I stood and watched emotions chasing each other across her face. One after another. I’d seen them on her before. Uncertainty, hesitation, insecurity. None of them I’d seen since that first argument so I’d forgotten.
Fuck.
I hauled her close and wrapped one arm around her lower back and placed my other hand on her cheek. It took two beats for her to do what she always did when I cupped her cheek. When I felt her nuzzle my palm, I explained.
“I want you to have this, baby, and I was afraid you wouldn’t allow yourself to come. I also didn’t want you thinking on it and stressing out. If it’s too much for you we’ll leave and you can text Echo and tell him we’re not gonna be here though your brothers are still welcome.”
“You lied.”
“I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell you we were coming to TC for lunch.”
Stubborn shifted into her features and her forehead wrinkled.
“Fine. Though for future reference you not telling me something is the same as lying. I don’t like shit hidden from me.”
Future.
At that, I let out a breath.
“Noted.”
“But we’re still talking about my brothers.”
“No, we’re not. I said all I’m gonna say about that.”
“They’re my family—all I have.” My body froze and my chest began to ache. “So they’re my business.”
Fuck me.
“Shiloh, baby, please trust me on this. Echo was doing what he needed to do. It’s all good.”
“I want to know.”
She didn’t want to know that her brother had come at me like a dick. Her head would likely pop off and spin around in a circle.
I dropped my forehead to hers and held her tighter.
“All you need to know is it ended well enough that he invited me to his house for dinner.”
“Likely to poison you. Which is what I’m gonna do tonight if you don’t tell me.”
It was then I realized she was being cute. She wasn’t pitching a shit-fit which she had every right to pitch. I had tricked her into coming to a picnic I knew she’d try to get out of. Further, she was right that her family was her business. It was just that I wasn’t going to snitch on her overprotective brother.
She was also being funny, cracking jokes.
It was all good even if she was going to hold on to her stubbornness.
“Are you smiling?”
I hadn’t realized I had been but since she asked I guess I was.
“Yep.”
“I’m not smiling,” she snapped.
“No, Shiloh, you’re not smiling.”
“Then why are you?”
I couldn’t stop it, though I tried really hard.
“Are you laughing?” she growled.
Fucking shit, she was cute.
“Yep.”
“Why are you laughing?”
Another growl.
Fuck, I couldn’t hold it back. I tilted my head back, crushed her to my chest, and burst out laughing until I felt her arms slide around me and squeeze.
“You owe me huge,” she mumbled against my chest. “Tonight we’re going three-to-one odds.”
“Three-to-one odds?” I asked.
“You owe me three orgasms for every one of yours.”
I burst out laughing again and this time Shiloh joined me.
Oh, yeah, everything was just fucking fine.
16
“Am I interrupting?” Phoenix asked.
No, actually he didn’t ask; he simply interrupted and did it snidely.
“You are,” I told him without lifting my cheek from Luke’s chest.
“Babe,” Luke rumbled.
“For fuck’s sake, you mind taking your hands off my sister?” That was Phoenix again.
Luke’s body went still.
Shit.
We were off to the side, not yet in the middle of the festivities, but the tables and people milling about weren’t far. And when Luke and I had walked around Triple Canopy’s main building I’d noticed kids were running around.
Not the time or the place for me to get into a smackdown with my brother. It also wouldn’t be good if Luke kicked his ass. Though Phoenix was being a jerk so I figured I’d let Luke get in two good hits before I pulled them apart.
“There’re kids here. I’d appreciate you watching your mouth,” Luke rumbled.
At that point, I felt it prudent to intervene. I pushed off Luke’s chest but only far enough to slip one arm behind his back and place the other around his abs.
I was making a statement—one Phoenix didn’t miss.
“I’d appreciate—”
“Knock it off,” I seethed. “And you’re lucky there are kids around or I’d step away and let Luke handle you.”
“Babe,” Luke rumbled again. “Thought we talked about this.”
“No, you asked me not to use you to egg my brothers on. This is not that. This is me telling Phoenix he’s so far out of line it’s not funny. You