Page 85 of King of Temptation

“Not in the mood, Rae.”

Sobering instantly, Reagan leaned back against the island, her dark eyes tracking him as he moved around the kitchen. “What happened?”

Gone was his annoying younger cousin, the girl who loved needling him and Killian whenever she got the chance. In her place stood a warrior, and no matter how many times he saw that change he couldn’t help but wonder who she would have become if their parents had lived.

Shoving aside the grief of that unknown, he pulled open the door of the dishwasher to load the dirty dishes inside. “Not sure, really. You remember Becky? Tiernan’s ex-fiancée?”

Reagan’s brows flew up to her hairline. “The one who hit him in the face with a whiskey bottle because she thought he was fucking someone else?”

“That’s the one.”

“I vaguely remember her.”

Chuckling at her dry humor, he finished loading the dishes and turned to wiping down the counters. “Apparently her daughter seduced Lochlan into a one-night stand, then posted about it online thinking he was Tiernan.”

“Oh my god.” Eyes dancing with delighted mischief, Reagan slapped a hand over her mouth to smother her laughter. “That’s… amazing. How pissed is Loch?”

“Pretty pissed. Even more so when we all pointed out that her breaking into his hotel room when he wasn’t there is suspicious as fuck and he’s a dumbass for not realizing it.”

Just like that, the amusement fled Reagan’s eyes, leaving behind a battle-ready coldness that Brody couldn't help but admire. “She broke into his room? Did she take anything?”

“No. He swears he only had clothes in there when she broke in. But Killian wants him to track her down and see what she knows. It could be completely harmless, but…”

“But since when is anything completely harmless where the O’Rourkes are concerned?”

“Exactly.”

Sighing heavily, Reagan let her head fall back, her eyes closing in a mimicry of the sleep she so rarely got. “Someday, we’re going to be able to do normal fucking things like have a hot one-night stand without it being a whole goddamn thing. That’s all I want for us, Brody.”

“I know. It’s what we all want.” Because he couldn’t stand to see her looking so miserable, he paused his cleaning to bump his shoulder against hers. “Speaking of normal fucking things, how was your sleepover?”

“Amazing. We ate junk food and watched cheesy romantic comedies.” Lifting her head, she opened her eyes to study him, seemingly seeing into some deep part of his soul the way she so often did. “Your girl is a sucker for those, by the way.”

“That tracks.”

“And bad shark movies.”

Now it was his turn to raise his brows as he stared at his cousin. “Bad shark movies?”

“Yeah. The cheesier the better, apparently. We watched one that I swear was filmed entirely on someone’s phone. It was awful, but Goldie fucking loved it.”

Snorting out a laugh, he shook his head at the mental imagery of Reagan and Aria watching some horrible CGI shark attacking people in the ocean while his Goldie giggled maniacally. “That somehow tracks as well, to be honest.”

“Mmm. It does. What doesn’t track for me is her not knowing you’re head over fucking heels in love with her.”

Of all the revelations the evening had dropped on his head so far, Reagan’s statement was by far the most shocking. “The fuck are you talking about, Rae? Of course she knows.”

“Well, she has an inkling now because I told her. Which appears to be more than you’ve bothered to do.”

“I bought her cheesecake!”

A smirk tugged at the corner of Reagan’s mouth. “And I know what a sacrifice that was for you, Mr. Health Nut. Just like I know it’s killing you to have any of her junk food in your house, and her sweatshirt tossed over the back of your couch. But it doesn’t matter what I know. She needs to hear it from you.”

“Actions speak louder than words, Rae.”

If looks could kill, the one Reagan sent him just then would have been a slow, painful death that left him writhing and gasping for air by the end. “If you want action, start by showing her she’s actually welcome here.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”