The Marriage Contract by Katee Robert Read Free Book Online

never been. “Sit your ass in that chair before I put you there. And you, be a good girl and do the same.”
    Be a good girl. She started to take a step forward, but Teague dragged her back and guided her into her seat. “Now’s not the time.”
    Callie was pretty sure it was the perfect time, but she wasn’t far gone enough not to realize that was the whiskey talking. So she let Teague keep her hand and did as she was told, all while silently promising to wipe that satisfied smirk off Seamus O’Malley’s face at the first available opportunity.
    The man in question stood and motioned for silence. “We apologize for the confusion, but there is nothing to worry about.” He smiled, once again every inch the doting father figure. “We would like to cordially invite you to the wedding in four weeks’ time.”
    The room took a slow spin around Callie before settling into place. Four weeks. Four weeks? She’d known what she was signing up for, but that was so soon. From the shocked look on Teague’s face, he hadn’t known about the timeline, either.
    As the people around her clapped, she couldn’t shake the fact that she’d just tipped past the point of no return.

Chapter Four
    T eague walked Callista to her town car, painfully aware of the people surrounding him. They needed a moment to just sit and have a conversation, but that wasn’t happening tonight—especially with the potential war hanging over their heads. He stopped her just before she climbed into the car. “Come out with me tomorrow. Just us.”
    She hesitated, an expression passing over her face that might have been fear. “I don’t know.”
    Was she afraid of him? He shook his head. Of course she was. She was a smart woman, and she’d known him only a grand total of a single night. Smart women weren’t in a hurry to jaunt off with strange men—especially when they came with a reputation that attached itself to anyone in the O’Malley family. “Just dinner, angel. In public. You can meet me there.”
    She relaxed a little. “We do need to talk.”
    Without everyone and their dog standing here, watching them like predators looking for weakness. It shouldn’t be that way—every single person was either family or associated with the family—but Teague stopped railing at the unfairness of the world a long time ago. “Yes, we do.”
    “Call me and we’ll set something up.” She rattled off a number, and then she was gone, sliding into the car and shutting the door firmly behind her.
    He watched her drive away, before turning to his older brother. “They need an escort.”
    “Already taken care of.” Aiden grinned. “You like her.”
    Yeah, he did. But he wasn’t fool enough to admit it now—or ever. Instead, he headed back inside, barely making it three steps before his younger brother waylaid him. Cillian had gone all out tonight, but he’d lost his suit jacket at some point, and the dress shirt was rolled up, revealing the tattoos covering his arms. “You’re a lucky bastard.”
    Cillian would see it that way. At twenty-five, he was still dabbling in school and finding himself or some shit. Since he was the third son and fourth child, he had been coddled and spoiled all his life. He wouldn’t escape his responsibilities to the family indefinitely, but he hadn’t yet started to feel the weight of it bearing down on him. Not like Teague had.
    Tonight that weight might finally win and crush him on the spot.
    “I saw her once last spring, out dancing down at Furies, though she was looking even better tonight.” Cillian sighed. “Those moves? I bet she can ride a d—”
    “You’re going to stop talking now.” He didn’t give a fuck how well she moved on the dance floor, and he sure as hell had bigger things to worry about now than how she’d rolled her body against his earlier. But it was more than that. Before tonight, Callista was just another Sheridan. An enemy. Now that he’d seen her—talked to her—he couldn’t