Page 71 of Done with You

“Would you like me to articulate some of my observations, Officer Lassiter?”

His nostrils flared and a tight scowl slashed across his face. They stared at each other in the dark of the bus while conversations and laughter filtered around them.

The bus came to a stop. “We’re here,” Grant announced.

“Sweet,” Rayma said, standing up first and heading to the door of the bus, Jordan behind her.

They filed out and followed Jace down the stairs to the underground lounge in an old brick building. There was no signage for Dark River and if Jace wasn’t a cop, Oona would have probably said, “No, thanks, this screams horror movie.”

Once the door to the lounge opened, music pumped out, calling them in from the cold like a bard’s lute in the belly of a castle, to come warm themselves by the hearth and drink mead with the lord.

Jace stalked his big frame forward, being led by a short man with an expensive suit and a comb-over. A velvet rope was opened allowing them to step up into a big booth area.

“I’ve never been here before,” Rayma said, snuggling into Jordan’s arm. “It’s pretty cool.”

And it was. With dark velvet booths, dimmed bedroom lighting, and swaths of gauzy fabric in rich jewel-tones draping the walls and hanging from the ceiling. There were even some four-post canopy beds scattered around, while women dressed in very little did erotic acrobatics in aerial silks fastened to the exposed wooden rafters. The whole vibe of the place was—seductive relaxation with just a splash of the forbidden.

A few bottles of champagne were brought over and the Harty boys took to deploying the corks and pouring the bubbly.

Thank God, Aiden was on the opposite side of the booth, because if he’d been in kicking distance, Oona wasn’t sure she could have restrained herself.

However, being on the opposite side of the over-stuffed velvet seating, meant he was directly in her line of sight and she was forced to look at him no matter what.

And of course, that asshole was staring right at her. Daring her to say something. To reveal something she’d analyzed about him.

“You okay?” Triss asked, whispering into her ear. “I saw you two arguing on the bus.” They were side-by-side on the booth, with Mieka on the other side of Oona.

Mieka leaned in. “What’s wrong?”

Oona flicked her gaze between her sisters.

“Who were you arguing with?” Mieka asked. “I saw you talking with Aiden. Were you arguing with him?”

Oona’s mouth twisted.

Mieka’s gaze darted to Aiden, who was still watching them.

Then her eyes went wide and she pivoted back to face Oona. “Did you hook up with Jordan’s brother?”

“I didn’t say a word,” Triss said quickly. “Swear to God.” She held up her pinky.

“You just did,” Oona scolded, which made Triss’s cheeks grow pink.

Mieka’s mouth formed a surprised O shape. “You did! You hooked up with him?”

Mieka used to dance for the cruise ships until she broke her arm and they took that as an opportunity not to renew her contract. Devastated, and lost, feeling as though she no longer had a life’s purpose, she fled to the ranch in Colorado to visit Triss, which was where she fell in love with Triss’s brother in-law Nate. Now, Nate was building Mieka a dance studio on the ranch and she was going to teach lessons to all the rural kids. She was also the most like Rayma. Not as filter-free, but damn close. She was also the next wildest of all the sisters. She didn’t put their parents through the wringer like Rayma did, but she snuck out a lot and lied about her whereabouts more than Pasha, Triss, and Oona.

“When?” Mieka asked, unable to keep herself from looking back over to Aiden.

“Long story,” Oona said. “Regardless, we do not get along. Despite our brief—”

“Horizontal flamenco?” Mieka cut in.

Oona rolled her eyes and sipped her champagne. “I was going to say encounter.”

“Of the naked kind,” Mieka added cheekily, taking a small nip of bubbly from her flute.

“Regardless. It won’t be happening again, and we need to keep it under wraps for Rayma’s sake. I don’t want my folly to affect our baby sister’s wedding at all. We’re trying not to be awkward.”

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