She nodded. “A little, but I didn’t tell him your real name.”
My heart twisted. She was keeping my secrets. She was doing everything I fucking needed her to do so I could use her to ruin him. “Why?”
She sighed, sinking deeper against me as her face fell. “I didn’t think you would want me to.”
I leaned my head back, closing my eyes as my hand still moved over her leg.
The revenge-focused part of my brain suddenly short-circuited. Could Regan actually be loyal to me over her own father? I had never considered it a possibility, but here she was, lying to him to protect me.
I kept my eyes closed, thinking over her confession. “Tell me if someone suddenly decides they want to kill me,” I mumbled.
She gave a small laugh, adjusting on top of me. “I can move, Rook.”
I didn’t open my eyes but grabbed on tighter, holding her in place. “Don’t.”
Luckily, she listened, her fingers moving up my chest and tracing over tattoos on my neck.
I had no ideations about love. There was never any dream of falling for it one day.
But this felt like something it could be. Someone who wasn’t going to tell our secrets, the moments between us all our own. Someone who would always have my back and always face the world with me. Someone who would let me sit here in silence, posted up on my lap to warn me if there was a problem.
Someone who would give me five fucking minutes of peace.
I didn’t know how long I sat there, the party carrying on around us, but I didn’t care until I heard another drink open.
My eyes flickered open, watching her as she took another long sip.
“Getting drunk?”
“I think so. How many have I had?”
“I don’t think I could keep count. What’s wrong, Rebel? Too nervous about me staying here?”
She groaned and drank more. “Don’t remind me.”
“Am I really that bad?” I grinned, already knowing she thought I was.
She leaned back, mumbling something, but I couldn’t make out the slurred words.
“Alright, Rebel. I think it’s time to get you upstairs.”
“No, I think I’m alright,” she said, the gagging sound after it not convincing me.
“Sure. Let’s go be alright in your room, then.” I picked her up, sweeping her legs out from under her. “Try not to puke on me.”
“I’m not going to puke.” Her voice was unsteady, and I knew she had to be fighting back the urge to gag again.
“Right. Do you always throw back more drinks than you can count, get unsteady on your feet, and then start gagging?”
We headed inside, but Aiden stopped me, nodding that he needed to talk to me. I set her down on a kitchen stool, making sure she would sit up on her own. “I’ll be right back, Rebel. Try not to move.”
She mumbled again, leaning back in the chair.
Aiden waited near the open kitchen arch, turned away from her. “There’s a pretty serious lock on her dad’s office door. Hero isn’t sure if he can get inside.”
“Hero has never had an issue with locks.”
“This one is set up with a key and a code. You have to have both to open it.”
