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“Well, you sure move fast, pretty boy.” Darcy’s voice sees us jump apart as though caught with our hands in the proverbial cookie jar.
Alex’s grin is lopsided and thoroughly contagious. “My brother always says, when you know, you know.” He tosses me a wink before turning to face a smiling Darcy.
“Now, can you show me to Rey’s room? We need to get moving quickly.”
“Moving where?” Mine and Darcy’s voices ring out in unison, concern etched on her face as it most assuredly is on my own.
“To my penthouse, obviously.” Alex turns to face me, and whatever he finds there makes him rush on as though afraid I’ll change my mind about the whole thing. “Or I’ll buy you your own. Would that work?”
“No, no, Alex.” I shake my head rapidly. “That’s entirely unnecessary. However, wedoneed to discuss this before jumping headfirst. I know you said you don’t have a timeline, but—”
Darcy cuts me off by popping her head up behind Alex’s shoulder. “Christ’s sake, lovely. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
She quirks a brow, and her lips twitch suspiciously. “Especially one as pretty as this!”
* * *
Having gathered everything of value from my Corolla earlier this morning, it takes us less than ten minutes to pack, and once we bid Darcy farewell—ensuring her with a hug that we’ll be back soon—we exit Molly Malones to find a black town car awaiting us at the sidewalk.
“I could have driven us, pretty boy.”
I arch a brow pointedly, and Alex smirks as he gestures for me to go first.
“Ah, but that would do Damien here out of a job, Sunshine.”
As I slip into the car, sending a smile of gratitude toward a stoic Damien, I pin my new fake boyfriend with a questioning stare. “Sunshine?”
He slides in beside me while Damien softly closes the car door behind him.
Alex grins lopsidedly, and my foolish heart thumps traitorously beneath my breast.
Give it up, idiot!
“Yeah, I mean, if we’re in this, I feel a nickname is required, no?”
He rolls his eyes, shaking his head. “Henry is big on nicknames.”
I shrug indifferently. “Why Sunshine?”
He chuckles, gripping my hand in his much larger one as he wriggles his eyebrows. “Because you’re a Rey of Sunshine.”
My face splits in a wide smile, and Alex reaches across with his free hand to dust his knuckles along my cheek. “See? A smile like sunshine.”
My pulse kicks up at the sentiment, and my cheeks blush furiously.
Stop it.STOP IT,Reyna.
His eyes soften for a moment, then he pulls back and pats my hand before tugging his palm from my hold.
“Some ground rules then, okay?”
I nod succinctly. “Okay. Shoot, pretty boy.”
He slides me a narrow-eyed look that makes me belly laugh.
“Well, if you get to call me something ridiculous, then it’s only fair that I get the same courtesy.”
“Fine.” He grins, transforming his whole face. “Henry will eat that shit up.”
