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“That’s why I’m wearing the cameo and why I’m defending his ass from his family. There are only so many pieces he has to give, and I’m not going to let you steal each of them away from him.”
Paddy’s brows arched. “It’s for the family.”
“Don’t give a fuck if it is or isn’t. Family are the ones who’ll drain you the quickest if you let them.” I sniffed as I slipped my arm around his waist, holding him as tightly as he held me. “Figure you’d know that seeing as you ran away from yours decades ago.”
Though he stiffened, he took the hit on the chin. “Thank you for helping Liam, Conor.” He cleared his throat. “Star.”
I bowed my head at the acknowledgment and watched as he left the office.
“You setting yourself up as my guard dog, Star?” Conor asked as he pressed his cheek to the top of my head.
“Someone has to before they dry you up and turn you into a shriveled prune.”
“Wouldn’t you still love me if I were a shriveled prune?” he teased.
“Sure. I’d just soak you in syrup. Rehydrate the wrinkles.”
“Good thing I like sugar then, huh?”
Snickering, I concurred, “It is.”
“And don’t worry about me. I get my kicks out of them.”
“You do?”
“They have a thing for fucking in elevators that are under my purview. Or talking about shit they wouldn’t want any of us to hear within reach of one of my mikes.”
I mock-gagged. “You watch them fuck?”
“Nope. But I still know they did it.” He tapped his nose. “Who knows when I’ll need to blackmail them into doing something?”
I cackled. “This is why we’re good together.”
He winked. “One of just many reasons.”
Heartburn.
Goddamn heartburn.
But this was the kind not even a Tums could fix.
21
CONOR
A THOUSAND YEARS - CHRISTINA PERRI
“So, Star, what is it that you actually do?”
Pausing as I spooned potatoes onto my dish, I flicked a look between my mother and my partner.
Star, in the process of loading her plate with broccoli, didn’t skip a beat as she answered, “I’m like Conor. A little bit of this, a lot of that.”
“You work on computers, then?”
“You could say that, yes,” she replied politely, handing the dish to Brennan who was seated beside her.
“Ma,” I said, a warning in my tone once I saw her fold her hands together and place them beneath her chin.
