Chapter 24
I pour myself a cup of coffee as the events of last night replay in my thoughts, and I can’t help but smile, still feeling the softness of Eavan lingering on my lips. The sudden warmth of my mug against my palm tears me from my thoughts.
When I turn from the coffee maker, I’m surprised to find myself staring across the kitchen at Nikolai. He’s standing at the island, arms crossed and eyes narrowed—his eyes rolling over me with suspicion. “You’re up early,” I blurt, lifting the cup to my lips.
“Couldn’t sleep,” he replies, his tone clipped. “Had a lot on my mind.”
I raise an eyebrow, adjusting my grip on the white mug in my hands. “And what’s that?”
He steps further into the kitchen, his gaze never leaving me. “Last night. I heard you.”
My stomach tightens, but I mask it and play it off. “No,” I feign a scoff. “That ridiculous snoring was Cian.”
Nikolai lets out a heavy exhale. “Don’t play coy with me, Enzo,” he whisper-shouts, so we don’t wake Cillian, who’s still sleeping in the living room. “Cillian is going to murder you when he finds out you’re fucking his little sister.”
I take a slow sip of my coffee, buying myself a moment to compose myself before responding. “How did you find out?”
“Find out?” He arches a brow, silently asking if my question is facetious.
“It wasn’t exactly hard to figure out. She was screaming ‘Daddy’ loud enough to wake the dead.
” He laughs. But behind the humor is a warning: If he knows, it’s only a matter of time before Cillian puts it together.
And when he does… Yeah. That’s a bloodbath waiting to happen.
Thank fucking God, Cillian sleeps like the dead.
Nikolai leans in slightly, his voice dropping to a low grumble. “You know that sleeping with Cian’s little sister is fucking foolish. Maybe one of the stupidest fucking things you’ve ever done.”
I set the mug down with deliberate care, my eyes not once breaking his stare. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” he scoffs, shaking his head. “Are you fucking serious? It’s a betrayal, Enzo. You know damned well that Cillian won’t approve.”
His words cut through me painfully, because they’re true.
All of them. I know I’m betraying one of my closest friends.
My family . But deep down, I also know that Cillian won’t approve, and that goes far beyond Eavan being his little sister.
He knows what kind of man I am. Or was. He knows about the countless, meaningless women who passed through my bed over the years.
Why would he think that his sister would be anything more to me?
Fuck… even I don’t know why she’s different. But she is.
Nikolai steps closer, his presence imposing. “He was really fucking clear when she got here, Enz. Eavan is off limits.”
“I know…” I lean against the counter, crossing my arms with a heavy grumble. “But you don’t understand.”
“And you think he will?” Nikolai quietly snaps. “He’ll find out. And when he does, that fallout... It’ll be on you.”
“She’s worth it,” I mutter into my mug.
He stares back at me in disbelief for a moment before realizing that I’m serious. “Then you’d better fucking tell him.”
“We just need a little time.” I push from the counter.
Raising his hands in surrender, Nikolai swears, “I’m not saying shit. That’s not a fight I want to find myself in the middle of. But do yourselves a favor and don’t sit on this.”
I take another sip of my coffee, which suddenly tastes like ash. After pouring it down the drain, I leave the cup in the sink and walk from the kitchen with a gnawing tightness in my chest. Nikolai’s words ring in my ears—sharp, smug, and deadly serious. And entirely right.
Climbing the stairs two at a time, I run my hand through my hair when I reach the landing. I don’t bother knocking and quickly let myself into Eavan’s room before Cillian wakes. I shut the door behind me and exhale hard, leaning against it like I’m trying to hold everything together.
Eavan is sitting up in bed with her legs tucked underneath her and a sheet draped loosely over her soft body.
Her eyes still look tired, but she’s alert.
She glances at my face, and the faint smile that spread across hers when I barged into the room quickly fades.
“What’s happened?” she asks quietly, pulling the sheets tighter to her chest.
“Nikolai knows.”
Her eyes blow wide. “He knows ?”
My stare not leaving hers, I share, “He heard us last night.”
“Oh my God,” she whispers, a deep crimson quickly painting her cheeks. She tugs the sheets higher, over her mouth, and groans into them. “Please tell me he didn’t say anything.”
I push off the door and cross the room to her. “He said plenty ,” I admit with a half-chuckle, sitting beside her on the edge of the bed.
Her eyes search mine anxiously. “What did he say? ”
I hesitate. For a second, I debate sugarcoating it before opting to just tell her straight. “He made a few jokes. Mostly about how loud you were.”
The scarlet covering her face deepens. “Oh my God , Enz!” she exclaims, mortified.
“And he made it really fucking clear that your brother isn’t going to approve of us. Mostly because of me, which, based on how I lived my life before you, I can’t fault him for.” I reach for her hand and hold it firmly, quickly adding, “He’s not going to say anything to Cillian.”
She falls back against the headboard. “I want to disappear.”
I lean forward, elbows on my knees, scrubbing a hand over my jaw. “It was only a matter of time. And last night was fucking reckless.”
A faint reminiscing smile pulls at the corners of her mouth. Sitting from the headboard, she leans her face against my arm and quietly asks, “So, what do we do?”
“I don’t want to stop this.” I turn toward her and cup her round face in my hands.
“Me neither,” she adds without hesitation.
“Then we need to be more careful. Until we decide it’s time to tell Cian.” I place a chaste kiss against her lips. “In the meantime, we have to hope he doesn’t figure it out himself.”
She draws in a slow breath. “You’re not scared of him?”
“Terrified.” I laugh. “If our roles were reversed, and you were my sister, I’d fucking kill either of them for sleeping with you.”
She smiles, just a little.
“But I’d face worse for you,” I add, kissing her again. “Hell, I’m already willing to fight the whole fucking Armenian mob for you. What’s your brother too if it means I get to keep this?”
Her smile slowly blooms across her face, staying in place a bit longer this time. She shifts closer, curling her fingers into the hem of my shirt.
“I don’t want to sneak around forever,” she murmurs.
I lean in, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I know. And we won’t.”
“But for now…”
“For now,” I echo, begrudgingly agreeing to keep my promise to her. “We keep it between us. And Nikolai, apparently. I’ll keep him in check.”
“Do you think he’ll actually keep his mouth shut?”
“I do.” While he is loyal to us both, I truly believe he’ll keep his word. “He doesn’t want to be caught in the middle. He’d rather Cillian just kill me,” I deadpan.
“That’s not funny.”
Eavan watches me for a long moment, eventually leaning into me again and resting her head on my shoulder, her fingers still gripping the edge of my shirt like she’s afraid I’ll disappear.
I’m not going anywhere. No matter what.