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“What are you doing?”
“The book bug in me wants to hug you,” I said against his chest. “Man up and deal.” I felt his chin rub against the top of my head.
“I thought the term was ‘bookworm.’”
“I don’t like worms. Prefer bugs. And no, the two aren’t the same.” Finally, I released him. “Tell Rafael I said hi.”
“Not many people ask me to pass on their hellos to Rafael.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not crazy pleased that you’re close buds with a criminal mastermind. But I figure, if he’s your friend, there must be some good in him. Nobody is one-dimensional, after all. But even if I didn’t feel that way, I’d still be nice to him for your sake.”
Pausing, I took a step back and picked up my bag. “Now, I have books to bury myself in. Please forgive the fact that I won’t remember you exist until you get home and interrupt my reading. It’s genuinely nothing personal.”
His lips hitched up for the briefest moment. “So noted.”
Looking up at the large, three-story Victorian manor later that day, I smiled. “I know I’ve said it before, but Ilovethis house.” It boasted all the features I loved about this style of building—bay windows, a gabled roof, turrets, towers, stained glass, and a pretty porch.
As we walked up the path toward it, I cast Dax a sideways glance. “Did you live here throughout your whole childhood?”
“Most of it,” he replied. “Up until I was eighteen months old, we lived in a penthouse apartment. Obviously, I don’t remember those days.”
Looking at the upper windows, I nudged him. “Are you going to show me your old lair while we’re here? You never have before.”
His brow furrowed. “My old lair?”
“The room you used to sleep in,” I clarified as we climbed the porch. “The place I’m sure you debauched many teenage girls when you were just a teen yourself.”
“Debauched?” he repeated, his lips curling.
“Well, you debauched me plenty back when I was a teen.” Though not here.
Heat flared in his eyes. “I remember.” He pressed the doorbell.
It was Kensey who answered the door. Her mouth curving into a grin, she welcomed us both inside, dabbing a quick kiss on Dax’s cheek and then on mine. “Glad you could make it.” She gestured for us to follow her and then walked further into the house.
The first time I’d come here, I’d done a lot of gaping. The interior was as striking as the exterior. It had ornate lighting and high ceilings. There seemed to be a fireplace in pretty much every room. And the geometric terracotta floor tiles were beautiful.
As we strolled down the hallway, I let my gaze skim over the framed pictures on the walls—most were of Dax and his three siblings at different ages. “You were such a cute kid, Dax. But it isn’t fair that you don’t seem to have had a gawky phase—mine was horrendous.”
Kensey chuckled. “He takes after his father that way. No ugly duckling moments. They were swans from the day they were born.”
As she led us into the dining room, Blake looked up from his seat at the table. He rose and slapped Dax on his back as they exchanged hellos. His attention then zipped to me, and he offered me a warm, authentic smile that was at total contrast to the formal ones he used to flash me. “Addison, glad you could come.”
“As if I’d miss out on Kensey’s cooking,” I said, my lips kicking up.
I still wasn’t certain what made him change his attitude toward me. I’d asked Dax, but he’d only said I won Blake over.
While father and son talked business, I helped Kensey carry the plates and drinks to the table. She and I each then took a seat beside our respective husband.
Across from me, she leaned forward to get a better look at the intricate dragonfly on my arm. “Caelan mentioned he gave you a tattoo,” she said, a proud glint in her eye. “My boy’s good. He did some for me, too.” She turned both her sparsely inked arms this way and that, giving me flashes of them.
One caught my eye, and I pointed at it. “That quote. I know that quote. It’s from one of my favorite books. You read Nina Bowen?”
She started in surprise. “I do.”
I put a hand to my chest. “I won’t lie, Iloveher. I have a major crush on her fabulously creative brain.”
Her lips tipped up. “Dax told me you’re a big reader. He says you have more books than I do.”
