Page 5 of King of Temptation

“Of course,” Beckett said, his voice a bit warmer at least than his smile. Both warmed even more, however, when a pretty redhead bounced over and snuggled up under his arm. “Hey there, Ruby Red. You ready to go?”

The look she sent him was so dramatically exaggerated, Brody nearly forgot he was supposed to be playing Killian’s muscle and he had to swallow a laugh at the last second. “Yes, and you better get me out of here quick because two people have already called out today and Jay has been staring at me like a dog with his eye on a particularly juicy bone.”

Chuckling, Beckett pressed a kiss to the top of his babygirl’s head. “Well, Jay is destined for disappointment. Because my Ruby Red knows better than to work a double when she has a paper due that she’s been putting off writing for a week already.”

Nose crinkling, Ruby let out a noise of disgust. “Don’t remind me.”

“Unfortunately for you, it’s my job to remind you. Say goodbye to Killian and we’ll head home so we can both get some work done.”

Despite her heavy sigh, amusement danced in the pretty barista’s eyes. “Bye, Killian! It was nice to see you again. You should have more of your business meetings here.”

It was all Brody could do not to let loose the laughter bubbling in his chest at Beckett’s stricken expression. The poor guy wouldn’t know what to do with himself if Killian decided to take Ruby’s suggestion to heart. Brody had done enough digging into Beckett Stone’s personal life to know he was something of a worrywart already, and having a mob boss hanging around his fiancée’s workplace on a regular basis was likely to push him over the edge.

Obviously taking pity on his friend, Killian smiled and leaned in to brush a kiss over Ruby’s cheek. “You’re very sweet, Ruby, but I think Beckett here might have an actual coronary if I brought my… business within fifty feet of you.”

Rolling her eyes, Ruby waved a hand, batting away his arguments. “Please, we all know Beckett is a big worrywart. Just ignore him.”

“Change of plans,” Beckett muttered darkly. “We’re going home so I can paddle your ass and then we can get some work done.”

If Ruby was at all intimidated by the threat, it didn’t show. She simply tossed her head back and laughed, long and loud. After another round of goodbyes, Beckett led his still giggling babygirl from the coffee shop.

Alone now, Killian shifted his attention to Brody, one dark brow raising in question. “Where did you disappear to?”

There was, Brody had learned over the years, little use in trying to lie to his cousin. As the head of their family, both personally and in business, Killian O’Rourke was better than any lie detector when it came to ferreting out untruths.

“Goldie was sniffing around again.”

Killian’s other brow rose to join its twin. “The author you cornered after our wedding? The one Aria’s become obsessed with?”

Brody let out a grunt of annoyed confirmation. “Yeah. She lives over in Aria’s old building, so it’s possible she was just out for a walk. But other than her daily trip to Rev and Roll, she usually doesn’t leave her apartment until the evening. So it could just be a coincidence, but…”

“There are no coincidences.” Curiosity filled his cousin’s emerald eyes. “You’re very familiar with her comings and goings.”

“Best defense is a good offense. If I know where she is, or at least where she’s meant to be, I can be fairly certain she’s not making a menace of herself.” Well, he could at least make sure she wasn’t being a menace to the family. Her blood sugar, on the other hand, was being terrorized on a daily basis from what he’d observed.

Lips twitching, Killian tilted his head ever so slightly to the side, his gaze locked on Brody’s. “Is she, then? A menace?”

“Yes.” A menace. A pain his fucking ass. An itch in his palm.

“I see.” And judging by the amusement in Killian’s tone, he saw far more than Brody wanted him to, as usual. “Well, don’t let Aria know where she lives. If she finds out she unwittingly shared the same living space as her new favorite author, she’ll never forgive me for making her sublet her apartment.”

“Noted, boss.”

Scooping up the box of muffins Beckett had brought for Aria—the ones she’d dubbed ‘magic muffins’ as they were one of the few foods she’d reliably been able to keep down during her pregnancy—Killian headed for the front door of the cafe. Their car was already waiting for them at the curb, completely ignoring the signs warning drivers not to park there, and Brody scanned their surroundings as their driver opened the back door for them to slide in.

Grief, still fresh and new after only a month, stabbed at him as he nodded to the too young, too eager driver. The loss of their cousin Sean still weighed heavy on his heart, as he knew it did for Killian as well.

Just one more reason for them to follow the plan they’d been meticulously executing for the past decade and get the fuck out of ‘the family business’ while they still had a family to protect.

Maybe once they were free and things settled down, he’d see about making a play for the bratty little author with curious eyes. But until then, he needed to keep her as far away from his family and their business dealings as possible.

Goldie

* * *

Stalking was hard work.

It had been easier the day of Killian and Aria’s wedding. Then, she’d known exactly where their family would be because she’d carefully monitored not just Aria’s socials but her friends as well. And while the O’Rourkes kept a very minimal online presence, the same couldn’t be said for Charlotte Elliott, Aria’s stepmother.