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Just as he asked the question, Reagan walked in through the front door, dressed in a pink tank top, dark gray sports bra, and black shorts with her caramel-blonde hair braided to the side. She went straight to the reception desk and started talking to Natalie, who was about to head off to college in a couple of weeks. My eyes instantly locked on Reagan, and I couldn’t look away. I’ve always been protective of her, and it’d gotten worse since Nikola threatened to come after us all. She was why I stayed behind instead of flying off to Vegas with her brother and Ripp. Someone needed to watch over her, and that someone was me.
Carter chuckled under his breath, catching my attention. He hopped off the treadmill and glanced back and forth from me to Reagan. “I know, I know, it’s hard to resist. Iammarrying her sister, after all.
“Lucky bastard,” I scoffed.
Emma was Reagan’s sister, and I’d always suspected Emma and Carter had a secret relationship going on over the years. It turned out I was right. They were getting married in two months, and I was to be the best man, and Reagan, the maid of honor. But, of course, she wasn’t impressed about having to walk down the aisle with me. At least, that was what she wanted people to think.
Reagan walked over, and I could see the tenseness in her shoulders. Even her bright blue eyes didn’t seem as vibrant. Something was wrong. I’ve known her my entire life and had memorized her tells, just like I knew she fought the urge to follow through with my advances when I’d tell her we should sneak into the back room together. Would I rip off her clothes and fuck her senseless? You better believe it. I was just waiting on the day she’d finally give in.
“Getting started a little late, aren’t you?” Carter said to her.
Reagan tossed her bag on the floor and hung her head, a frustrated breath puffing from her lips. “I got a little sidetracked this morning and dropped my phone. The screen protector cracked, so I stopped by the store to get another one.” When she faced us, I could tell she was pissed, but there was also fear in her eyes. “And you’ll never believe who visited me this morning.”
Reagan was never afraid of anyone. She didn’t have to say his name for me to know who she was talking about. Hands coiled into tight fists, I could feel the anger surge in my chest.
“Son of a bitch,” I growled. “It was Nikolai, wasn’t it?”
Carter ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck.”
“What did he want?” I demanded.
Reagan shrugged. “I don’t know. He said he wanted to talk, but I wasn’t having any of it. I know he’ll come back; he said so himself.” Grabbing my phone off the weight bench, I found Seth’s number. Reagan stepped over to me. “Who are you calling?”
Once I pressed the call button, I turned to her. “Seth,” I answered. As Nikolai’s brother, he was the only one who could help us.
The line rang for a few seconds, and then he picked up. “What can I do for you, Emerson?”
“You can get your brother the fuck away from Reagan,” I gritted out. “He showed up at her apartment this morning.”
Seth didn’t sound fazed at all. “I knew it was only a matter of time.”
“Yeah, well, he better back the hell off,” I snapped.
He sighed. “I’m out of town for the next few days, but I’ll be back as soon as possible. In the meantime, I’ll have one of my guys keep watch over Reagan. Nikolai knows you all are off limits, so he has no leverage over her.”
“No, he doesn’t,” I replied angrily. I hung up and Carter met my gaze. There was no fucking way I was going to leave Reagan’s safety in the hands of one of Seth’s men.
Carter turned to Reagan. “Your sister’s going to be furious when she finds out.”
Reagan crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah, I know. We’re supposed to work on wedding stuff tonight. The last thing I want is her worrying.” Eyes widening, she stepped up to Carter. “What if we don’t tell her?”
Carter shook his head. “She’ll find out eventually and get pissed at me because I knew.”
Frustrated, she threw her arms up in the air. “I’m all about being honest, but this is different. Emma will be up my ass twenty-four seven if she finds out. I’ll do anything to keep her from finding out.”
Carter narrowed his gaze. “Anything?”
She nodded quickly. “Anything.”
“Good,” I exclaimed, “then you’ll stay with me.”
Reagan’s head snapped my way. “Yeah, anything but that.” She rolled her eyes and focused back on Carter.
Carter shrugged. “You can’t stay by yourself in your apartment, not when Nikolai can easily get to you.”
“And with your brother in Vegas,” I said, “you can stay in his room or the guest bedroom.” Ethan and I had lived together for the past two years. Now that I had a title and was making plenty of money, I was going to seek out my own place. For now, at least, I’d have Reagan to myself.
Groaning, Reagan hung her head. “I never should’ve told you.”
