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McKenzie nodded. “And after that, I’ll bore you with five hundred photos of the Greek Isles.”
“Sounds good to me,” Ian said. Bella had yet to make eye contact with him since they walked through the front door, though he didn’t know why. Perhaps he hadn’t been the best traveling companion on the way back today, but Lord, his head had ached. Nothing a meal and a good night’s sleep wouldn’t fix.
Over crisp chilled wine and sautéed veal medallions, the four adults settled into a comfortable conversation. Finley was the common denominator in the group. Brother. Husband. Friend. The other three had more ground to cover.
Ian found himself laughing often and relaxing more than he expected. McKenzie was whip smart and had a sense of humor that matched the rest of the group. Finley had mellowed in the year since Ian had last seen him. Though the two men talked about motorcycles in passing, the evening was more about the things all four had in common than the differences that separated them.
By the end of the night, Ian was feeling damn good about life in general. He was a lucky man.
His euphoria lasted right up until the moment Bella sked her brother a pointed question.
“Have you already brought my mattress down to your office, Finley?” she asked, her expression guileless. “As soon as we finish cleaning up dinner, I’m off to bed. I’m exhausted.”
“It’s all ready for you, Sis. McKenzie made sure of that.”
Ian had to pick his chin up off the floor. And then he realized what was going on. Clearly, Bella didn’t want Finley to know she and Ian had become intimate. Made sense. After everybody was asleep, she would join Ian in the guest room. At least that was his assumption.
While Finley and McKenzie cleared the table, Ian pulled Bella aside to make sure. “Are we keeping our private life private?” he asked with a grin.
She couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “I’d rather be low key about you and me,” she said. “And besides, both of us could use a good night’s sleep.”
Ian knew a brush-off when he heard one. His temper simmered. “You could sleep with me. After Finley and McKenzie go to bed. We’re all grown adults. I’m sure Finley knows his baby sister has needs.”
Bella’s eyes flashed. “Don’t be crude, Ian.”
He frowned. “I wasn’t. All I’m saying is that your brother doesn’t have the right to make judgments about your personal life.”
Finley and McKenzie returned at exactly the wrong moment. The tension in the room was palpable.
McKenzie’s gaze darted from Bella to Ian and back again. “Everything okay in here?”
Bella’s smile was weary but seemed genuine. “I was just telling Ian how glad I am to have a new sister.”
* * *
Bella escaped to her temporary bedroom without having to be alone with Ian again. She knew he was upset, but she was upset too. Did she want to spend the night in the guest room with him? Of course she did. Life would be way simpler if all she had to think about was sex. She was in love with a man who had more layers than an onion. She honestly had no idea if he cared about her at all.
Finley had added a downstairs bathroom adjacent to his office several years ago, so she had privacy to get ready for bed. She finished brushing her teeth and had just climbed under the covers with a book when her brother knocked on the door.
“Come in,” she said.
Finley ducked under the doorway. Parts of his quirky house seemed to have been designed for elves or dwarves. “You sure you’re okay sleeping on the floor?” he asked with a small frown.
“I’m fine. Quit worrying.”
Finley pulled out the desk chair and sat down, his arms folded over his chest. “I’ll never stop worrying about you, Bella. You saved my life more than once, and I can never make up for leaving you to handle Dad all those years.”
She sat up pretzel style and pulled her hair into a side ponytail. “You did what you had to do. I never blamed you, not really.”
“So what’s the deal with you and Ian?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Seriously? You’re going to lie to your own brother?”
“I’m not lying,” she said crossly. “It is complicated. I like him, and—” She grimaced, not sure how to put the situation into words her brother would understand. Heck, Bella didn’t really understand it.
“You’ve slept with him, haven’t you?” Finley looked more troubled than judgmental.
