who would know what to do was Jasper Vasques.
• As much as I hated the idea of seeking help from my father, he was the only one I could turn to right now for this issue. Especially since Riele’s threats involved things that could tarnish both his business and his reputation. The Vasques’ name. The information she had was dangerous, and it was tied directly to him.
• He’s the one who got me into this mess in the first place, so it’s only right that he finds a way to fix it.