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Don’t even know who she is and I’m jealous. It’s not right.

I’m about to tell Paige I’m leaving when a ripple of hushed whispers rolls through the ballroom. Heads swivel toward the back, where an older, strikingly handsome man steps inside with a young woman on his arm. His features hit me immediately—high cheekbones, full lips, and those piercing hazel eyes. My stomach knots as Paige grabs my wrist.

“That’s Ronin Callahan,” she hisses, tugging me forward. “Let’s go say hi.”

“No, wait—“

Too late. Against my will, I’m yanked through the crowd and deposited in front of the man who raised Ryann.

I don’t know if it’s the champagne buzzing through my veins or the memory of our heated conversation outside, but a swell of hatred has me glaring when I meet his gaze.

“Mr. Callahan, hello,” Paige chirps brightly. “This is my little brother, Shilo. He just started a few months ago.”

“Ah yes, the intern.” Ronin extends a hand with a tight smile that’s unnervingly like his son’s. “Nice to meet you, Shilo.”

There’s something condescending in his tone, like the introduction is a chore. I don’t realize I’m scowling at his outstretched hand until Paige elbows me sharply in the ribs.

Reluctantly, I grab it, muttering, “How do you do?”

But he’s already moving on, parting the crowd like frickin’ Moses, heading straight for Ryann and his… whatever she is. It doesn’t escape my notice that he doesn’t even glance in Declan’s direction.

“Well, that went well,” Paige murmurs dryly. She tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear before turning back to her boyfriend, oblivious to the storm brewing in my chest.

With a huff, I grab another glass of champagne out of Carpenter’s hand.

“Dude,” he groans, throwing his arms in the air. “First, you bite me, and now you’re stealing all my drinks? Why do you hate me?”

I ignore him, slurping down the bubbly liquid as I watch Ronin wave and shake hands like a celebrity. He treats his employees well, though, so I guess he probably seems like one to them. Not to me, though. Never even met him before today, and I already hate him.

I shouldn’t have come tonight. Should have faked sick, pretended to be busy, taken Mom’s car and left town. Joined the circus. The way that woman grins at Ryann like he hung the moon makes me want to scoop my eyes out.

KC suddenly grabs my arm, prying the glass from my fingers before dragging me away. “Come on, let’s dance.”

“Kansas, no one else is dancing. What are you doing?”

“Getting you away from nosy ears so we can talk.”

That makes me snort—the concept of ears having noses. I’m feeling pretty good thanks to the alcohol, so I let him steer me to the middle of the room where he wraps his arms around my shoulders.

“Okay, so spill the tea.” He leans close, whispering in my ear, smelling like freshly baked cookies. “What did Ryann say?”

“Say about what?” Honestly, he smells like banana bread. It reminds me of my grandma back in Idaho, and I love her, so I inhale deep.

“Jesus, Shilo, stop sniffing me and pay attention. We both know that man is the furthest thing from straight, so why is he pretending to have a girlfriend?”

My brows furrow as I squint at him with blurry vision. “Why do you think he’s pretending?”

KC rolls his eyes so far back that I’m surprised they don’t stick there. “Did you not hear what I just said? Ryann loves dick, Shilo, and there’s no way he’d suddenly give it up.”

Mm, dick. Me too. Ryann’s dick. Ugh.

“Maybe he would,” I mumble, suddenly sad and horny, but KC shakes his head.

“Something’s going on, I think. Maybe with his dad. They have a bad relationship.”

A scoff leaves my lips as I snag another champagne from a passing server. “Ryann doesn’t do relationships, he says.”

“My point exactly.”