19. The Hot Drive Home

Scarlett

We’re near the house when Riordan speaks again. “Friday.”

“What?”

He kills the engine by the gates and turns to me. “There are five days left in this month. I’ll have the last three. Clear your schedule.”

I stare at him, baffled. “You can’t just spring things like that on me. I have important meetings on—”

“You agreed to our bargain—”

“Right,” I snap. “Your wards couldn’t even stop Lorcan. How the hell am I sure it’ll keep other things out? You’ve done nothing on your end and you can’t hold me up to mine.”

His jaw ticks and I have barely enough time to respond when he palms my waist and lifts me out of my seat effortlessy. He places me in his lap and keeps me there with unbelievably strong hands, forcing me to straddle him. “I presume that means I don’t have to keep to my own end of the agreement when it comes to not touching you.”

“Rior—”

He clasps his fingers on the nape of my neck harshly and tugs me forward. His lips meet mine with a crash and he angles my head so thorou