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“You have a roof terrace?” he asks as his eyes widen in excitement.
“Yep, with a pool.”
“Wow!” He takes a swig of his beer. “How long have you lived in New York?”
“A few years.”
“And before that?”
“All over really,” I say with a shrug.
“You’re so lucky. I’ve always wanted to travel,” he says with a sigh and I can’t help but smile that he thinks my running from a psychopath was traveling.
“No reason why you can’t one day,” I tell him and he shrugs.
He looks like he’s about to say something when the kitchen is filled with the unmistakable sounds of all four Ryan brothers being in the same room. A chorus of ‘hey, bro’s’ ripples around the kitchen.
I spin around and smile at Liam as he stands beside the kitchen island. He smiles back at me but he scowls at Hayden.
“That’s Liam,” I whisper and Hayden gives him an awkward wave.
Shane walks toward us and as soon as he reaches us, he wraps me in his arms and kisses me. Not a soft peck on the lips, but a full on, passionate Shane Ryan kiss. I gasp for breath when he lets me up for air. That was a blatant display of his possessiveness, but I love that about him so I let it go. “This is Hayden,” I say to him and then I turn to Hayden. “And this is Shane.”
Shane extends his hand and Hayden takes it gingerly in his.
Oh please, don’t crush his fingers, Shane!
But he doesn’t. He shakes it gently as he forces a smile. “I hear you’re joining us for dinner?”
“Yeah. It smells delicious,” Hayden says breathing in the aroma of Mikey’s delicious chili.
“It is. You’re in for a treat,” Shane replies, his hand coasting over my back until he rests it just above my ass. “Shall we sit?” He motions toward the table and the tone of his voice makes it clear this is not a request.
Mikey and Conor have dished out dinner and we are all sitting with a plateful of chili, and we’re about to dig in when Shane speaks.
“So, how much debt are you in, Hayden?” he asks matter-of-factly, like he’s asking what his favorite soda is.
“U-um,” Hayden stammers as he holds his fork halfway between his plate and his mouth.
“Shane!” I frown at him.
“What? Let’s not waste time with small talk and discuss the things that are on all of our minds.”
“I…” Hayden starts to speak but he is flustered.
“You haven’t told him that you already know about his mom’s huge medical bills?” Shane arches an eyebrow at me.
“Well, it wasn’t part of our opening conversation, Shane,” I hiss through gritted teeth.
Shane puts his fork down and rests his huge forearms on the table. “I think it’s best that we lay all cards on the table,” he glares at Hayden. “Jessie here has a gift. She can find out pretty much anything about anyone. So we already know that you’re in debt that you have no hope of repaying. You see the building we’re sitting in?” He looks around the room. “The building we own. You can see why my brothers and I might be concerned that you’re not looking for a sister at all?”
Hayden nods. “I can see why you might think that, but it’s not true. I don’t want Jessie’s money.”
“It’s not my money,” I say, earning me a withering look from Shane.
“So, how do you intend to pay?” Conor asks.
“I honestly don’t know. I pay off what I can, but I don’t earn that much,” Hayden says quietly. “But that’s not why I came looking for Jessic - Jessie,” he quickly corrects himself.
